On January 26, 1975, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) began airing the miniseries Anne of Avonlea. This production was a sequel to their 1972 adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. Kim Braden returned to star as Anne Shirley, Barbara Hamilton returned to play Marilla Cuthbert, and Jan Francis returned as Diana Barry. Gilbert Blythe was portrayed by Christopher Blake, a different actor from the earlier miniseries. The production also featured Madge Ryan as Rachel Lynde, David Garfield as Mr. Harrison, and Anthony Forrest as Roy Gardiner.
Anne of Avonlea was based on L.M. Montgomery's novels Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island, and the story was dramatized for the screen by Elaine Morgan. Joan Craft returned to direct the sequel, and the miniseries was again produced by John McRae. The Anne of Avonlea miniseries aired in six parts and had a running time of 5 hours and 50 minutes.
Anne of Green Gables is one of the few BBC 1 Sunday Serials that is lost and no longer exists in the BBC archives. Luckily for us, Anne of Avonlea survived intact. The Anne of Avonlea miniseries was purchased by Strawberry Entertainment, and it was subsequently purchased by KOCH Vision. The long-awaited DVD was released on September 5, 2006.
Acknowledgements:
Thanks Paul for the information that the miniseries was purchased by Strawberry Entertainment.
External Links (will open in new windows):
Internet Movie Database - cast list for the series
Anne of Green Gables topic at www.missing-episodes.com (archived topic by Internet Archive)
Image credit:
Photograph of Kim Braden as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables © BBC from the 1975 book cover by Penguin Books.
Purchase and watch Anne of Avonlea:
Created May 12, 2002. Re-posted online March 20, 2024. Last updated April 16, 2024.
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