The animals of Farthing Wood are in peril. Day by day men and machines are
    encroaching upon their woodland habitat. When at last their only source of water
    is bled dry they are left with no option but to abandon their homes. But where are
    Badger, Fox, Owl, Mole, the Pheasants, the Rabbits, Weasel, Adder, Kestrel
    and the rest to go? - Toad knows of a place called White Deer Park, a nature
    reserve where there'll be safe. The assembly of animals swear to an ancient
    woodland oath - The Oath of Mutual Protection - which forbids them to frighten,
    bully or eat one another even though it may be a natural instinct, and once
    bonded, they embark upon their great journey to a new, uncharted, home
    and habitat...

    The series was adapted from the award-winning novels by author Colin Dann.
    The titles being:

   The Animals of Farthing Wood
    In the Grip of Winter
    The Fox's Feud
    The Fox Cub Bold    
    The Siege of White Deer Park
    In the Path of the Storm
    Battle for the Park

    The show condensed six of the original titles into three 13 x 30mins seasons.
    The first series dealt with the animals departure from Farthing Wood and their
    journey to White Deer Park. Series two followed their progress at the new reserve,
    their battle with the domineering Blue Fox and the icy grip of a harsh Winter.
    The final series featured an ongoing feud with an invading tribe of rats, another
    feud with an aggressive leader of the White Deer herd, and adventures beyond the
    fringes of the park with Owl and Weasel.

       

    The Siege Of White Deer Park was not adapted, its content being deemed
    just too distressing for the series' target audience. In 1994, Dann's eighth
    Farthing Wood novel Farthing Wood: The Adventure Begins was published.
    This was a prequel to the events of the other books and the tv series and
    again, was not adapted into animated form...

    The series was produced by Telemagination and Montpellier Studio and
    packaged and sold via EBU - The European Broadcasting Union - which meant
    tailoring the production to suit the individual needs of all the different broadcasters
    involved. Viewers will note a distinct change in style between the the first two
    seasons and the third. That final series was more "cartoony" in style and
    approach and it steered away from some of the harsher aspects of the books,
    like the death of Toad. He'd become a key figure in the show, and was
    deemed too popular to lose...

     

    Shades of Watership Down here, of course, in the naturalistic perspective of
    the series, and in the realities of life on display. Animals get hurt, and some
    are killed or perish, although we see no blood or thunder, this being a pan-
    European production to suit a particular brand of viewer. Having said that,
    whilst the animation itself may be a tad uninspired for some tastes, there's no
    denying the appeal of the premise and its strong themes of conservation and
    preservation.

    Trivia Hounds will note that the series was edited together and repackaged into
    a home video special in America entitled "Journey Home: The Animals of
   Farthing Wood" with the lead character of Brave Fox now voiced by Ralph
    Macchio. Yep, that's right, the self-same Ralph Macchio from those Karate Kid
    movies. Mind you, the British voice-over ensemble wasn't bad either, with
    Mr Fagin himself, Ron Moody topping the cast list...

   
  

    episode titles

    Series One                                   Series Two
    The Journey Begins                         A Hero's Welcome
    Through Fire and Through Water       Winter Survival
    False Haven                                   New Enemies
    Snares for the Unwarey                   A Joke Backfires
    Who Shall Wear the Crown?              Home is Where the Heart is
    New Friends, Old Enemies                 The Feud Begins
    Friends in Need                               Like Father, Like Son
    Whistler's Quarry                             Narrow Escape
    Between Two Evils                           Shadows
    A Deathly Calm                                A Time of Reckoning
    Pandemonium                                  Blood is Thicker Than Water
    So Near and Yet So Far                    Reconciliation

    Series Three
    Coming and Goings
    Out and About
    Water, Water
    The Missing Fox's Friend
    Tiffs and Tempers
    Adventure for the Birds   
    The Long-Tailed Visitor
    Scared Silly by Snakes
    A Bigger Oink
    The Mole Game
    The Worst Kind of Hurricane
    Homeward Bound
    Bully, Bully, Bully

