The Adventures of William Tell

Infobox Television
show_name = The Adventures of William Tell


caption =
genre =
creator =
starring = Conrad Phillips
Jennifer Jayne
Richard Rogers
Willoughby Goddard
Derren Nesbitt
country = United Kingdom
language = English
num_seasons =
num_episodes = 39
executive_producer =
producer = Ralph Smart
camera =
runtime = 30 minutes
network = ITV
picture_format = Black-and-white
audio_format = Monaural
first_aired = 15 September 1958
last_aired =
15 June 1959
imdb_id = 0158441
tv_com_id = 9716

"The Adventures of William Tell" is a British children's television series first broadcast on the ITV network in the 1950s.

The one series of 39 episodes in black and white, (now available on 5 DVDs) aired on ITV from 15 September 1958 till 15 June 1959. It starred Conrad Phillips in the title role, Jennifer Jayne as wife, Hedda Tell and Richard Rogers as son, Walter Tell. Willoughby Goddard played Landburger Gessler, Derren Nesbitt played Gessler's second in command, Frederick for the first six episodes before being replaced by Willoughby Gray for the seventh episode, Jack Watling for the ninth episode then the character was replaced by a new second in command, Wolfgang, played by Derek Godfrey. Nesbitt appeared many times as an Austrian soldier or some such villain throughout the series. In the first six and 33rd episodes, Jack Lambert played Hedda's father and chief judge, Judge Furst who constantly fought against Gessler's unfair edicts and Fritz Fertog alias The Bear was played by Nigel Green who joined Tell's band in the twelfth episode after Tell saved his son. Bruce Seton played General Bullinger and various other villains. The series featured a long-remembered theme song, with music based on the "William Tell Overture" by Rossini. For the show, the song lyrics were by Harold Purcell and were sung by David Whitfield which opened:

: "Come away, come away with William Tell,: Come away to the land he loved so well,: What a day, what a day when the apple fell,: For Tell of Switzerland!"

The origin story told in the first episode was by René Wilde and the opening titles of each episode featured an alpine horn being blown followed by Tell shooting the apple off his son's head then followed by scenes from that episode. The stunt of an apple being shot off a boy's head appears to have been done by a thread from behind the boy leading through the apple (you can see the hole if the picture is paused) to a shaft and beyond. The shaft is pulled at speed, so the apple wobbles slightly and strikes the apple causing it to fall in half since it was probably already cut and barely held together. Looking carefully you can see the thread still shaking above the boy's head after the apple has "fell". A real shaft from a bow would impale the apple and pin it to the wall behind. But the trick still looks effective.

The series was produced by Ralph Smart who wrote a number of stories for the series and who also produced "The Adventures of Sir Lancelot" and it was made at the National Studios in Elstree. Notable guests in the series were Sidney James in the third episode, Michael Caine in the fifth episode and 29th episode, and Patrick Troughton in the fourteenth episode. Episode 15, featured Glyn Owen as guest star and reuses two scenes where two soldiers were shot in episode 14, this time both being killed by The Contessa. Episode 16 has a young Frazer Hines speaking perfect English without the heavy Scot's accent he used in later years on TV and Darren Nesbitt is back, this time as Schulemburg, another of Gessler's officers in command. Episode 18 starred Wilfrid Brambell while Conrad Phillips played Tell and an evil double. Episode 19 featured Robert Shaw as an untrustworthy ally. Episode 21 featured Christopher Lee as the hunter. From episode 18, Frank Thornton made a number of appearances as Heinburgher, Gessler's tax collector.

