| Raven: The Island | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's Game Show |
| Starring | James MacKenzie Lindsay McKenzie Michael MacKenzie |
| Voices of | James MacKenzie Lindsay McKenzie Jo James |
| Narrated by | James MacKenzie Lindsay McKenzie |
| Theme music composer | David Brockett |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) |  Scotland |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC |
| Original run | 2006 – Present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Raven: The Island is a BBC Scotland children's adventure game show, and the first spin-off to the main series, Raven. It comprises one series, which aired in 2006 on the CBBC Channel. In this series, warriors compete as teams and attempt to complete the many challenges on the island of Alaunus, retrieving timepieces in the hope of defeating the evil Nevar.
Contents |
Plot
Raven: The Island sees the island of Alaunus, Raven's homeland as a child, come under control by the evil force of Nevar and his demons. Raven has been exiled from the island, and so his close and trusted friend, Princess Erina, assists Raven's young warriors in their quest, with the help of her sprite companion, Haryad. Erina and Raven plan to use the warrior's acquired timepieces, together with an upcoming solar eclipse, to free the island from Nevar's grip.
Format
Raven: The Island features a set of challenges for the warrior, but differs in a similar to way the second Raven spin-off, Raven: The Secret Temple, in that the warriors are split into teams; in Raven: The Island, this consists of three groups of four. These teams have different animal associations and colour clothing; the Lions wear green clothing, the Wolves wear blue clothing, and the Eagles wear maroon. Each team also has a team leader. This series does not provide the concept of lives or rings: should a warrior fail a task by being caught by a demon, or failing to navigate an obstacle in a challenge, that warrior is instantly eliminated and plays no further part in the quest, and cannot be returned or brought back (in contrast to collecting rings in Raven, or exchanging jewels in the Secret Temple).
Characters
Raven (James MacKenzie): Raven makes appearances in this series, but does not guide the warriors as frequently as in Raven, or The Secret Temple. He converses with Princess Erina on the warrior's progress, and talks to Cyrus to gain information about matters such as the upcoming eclipse, and the timepieces. Princess Erina (Lindsay McKenzie): Raven's close and trusted friend. She carries a Staff of Power with her (topped with a crown carving) and is helped by a tree sprite named Haryad. Erina lives on the Island of Alaunus, which used to belong to her father before Nevar took it over with his dark magic, and is the one who leaves signs and clues to guide the warriors to Nevar's fortress. Haryad (voiced by Jo James): Erina's companion is a tree sprite, who appears as a blue ball of light and reports the warriors' progress back to her. Cyrus the Astronomer (Michael MacKenzie, James MacKenzie's father): An old and wise astronomer who works out when the eclipse is due; he also discovered the many magical properties on Alaunus, such as the Time Wells and the Pearls of Wisdom, when sorcery returned to the island. His great knowledge has been passed on to Erina, and he is seen explaining such matters as the eclipse, and the nature and location of the timepieces, to Raven. Nevar (Unknown Actor) The main antagonist of all the Raven stories, Nevar has seized control of Alaunus by capturing the Enchanted Oak, from which the Staves of Power of Raven, Erina and his own were cut. He has locked it within the Ruins of the Castle of Alaunus, which he has proclaimed himself lord of, from which he cuts Staves of Power for his black robed Elite Demons, and doing so is bringing about the Oak dying. Erina states that he once was a simple brigand, who stole a branch from the Enchanted Oak, and became a great sorcerer, who created the demons (Evil creatures dressed in heavy brown hooded robes, black gloves and faces lost in shadow,) which have been villains since the show first aired. His one goal is to destroy Raven, who fought when he first came to power, and is responsible for destroying his appearance, making him a fiery-eyed monster with clawed hands and disfigured flesh. Due to this, Nevar fled and hid his face behind an iron mask and black hooded robes. If Nevar can destroy Raven, the Kingdom would be doomed for all time.
Warriors
Twelve warriors started the quest, with four to each team. As with the main Raven series, each warrior is given their own warrior name, comprising a mix of letters from the first name and surname. Each team has a distinct animal association, and different colours for their outfits. The teams and warriors are listed below, with yellow cells indicating the warrior escaped the island safely.
| Lions | Warrior Name | Real Name | Exit Point | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delra (Leader) | Fortress: Enchanted Oak | Escaped safely. | ||
| Goram | Fortress | Knocked from obstacle course. | ||
| Kaysa | Fortress Surroundings | Caught by Thrall Demons. | ||
| Norso | River of the Rising Moon | Eliminated. |
| Wolves | Warrior Name | Real Name | Exit Point | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corso (Leader #2) | Fortress: Enchanted Oak | Escaped safely. | ||
| Bayle | Fortress Surroundings | Caught by Thrall Demons. | ||
| Tanla (Leader #1) | Mount Zoat | Failed an abseiling challenge. | ||
| Jenso | River of the Rising Moon | Caught by Thrall Demons. |
| Eagles | Warrior Name | Real Name | Exit Point | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanel (Leader) | Fortress: Enchanted Oak | Escaped safely. | ||
| Simlo | Fortress Causeway | Caught by demon after failing to correctly recite a spell which would have neutralised it. | ||
| Cared | Bog o' Balor | Missed footing during challenge. | ||
| Masam | Bog o' Balor | Missed footing during challenge. |
Production
The series was at least in part filmed at Loch Lomond in Scotland. [1]
