Welcome to the forest

Today, an Animated Anecdote from Jack Watson of The Diary of a Teacher

The Animals of Farthing Wood

I grew up very close to my granddad and he is a huge nature lover. He still has a collection of egg shells that he pulled together when he was younger and, together, we used to enjoy spotting the birds that would appear in his garden. I was quite an introverted child and I loved sitting in and watching David Attenborough documentaries even on a sunny day. This was before they were cool and cinematic as well - sometimes the content was pretty dry but I loved it. 

But as well as documentaries there were some cartoons that fed this love of nature.

One of them I feel has gone pretty under the radar; I can't think of many people that have ever watched it and I can think of even fewer who have read the book that the series came from. 

Both the television show and the book, however, are magnificent.

And, while there's enough of a happy ending to make it enjoyable for children, the story of ‘The Animals of Farthing Wood’ hits home with some pretty hard truths about both life and human impact on the natural world, despite the fact that the first of a successful book series was released in 1979 and the TV show arrived in the early 90s.

The animals in question are a ragtag bunch of British woodland creatures: Fox, Badger, Mole, Toad, Kestrel, Tawny Owl, Hedgehog, Newts, the Pheasants, Adder, and more.

The story begins as dramatically as it can with the destruction of their forest home for the sake of the expansion of a human settlement.

I find it staggering to think that we were this aware of our impact on the environment even then, nearly 50 years ago (at least some of us were). There’s no attempt to dress it up as a necessary development or defend the actions of the humans. 

Despite this, we are no nearer to fixing the damage we've done to this country. At the time of writing, the Conservative government’s flagship HS2 project is severely under threat as the costs escalate and the benefits of a high speed rail network between the North and South of England appear increasingly limited, but, because of the construction that's already been completed, significant damage has been done to ancient woodlands for our “benefit”. Correcting this damage isn’t as simple as planting a bunch of trees; it can take hundreds of years for these ecosystems to fully develop. 

Clearly, we are still increasingly problematic tenants of what was once a thriving natural habitat.

This destruction is what ‘The Animals of Farthing Wood’ face at the beginning of their story. 

To compound their plight they are suffering a drought, a potential – yet not fully-understood – consequence of climate change.

Instantly, we are introduced to the death and destruction humans cause to the natural world; some of the animals feel that leaving their homes is too risky and decide to stay, surrounded by familiar comforts but, inevitably, to meet a likely fatal end.

In short, things look pretty dire for ‘The Animals of Farthing Wood’ and the bulk of them feel forced to escape.

However, amongst all this gloom, there is hope. Rumours have spread of a safe haven called White Deer Park, a potential sanctuary where they can continue their lives and legacies in peace. 

This first book in the series – and the television show it inspired – chronicle the animals’ journey to White Deer Park.

Things don't get any easier for them along the way. With both predators and prey animals amongst the group, tensions remain high throughout and occasionally boil over completely. Some animals failed to make it beyond a daring road crossing in one particularly heavy episode. Others fall victim to human hunters in another. The character deaths, when they occur, are not only major plot points but – owing to the spectacularly cinematic way they are written and delivered – highly memorable and even somewhat traumatic, not least because they often happen to “cuter” characters.

I believe it’s this touch of drama, combined with the sense of adventure, the stunning, retro hand-drawn visuals and the realistic depiction of difficult group dynamics, that makes the show so memorable for me. It’s not a case of “let’s throw some cute animals at the kids who are watching and make it all rosy and magical, that way they’ll love animals.” The depth of so many of the characters amplified my emotional attachment to them and, I believe, that’s a reason for the gravity of my fascination with the natural world. It’s a brave move but, I feel, a stroke of genius; children know when they’re being given an honest depiction of the real world and, in my experience, have so much more respect for being trusted with such potentially difficult emotions.

Curiously, the show was produced in both the UK and France and, although there are no major differences between the British and French showings apart from the language spoken by the actors, there are occasional fleeting reminders. The most obvious is when the characters are bravely making a busy road crossing; the cars are shown to drive on the right-hand side of the road while British drivers drive on the left. At one stage, a tombstone is embossed with French writing as well I seem to recall..

I'm always interested to see whether any famous names or faces appeared in the things I watched as a child but ‘The Animals of Farthing Wood’ voice actors are largely credited with this show being their most recognisable work. However, one actor, Ron Moody, played a wide range of key male characters in the show having previously been nominated for a Golden Globe, a Tony Award and an Academy Award for his depiction of Fagan in ‘Oliver!’. Sally Grace, who voiced a selection of the show's female characters, has also appeared other animated productions such as ‘Mr. Bean’, and another animal-based cartoon, ‘Noah's Island’. However, she is perhaps best known for her work with Ken Bruce on Radio 2 during which she was described as “the best impressionist in the business”.

Many of the other characters’ voices are provided by little-recognised actors but I maintain that their delivery and emotional range add great depth to the animals and the tone of the show. To this day, nature is my deepest, strongest passion and I will be forever grateful for my exposure to ‘The Animals of Farthing Wood’ for the impact it still has on me today. 

If you are looking for something that exposes your children to the natural world in an authentic way, all the while reminding us of our responsibility to play a part in preserving it, I couldn’t recommend this show more. It tugs at the heart strings, embraces the tougher side of life in a caring and impactful way and introduces species that, sadly, fewer children recognise now than ever. If we want the next generation to care for the natural world they live in – and are very much a part of – shows like ‘The Animals of Farthing Wood’ are a must. 

Good news – it’s all on YouTube and completely free to watch. You can start the journey by clicking here.

Want to write your own connection with animation like Jack did? Please feel free to contact me :)