''The Box of Delights'' is a children's

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

novel by

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Among his best known works are the children's novels ''The Midnight Folk'' and ''The Box of Delights'', and the poem ...

. It is a sequel to ''

The Midnight Folk ''The Midnight Folk'' is a children's fantasy novel by John Masefield first published in 1927. It is about a boy, Kay Harker, who sets out to discover what became of a fortune stolen from his seafaring great grandfather Aston Tirrold Harker (in r ...

'', and was first published in 1935. Also known as "When The Wolves Were Running"

Plot

Kay Harker Kay Harker is a fictional character, the young hero of the books '' The Midnight Folk'' and ''The Box of Delights'' by John Masefield, and the BBC series of ''The Box of Delights ''The Box of Delights'' is a children's fantasy novel by John ...

is returning from

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of " room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exte ...

when he finds himself mixed up in a battle to possess a magical box. It allows the owner to shrink in size, to fly swiftly, to go into the past and to experience the magical wonders contained within the box. The current owner of the box is an old

Punch and Judy Punch and Judy is a traditional puppet show featuring Mr. Punch and his wife Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically Mr. Punch and one other character ...

man called Cole Hawlings whom Kay meets at the railway station. They develop an instant rapport, which leads Cole to confide that he is being chased by a magician called Abner Brown and his gang, which includes Kay's former governess. For safety, Cole (who turns out to be the medieval philosopher and alleged magician

Ramon Llull Ramon Llull (; c. 1232 – c. 1315/16) was a philosopher, theologian, poet, missionary, and Christian apologist from the Kingdom of Majorca. He invented a philosophical system known as the ''Art'', conceived as a type of universal logic to pro ...

) entrusts the box to Kay. The schoolboy then goes on to have many adventures as he protects the box from those who wish to use it for bad deeds.

Adaptations

BBC radio

There have been several radio adaptations of ''The Box of Delights''.

''Children's Hour''

This six-part adaptation, with a script by Robert Holland and John Keir Cross, was produced three times by the BBC as part of its ''Children's Hour'', in 1943, 1948 and 1955. It used as incidental music the "Carol Symphony" by Victor Hely-Hutchinson

=1943

= *Kay Harker:

John Gilpin John Gilpin (18th century) was featured as the subject in a well-known comic ballad of 1782 by William Cowper, entitled '' The Diverting History of John Gilpin''. Cowper had heard the story from his friend Lady Austen. Gilpin was said to be ...

*Abner Brown: Robert Farquharson *Cole Hawlings:

Hay Petrie David Hay Petrie (16 July 1895 – 30 July 1948) was a Scottish actor noted for playing eccentric characters, among them Quilp in ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' (1934), the McLaggen in '' The Ghost Goes West'' (1935) and Uncle Pumblechook in ''Great ...

*Rat: Philip Wade *Mouse: Charles Hawtrey *Narrator:

Norman Shelley Norman Shelley (16 February 1903 – 21 August 1980) was a British actor, best known for his work in radio, in particular for the BBC's ''Children's Hour''. He also had a recurring role as Colonel Danby in the long-running radio soap opera ''T ...

*Peter Jones: Peter Mullins *Jemima Jones: Sheila Potts *Maria Jones: Dorothy Gordon *Caroline Louisa: Joan Carol *Foxy man: Malcolm Graeme and

Gibb McLaughlin George McLoughlin (19 July 1879 – 30 June 1961), known professionally as Gibb McLaughlin, was an English film and stage actor. Early days McLaughlin was born in Sunderland, County Durham, England in 1879. For about 10 years he was a sales ...

*Chubby man: Wilfred Babbage *Sylvia Pouncer: Joan Young *Inspector: Dick Francis *Rogers: Malcolm Graeme *The Head: Arthur Bush

=1948

= *Kay Harker: David Page *Cole Hawlings:

Harcourt Williams Ernest George Harcourt Williams (30 March 1880 – 13 December 1957) was an English actor and director. After early experience in touring companies he established himself as a character actor and director in the West End. From 1929 to 1934 he ...

*Caroline Louisa: Rosemary Davis *Foxy Man:

Carleton Hobbs Carleton Percy Hobbs, OBE (18 June 1898 – 31 July 1978) was an English actor with many film, radio and television appearances. He portrayed Sherlock Holmes in 80 radio adaptations in a series of Sherlock Holmes radio dramas (1952–1969), ...

