“The Wicker Man for kids”

The Children of the Stones (1977)

The series follows the adventures of astrophysicist Adam Brake and his young son Matthew when they arrive in the small village of Milbury which is built in the midst of a megalithic stonecircle (the series was filmed at Avebury, Wiltshire). They discover that Milbury is in the grip of weird psychic powers unleashed by the sinister village squire, Hendrick, and whose power they struggle to break.

Children of the Stones is a television drama for children produced by HTV in 1976 and broadcast on the United Kingdom’s ITV network in January and February 1977. A one-off serial, the story was depicted over seven episodes and produced by Peter Graham Scott, with Patrick Dromgoole as executive producer. A novelisation by the serial’s writers, Jeremy Burnham and Trevor Ray also appeared in 1977. In the United States, it was broadcast on the Nickelodeon television channel in the early 1980s as part of the series The Third Eye.

The series is today considered a landmark in quality children’s drama and has been called “the scariest programme ever made for children.” The dark tone and often frightening images not commonly associated with a children’s programme has given it cult status and it has been nicknamed “The Wicker Man for Kids”.

Thoroughly enjoyable viewing :0)