Scary Children's TV Show in the 80s

[soozmac]

for years now I have been haunted by a particular scene in a tv programme I saw back when I was young (in the 80s - ahem). It was on about 5pm, and the scene was a group of kids putting on a play of some sort in a large garden or park. The audience was made up of big dolls and mannequins, all quite grotesquely done-up, which then started to come to life. Can anyone tell me what this programme may have been so that I can pass the name on to my psychiatrist?

[ninja]

I'm glad you asked this question. I have been meaning to post regarding this programme for a while now, but never got round to it. I too remember this programme, & was similarly troubled by it. If I remember rightly the "dolls" used to kind of shuffle around a bit, quite scary when I was a nipper! No-one I mention this programme to has any memories of this so for a while there I thought I was alone. I hope someone can come up with an answer, to put us both out of our misery!

[soozmac]

I've got it, it's the Enchanted Castle, which was written by someone called Nesbit in 1906. If you look here, http://www.indiana.edu/%7Eletrs/vwwp/nesbit/enchant.html, you can read the book. Scroll down to page 170 or so (it's a bit of a yawnfest, to be honest) and you'll see the bit I was meaning.

It's been ages since I posted this question, so I hope you see my answer, Ninja!

[jno]

E (for Edith) Nesbit also wrote The Railway Children (plus the Phoenix and the Carpet, Five Children and It) - one of the great writers for children, didn't believe in spoonfeeding them.

[ninja]

Well done soozmac. I have no idea how you managed to find this out, but I applaud your detective skills!