Just William (2010 TV series)
A 2010 BBC adaptation of Richmal Crompton's schoolboy adventures.
Just William is a British television series that premiered on 28 December 2010 on CBBC. It adapts Richmal Crompton's book series of the same name. The screenplay was written by Simon Nye. Daniel Roche portrays the main character, William Brown, while Rebecca Front and Daniel Ryan play his parents.
The story is set in the 1950s, shortly after World War II, even though many of the original books were written in earlier decades. Filming took place in the Home Counties. Roche, then ten years old, had previously earned critical praise for his role as Ben in the BBC comedy *Outnumbered*. For this series, his trademark curly hair was cut short. Martin Jarvis, known for voicing the radio and audio CD adaptations of *Just William*, serves as the narrator.
The cast also includes Isabella Blake-Thomas as Violet Elizabeth Bott, with Caroline Quentin and Warren Clarke as her parents. Other characters include William's siblings Ethel Brown (Lily James) and Robert Brown (Harry Melling), as well as his friends Ginger, Douglas, and Henry. The series consists of four half-hour episodes, broadcast as part of the BBC's Christmas programming from 28 to 31 December 2010 on CBBC on BBC One, and later on the CBBC channel from 8 to 16 January 2011.
A DVD release titled *Just William, Series One* came out on 7 March 2011, but no further series were produced. Various sources indicate the series will not return.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Sitcom
- Based On
- Just William · Richmal Crompton
- Writer
- Simon Nye
- Director
- Paul Seed
- Starring
- Daniel Roche / Rebecca Front / Daniel Ryan / Lily James / Caroline Quentin / Warren Clarke / Lottie Bell
- Narrator
- Martin Jarvis
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Num Episodes
- 4
- Producer
- John Chapman
- Runtime
- 30 mins
- Network
- BBC One, CBBC
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series is set in the 1950s, just after World War II, despite many of the books being written in the preceding three decades. It was filmed in the Home Counties. Daniel Roche, who had received critical acclaim for his role in Outnumbered, was cast as William Brown, and his trademark curly hair was cut short for the role. Isabella Blake-Thomas, who appeared in the BBC Four film Enid, played Violet Elizabeth Bott.
Reader's Guide
Just William (2010 TV series) represents the first television adaptation of Richmal Crompton's books since the 1990s. The four-episode series aired as part of BBC Christmas programming from 28 to 31 December 2010 on CBBC on BBC One, and later on the CBBC channel from 8 to 16 January 2011. Martin Jarvis, who voices the radio and audio CD adaptations, served as narrator. Various sources suggest the series will not be returning. A DVD release titled Just William, Series One was released on 7 March 2011, though further series were not produced.
Did You Know?
- Daniel Roche had to have his trademark curly hair cut short for the role.
- Martin Jarvis, who narrates the series, also voices the radio and audio CD adaptations of Just William.
- The series consists of four half-hour episodes and was first broadcast on 28 December 2010 on CBBC.
- This is not the first television adaptation since the 1990s; a 1994 BBC adaptation starring Oliver Rokison preceded it.
More in CBBC original programming 1-24
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