BBC viewers slam ‘awful’ reboot of The Famous Five – raging ‘why mess with a classic?!’ and ‘it just doesn’t work!’
THE LATEST adaptation of The Famous Five debuted to mixed reviews in December, with many BBC viewers slamming the new series, branding it an “awful” series that just “doesn’t make any sense.”
The Famous Five is based on Enid Blyton’s classic children’s stories set in the 1940s and 50s. It follows four children and their dog as they embark on exciting adventures.
This is not the first time the book series has been brought to the screen, along with several films, it was adapted for TV in 1978 and again in 1995.
Now, the reboot sees Diaana Babnicova take on the role of George, while her cousins Julian, Dick and Anne are played by Elliott Rose, Kit Rakusen and Flora Jacoby Richardson, respectively.
Per the BBC’s official synopsis, the three-part series follows the four children and their dog Timmy, collectively known as the Famous Five, as they “solve mysteries, battle sinister forces, and have the most magical summer of their lives.”
The first of the three episodes, which is called The Curse of Kirrin Island, premiered on December 9 2023 on CBBC and was aired again on New Year’s Eve.
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However, some viewers were not happy with the reboot series and slammed various aspects of it, including its modernisation, music and casting.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one viewer voiced their displeasure just minted into the series. “Less than five minutes in and this Famous Five adaptation is awful,” they said, adding: “Will persevere a bit longer just in case but hopes are not high. Why mess with a classic story?”
Another viewer agreed: “Just watched The Famous Five. Awful. Why can’t the BBC leave things as they’re meant to be? George is taller than her mother, it’s badly cast and don’t get me started on the music and filming! Not what Enid Blyton wrote!”
“Awful version, awful acting. We pay our licence fee for this?” a third commented.
A fourth criticised the adaption, saying: “I was looking forward to the new version of The Famous Five but the title sequence and music put me right off! Absolutely zero attempt to give a sense of time and place, and it looked like it had been knocked up in PowerPoint in 30 seconds!”
“I wasn’t keen on it either,” agreed another viewer, who suggested it was a “second-rate” series compared to former adaptations.
However, other viewers couldn’t understand the criticisms as they were impressed with the series.
“I’m not understanding the negativity about the new Famous Five series on the BBC,” one viewer said, adding, “I personally think it was fun, enjoyable and memorable. Well done to the cast and crew!”
And although aimed at children, adult fans have been enjoying the updated reboot which modernises the series but also feels nostalgic.
“44 going on 10-year-old me is loving the BBC adaptation of The Famous Five so far; George was always gender non-conforming, and the character was autobiographical,” commented another viewer.
“Took me right back to reading the books as a kid,” a third viewer agreed.
Together, fans of the new series urged unhappy viewers to give The Famous Five another go when the remaining two episodes premiere in 2024.
Meanwhile, casting director Daniel Hubbard was thrilled the series got people talking. He tweeted: “I am so pleased and proud I worked on this, as it seems to have upset all the right people.”
Alongside casting the Famous Five, Daniel was responsible for bringing in Game of Thrones star Jack Gleeson as the villainous Wentworth.
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Jack, who is best known for playing Joffrey Baratheon, had previously said that he wanted to move away from bad guy roles after Game of Thrones, but he was obviously willing to make an exception for The Famous Five reboot.
The first episode of The Famous Five is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now. Two more episodes will premiere later in 2024.