Into the Labyrinth is a curiosity of a children’s adventure series, shown in three chunks of episodes by ITV from 1981. It feels like a series slightly out of time, a throwback to the 1970s and shows like Ace of Wands and The Tomorrow People, a last hurrah for the grand tradition of fantasy adventure on children’s TV. It’s rarely remembered in those conversations over a pint down the pub, but for those that do, it holds a place of fervent affection in their hearts - and rightly so.
This neat little DVD package from the folks at Network (who have done sterling work in the name of cult TV), collects together all three series of Into the Labyrinth, which I would hazard is the best way to package it. I remember having some scratchy VHS copies back in the day, so it’s nice to have everything under one roof. First off, there are no extras whatsoever, which is a shame. A couple of cast interviews would have been very welcome, but at least the weight of all the episodes together is enough to make the package viable.
Diving into the first episode for the first time in years, I was struck by just how clearly I remember that title sequence, with haunting theme music and sweeping views of the caves at Cheddar Gorge, where some brief location shooting took place. Simon Beale, Lisa Turner and Simon Henderson (all still jobbing actors) are children Phil, Helen and Terry, who are enlisted by the mysterious Rothgo (Ron Moody) to help him regain his magical powers. The evil witch Belor has imprisoned him, and to break free, the children must travel into the labyrinth and to different time zones to regain the Nidus, source of the magician’s magic. Within each time, the children will encounter different versions of Rothgo in a variety of guises that nicely play to Moody’s extensive skills as a character actor.
But beware; Belor (a feisty and rather sexy Pamela Salem) will attempt to stop them at every turn, also popping up in different forms. Each week, just as the Nidus is within their grasp, Belor, with triumphant glee shouts “I deny you the Nidus!”, and off we go to the next time zone and the next episode.
It’s a great format on which to hang an adventure show, although even by early 80s standards, the opening episode, Rothgo, is ponderous in its set up, and only by the end are the children transported in time for their first adventure. But the real conceit of Into the Labyrinth is that, for the most part, it is entirely studio bound, each time zone created in the same labyrinth set, merely redressed quite effectively each week. Certainly my 10-year-old eyes bought it quite easily, and even as an adult, it’s easy to appreciate the alchemy the set dressers and director achieved each week.
Much of the appeal of the series is down to Moody and Salem, whose good and evil dynamic is nicely poised and played with enthusiasm. Moody seems uncomfortable as the Rothgo encountered initially by the children, coming off as a bad-tempered sub-Doctor Who type figure. But then, I think I’d be bad-tempered if a big-haired witch had trapped me under a jabolite rock for a few hundred years. The legendary musical star is much more at ease bringing to life the sorcerer’s many identities across the time zones -forgetful druids, grand viziers, medicine men, Sherlock Holmes style detectives and even Guy Fawkes.
Pamela Salem, however, appears to relish every second of playing Belor, cackling with gusto through every scene, whether playing your actual witchy witch, or one of Belor’s varied historical aliases. And when you’re against a blue screen throwing lightning bolts at Ron Moody for much of the series, that’s no mean feat.
As for the three children, they’re a cut above what you’d expect from young actors, although Lisa Turner performs a stupendous change of accent from strangled mummerset to polished middle class from location to studio at the beginning of the first episode. Simon Beale in particular as Phil, the elder of the three, is particularly good, so it’s no wonder he survived the changes that took place for series three…
It’s with series three that most of the Into the Labyrinth faithful might get a little sniffy, as Terry and Helen disappear, and Ron Moody leaves Rothgo behind to be replaced by Chris Harris as Lazlo. This puckish figure enlists Phil’s help in locating the Scarabeus, once again a magical talisman lost through time. Thankfully Belor, hair getting bigger with each passing episode, is on hand to keep things together and cackle when needed.
Many compare Harris’s turn as Lazlo to Moody’s Rothgo and find the younger actor wanting. This is somewhat unfair, but like Moody before him, Harris isn’t entirely comfortable with the Lazlo persona. His natural comedic talents are better suited to playing dress-up and, like the rest of the cast, does a splendid job, if lacking the gravitas of his predecessor.
The third series is undeniably lighter and played for laughs much more, which undermines things a little. Still, there are riffs on The Phantom of the Opera, Jekyll and Hyde and Treasure Island which add a fun, frothy air to proceedings.
All told, Into the Labyrinth has held up reasonably well over the years. Yes, some of the special effects are crude, but never overstep the mark of ambition, and the sleight of hand trickery achieved by director Peter Graham Scott each week is admirably endearing.
The lack of any extras on this set is disappointing, seeing as the genesis of the series is not well known, but picture quality is decent enough across the entire release, so I won’t grumble too much.
It might not have the stature of its ancestor The Tomorrow People (and I can’t believe I just wrote that!), but once that eerily familiar HTV logo opens up and the titles role, Into the Labyrinth will transport you back to those rainy after school Wednesdays and a world of forgotten adventure. I deny you the Nidus!
Into the Labyrinth: the Complete Series is out now on DVD from Network DVD, RRP £24.99
Pamela Salem, aka Belor, recalls her time making Into the Labyrinth in this week’s edition of The Stage, available on 17 July
I was into my 20's by the time "Into the Labyrinth" came on TV which may be why I remember it as not being as more childish & not as good as most of the wonderful telefantasy that came from ITV in the 70's (Ace of Wands, Tomorrow People, Sky, Raven, Georgian House etc)
Having seen all the Tomorrow People in recent years, I'd be interested to re-evaluate "Into the Labyrinth". Same they haven't got extras, the commentaries really added to the TP discs.