In this five-part serialisation of the classic novel, a talkative orphan girl brings unexpected life to a quiet Prince Edward Island farm.
Elderly siblings Marilla (Barbara Hamilton) and Matthew Cuthbert (Elliott Sullivan) decide to adopt a boy to help them at their Green Gables farm. Through a misunderstanding at the orphanage, they are instead sent the fiercely intelligent and imaginative Anne Shirley (Kim Braden).
While the stern Marilla is initially determined to send her back, the gentle Matthew is quickly charmed by the girl’s spirit. Anne is eventually allowed to stay, and the serial follows her adventures as she finds her place in the community of Avonlea, forging a deep friendship with Diana Barry (Jan Francis) and developing a fierce academic rivalry with Gilbert Blythe (Robin Halstead).
A classic of the Sunday tea-time slot, this faithful adaptation was a significant production for the BBC’s children’s department. The serial was carried by a much-admired central performance from Kim Braden as the spirited heroine. Its success prompted a sequel, Anne of Avonlea, which was produced with the principal cast in 1975 and remains fully extant in the BBC archives. By contrast, this original serial is missing, believed to have been wiped in accordance with the archival practices of the time. The complete survival of its successor makes the loss of this well-regarded original production all the more poignant for television historians.
Broadcast: BBC One, 5 Episodes, Sundays, 20 February – 19 March 1972
Dramatised by: Julia Jones
Director: Joan Craft
Producer: John McRae
Script Editor: Alistair Bell
Main Cast: Kim Braden (Anne Shirley), Barbara Hamilton (Marilla Cuthbert), Elliott Sullivan (Matthew Cuthbert), Jan Francis (Diana Barry), Robin Halstead (Gilbert Blythe), Avis Bunnage (Rachel Lynde), Angela Walker (Josie Pye), Zuleika Robson (Jane Andrews)