*Chubby Man: Wilfred Babbage *Peter Jones:

David Spenser David Spenser (''né'' De Saram; 12 March 1934 – 20 July 2013) John Tydemanbr>David Spenser obituary ''The Guardian'', 1 August 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013 was a British actor, director, producer and writer. Spenser played the title role ...

*Maria Jones: Dorothy Gordon *Jemima Jones: Audrey Blair *Porter:

Preston Lockwood Reginald Herbert Lockwood (30 October 1912 – 24 April 1996), known professionally as Preston Lockwood, was an English radio and television actor. The only son of bus driver Herbert Lewis Lockwood and his wife Ethel May (née Preston), Lockwood ...

*Sylvia Pouncer: Gladys Young *Rat:

David Kossoff David Kossoff (24 November 1919 – 23 March 2005) was a British actor. In 1954 he won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for his appearance as Geza Szobek in '' The Young Lovers''. He played Alf Larkin in TV sit ...

*The Inspector: Dick Francis *Pirate: Arthur Bush *Mouse: Charles Hawtrey *Thomson: Arthur Bush *Narrator:

=1955

= *Kay Harker: Patricia Hayes *Cole Hawlings: Deering Wells *Caroline Louisa: Rosemary Davis *The Foxy Man:

*The Chubby Man: Wilfred Babbage *Porter: Eric Lugg *Peter Jones:

William Simons Clifford William Cumberbatch Simons (17 November 1940 – 21 June 2019) was a Welsh-born actor best known for his role as PC Alf Ventress in '' Heartbeat'', a role he played for 18 years, from 1992 to 2010. Early life Simons was born on 17 Nove ...

*Maria Jones: Dorothy Gordon *Jemima Jones: Marise Hepworth *Rat: Ernest Jay *The Inspector: Frank Atkinson *Rum Chops: Arthur Bush *Mouse: Charles Hawtrey *The Bishop's Sister: Susan Richards *Ellen: Janet Morrison *The Head: Arthur Bush *Narrator:

''Saturday Night Theatre''

This was a one-off drama, with a script by John Keir Cross, broadcast in 1966, and repeated in 1968 and 1969. It was then remade with a new cast in 1977.

=1966

= *Kay Harker (a man):

Harman Grisewood Harman Joseph Gerard Grisewood, CBE (8 February 1906 – 8 January 1997) was an English radio actor, radio and television executive, novelist and non-fiction writer.

*Kay Harker (a boy): Patricia Hayes *Cole Hawlings:

Cyril Shaps Cyril Leonard Shaps (13 October 1923 – 1 January 2003) was an English actor of radio, television and film, with a career spanning over seven decades. Early radio Shaps was born in the East End of London to Polish-Jewish parents; his father ...

*Foxy-faced man: Henry Stamp *Chubby man: Wilfred Babbage *Miss Caroline Louisa:

Carol Marsh Carol Marsh (born Norma Lilian Simpson; 10 May 1926 – 6 March 2010) was an English actress, best known for playing the part of Rose in the 1947 film '' Brighton Rock''. Marsh was born in Southgate in North London and was educated at a convent ...

*The Lady of the Ring: Noel Howe *Maria Jones: Jo Manning Wilson *Susan Jones: Sian Davies *Peter Jones: Eva Hadbon *The Bishop:

*Abner Brown: Felix Felton *Rat:

*Alf Rat: Stanley Unwin *Police Inspector: Hector Ross *Sylvia Daisy Pouncer: Joan Matheson

=1977

= *Kay Harker (a man): David Davis *Kay Harker (a boy): Jean English *Abner Brown:

Heron Carvic Heron Carvic (born Geoffrey Richard William Harris; 21 January 1913 – 9 February 1980) was an English actor and writer who provided the voice for Gandalf in the BBC Radio version of ''The Hobbit'', and played Caiaphas the High Priest every ti ...

*Cole Hawlings:

*Foxy Man: Roy Spencer *Chubby Man: Paul Meier *Caroline Louisa:

Irene Sutcliffe Irene Sutcliffe (12 July 1924 – 3 May 2019) was an English actress. She was best known for playing Maggie Clegg in ITV's ''Coronation Street'', a role she played from 1968 until 1975. She had a long career; her first credited TV role was in 19 ...

