Eye of the Storm (TV series)
A conservationist father and daughter uncover a government cover-up.
A 1993 ITV children's fantasy serial, Eye of the Storm starred Bill Nighy, Judy Parfitt, and Cordelia Bugeja. Produced by Childsplay Productions for Meridian Broadcasting, the six-part drama was an early contribution to the Children's ITV strand.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Fantasy
- Drama
- Thriller
- Writer
- Richard Cooper
- Director
- Peter Tabern
- Starring
- Bill Nighy
- Cordelia Bugeja
- Judy Parfitt
- Music
- Henry Marsh
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 1
Facts from the source article.
Overview
Tom Frewen, a former popstar turned environmental conservationist, lives on the south coast of England with his teenage daughter Nell aboard their trawler boat, the Eye of the Storm. While docked at Montliskeard Bay in Devon, they investigate a connection to the great storm of 1987, during which a ship bound for Felixstowe lost five drums of highly toxic material. Four were recovered, but the fifth remains missing, posing a major hazard to marine life. As Tom searches for the barrel, their boat is wrecked and Nell is attacked while diving, placing their lives at the centre of a government cover-up. Meanwhile, at Montliskeard Place mansion on the nearby cliffs, the blind young boy Luke Montliskeard is drugged and abused by his guardian Martha. She exploits Luke's clairvoyant visions to locate five family jewels scattered by relatives after his 17th-century alchemist forefather Gilbert believed they could grant ancient destructive powers. Martha intends to summon destruction in a cave ritual, but the Frewens' efforts collide with her plans.
Production and broadcast
In preparation for Meridian Broadcasting's launch as an ITV station, controller of children's and daytime programming Janie Grace bought three shows from independent production companies for the youth audience during 1992. Eye of the Storm was Meridian's drama contribution for older children. The series was devised by Peter Tabern and Richard Cooper. Tabern, head of Childsplay Productions since 1984, had left Thames Television to produce series such as Streetwise for TVS and All Change for Yorkshire Television. Cooper had moved from theatre to television over a decade earlier, writing thriller serials including Quest of Eagles, Codename Icarus, and Knights of God. Tabern solely produced and directed the serial, while Cooper wrote all episodes. The budget was reported as £1 million. Principal photography took place on location off the coasts of Devon and Hampshire. A diving consultant choreographed underwater action sequences, several featuring Cordelia Bugeja in her first lead television role. Kristopher Milnes made one of his first major on-screen appearances after voice work and portraying a younger Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol. Bill Nighy and Judy Parfitt were cast as the supporting adult leads. Nighy accepted the role with delight, wanting his young daughter Mary Nighy to watch a television production after his adult successes in The Men's Room, and later stated he thought the story was a really good adventure yarn.
Critical response and legacy
Eye of the Storm was broadly seen as a success upon original broadcast. Richard Cooper received a Writer's Guild Award for his work on the programme, later appearing with the award and Fred Dineage during a segment in the special Meridian, The First Year. Cooper credited the actors and Childsplay Productions, with whom he would work again on their BBC adaptation of Children of the New Forest before his 1998 passing. Despite positive reception and a suggestion in a report by The Stage that it could receive another run of episodes, then-controller of ITV children's programming Dawn Airey shifted away from productions for older youth audiences, cancelling other series such as Knightmare. Eye of the Storm received no continuation. It had one repeat run on CITV during July and August of the following year and has not been broadcast or commercially released in full since. As of 2022, a recording of its second episode is available at BFI Mediatheque Southbank. Worldwide distribution rights were under Entertainment Rights during the 2000s after their purchase of Link Entertainment. The serial has seen less critical recognition over time, with unfavourable comparisons drawn to another Childsplay production, Life Force. Writing for the BFI in The Hill and Beyond: Children's Television Drama, Alistair McGown perceived the serial to rely heavily on tension at the expense of strong character development. Though feeling its two plot strands worked reasonably well in their own right with effective action scenes, McGown argued they did not gel together, combining in a climax deemed almost contrived.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Eye of the Storm (TV series) first air?
Eye of the Storm first aired on 8 January 1993.
When did Eye of the Storm (TV series) end?
Eye of the Storm last aired on 12 February 1993.
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