''Treasure Island'' is a 1977

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

adaptation of

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

's famous 1883 novel. It was filmed in 1977 on location in Plymouth and Dartmouth (Devon), and in Corsica, and also at BBC Television Centre at Wood Lane, London.

Plot

Jim Hawkins (

Ashley Knight Ashley Knight (born 19 August 1959 in Sutton, Surrey, England) is a British actor notable for child roles including Young Claudius in ''I Claudius''; Jim Hawkins in ''Treasure Island'', and Ken in ''Metal Mickey''. His film appearances included ...

) discovers a treasure map and embarks on a journey to find the treasure, but

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

led by

Long John Silver Long John Silver is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the novel ''Treasure Island'' (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson. The most colourful and complex character in the book, he continues to appear in popular culture. His missing l ...

(

Alfred Burke Alfred Burke (28 February 1918 – 16 February 2011) was an English actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Frank Marker in the drama series '' Public Eye'', which ran on television for ten years. Early life Born in London's south-east ...

) have plans to take the treasure for themselves by way of mutiny. This four-episode adaptation by John Lucarotti, while particularly faithful to the original, adds an expanded narrative concerning the declining Daniel Hawkins, as well as clarifying Squire Trelawney's naiveté in trusting Blandly and Silver. This takes place in the first episode; Billy Bones tempts Jim's father into arranging a two-man treasure voyage, the corrupt shipping agent Ezra Blandly guesses their intentions and tips off Silver, who hoodwinks and then cruelly tortures the information out of a hapless alcoholic Mr Arrow. Billy Bones plans founder, and Hawkins snr catches pneumonia in the rain, which finishes him.

Background

Lucarotti's additions to the original provide useful backstory, and the pirate idiom is sufficiently well captured for these additions not to be too obvious. While the director, Michael E. Briant, has clearly made sure that all the characters are much more strongly defined on screen than they are in the novel, and has cast most of the great TV character actors of the 70s, Alfred Burke is a quite astonishing Sea Cook; slick, violent, cunning, and dangerously plausible. The characterisation bears comparison with that of

Robert Newton Robert Guy Newton (1 June 1905 – 25 March 1956) was an English actor. Along with Errol Flynn, Newton was one of the more popular actors among the male juvenile audience of the 1940s and early 1950s, especially with British boys. Known for hi ...

Cast

as Jim Hawkins * Jack Watson as Capt. Billy Bones *

David Collings David Collings (4 June 1940 – 23 March 2020) was an English actor. In an extensive career he appeared in many roles on stage, television, film and radio, as well as various audio books, voiceovers, concert readings and other work. He garnered ...

as Blind Pew *

Thorley Walters Thorley Swinstead Walters (12 May 1913 – 6 July 1991) was an English character actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedy film roles such as in ''Two-Way Stretch'' and '' Carlton-Browne of the FO''. Early life Walters was born in Tei ...

as Squire John Trelawney *

Anthony Bate Anthony Bate (31 August 1927 – 19 June 2012) was an English actor. He is possibly best known for his role as Oliver Lacon in the BBC television adaptations of the John le Carré novels ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' and ''Smiley's People'' and ...

as Dr. David Livesey *

Roy Boyd Roy Boyd (born 18 August 1938) is an English actor best known for his roles on television between 1963 and 2010. His TV credits include '' The Saint'', '' Counterstrike'', ''The Borderers'', ''Codename'', ''Colditz'', ''The Zoo Gang'', '' The ...

as George Merry *

Patrick Troughton Patrick George Troughton (; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor who was classically trained for the stage but became known for his roles in television and film. His work included appearances in several fantasy, science fiction ...

Israel Hands Israel Hands, also known as Basilica Hands, was an 18th-century pirate best known for being second in command to Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. His name serves as the basis for the name of the villainous sidekick in Robert Louis Steven ...

