Into the Labyrinth (TV series)

Lore & Background

The series was created by Peter Graham Scott and Bob Baker, the latter having written for Doctor Who. Two series were produced, each consisting of seven 25-minute episodes. Scott produced all episodes and directed all but two, both in the second series. The series aired in many other countries including Australia, Spain, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.

Reader's Guide

The first series follows children Phil, Helen, and Terry who find the sorcerer Rothgo near death in a labyrinthine cave. Rothgo sends them through time to find the Nidus, a magical object disguised in each period and visible only in reflection. Belor, the evil sorceress, thwarts them with her incantation 'I deny you the Nidus!' until the children finally return it to Rothgo, reducing Belor to a lifeless skull. In the second series, Belor returns with her own power source, the Albedo, and the Nidus is split into five fragments. The children retrieve them, but the Nidus is thrown into the Waters of Time. In the third series, only Phil returns to help a new sorcerer, Lazlo, who uses the Scarabeus amulet. Belor attempts to steal it, hiding it in historical settings populated by fictional characters, but Lazlo and Phil ultimately vanquish her.

Did You Know?

• Some labyrinth scenes were shot on location in the Cheddar Gorge caves.
• The operatic voice singing the theme is Lynda Richardson, who also sang the theme to Children of the Stones.
• Pamela Salem based Belor's laugh on the laugh of Ted Rhodes, script editor for All Creatures Great and Small.
• The first and second series were novelised by Peter Graham Scott as Into The Labyrinth and Into the Labyrinth: The Second Book.

Production & Creative Team

Into the Labyrinth was a product of HTV's children's programming department, made for the ITV network and broadcast between 1980 and 1982, with the first season hitting screens in May 1981. The show was the brainchild of Peter Graham Scott and Bob Baker, the latter already well known for writing several Doctor Who serials. Scott served as both producer and director, helming every episode except two in the final season. The writing team carried a strong Doctor Who pedigree, with Robert Holmes, Anthony Read, and John Lucarotti all contributing scripts. Musically, the series shared a remarkable creative thread with the 1970s fantasy show Children of the Stones: the haunting theme was sung by the operatic voice of Lynda Richardson, and Sidney Sager composed the score for both productions, with Patrick Dromgoole overseeing as executive producer. Filming took advantage of striking natural locations—the Cheddar Gorge caves framed the opening and closing of season one, while seasons two and three used the Stanton Drew stone circles and Glastonbury Tor respectively. The bulk of the historical adventure scenes, however, were shot in the studio, with the same cave sets being redressed to evoke different eras.

Narrative Structure & Plot Arc

At its core, Into the Labyrinth pits two ancient warring sorcerers against each other in a race across the ages. The noble Rothgo and the malevolent Belor both covet the Nidus, an artefact of limitless power that originally belonged to Rothgo. When Belor steals it and hurls it through time and space, Rothgo is left dying without its energy. In the first season, three modern children—Phil, Helen, and Terry—discover the weakened Rothgo in a labyrinthine cave and are sent on a quest through history, from the French Revolution to Ancient Greece to the English Civil War. In each era the Nidus takes a different form and can only be glimpsed in a reflection, while Belor disguises herself as a period character and snatches it away with her signature incantation. Season two raises the stakes: Belor wields the Albedo, and when the two power sources collide the Nidus shatters into five fragments. By season three, a new sorcerer named Lazlo enters the story, and the time-travel settings are populated by fictional characters brought to life, including Long John Silver and the Phantom of the Opera. Belor, stripped of the Nidus, targets Lazlo's Scarabeus amulet, aided by her henchman Bram.

Cast & Character Portrayals

Ron Moody brought gravitas to the role of the noble sorcerer Rothgo, while Pamela Salem delivered a memorable and sinister Belor. Salem crafted the villain's distinctive laugh by modelling it on the laugh of Ted Rhodes, the script editor for the BBC's All Creatures Great and Small. Salem also appeared in several episodes in a separate role as Zoe Bennett. The three child protagonists—Phil, Helen, and Terry—were played by Simon Beal, Lisa Turner, and Simon Henderson, all of whom continued their acting careers well into adulthood. Beal, now working under the stage name Charlie Caine, had a small part in Bridget Jones's Diary. Turner went on to appear in the UK drama Bad Girls, and Henderson played Eddie Hunter in EastEnders. In the third and final season, Chris Harris took on the role of the new sorcerer Lazlo, while Howard Goorney played Bram, Belor's often incompetent accomplice. The pairing of established stage and screen actors with young child performers gave the show a distinctive ensemble feel across all three seasons.

International Broadcast & Legacy

Although produced as a British children's series for ITV, Into the Labyrinth found audiences well beyond the UK. The first season was picked up in the United States, where it aired as part of the science fiction series The Third Eye on Nickelodeon. Internationally, the show was broadcast on ABC TV in Australia, TVE in Spain, and in Ireland on both RTÉ One and RTÉ Two as part of a children's wrapper called The Den. In the Basque Country it appeared on ETB 1 and ETB 2, while in Israel it was shown on Arutz HaYeladim. The series also reached viewers in Malaysia via TV2 and in Hong Kong through both RTV and ATV. Back in Britain, the show enjoyed a second life on satellite television and later on The Children's Channel, where it was included in one of the channel's wrapper programmes called Roustabout. This wide distribution meant that children in at least eight different countries and territories had the chance to follow Rothgo, Belor, and the young heroes on their time-hopping adventures, giving the series a reach far beyond its original ITV audience.