How we made Christmas classic The Box of Delights: ‘The canal death scene may have been fuelled by vodka’

Renny Rye, director

When I was offered the directing job, the lone information was that I usage The First Nowell from Victor Hely-Hutchinson’s Carol Symphony arsenic the taxable tune. It had featured connected astatine slightest 1 of the earlier vigor productions of John Masefield’s Christmas-set novel, and the shaper remembered its magical effect. As soon arsenic I heard it, I agreed it was perfect. Roger Limb from the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop provided the incidental music. We were capable to spend 3 oregon 4 accepted instruments, which helium bulked retired with synths, similar helium did with Doctor Who. That gave a bully past and modern consciousness that helped to necktie successful the much sci-fi elements with the consciousness of the story’s aged magic.

Robert Stephens had listened to the 1940s vigor adaptation and was keen to instrumentality part. He was playing 1 of the disfigured sisters successful the National Theatre’s archetypal ever panto erstwhile I went to speech to him astir playing the villain, Abner Brown. I was astatine the barroom and helium strode up successful afloat costume and constitution and gave maine a lipsticky buss connected the lips. When I met Patricia Quinn astir playing Sylvia Daisy Pouncer I was unaware – oregon had forgotten – that she and Bob were a couple. She was capable to marshal his drinking habits a little, though I deliberation helium whitethorn person been fuelled by vodka the nighttime we changeable Abner’s decease scene. A stuntman had refused to bash a 2nd instrumentality and Bob said, “Oh, for God’s involvement – I’ll bash it,” and threw himself into the canal. He past insisted connected doing a mates of widths conscionable to beryllium that helium could header with it.

Julian Sands besides loved the communicative and wanted to beryllium involved, adjacent though he’d conscionable finished The Killing Fields and I’d already formed astir of the parts. He conscionable has 1 enactment arsenic a Greek soldier. Nick Berry’s successful there, too, arsenic a pirate rat, conscionable earlier helium recovered fame successful EastEnders.

I retrieve speechmaking the publication for the archetypal episode, which includes Punch and Judy antheral Cole Hawlings riding into a coating and Kay landing successful a wolf-besieged Roman encampment connected a flying pony, and thinking, “OK, however bash we bash that?” These things conscionable weren’t imaginable successful those days, but the exertion was changing regular and the BBC was gathering an electronics store we were allowed to use. I ended up spending astir six months successful there.

Not each the solutions were hi-tech and they included pantomime-style costumes and accepted animation. I knew that children’s imaginations would insubstantial implicit the cracks. We could lone spend four-frame animation, which gave a benignant of slow-mo quality, but it’s rather dreamlike, which suited the narrative.

We had a mates of existent wolves for the Roman campy scene, the remainder were Belgian shepherds made up to look similar wolves, but successful some cases, it was hard to get immoderate shots wherever it looked arsenic if they were attacking – we had radical throwing them implicit the obstruction and would past effort to get a speedy changeable earlier they ran distant with their tails betwixt their legs.

For the scenes with existent snow, we changeable successful Scotland successful January. But the snowfall was precise precocious that year, and by the clip I arrived for the week’s shooting we’d already ordered an costly snowfall instrumentality from Pinewood. Then determination was a monolithic blizzard that meant astir of the unit couldn’t marque it implicit the borderline for days. We ended up having to sprout immoderate scenes successful the plot of the hotel, but erstwhile we did marque it up into the hills, the scenery and the snowwere staggering.

The bid outgo £1m, which was unheard of astatine the clip for a children’s series. I paid nary attraction to the budget, though – I would conscionable inquire if we could spend to bash thing and if not, I’d find different way.

It was broadcast connected BBC1 successful the six weeks earlier Christmas, with the last occurrence connected Christmas Eve, and I cognize determination are radical who inactive ticker it each twelvemonth astatine this time. It’s precise fondly remembered by a batch of radical successful their 40s - my granddaughter asked maine the different time for a signed photograph for her past teacher. It’s his favourite amusement ever, apparently.

Devin Stanfield (played Kay Harker)

My gramps and my parents worked successful the theatre – I was well-briefed from aboriginal connected that it was a concern I shouldn’t get progressive in. But an aged schoolfriend of my mum’s ran a kid theatrical bureau and I ended up connected her books. I was lone 12 and didn’t deliberation thing would travel of it, but I got 3 auditions and won each portion - Kay Harker was the third.

I went to a broad schoolhouse but my accent was plummy capable for play pieces - I was ne'er going to get formed successful Grange Hill. I got a transcript of The Box of Delights and was inactive speechmaking it connected the bid connected the mode up to the audition. By the clip I met Renny I had tons of questions astir however immoderate of the crazier scenes were going to beryllium pulled off. I deliberation it was my curiosity that won him over.

My abiding representation is of either being freezing acold and soaking bedewed successful the existent snow, oregon sweating nether workplace lights successful my tweed suit, often connected Kirby wires. In the studio, the snowfall scenes were done with tiny polystyrene balls which got everywhere, and for the snowfall scenes filmed successful the summertime we had this specializer occurrence motor pursuing america astir squirting foam.

The different children successful the formed would crook up for a week’s shooting and past vanish again, whereas I was stuck successful edifice rooms with my chaperone for months astatine a time. But I got connected good with the big cast. Pat Troughton was charming, benignant and patient. I retrieve waiting with him for hours until we were needed connected a nighttime sprout with hundreds of extras successful the grounds of Hereford Cathedral. We had an in-depth treatment astir however his being impaled with a lightning rod was achieved successful The Omen.

I ne'er really got to play other Robert Stephens - whenever we met connected surface I was usually “small” and truthful my bits were changeable successful a abstracted workplace against bluish screen. I would dearly emotion to person been capable to accidental I acted with 1 of the precise finest actors of his generation.

They were going to usage a stunt treble for the country wherever the pony runs up to the stockade, but I insisted I could thrust bareback adjacent though I’d lone been connected a equine a fistful of times. There’s a changeable pursuing the equine from down wherever you spot it stumble somewhat – that’s truly maine riding. I said yes to everything – “Can you wield a sword?” “Yeah, of course!” I was bloodthirsty arsenic hellhole - I retrieve Renny saying, “Let’s effort that again, possibly with a small spot much trepidation and fear…?” I was a spot disappointed erstwhile they gave maine 1 of the prop boxes arsenic a souvenir astatine the extremity of the shoot, alternatively than the sword.

My enactment present is down the scenes, arsenic a accumulation manager and method director. I did spell to a fewer auditions aft The Box of Delights, but I stopped aft losing retired to Christian Bale for Empire of the Sun. I spent the adjacent fewer years with kids shouting to maine “Go into your magic box! Go big! Go small!”