Stephen Greif Stephen John Greif (; 26 August 1944 – 23 December 2022) was an English actor known for his roles as Travis in ''Blake's 7'', Harry Fenning in three series of ''Citizen Smith'', Signor Donato in ''Casanova'' and Commander John Shepherd in '' ...

as Job Anderson *

Talfryn Thomas John Talfryn Thomas (31 October 1922 – 4 November 1982) was a Welsh character actor, best known for supporting roles on television in the 1970s, including those of Private Cheeseman in ''Dad's Army'' (1973–1974) and Tom Price in '' ...

as Tom Morgan *

Paul Copley Paul Mackriell Copley (born 25 November 1944) is an English actor and voiceover artist. From 2011 to 2015 he appeared as Mr. Mason, father of William Mason, in 16 episodes of ''Downton Abbey'', and from 2020 to 2021, he appeared in the ITV soa ...

as Ben Gunn * Tim Condren as Seamus O'Brien *

Richard Beale Richard Henry Beale (13 May 1920 – 27 March 2017) was a British actor. He had a long career in television, stage and film, dating back to the 1950s. Early years Born in Hackney, London, England, Beale was the son of Henry and Constance ...

as Capt. Alexander Smollett *

Roy Evans Roy Quentin Echlin Evans (born 4 October 1948) is an English former footballer who played as a defender for Liverpool. He eventually rose through the coaching ranks to become the team manager. While predominantly plyi ...

as Richard Joyce *

Brian Croucher Brian Croucher (born 23 January 1942) is an English actor and director best known for his role as Ted Hills, which he played from 1995 to 1997, in the soap opera '' EastEnders''. Croucher also had a regular role in the science fiction series ' ...

as John Hunter *

Royston Tickner Royston A. Tickner (8 September 1922 – 7 July 1997) was a British actor. Biography Born Roy A. Tickner in Leicester, a tailor's son, he trained as an actor at Scarborough repertory theatre. He served in the Royal Navy in World War II; howe ...

as Tom Redruth *

Edward Peel Edward Peel is an English television and stage actor. He was described by ''The Times'' in 2010 as a "veteran star of TV dramas" and "a familiar face on television for the past 40 years". Early life and education Peel trained as an actor at Ro ...

as Abraham Grey *

Jo Kendall Josephine Mary Kendall ( Robinson, 17 February 1940 – 29 January 2022) was a British actress and writer. She was known for her work on the BBC radio comedy show ''I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again'', which debuted in 1964, and for her role as P ...

as Sarah Hawkins *

Terry Scully Terry Scully (13 May 1932 – 17 April 2001) was a British theatre and television actor. After making his name in the theatre, from the 1960s onwards he became more known for TV work. In 1960 he starred in the BBC's production of ''An Age o ...

as Daniel Hawkins *

Christopher Burgess Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει� ...

as Black Dog * Ena Cabayo as Louisa Silver * Stephen Boswell as Dick Johnson *

John Baskcomb John Baskcomb (7 February 1916 – 29 March 2000) was an English character actor who made numerous television and film appearances over a 35-year period. He was the son of the founder of the Bank of England Operatic and Dramatic Society and w ...

as Ezra Blandly * Keith Bartlett as John *

Max Faulkner Herbert Gustavus Max Faulkner, OBE (29 July 1916 – 26 February 2005) was an English professional golfer who won the Open Championship in 1951. Early life Faulkner was born on 29 July 1916 in Bexhill-on-Sea, the son of Gus (1893–1976), a pr ...

as Sgt. Dance *

Linal Haft Linal Haft (born 23 March 1945 in Leeds) is an English actor, best known for playing controlling or manipulative characters in both film and television, most notably his role as businessman Harry Gold in the popular BBC soap opera ''EastEnders ...

as Joshua Arrow * Henry Knowles as Bill * Derrick Slater as Tom *

Clive Wood Clive Wood (born 8 May 1954) is an English actor, known for his television roles in ''Press Gang'' (1989–93), ''The Bill'' (1990), '' London's Burning'' (1996–99), and as King Henry I in ''The Pillars of the Earth'' (2010). His stage roles inc ...

as Dirk *

John Dearth John Dearth (16 October 1920 – 17 March 1984) was a British actor, known for playing countless roles in nearly 30 episodes of ITV series ''The Adventures of Robin Hood''. He is also remembered for playing two villains in science fiction seri ...

as Jeb

External links

Director Michael E Briant on his career, making Treasure Island and working with Alfred Burke
* BBC children's television shows Television series based on Treasure Island 1970s British children's television series 1977 British television series debuts English-language television shows 1970s British television miniseries 1977 British television series endings {{UK-tv-prog-stub