Just William's Luck

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Crompton continued to write William books right up until her death in 1969 with the last, William the Lawless, being published posthumously in 1970.

In 1994, the BBC broadcast another series also called Just William. Written by Allan Baker and directed by David Giles, it starred Oliver Rokison as William, Tiffany Griffiths as Violet Elizabeth Bott and featured Jonathan Hirst as Ginger, Alastair Weller (credited as Alistair Weller) as Douglas, Polly Adams as Mrs. Brown, David Horovitch as Mr. Brown, Ben Pullen as Robert Brown, Naomi Allisstone as Ellen the maid, and Olivia Hallinan as Susie Chambers. And I was right! This appears to be an attempt to cash in on a successful film of the same name. Unlike so many other authors, Crompton appears to have loved the movie based on her characters and attempted to write down the story. The film itself was made with stories taken from different William books. This story appeared in all the 20 impressions of William the Detective published by George Newnes (1935–1967), and in all the editions brought out by Armada in the 1970s. It was in 1986, in the edition brought out by Macmillan Children's Books, that this story was first omitted. Richmal Crompton's biographer, Mary Cadogan, wrote that both Richmal Crompton's literary executor – her niece Richmal Ashbee – and her publisher Macmillan "unhesitatingly decided to drop this episode ["William and the Nasties"] completely from new editions of the book." [11] In popular culture [ edit ] The book series was a favorite of John Lennon's as a child, along with Alice in Wonderland. Several biographers have suggested that he patterned his group of mischievous school friends after the Outlaws.

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Cast details for the 20 April 1963 episode "William and the sleeping Major", as listed in Radio Times. Major Goff was played by Roger Maxwell. Meanwhile, William is in the old barn with Henry and Douglas, in a make-believe game of 'The Knights of the Round Table', when Ginger arrives on a fabulous bicycle. The Outlaws

He didn’t keep up with the other Outlaws except Jimmy Crabbe who worked in a tax office in Southend. He’s never met any of the other actors who played William. Dorinda Lane – Another of William's love interests. She adores William, and is a big fan of "Funny things", including William's appearance in a production of Hamlet. She is a relative of Hubert's. Her aunt lives in William's village. [3] More Just William - As Seen on TV (Macmillan, London, 1995) - TV tie-in to the second series of the 1990s TV series.

INDEX

William Joins the Band of Hope – William is forced to join the Temperance movement along with the other Outlaws, but manages to turn the first meeting into a punch-up.

Mr. Marks/Markson – The headmaster of William's school, known to William and his friends as "Ole Markie". He is early middle-aged, and has a sensitive personality which he does his best not to show when he is at work. He gets on well with his older pupils, but dislikes younger and more disruptive ones like William.Mr. & Mrs. Bott – Introduced early in the series as new inhabitants to the village, Mr. and Mrs. Bott are a nouveau riche millionaire couple who spoil their daughter Violet Elizabeth. Mr. Bott made his millions by patenting and selling "Bott's Digestive Sauce" (allegedly made from squashed beetles). While Mr. Bott is fairly easy-going, his wife is a social climber, eager to impress high-society people with her wealth. Despite being figures of fun, the Botts are often represented sympathetically. Perhaps because of their lower-class origins, they take William and his friends more seriously than do most adults. In July, 2009, it was announced that the BBC were working on a new series of Just William. The episodes were written by Men Behaving Badly writer Simon Nye and broadcast in 2010 starring Daniel Roche (Ben in Outnumbered) who plays William [10] and newcomer Robert A Foster who plays Henry. The series was narrated by Martin Jarvis. [10] Episodes [ edit ] Sometimes William can be very moral – he is inspired to tell the truth for the duration of Christmas Day in William's Truthful Christmas ( Still William, 1925) with unhappy results: Edward, known as Ed, Graham, in his early career played "William", the cheeky schoolboy character created by Richmal Crompton in films for Val Guest.

A notable feature of the stories is the subtle observance of the nature of leadership. William often has to reconcile his own ambitions with the needs of the individuals within the Outlaws. His strength of personality means that his leadership is never questioned. William rarely exercises his power over the Outlaws without conscience. The Show – The Outlaws [ clarification needed] put on an animal show in William's room for money and finally decide to use his sleeping Aunt Emily as an exhibit. William's family – his elder, red-gold-haired sister Ethel and brother Robert, placid mother and stern father, and never-ending supply of elderly aunts – cannot understand William. Only his mother has any sympathy for him, though his father sometimes shows a side of himself that seems to admit he was once like William himself.

The Outlaws – The first-ever William story. William is forced to spend his precious half-holiday looking after a baby but decides to kidnap him and bring him to the Outlaws. William Brown is a middle-class schoolboy of 11, who lives in a country village in Southern England. A number of guesses have been made about where the stories are set. In Pensions for Boys in Sweet William (1936), it is suggested that the village is about 50 miles from London. It has also been suggested (in Margarey Disher's book Growing Up with Just William) that it is situated somewhere around Bromley, Kent. A road sign shown in a Thomas Henry illustration from "William Gets A Move On" in " William Does His Bit" reads "London A1", which would place the village north of London. Though credited to Crompton, this was merely authorised by her, but not written by her. It presented the script of the first William film: