The Famous Five

This article is about Enid Blyton's characters, The Famous Five. There is another article on the Famous Five of the Persons Case.

The Famous Five are a group of child detectives (actually four children and a dog) created by Enid Blyton. Blyton wrote several such detective series, but the Famous Five are the best-known and most popular of these. Some of the books have been adapted for television, and they also inspired the Comic Strip parody, Five Go Mad in Dorset.

The first books in the series were written during the 1940s, and some of the basic concepts now seem extremely dated. Three of the children, Julian, Dick and Anne, are siblings. During their holidays, they are regularly sent to stay with their Aunt Fanny and Uncle Quentin, whose daughter, Georgina, is a tomboy always known as "George". Every time they come together, they find themselves obliged to solve a serious crime, the location of which tends to vary slightly. Sometimes it will happen close to George's home, and "Kirrin Island", a private island belonging to her parents, presents many opportunities for such activities. On other occasions, the children may go camping or hiking or be sent on holiday together elsewhere, but they are always accompanied by George's dog, Timmy.

Titles in the series include:

• Five on a Treasure Island (1942)
• Five Go Adventuring Again
• Five Run Away Together
• Five on Kirrin Island Again
• Five Go off to Camp
• Five Fall into Adventure
• Five Go to Smugglers' Top
• Five Go Down to the Sea
• Five Go to Mystery Moor
• Five Have Plenty of Fun
• Five on a Secret Trail
• Five Go to BillyCock Hill
• Five Get into a Fix
• Five on Finniston farm
• Five Go to Demon's Rocks
• Five Have a Mystery to Solve
• Five Are Together Again

There are about 31 titles in total.

The books are set in a backdrop of rural England with old-world values teaching innocence, an element often missing from current children's books which are read in formative years.

The stories always take place in the children's holidays when they come home from their schools. The Kirrin Cottage, which is George's home, and all the other places they visit are set in the countryside where the children discover the simple joys of cottages, picnics ("with lashings of ginger beer"), bicycle trips, home-made food, islands, seashores, and always have a thrilling adventure. The characters are chiselled with a very few words, there are no swirling descriptions of the scenes, but that is what fuels a child's imagination and make the reader think for himself.

Characters

• Julian is the leader of the five and is a bold brave boy, strong for his age who is good at choosing camping spots. He can sniff out bad people very well, but still lands the five in a lot of trouble.
• George is really called Georgina but wishes to be a boy.
• Dick is usually ready to do what the five do, and does not make many decisions. He is a 'good brother' to Anne and Julian.
• Anne is a girly girl. she likes "frocks and dolls and things" unlike George who would cringe at the sight of pink frills. She is more young and scared than the others, so usually wishes that they would stop having adventures for a while, though she is always ready to join in, even being unexpectedly fierce sometimes!
• Timmy the dog, a mongrel, is the closest companion in the world for his owner, George. He prefers her company to anyone else, and even sleeps on her toes.

Other minor characters

• • Aunt Fanny (called Frances in the TV show)
  • Uncle Quentin
  • Richard, a spoilt boy who first meets the five on his fathers rich property at a pool. the five teach him about bravery
  • Red Tower
  • Rooky
  • Mr. Perton
  • Aggie
  • Hunchback Hunchy
  • Jo
  • Wooh the wizard magician

Television series

The Famous Five 1978 television series had 26 episodes of 30 minutes. They starred Michelle Gallagher as Georgina/George, Marcus Harris as Julian, Jenny Thanish as Anne, Gary Russel as Dick, Michael Hinz as Uncle Quentin, Sue Best as Aunt Fanny, Ronald Frazer, John Carson, James Villiers, Cyril Luckham and Brian Glover. Screenplays by Gloria Tors, Gail Renard, Richard Carpenter and Richard Sparks. Direction by Peter Duffeil, Don Leaver, James Gatward and Mike Connor. Produced by Don Leaver.

Intro song lyrics:

   Wherever there's adventure to be found
   Just a clue or a secret message bring the Famous Five around
   Whenever there's a mystery to be solved
   up in the ruined castle or down in smugglers' hold
   (Chorus:) We are the Famous Five
   Julian, Dick and Ann, George and Timmy the dog
   We are the Famous Five

Ending song lyrics:

   Whatever awaits behind closed doors
   Strange noises in the cellar or the sound of creaky floors
   We never let a mystery pass us by
   Just leave a clue and leave the rest to the Famous Five
   (Chorus:) We are the Famous Five
   Julian, Dick and Ann, George and Timmy the dog
   We are the Famous Five
   We're coming back to you whenever there's time
   Coming back to you, time after time, after time

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The "Famous Five" was a limited edition version of the Renault 5.