 Alice is a genuinely chilling spectre. And as for that finale, well, that will never never leave me. Having to stay with relatives is terrible enough, but staying with a second Aunt and Uncle after the previous Aunt you were staying with has died must suck. It must have a profound effect on your psyche and outlook on life. So you can imagine how Lucy must feel after being orphaned twice. However, unlike many dramas that are centred around orphans, Lucy's Aunt and cousins aren't your typical nasty, bully type that you'd come to expect from a show like Come Back Lucy; in fact, they all go way out of their way to may Lucy feel welcome in their Victorian home, and understand and empathise with the anguish that she must be going through. Despite this, Lucy still feels like an outsider in her new home, leading her to explore her Aunt's house. When she comes across the only room in the house that hasn't been modernised, she comes across Alice's a ghost/time traveller, a young girl from 100 years ago. Alice is desperate for Lucy to be her new best friend and desperately tries to make Lucy come back with her in time and stay permanently in the past. Can Lucy find her place in the world, or will Alice be the downfall of Lucy? Come Back Lucy was a six-part adaptation of Pamela Sykes' classic children's novel first shown in the spring of 1978; it was one of those shows that burned intensely into the memories of those of us of a certain age. I firmly believe that the glory era of children's television was the decade and a half from the mid-'70s to the late 80s. It was an era where, despite the more conservative mentality of media in those days, it was an era that wasn't afraid to treat kids as a mature audience, and it wasn't scared to take us out of our comfort zone. And Come Back Lucy was one such show that did precisely this. With its double-pronged attack on our nerves from the fear and danger we felt from Lucy's initial predicament of being orphaned yet again to the more sinister threat from the supernatural risk of Alice, Come Back Lucy was at times some very uncomfortable viewing for a kid of that era, I remember watching it and feeling more than a little unsettled at it. And watching it again for this review through the eyes of an adult, I can still see the power that it holds. And even though kids now are thought of as being more world-wise and accustomed to a lot of the more nasty ways of life, they would still find Come Back Lucy to be a profoundly unsettling watch. One of the defining characteristics of what makes for a great children's book and media adaptation is its ability to cross time and still be relevant to modern society. This excellent adaptation of the source material still has the power to do so. It's funny that despite almost 50 years since the first showing of Come Back Lucy, so many of the themes and narrative threads are still relevant today. From Lucy's Aunt and Uncle's outlook on rearing their children to the radicalisation of their kids against the system, Come Back Lucy should still resonate with our kids. One of the particular strengths of Come Back Lucy is its ability to take so many well-worn tropes and cleverly play around with them. Most television shows of this "orphan" kind would ensure that our sympathies entirely lie with Lucy, something Come Back Lucy doesn't wholly do. It's hard to fully sympathise with her, yes, she has gone through a lot of trauma, but she never seems to attempt to try and fit in just a little bit. Her new family go out of their way to welcome her and help her through her transition to a new way of life, but Lucy continuously shakes off their help and refuses to fit in. So by the time Alice reveals her true nature, you, as a viewer, are hoping that Lucy gets her just rewards.  And as for Alice, I loved how her true nature was developed through the episodes; from a friendly "ghost" to a dangerously obsessed stalker, Alice is a genuinely chilling spectre. And as for that finale, well, that will never never leave me. For a kid's Tv show of this era, the acting is on the whole very good, and the show benefits from not being SFX heavy, which means that today's audience won't be cringing at the wobbly sets and dodgy models that are the downfall of a lot of shows of this era. However, the writing is strong, and the subtle ways the show looks at childhood trauma and grief are handled with a sympathetic ear. Complimenting this excellent release are some fascinating brand-new interviews with actor Francois Evans, writers Gail Renard and Colin Shindler and director Paul Harrison, and an interesting feature with Jill Nolan and Becky Darke that examines the source material. Come Back Lucy is a perfect example of a kid's ghost story; perfectly paced and filled with chilling scenes, it is a genuine treasure. And Network's loving restoration makes this a must buy. COME BACK LUCY: THE COMPLETE SERIES (1978)  An unsettling tale of loss, alienation and the desire for friendship, ATV's BAFTA-nominated adaptation of Pamela Sykes' classic novel is as haunting now as it was when first shown in the spring of 1978. Adapted by award-winning writers Colin Shindler and Gail Renard, Come Back Lucy remains a stand out production in a decade where drama series pushed boundaries and set new standards for what was acceptable on children's television. This release contains all six episodes and is the first time the series has been available in the UK since its broadcast. The present becomes strangely entangled with the past when Lucy's aunt dies and she must leave the peaceful countryside to live with trendy relatives in London. In the attic of her cousins' old Victorian house she is confronted by Alice, a girl from the past, and discovers that time has rolled back a hundred years. Special Features - Coming Back: brand-new interviews with actor François Evans, writers Gail Renard and Colin Shindler and director Paul Harrison - Through the Mirror: Jill Nolan and Becky Darke examine Pamela Sykes' original novel German titles Order a copy here https://new.networkonair.com/come-back-lucy/ Come Back Lucy: The Complete Series is on DVD 17 October from Network CHECK OUT TODAY'S OTHER ARTICLES BELOW  THE HEART OF HORROR REVIEW WEBSITES |
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