Hello, I first read the entire series of Malory Towers in 1957. I was 7 years old.
I was born and raised in a poverty stricken Salford, Near Manchester - times were hard, yet my mother spent money we couldn't really afford to buy me these second hand books.
You might think that I read these books and felt envious of the characters - they did, after all, have so much more than I - but no. I was intrigued, captivated and laugh-out-loud entertained by their antics.
I've always been a prodigious reader - but some themes', some ideas stay with you a lifetime - in this case it's the 'rose tinted glasses' ideal of an England where the Summers last forever... where friendships never fade and justice is served.
The acting was... as has been noted... occasionally poor - but not exceptionally so - and the editing could have been far better.
To summarise - this show holds true to the very essence of the books - and I believe that Enid Blyton would have been extremely happy with this outcome.
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robinmcg22 May 2020I have really enjoyed watching this series downloaded from CBBC. I am 40 odd years old! I loved these books growing up. Yes it is not 'high art' but this is Enid Blyton and the treatment is pretty spot on i.m.o. The girls have been cast well ,Darrell is played very well and I too have to commend ghastly Gwendoline's portrayal.
In the currently difficult climate this has been a wonderful escape from reality and it's been lovely to immerse myself in such innocent nostalgia.
Please make another series! -
nastasia_g824 August 2020This was great!!I am hoping for a come back next year or in this case next term!!
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deborahanne-8680027 April 2020Being a huge fan of Enid Blyton books, it was awesome watching Malory Towers. Loved it. I hope there will be a season two, and continuing onwards for the entire book series. Would also be fantastic if Enid's St. Clares series was considered, as with Enid's adventure series. All of her books would make the most delightful watching.
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staciarose2018 February 2021This show reminds me of other pre teen shows that are wholesome like Road to Avonlea or the American Girl series of movies. It's heartwarming and reminds me of being this age. I am hopeful for a season 2! Shows like this are so needed.
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Pennsylvania-6500030 August 2020I thought this was excellent, and a really good example of how to adapt a much-loved but dated original. Almost everything that happened in the book is preserved, and the Blytonian spirit of optimism is definitely there. But the writers have made some changes that actually improve on the original: focusing on the complicated relationship between impulsive tomboy Darrell and icy drama queen Gwen, working in hints of danger and darkness, and making the moral hinge on forgiveness and second chances.
Given that Enid Blyton was a slightly "problematic" author even at the time, it's a real achievement to make that source material work in 2020.
It is a slow burner - it takes a few episodes to get the hang of who's who and what's going on beneath the surface. But I recommend it for anyone willing to invest their time in the world that's been created, and hope they will get to make a second series. -
hailey_emzz8 January 2023I never read the books, or any of Enid Bouton's books, so I was able to watch Malory Towers without comparing it.
Most of the characters annoyed me. Alicia, Jean, Bill, and Sally were my least favourite. My favourite ended up being... Gwen. I know, she's supposed to be the girl everyone hates because she's selfish and spoiled, but she was the only one who wasn't a goody-two-shoes. Well, she was, but in her own way. She reminded me of how I felt about Ethel Hallow in the Worst Witch. Ethel wants to be the best and is constantly one-upped by Mildred. Gwen isn't clever like Ethel, in fact she's lazy and shallow, but what she wants more than anything is for her family to accept her. And unlike Ethel, she seems to learn from her mistakes and is definitely growing into a slightly better person.
I also really liked Miss Johnson, who was simply a horrendous person- or should I say, I liked the actor. I could listen to her voice all day. Plus, I hated the Bill and her precious horse storyline (probably because I was in the horse-obsessed girls group for a year at school and it was the worst year of my life and brought back a lot of repressed trauma), so I was secretly pleased every time Bill got reprimanded by Miss Johnson about seeing her stupid horse.
