Everything about The Railway Children totally explained
The Railway Children is a children's book by
Edith Nesbit, originally published in 1906.
Plot summary
The story concerns a family who move to a house near the railway after the father is falsely accused of selling state secrets to the Russians and imprisoned for five years. The three children, Roberta, Peter and Phyllis, find amusement in watching the trains on the nearby railway line and waving to the passengers. They become friendly with Perks, the station porter, and with The Old Gentleman who regularly takes the 9.45 down train. He is eventually able to help prove their father's innocence, and the family is reunited.
The theme of an innocent man being falsely imprisoned for espionage and finally vindicated might have been influenced by the
Dreyfus Affair, which was a prominent world-wide news item a few years before the book was written.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The story has been adapted for the screen six times to date, as four television series, a feature film and a
made-for-television film.
Television series
The story was adapted as a television series four times by the BBC. The first of these, in 1951, was in 8 episodes of 30 minutes each. A second adaptation was then produced, which re-used some of the film from the original series but also contained new material with slight cast changes. This had four episodes of 60 minutes each.
The BBC again revisited the story with an 8-episode series in 1957 and again in 1968. The 1968 adaptation was placed 96th in the
BFI's
100 Greatest British Television Programmes poll of
2000. It starred
Jenny Agutter as Roberta and
Gillian Bailey as Phyllis. Of all the TV adaptations, only the 1968 version is known to be extant (it is currently available on DVD); the rest may be
lost.
Film
After the successful
BBC dramatisation of the
1960s, the film rights were bought by the actor
Lionel Jeffries, who wrote and directed the film, released in 1970. Jenny Agutter and
Dinah Sheridan starred in the film.
2000 Version
In October of 1999
ITV made a new adaptation. This time Jenny Agutter played the role of the mother. Others in the movie include
Jemima Rooper and
JJ Feild.
Stage
In 2005 the stage musical was first presented at Sevenoaks Playhouse in Kent, UK, with a cast starring
Are You Being Served star Nicholas Smith as The Old Gentleman and West End star Susannah Fellows as Mother. Perks was played by Paul Henry. Music is by Richard John and book and lyrics by
Julian Woolford. The score was recorded by TER/JAY records and the musical is published by Samuel French ltd, who also license it for professional and amateur performances.
Further Information
Get more info on 'The Railway Children'.
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