*Sylvia Daisy Pouncer: Kathleen Helmk *Rat:

*Lady of the Ring: Grizelda Hervet *Inspector: Rod Beacham *Jemima Jones: Nicolette McKenzie *Maria Jones: Anne Rosenfeld *Susan Jones: Jane Knowles *Peter Jones: Judy Bennett *Bishop: Lewis Stringer *The boy: John Levitt *The Bronze Head: John Gabriel

Radio 4

=1995

= Two-part drama with a script by John Peacock. *Abner Brown:

Donald Sinden Sir Donald Alfred Sinden (9 October 1923 – 12 September 2014) was a British actor. Sinden featured in the film ''Mogambo'' (1953), and achieved early fame as a Rank Organisation film star in the 1950s in films including ''The Cruel Sea (195 ...

*Cole Hawlins:

Lionel Jeffries Lionel Charles Jeffries (10 June 1926 – 19 February 2010) was an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He appeared primarily in films and received a Golden Globe Award nomination during his acting career. Early life Jeffries was born in ...

BBC Television 1984

A BBC TV adaptation of ''The Box of Delights'' was broadcast in six parts between 21 November and 24 December in 1984. It starred Devin Stanfield,

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 ...

and

Robert Stephens Sir Robert Graham Stephens (14 July 193112 November 1995) was a leading English actor in the early years of Britain's Royal National Theatre. He was one of the most respected actors of his generation and was at one time regarded as the nat ...

as Kay Harker, Cole Hawlings and Abner Brown respectively and adapted for television by Alan Seymour, directed by Renny Rye and produced by Paul Stone. It featured an innovative mixture of live action and animation, in particular

Quantel Paintbox The Quantel Paintbox was a dedicated computer graphics workstation for composition of broadcast television video and graphics. Produced by the British production equipment manufacturer Quantel (which, via a series of mergers, is now part of Grass ...

and

chroma key Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two images or video streams together based on colour hues ( chroma range). The technique has been used in many fields to ...

effects. The series cost £1-million to make in 1984, the most expensive children's series the BBC had made to that date, but it was widely acclaimed and won a number of BAFTA and RTS awards, in particular for its special effects. The opening and closing title music features an orchestral arrangement of "

The First Nowell "The First Nowell", also known as "The First Noel (or Noël)", is a traditional English Christmas carol with Cornish origins, most likely from the early modern period, although possibly earlier.Carol Symphony ''Carol Symphony'' is a collection of four preludes, written by Victor Hely-Hutchinson in 1927. It is based on five Christmas carols, given additional orchestration and counterpoint arrangements. The four movements are written to be played uninter ...

'' by Victor Hely-Hutchinson. It had been used for earlier radio adaptations and has become synonymous with the story.

Big Finish 2021

Big Finish Productions produced an audio play of The Box of Delights, which was released on CD and download in June 2021, starring

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as '' Hamlet'', '' Much Ado About Nothing'', '' Macbeth'', '' Twelfth Night'', '' The Tempest'', ' ...

Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. His work includes writing for and acting in the television series '' Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', and '' Dracula''. Together with ...

and David Warner. The script was adapted by

Christopher William Hill Christopher William Hill is a British playwright and children's novelist. Early life Christopher William Hill was born in Truro, Cornwall. Career His series of children's novels, ''Tales From Schwartzgarten'', is published by Orchard Books, ...

Opera

adapted an opera

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major li ...

from his book, also incorporating elements of ''

'', which was eventually set to music in the late 1980s by the British composer

Robert Steadman Robert Steadman (born 1 April 1965) is a British composer of classical music who mostly works in a post-minimalist style but also writes lighter music, including musicals, and compositions for educational purposes. He also teaches, writes arti ...

Theatre

Wilton's Music Hall Wilton's Music Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Shadwell, built as a music hall and now run as a multi-arts performance space in Graces Alley, off Cable Street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is one of very few surviving musi ...

presented an adaptation by Piers Torday between 1 December 2017 and 6 January 2018. Billed as a world stage premiere, the production was directed by Justin Audibert and designed by

Tom Piper Thomas Stephen Towry Piper MBE (born 24 November 1964) is a British theatre designer who regularly collaborates with director Michael Boyd. He became an associate designer with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2004. Early life Tom Piper was born ...

. The production was reprised, with a new cast, between 30 November 2018 and 5 January 2019.

References

*Flynn, Simon: ''"A Magic Curiously Suited to Radio?": The BBC and The Box of Delights.'' The Journal of the John Masefield Society, No. 12 (May 2003), pp. 21–35.

External links

"Sea Fever", "Cargoes" and other examples of Masefield's poetry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Box Of Delights, The 1935 British novels 1935 fantasy novels Novels by John Masefield Children's fantasy novels Heinemann (publisher) books Novels adapted into operas British novels adapted into television shows Fictional cubes