In terms of other characters, I adored Mary-Lou, Miss Grayling, and Ron. I also liked Gwen's parents. As other reviewers have said, it's very PC. I'm sure there were POC students and possibly teachers in England in the late 40s, but it seemed like they were trying to be too diverse. The editing was also a bit jarring, but oh gosh, those shots of the Cornish countryside and water were simply stunning.
Malory Towers feels nostalgic to me somehow, and as I watch it I feel a sort of toffee-and-caramel-cream cloud that I can't explain enveloping me. It's worth a watch, at least once. -
john-briggs15 April 2020Just lovely family viewing, delightful innocent stories told with charm and some relented child actors. Matron and Gwen can be annoying (for all members of the family!) but that's the whole point isnt it? Looking forward to it's return as we have binge watched the first series!
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hannahp-8481414 October 2021This obsession with making politically correct period drama's annoys me so much. Sorry, if you want a show that is politically correct, do not make a historical drama. It simply doesn't work. Times were different then. People want to see what it was like at that time, that's the whole point of a historical drama. In this series, the diversity of the characters reflects the diversity of today, not the 1940s. The nice girls all have 21st century feminist opinions, there are no prayers before meals, there's no standing up when the teacher comes in the room, and so on.
This all makes it feel like it's 2020 schoolgirls who are dressed up and try to sound like they're from the 1940s by occasionally using old-fashioned phrases. I suppose this issue doesn't bother children; but still, if you're an adult who's grown up with the books or who's grown up in that time period - don't expect to feel nostalgic watching this.
Anyway, despite its flaws, the series is enjoyable. It keeps pretty close to the books (except for some unnecessary ghost stuff and a very boring episode about a dress), and the scenery is lovely. Most of the characters are good (except Alicia and Matron who are much too different, and Mam'zelle Dupont who is absent). Gwen and Mary-Lou are especially great.
Another thing that irritates me a bit, though, is the over the top "child-friendliness". Basically all the girls, except Gwendoline, are much too nice. In the books, the girls are much more blunt, and sometimes even bullyish. Yes, that's unpleasant, but realistic. School is like that. There's no need to make a show where everything is perfect. It doesn't teach children anything. For example, one of the girls (Jean) has a facial disfigurement, but it's never mentioned. No one stares at her when they see her for the first time, and it's never ever talked of... It's just unrealistic. Of course they wanted to show that she's just a normal girl like all the others, and I agree with that, I'm not saying it should have been talked about all the time. I just don't think that showing an ideal world, with no hard realities, where no one is ever discriminated against, is particularly inspiring for children to watch. The series doesn't teach any important lessons, and that's why I personally don't find it particularly gripping or moving.
And last and definitely least: The song.
What possessed the makers to put in this hideous song? Did they really think people would get emotional from hearing Miss Grayling's serious speech being turned into the most cringeworthy song that was ever made? "Four tall towers teach us how to strive..." Ugh. It truly spoils the ending of the show. Even the tune isn't particularly good. And they didn't even bother making an accompaniment. Sorry, I was going to give this series 7/10, but this song made me remove one more star.
Edit: Season 2 is worse, so I put the rating down to 5/10. There is little resemblance to the book. I watched it with my siblings and we laughed so much, because so many scenes were so cringy, soppy, unrealistic or just plain ridiculous, even though the scriptwriters tried to make it emotional or moving. I'm not going into details, but it's a stupid series and terrible compared to the books. Somehow we still enjoyed it, but there's no way I'm watching it again. -
slg-4193114 November 2020Delightful! Enjoyable entertainment for the whole family. Characters are charming and fun. Well written. Enjoyable!
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My partner is a huge fan of the Malory Towers books - being of girl school stock. Assuredly this is full of all the high drama, deep betrayals and personality clashes you might expect from such a setting. The ensemble children are game despite the stiff Blyton dialogue and much like the Potter kids of yore the baddy (in this case Danya Griver's malicious Gwendoline) steals most of the scenes.
