Catweazle

Real Name: Catweazle

Identity/Class: Human magic user

Occupation: Hermit

Affiliations: Touchwood (his familiar), Edward "Carrot" Bennett, Cedric Collingford

Enemies: Normans,William de Collynforde

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: initially Castle Saburac, near Hexwood Farm; later Clock tower

First Appearance: Catweazle #1 "The Sun in a Bottle" (London Weekend Television, 15th February 1970)

Powers/Abilities: Catweazle is a wizard, though he isn't particularly good at it. His spells tend to be erratic at best, and usually he needs his witchknife "adamcos" to cast them. Among the spells he managed to cast were the one which caused him to travel through time, and another which made it impossible for Carrot to tell anyone about him.

History: Catweazle was a Saxon hermit who lived in a cave in the woods. His attempts at magic made him unpopular with the Normans, who had recently conquered the country, and when soldiers invaded his cave intending to arrest him for witchcraft, Catweazle grabbed his familiar (a toad called Touchwood) and beat a hasty retreat. Pursued, he jumped into a nearby lake while trying to cast a spell to take him somewhere else. For once, his magic worked, though not quite as intended. Catweazle emerged from a small pond on Hexwood Farm, nine hundred years in his own future.

Confused by the changes around him, Catweazle took refuge in a barn, where he was discovered by Edward (or Carrot as Catweazle calls him), the son of the farmer. Carrot befriended the timelost Saxon, and tried to help him learn about his new world (though the untrusting Catweazle bespelled him so Carrot couldn't tell anyone about his new friend). Catweazle for his part was shocked by what he saw as examples of magic all around him (cars, phones, televisions, etc), and became convinced that Carrot was a sorcerer too, when he turned on a lightbulb, or "the sun in a bottle" as Catweazle described it. Basing himself in an old water-tower which he dubbed Castle Saburac, Catweazle set about investigating his new time.

After a series of adventures, the homesick Catweazle managed to return to his own time, only to be taken captive by the Norman lord William de Collynforde, who insisted his captive conjure him gold, and locked him inside Farthing Castle until he could do so. Catweazle knew the request could never be fulfilled, so he threw himself off the battlements into the moat, once again transporting himself forward in time. He arrived to discover the castle replaced by a large white house with a clock tower with a little turret on top, and befriended Cedric Collingford, whose family lived within. The two formed an alliance of sort - while Catweazle hunted for the 'Thirteenth Sign' of the Zodiac which he believed would get him back to his own time, he helped Cedric try and locate the lost Collingford treasure so that he could restore the family's failing fortune.

Comments: Created by Richard Carpenter. Played by Geoffrey Bayldon.

The show ran two seasons and twenty-six episodes:

  1. The Sun in a Bottle

  2. Castle Saburac

  3. The Curse of Rapkyn

  4. The Witching Hour

  5. The Eye of Time

  6. The Magic Face

  7. The Telling Bone

  8. The Power of Adamcos

  9. The Demi Devil

  10. The House of the Sorcerer

  11. The Flying Broomsticks

  12. The Wisdom of Solomon

  13. The Trickery Lantern

  14. The Magic Riddle

  15. Duck Halt

  16. The Heavenly Twins

  17. The Sign of the Crab

  18. The Black Wheels

  19. The Wogle Stone

  20. The Enchanted King

  21. The Familiar Spirit

  22. The Ghost Hunters

  23. The Walking Trees

  24. The Battle of the Giants

  25. The Magic Circle

  26. The Thirteenth Sign

Richard Carpenter produced two books, Catweazle and Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, which adapted several episodes of the series - the first book covered the first season, the second book the second season of the show. There were also at least three Catweazle Annuals released, in 1970, 1972 and 1973, containing strips and text stories, as well as Catweazle: A Narrow Escape, which was described as a "Big Television Book". A Catweazle strip also ran in Look-In magazine between 8th January 1972 and (at least) 25th November that same year, though I don't have details of the contents.

CLARIFICATIONS: None.

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

Back to Television Heroes

Back to General UK Heroes.

Home

All images and characters depicted are copyright their respective holders, and are used above for informational purposes only. No infringement is intended and copyrights remain at source.