Episode 26 had John Le Mesurier in a small part at the end. Episode 27 featured Kenneth Cope who only spoke four words in the show. Episode 28 introduced us to Gessler's daughter, Anna. Though originally haughty, when she found out what Gessler had done to the people and how he planned to betray his bargain with William Tell, she helped Tell before going back to visit her father. The theme music to episode 31 was different from usual but was thankfully back to normal with the next episode. Episode 32 has Warren Mitchell and Roger Delgado as members of the evil Black Brothers. Episode 35 has Glyn Owen as one of Tell's men. Episode 37 had Donald Pleasance as The Spider and Deborah Watling in her usual cute little girl role. In the final episode, Tell goes to the castle of the Austrain Emperor (Derek Bond} where a contact who has been feeding the Swiss secret information, has been exposed. Tell kills the Emperor and the show ends with Tell heading back to Switzerland.

The outdoor scenes were filmed around the mountains and lakes of Snowdonia in the UK. Though in some ways the same as "The Adventures of Robin Hood", a brave bowman fighting against a tyrant, this was a much harder show with crossbow bolts often killing people and Tell fighting hard hand to hand battles which often resulted in the death of the bad guy. Unlike the foppish Sheriff of Nottingham, Gessler was portrayed as a pig of a man, unshaven, often eating or drinking without any hint of manners and throwing his metaphorical as well as literal weight around. Goddard proved to be very active, despite his size. The series repeated well into the 1960s.

Episode 24 had Gessler at his worst as he goes to collect taxes from a peasant named Hoffman (Edward Evans) who explains it's been a dry summer to which Gessler tells him he is not interested in the weather.

* Gessler : I want twenty five goulden.
* Hoffman : But all we have is thirty goulden. Surely you wouldn't leave us with only five goulden to see us through the winter.
* Gessler : I shall certainly not do that since there is a fine of five goulden for refusing to pay my collector. I'll take the lot.
* Hoffman : But Landburger, we'll starve.
* Gessler : Good. It may teach you a lesson.

Gessler's men then find a small calf and Gessler tells Hoffman that for perjuring himself he will be taken to Altdorf and beheaded. When Hoffman says this will only make the Swiss firmer in their resistance, Gessler has his young son taken along for beheading too.

The Adventures of William Tell (1958 - 1959)

* 1 The Emperor's Hat
* 2 The Hostages
* 3 The Secret Death
* 4 The Gauntlet of St. Gerhardt
* 5 The Prisoner
* 6 Voice in the Night
* 7 The rats who died
* 8 The Baroness
* 9 The Elixir
* 10 The Suspect
* 11 The Cuckoo
* 12 The Bear
* 13 The Magic Powder
* 14 The Golden Wheel
* 15 The Bride
* 16 The Boy Slaves
* 17 The Young Widow
* 18 Landslide
* 19 The Trap
* 20 The Shrew
* 21 The Manhunt
* 22 The Killer
* 23 The Surgeon
* 24 The Ensign
* 25 The Unwelcome Stranger
* 26 The Avenger
* 27 The Bandit
* 28 Gessler's Daughter
* 29 The General's Daughter
* 30 The Raid
* 31 Castle of Fear
* 32 The Black Brothers
* 33 The Lost Letter
* 34 Secret Weapon
* 35 The Master Spy
* 36 The Traitor
* 37 The Spider
* 38 The Mountain People
* 39 Undercover

Conrad Phillips later went on to play William Tell's sidekick, Stefan, in the series "Crossbow" which ran from August 1987 till February 1989. William Tell was played by Will Lyman. The series ran for 72 thirty minute colour episodes over three seasons, 24 each, with the third season unaired in America. Other members of the cast were Jeremy Clyde as Hermann Gessler, Valentine Pelka as Roland, Melinda Mullins as Blade and David Barry Gray as son, Matthew Tell.

There was a third series of William Tell, produced in New Zealand and called The Legend of William Tell, which only lasted one season of 16 episodes of sixty minutes from August till December 1998. Cast were Kieren Hutchison as William Tell, Andrew Binns as Xax, Nathaniel Lees as Leon, Katrina Browne as Aruna, Ray Henwood as Kreel, Sharon Tyrell as Kalem, Beth Allen as Princess Varga and Drew Neemia as Drogo.