“The paths will take you to whichever time I choose. Find the Nidus. Bring it to me. You will only see it in reflection, shining brightly. To retrieve the Nidus you must form a circle round it; then you will link hands and think of my eyes… Think of my eyes… Concentrate…” - Rothgo

“I deny you the Nidas!” - Belor

When Terry and his sister, Helen, take refuge from a thunderstorm in a cave, they meet another boy named Phil; hearing a mysterious cry for help, the three children explore the tunnel system and encounter a magician called Rothgo, who asks for their help in recovering the source of his power, the Nidas, which has been hidden somewhere in the past by his enemy, Belor. Without the Nidas Rothgo’s power will fade and he will die, leaving Belor unchallenged and free to become the supreme ruler of all time and space. After agreeing to help, the three children step into a magical stone labyrinth that sends them on their quest; they soon find themselves caught up in the events of the English Civil War, the French Revolution and Ancient Greece in their search for the mystical Nidas. Each time zone contains an aspect of Rothgo in disguise, and finding him will help the children in their mission; however, Belor is not far behind, just waiting to deny them the Nidas…

Broadcast in the early ‘80s, ‘Into the Labyrinth’ is one of those forgotten children’s adventure series that is fondly remembered by those lucky enough to have seen it; it is best summed up in four words: ‘ambitious’, ‘cheap’, ‘pantomime’ and ‘fun’. With each episode seeing Phil, Terry and Helen arrive in a different point in Earth’s past – providing the viewer with as much variety as they could wish, whilst sneakily teaching them important dates in history – the budget could have easily spiralled out of control; however, the production team were on a very tight budget, and so they cleverly used the same sets for each story, redressing the standard caves and tunnels into whatever the story required; the result was surprisingly effective, and succeeded in giving the show a suitably claustrophobic feel. As stories became more ambitious, the show went for the ‘Greek Theatre’ approach: huge battles involving hundreds of fighting soldiers would happen off screen, while the handful of cast members of the cast got on with the actual plot; and in each twenty-five minutes, there really is a surprising amount of plot crammed in!

Lisa Turner, Simon Henderson and Simon Beal are excellent as Helen, Terry and Phil, but top marks must go to Ron Moody and Pamela Salem; Moody’s portrayal of the mysterious magician Rothgo is superb, and you can tell he’s thoroughly enjoying the different roles that each of his ‘past’ selves allows him to play. Pamela Salem is equally superb as the evil witch Belor, with a natty line in slinky black dresses and highly backcombed hair, oozing sex appeal and acting as over the top as possible – she certainly proved very popular with the male contingent of the viewers, myself included!

After seven episodes of epically pantomimic proportions, the Nidas was found, Rothgo was restored to power and Belor was defeated. However, the show proved so popular that it returned for another highly enjoyable series; this time round the Nidas was accidentally split into several segments and scattered throughout history, and so Helen, Terry and Phil set off once more to assemble the magical object, becoming embroiled in such notable events as the Gunpowder Plot, the Alamo and the Great Siege of Malta. A third series followed, but without the great Ron Moody; instead children’s entertainer Chris Harris took on the role of Lazlo, an rather incompetent magician trapped in the realm of Delta Time, a dimension where literary figures are real. Although this season began badly, the early episodes full of juvenile ‘comedy’, farcical events and some terrible acting by Harris, things soon got back on track; having settled into the role, Harris’ performance improved no end, and it’s a shame that he, Beal and Salem were never brought back for a fourth series.

Although the show was never repeated in the UK, it was released on DVD in 2008, so now everyone can see how classic a children's show ‘Into the Labyrinth’ really is!


Into the Labyrinth - Season 1
Into the Labyrinth - Season 2
Into the Labyrinth - Season 3

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