It's shot in a mix of Canada and Devon and does feel strangely transatlantic as well as rather cheap - the adult cast being entirely composed of Canadian and British bit-actors adds to this feeling. Surely this manner of thing is ripe for random strange character actor cameos. Even up-and-coming comedy actors would have been good - Laura Checkley as matron anyone? The general mildness of all the adult cast does add even further to its soporific air so perhaps it was intentional.
Despite the sheen of cheapness, it's premature release to chime with children being confined to their houses due to the virus, rather than over the summer holidays will likely lend it a strange nostalgic air for many - and it's enthusiastic reception online is heartening. It was a pleasant, pastel-coloured, old fashioned diversion from the harder drama of reality so fair play to it for that. -
asubrahm-924567 January 2021Malory Towers was an integral part of growing up. Many of us even in India obtained our moral compass through these books. This series is disappointing. It has two issues: (i) It isn't faithful to the books. (ii) It isn't believable. A number of incidents that occur in the books like Mr Rivers operating on Sally (first), Mary-Lou being rescued by Daphne after almost falling off a cliff (second), Miss Peters going on a horse to fetch a vet for a horse (third), the famous Christmas pantomine (fifth), are all skipped. Instead we have a foolish storyline about the ghost of Lady Malory (?). The MT books were never fantasy but always plausible. And while it is possible for Mrs Potts (the first form mistress who also seems to run North Tower) to have been a person of color, in Britain around WWI, it certainly isn't plausble. [However, I'm a person of color, so I do appreciate the woke pressures and challenges these days.] In any case, what does it take for people to exactly recreate the books scene-by-scene? Is that too hard? That was the only way to get the eyeballs of adults who grew up on these books. Instead this series falls in the cracks--too slow to appeal to children and unfaithful enough to turn off adults.
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garyjdee-3996610 July 2020Kids and I love it. Good escapism and old fashioned values. More series please
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alisonf202023 April 2020Loved the book growing up and this is such a well done adaptation. Really hoping they adapt the rest of the books!
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jackneedham-9848426 June 2020A good show that everyone can enjoy. The characters are great and played by good actors.
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joanne-evans9726 April 2020I was a huge fan of the Malory Tower books growing up when I was younger, I even read the continued books written by Pamela Cox. I also read other boarding school stories like St Clares and The Naughtiest Girl series. So I very curious when I saw this was being made for a TV series so I watched a couple of the episodes.
A couple of Pros for this TV series, I am so glad they kept the time period the same for the show, Malory Towers I believe was set just after the 2nd word war so as I say I am glad they kept that the same.
The girl playing Darrell Rivers is fairly good but sometimes the acting feels forced and not natural but to be fair to the actress it could be down to the sometimes strange and weird editing and the direction she is given. The girl playing Gwendoline Mary so far is the best actress and I think she nails Gwendoline's character and is exactly how I used to imagine the character but unfortunately she also gets a few weird directions and her scenes feel a bit forced but I really do not think it is the actress's fault at all. The actresses playing Miss Potts and Mrs Grayling are very good as well. Mary-Lou's actress is okay as well.
Now for the cons, I totally appreciate the fact that these are young girls and this is probably their first big acting job but I am sorry to say their acting is not very good at the moment, the rest of the girl's lines all feel really forced and characters who should have big parts like Alicia are kinda of glossed over and she does not get many lines. The scenes all feel rushed, if I had not read the books I would not have a clue who the other characters were and to be honest I am not really sure who's playing who at the moment as the lines and scenes are rushed (I have not got a clue, for example who is playing the characters of Jean and Irene).
I really do not want to be harsh about this show as it is meant to be for children but that should not mean it gets a free pass and should be able to take on criticism.
Maybe the show will find its footing if it continues, only time will tell. -
ramosmeghan24 March 2021So nice to find a wholesome show but also interesting and unique plot line. The scenery and set design matching the era are incredibly well done. Loved it!