  

     adapted from the novels by Colin Dann

    producer:       John M Mills
    executive
     producers:      Siegmund Grewenig
                         Theresa Plummer-Andrews
    associate
    producer:        Wolfgang Wegmann
    production:     Telemagination (London),
                          Praxinos (Montpeller)
    EBU
    co-ordinator:  Marie-Claire Vionnet
    directors:       Elphin Lloyd-Jones, Phillipe Le Clerc
    writers:          Alan Case, Steve Walker,
                         Sue Butterworth, Jenny McDade,
                         Gordon Harrison, Elphin Lloyd-Jones,
                         Valerie Georgeson
    adapted by:    Steve Walker
    music:            Detlev Kuhne

                         Theme Music Composed and
                         Arranged by Dennis Scott

    asst director:  Emile Bourget
    animation
    director:         Alan Simpson
    character
    designs:         Elphin Lloyd-Jones, Phillipe Le Clerc
    storyboard:    Gordon Harrison, Jean Francois Laguionie,
                         Claude Aufrere
    backgrounds:  Ian Henderson, Richard Mithonard,
                          Valerie Carmona
    layouts:          Sue Butterworth, Gordon Harrison,
                          Ted Pettengell, Trevor Ricketts,
                          Patrick Michel, Gerard Kiszel,
                          Christian Ragoust
    animation:      Thomas Barker, Monica Brutton,
                          Alison de Vere, Andy Eraclerus,
                          Christopher Evans, Joan Freestone,
                          Tony Guy, Peter Hale,
                          Arthur Humberstone, simon Loxton,
                          Fraser MacLean, Charlie MacRae,
                          Janet Nunn, John Perkins,
                          Mike Pocock, Paul Stone,
                          Rosemary Welch, Jose Xavier
    key
     animators:      Chris Clarke, Gary Hender,
                          Nathalie Biston, Marian Brooks,
                          Valerie Pouyanne, Jean Francois Galataud,
                          Monica Moinar, Lea Movement
    assistant
    animators:      Philippe Archer, Jean-Yves Regnault,
                          Laurence Commeyras, Isabelle Pouyanne,
                          Didier Chenu, Catherine Halvic,
                          Muriel Chevallier, Sega Favre,
                          Sylvia Bottiau, Sim Lignon
    trace & paint:  Audrey Hammond, Pat Arthy,
                          Pete Arthy, Lynda Marmont,
                          Chris Jones, Ross Marks,
                          Sharon Martin, Becky New,
                          Vivienne Redmond, Jenni Steers,
                          Dominique Lenoble, Clarie Dame,
                          Nancy Rey, Frederic Jaubert,
                          Suzy Kopp, Sophie Beltran,
                          Brigitte Boursereau, Rodney Crofton,
                          Carole Dorange, Nathalie Finiels,
                          Cathy Gentric, Isabelle Landmann,
                          Claire Larnelle, Cathy Rigall,
                          Maria Stockman, Mireille Valentin
    checking:        Ann Kotch, Janine Arthy,
                          Isabelle Perrichon
    rostrum
    camera:          Chris Williams, Anthony Hagen,
                          Jacques Armand, Yves Francon,
                          Jean Paul Rossard
    software:        Animo Cambridge Animation Systems
    production
    supervisor:     Jean-Paul Gaspari
    production
    co-ordinator:   Dominique Edmond-Marlette
    production
    accountants:   Helmut Breuer, Philippe Marteaux
    editing:           John Daniels, Ken Morgan, Tom Oliver
    spfx:               Stephan Hartl, Malcolm Beattie
    picture editor:  Fiona Keene
    videotape
    services:         Video Time
    line test
    camera:          Plaza Synchron
    dialogue
    editors:           John Daniels, Hilary Daniels,
                          Hans-Peter Kaufman
    track
    readers:          Otto Sander, Ulli Philipp,
                          Tilly Lauenstein, Martin Semmelrogge,
                          Helmut Ruge, Wichart V. Roell,
                          Karin Kernke, Franz-Josef Steffens,
                          Stephan Schwartz, Marion Martinzen,
                          Manfred Lehmann, Peter Fricke,
                          Benno Hoffmann, Thomas Reiner,
                          Horst Sachtleben, Michael Habeck,
                          Tommy Piper, Arne Elsholtz,
                          Ingeborg Lapsien, Stefan Orlac
    UK voices:       Ron Moody
                          Sally Grace
                          Pamela Keevil-Kral
                          Rupert Farley
                          Jeremy Barrett
                          Stacey Jefferson

  

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