David Farnor | On 23, Mar 2020

CBBC is whisking us away to Malory Towers sooner than expected this spring, as the new drama based on Enid Blyton’s novels drops early on BBC iPlayer.

The 13-part series follows the adventures of Darrell Rivers as she leaves home for the first time to attend an all-girls’ boarding school. Set in post-war Britain on the sun-drenched cliffs of the Cornish coast, the show explores a nostalgic world of midnight feasts, lacrosse, pranks, a mystery ghost and lasting friendships.

Both aspirational and inspirational, the series has been adapted for television by Rachel Flowerday and Sasha Hails and given a contemporary twist telling the story of universal experiences such as shifting cliques, FOMO, bullying, crushes, peer pressure, and self-doubt. The girls keep an eye on each other and, like a family, are forever connected by their shared experiences.

The series opens with 12 year-old Darrell settling into her first day at Malory Towers. She is always in the thick of things and her hot temper causes her lots of problems. But she is also a responsible, hard-working girl and very popular, much to the annoyance of Gwen, who is also new to the school and jealous of Darrell’s popularity and friendships.

In awe of Malory Towers, Darrell keeps her past at her old school, St. Hilda’s, a closely guarded secret – but with Gwen on the case will it come back to haunt her?

The first episode will air on CBBC at 5.30pm on 6th April, but the whole series has been released on BBC iPlayer today, the first weekday after schools were mostly closed to comply with government coronavirus safety requirements.

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