Ace of Wands (TV series)

Lore & Background

The series starred Michael MacKenzie as Tarot, a magician who combined stage magic with genuine supernatural abilities. In the first two series, he was assisted by Sam Maxstead, a reformed convict played by Tony Selby, and Lillian 'Lulli' Palmer, an orphan played by Judy Loe, who shared a telepathic link with Tarot. After Selby and Loe left due to prior commitments, the third series replaced them with brother and sister Chas Diamond, a photographer played by Roy Holder, and Mikki Diamond, a journalist played by Petra Markham, who also shared a telepathic link with Tarot. The character Mr Sweet, an antiquarian bookshop owner played by Donald Layne-Smith, often provided answers to Tarot's questions.

Reader's Guide

Ace of Wands holds significance as a cult British children's fantasy series that blended magic, telepathy, and adventure. Its legacy is shaped by the near-total loss of its first two series: all episodes were recorded on 625-line PAL colour videotape, but those tapes were wiped, and no 16mm black-and-white telerecordings for overseas sales are known to exist. Only the third series survives intact and is available on DVD. The show's theme song 'Tarot', written and performed by Andy Bown, was released as a single. The character Mr Stabs, introduced in Series 2, later appeared in two other anthology series: Shadows (1975) and Dramarama (1984), both written by co-creator Trevor Preston. The series remains a notable example of lost British television, with off-air audio recordings of nine Series 2 episodes available on YouTube.

Did You Know?

• The title comes from the name of a tarot card, and the principal character is called Tarot.
• Tarot owned a pet owl named Ozymandias, played by Fred Owl.
• All episodes of the first two series were wiped; only the third series survives intact on DVD.
• The character Mr Stabs appeared in the later anthology series 'Shadows' (1975), but did not appear in 'The Georgian House', which is a separate drama, not an anthology series.

The Magic of Tarot

Ace of Wands took its name from a tarot card, and that card became the name of its protagonist. Michael MacKenzie portrayed Tarot, a figure who blended the artistry of stage magic with genuine supernatural abilities to battle a rotating cast of evildoers. The character was never alone in his adventures; he was accompanied by a pet owl named Ozymandias, performed by an animal actor credited as Fred Owl. The show was a British fantasy production aimed at children, created by Trevor Preston and Pamela Lonsdale, and brought to ITV audiences by Thames Television between 1970 and 1972. Across its run, the series delivered two seasons of thirteen episodes each, followed by a third, longer season of twenty episodes. The premise positioned Tarot as a kind of magical detective, using his combined skills to outwit villains ranging from art thieves to evil magicians, making the show a distinctive blend of fantasy, adventure, and light mystery for its young viewership.

The Changing Companions

The supporting cast of Ace of Wands shifted between its second and third seasons, a transition handled within the show's own narrative. In the first two series, Tarot was aided by Sam Maxstead, played by Tony Selby, a character described as a reformed convict, and by Lillian "Lulli" Palmer, portrayed by Judy Loe. Lulli was an orphan who shared a telepathic bond with Tarot, allowing the two to communicate across vast distances. When Selby and Loe departed due to prior professional commitments, the third season introduced a new duo: brother Chas Diamond, a photographer played by Roy Holder, and sister Mikki Diamond, a journalist played by Petra Markham. They inherited the same telepathic link with Tarot. The absence of Sam and Lulli was explained in-story: Sam had moved into the road haulage business, while Lulli had married. A recurring character, Mr Sweet, played by Donald Layne-Smith, ran an antiquarian bookshop and frequently provided Tarot with crucial answers, relocating to a university setting in the third series.

A Gallery of Villains and Guest Stars

Each story arc in Ace of Wands introduced a fresh antagonist and a supporting cast of memorable characters. Series one featured Madame Midnight and her accomplice Teddy Talk pursuing a paralysis cure, the art thief Tun-Ju targeting the Mona Lisa, and a delusional bank robber holed up in a computer-filled houseboat alongside Nazis. Series two brought the evil magician Mr Stabs, the fiendish Uncle Harry and his traveling troupe of entertainers, the gas-stealing siblings Thalia and Dalbiac, and Ceribraun, who sought a diamond called the Eye of Ra. Series three introduced the suggestion-wielding Mr Peacock, the doll-making Mama Doc, and the curse-plagued street market overseen by the prophet Mockers. The guest list reads like a who's who of British television and film: Tim Curry appeared as a cashier, David Prowse played a character named Kal, Russell Hunter starred as Mr Stabs, and Sebastian Graham-Jones took the role of medium John Pentacle. These varied storylines ensured no two episodes felt alike.

Survival and the Missing Tapes

The preservation history of Ace of Wands is a cautionary tale in television archiving. The series was originally broadcast from 625-line PAL colour videotape masters, yet the tapes covering the first two seasons have been wiped and are lost. Compounding the loss, no 16mm black-and-white film telerecordings—produced specifically for overseas sales to countries that had not yet adopted colour broadcasting—are known to survive. The final season, however, remains intact and has been released on DVD. For the second series, the only surviving material consists of variable-quality off-air audio recordings of nine episodes, which can be found on YouTube. This means that for a significant portion of the show's run, viewers today can only hear the dialogue and sound effects, with no visual record to accompany them. The contrast between the complete third season and the vanished first two underscores how fragile early television archives can be, particularly when a single format of recording is the only one that exists.