Into the Labyrinth (TV series)
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Children's television |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | HTV West |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Television series |
Into the Labyrinth is a British children's television series created by HTV West for the ITV channel, airing between 1980 and 1982, with its debut season premiering in May 1981. The show consists of three series, each containing seven episodes lasting approximately 25 minutes. Production and primary direction were handled by Peter Graham Scott, who also co-developed the series alongside Bob Baker, notable for his contributions to Doctor Who.
The initial series was subsequently broadcast in the United States as part of the program "The Third Eye" on Nickelodeon. Globally, it was shown on ABC TV in Australia, TVE in Spain, and on Ireland's RTÉ One and RTÉ Two within The Den. It also aired on Basque channels ETB 1 and ETB 2, Israel’s Arutz HaYeladim, Malaysia’s TV2, and Hong Kong’s RTV and ATV. In the UK, reruns were featured on satellite networks such as The Children's Channel during the Roustabout programming segment.
Synopsis
The narrative revolves around an ongoing struggle between two immortal magicians: the virtuous Rothgo (Ron Moody) and the malevolent Belor (Pamela Salem). Both are in pursuit of the Nidus, a powerful magical artifact originally owned by Rothgo but stolen by Belor. To prevent Rothgo from regaining it, Belor sends the Nidus through different times and places. Rothgo’s survival depends on reclaiming this object.
In the first series, children Phil, Helen, and Terry discover Rothgo weakened in a cave. He dispatches them across various historical and mythical eras—such as the French Revolution, Ancient Greece, and the English Civil War—to locate the Nidus, which appears disguised uniquely each time and can only be seen via reflections. Throughout their journey, they encounter past incarnations of both Rothgo and Belor, each assuming different guises in these periods. Whenever they approach the Nidus, Belor magically propels it further through time using her chant "I deny you the Nidus!" She cannot physically seize it while Rothgo lives but aims to keep it from him until his demise. Eventually, the children retrieve the Nidus—now transformed into a sword—outsmart Belor, and return it to Rothgo. Belor’s refusal to share its power results in her being reduced to a lifeless skull.
The second series sees Belor return wielding a powerful item called the Albedo with intentions to destroy Rothgo and seize the Nidus once more. Their confrontation leads to the destruction of the Albedo and causes the Nidus to shatter into five pieces scattered throughout time. Rothgo again calls upon Phil, Terry, and Helen to recover these fragments, which remain hidden and visible solely through reflections. This time, Rothgo’s incarnations immediately recognize the children, allowing him to claim fragments before Belor can relocate them using her incantation "I claim the Nidus!" Despite numerous challenges, the children succeed in reassembling the Nidus sword but find themselves trapped by Belor. Phil casts it into a bottomless pool; deprived of both Nidus and Albedo, Belor reverts to a skull once more. Rothgo explains that although he no longer holds exclusive control over the Nidus, its power persists within the Waters of Time, enabling him to maintain immortality and travel unhindered.
In the third series, Phil aids a new sorcerer named Lazlo (Chris Harris), whose magical strength is derived from an amulet called Scarabeus attached to his bracelet. With no access to the lost Nidus, Belor resurfaces with plans to steal Lazlo’s Scarabeus by concealing it across fictional historical settings inhabited by characters like Long John Silver, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Phantom of the Opera. She is assisted by her bumbling henchman Bram (Howard Goorney). Using Lazlo’s bracelet as a guide to locate Scarabeus, Lazlo and Phil face ongoing interference from Belor until ultimately achieving victory when Lazlo defeats her.
Behind the scenes
Certain scenes from Labyrinth were captured on location within the Cheddar Gorge caves, which appear in both the opening and closing sequences of the first season and serve as atmospheric backdrops for the CSO. The majority of historical sequences were filmed in studios, utilizing modified cave sets tailored to represent different time periods. The introductory and concluding segments of season two were filmed at the Stanton Drew stone circles, while those for season three took place at Glastonbury Tor.
Among the writing team were several individuals with prior experience on Doctor Who, including co-creator Bob Baker, Robert Holmes, Anthony Read, and John Lucarotti.
Lynda Richardson, who provided the operatic theme vocals, also contributed musically to the 1970s fantasy series Children of the Stones. Patrick Dromgoole served as executive producer for both series, with music composed by Sidney Sager.
The trio of child actors went on to further their acting careers: Simon Beal (now known as Charlie Caine) featured in Bridget Jones's Diary, Lisa Turner appeared in the British drama Bad Girls, and Simon Henderson took on the role of Eddie Hunter in EastEnders.
Pamela Salem based Belor’s unique laugh on Ted Rhodes, who was the script editor for BBC’s All Creatures Great and Small. Salem herself also portrayed Zoe Bennett in multiple episodes.
Novelisations
Peter Graham Scott adapted the first two seasons into novel form under the titles Into The Labyrinth and Return To The Labyrinth.
Home media
During the late 1980s, the initial season was made available on VHS. In the UK, Network released a comprehensive three-disc DVD box set on 14 July 2008 (Region 2), which included photo galleries as bonus material.
Cast
- Rothgo (Seasons 1–2, 1981): Ron Moody
- Belor: Pamela Salem
- Phil: Simon Beal
- Helen (Seasons 1–2, 1981): Lisa Turner
- Terry (Seasons 1–2, 1981): Simon Henderson
- Lazlo (Season 3, 1982): Chris Harris
- Bram (Season 3, 1982): Howard Goorney