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crumpytv22 January 2022Do we really have to deny our history and rewrite everything.
Enyd Blyton was accepted at the time and should remain so even just for historical accuracy.
This adaption is just so PC it is awful.
Another example of the media brainwashing viewers into believing in an ideal. -
Kareneo21 October 2020I will agree that in the earlier episodes, some of the editing could be tighter, and some of the sweet young actresses are still finding their groove, but in the big picture, this TV series is what so many of us have been longing for. I went to an all-girls private school, and it really was very much like this in our younger years. The innocence is here, the straightforward story-telling is here, all the elements that have kept Enid Blyton as one of the best-selling childrens' authors of all time are here in this series. If you have kids, sit them in front of this and watch it resonate. Watch their concern at the 'trials' the girls face, and watch their faces light up at their triumphs. I love that there was once a time when kids were taught that gossip is NOT good, and kindness was enthusiastically encouraged. This sweet show and these sweet stories have so much to teach our current cynical and (understandably!) wounded society. I also love the really diverse casting, and that no-one is ever singled out for their heritage or their appearance, they just all live side-by-side and race is never an issue. Isn't this the society we are all striving for? And isn't the loveliest thing in the world to be shown clear example of the society we are striving for and for it to be presented as normal? I just can't praise this show highly enough. Yes, no Oscars and no convoluted plots. Just a genuine adherence to the source material. I've lost count of how many TV series based on novels have been utterly ruined by writers trying to embellish and alter the source material, removing all the reasons the book-series was popular in the first place. I cannot praise the makers of Malory Towers highly enough for their intelligence in not going down that particular self-aggrandizing road, which invariably leads to a big, dumb 'fail'. Well done to everybody involved. My advice watching this show? Don't expect anything complex, just sit back and bask in the glow of these sweet children and these innocent, rollicking stories.
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jackneedham-5337018 April 2020This is a wonderful tv series which is both funny and entertaining. I do hope there is a season 2
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rtmcgee19 December 2020I am a 69 year old male fan of Enid Blyton and having read the Malory Towers series quite a few times I was looking forward to this adaptation and it did not disappoint. The actresses were all well suited to their parts and the story lines kept more or less to the book. I particularly liked the portrayal of the rock pool as it is just as I imagined it in my mind. Some people have criticised the acting but I could find nothing wrong with it. It appears to me that most of the critics have no idea what the books are about and one person criticises the lack of action. Really! have you actually read the book? The TV series is excellent and I also hope they make a second series.
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jonathan_pickett13 April 2020Watched with my wife as she fondly remembered the books. Hoped it might be up to the Just William adaptations the BBC revived a few years ago. Sadly not. No humour, acting was poor and there was no action or storyline to get you interested at all. Even my wife was disappointed.
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charlie_pickford14 January 2022I have read the Enid Blyton Mallory Towers books 1000s of times whilst growing up, and know them off by heart. I was so excited to see a tv adaptation and was wondering what it would be like. It is absolutely fantastic, it is like my imagination on screen from when I was a child. The casting is absolutely amazing, especially Gwendoline. She is incredible I must say, really has brought the character to life. She actually steals every seen she's in! Throughly enjoying it so far and can't wait to see if they bring in bill and daphne soon!
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varshadsilva6 April 2022This show single handedly made my life better by bringing my favorite childhood imagination to life
The portrayals of the malory towers itself, the teachers, girls, pranks, feasts is spot on straight outta Enid Blyton novel haven
Mad respect for everyone involved in this
One of the best times of my life were reading these novels as a little girl, Carefree and innocent, Now I'm reliving those emotions all over again.
Thanks. Please give more. -
kelly_robson4 November 2021What a delight it was to come across this tv series, as a child I read all of the Malory towers books and as I got older I always hoped they'd make a tv program so I could see the characters brought to life, I've not been disappointed and can't wait for series 2, hoping for a st Clare's series too.