Watership Down is an animated adventure children's television series, adapted from the 1972 novel by Richard Adams. The second adaptation of the novel (after the 1978 film), it was produced by UK's Alltime Entertainment and Canada's Decode Entertainment in association with Martin Rosen (the director of the 1978 film), with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit from the Government of Ontario.Decode Entertainment. "Watership Down" The series stars several well-known British actors, including Stephen Fry, Rik Mayall, Phill Jupitus, Jane Horrocks, Dawn French, John Hurt and Richard Briers (the latter two also star in the film).
For the theme song, Stephen Gately performed a new arrangement of Art Garfunkel's "Bright Eyes" (included in the 1978 film). Mike Batt (who wrote "Bright Eyes") composed an all-new score performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2003, composer Mike Batt was nominated for a Gemini Award for Best Original Music Score for a Dramatic Series for his work on the series.Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. "Canada's Awards Database ". Accessed 19 April 2008.
Watership Down aired for three seasons from September 1999 to December 2001, on YTV in Canada. CITV in the UK aired only the first two seasons. 39 episodes were produced.
Plot overview Watership Down (with the use of the novel's basic plot) follows the lives of a group of rabbits as they leave their endangered warren in search of a safe new home. They travel across the English countryside, braving perilous danger, until they find a hill called Watership Down, where they begin a new warren. However, they are endangered by another warren, Efrafa, which is led by the authoritarian General Woundwort, and they are soon forced to defend their home and lives.
Although the series began with elements taken from the original novel, later episodes of the first series, as well as most of the second and third were almost entirely new content, with many episodes focusing solely on new characters and situations.
In addition, the third series featured a new opening sequence and somewhat altered style of animation, along with many of the original voice actors leaving, only leaving a handful of the original cast to remain. The programme became noticeably darker in tone, adding elements of mysticism and magic, and focusing on an evil new warren called Darkhaven.
Although the series was praised by younger audiences at the time of the series' air, fans of both the novel and the movie were more mixed about the series due to drastic changes from the novel (like Pipkin going from a grownup rabbit to a young rabbit and Blackberry changing from a buck to a doe) and its more child-friendly tone as compared to some of the violence of the movie.
Voice cast Watership Down has a cast of many familiar faces in British film and television. John Hurt, the voice of Hazel in the film, returns this time as the voice of General Woundwort in the first and second seasons, and Richard Briers, the voice of Fiver in the film, appears in the series as Captain Broom. Dawn French, Jane Horrocks, Stephen Fry, Phil Jupitus and Rik Mayall all provide voices, as Buttercup, Hannah, Cowslip, Dandelion and Kehaar respectively, in both the first and second seasons.
To a lesser extent, former Boyzone member Stephen Gately, who was responsible for performing a special re-working of "Bright Eyes", provides the voice of Blackavar in seasons 1 and 2, and comedy actor Stephen Mangan provides the voice of Bigwig and later, Silverweed, replacing Tim McInnerny who provided Silverweed's voice for one episode in Series 1. Actor Kiefer Sutherland was involved and voiced a new rabbit called Hickory, but only for 3 episodes, to be replaced in Series 3 by Rob Rackstraw who also provides the voice for Captain Campion.
By Series 3, most of the celebrity voices were reduced and were replaced by high-profile voice actors, with only a few of the original cast reprising their roles and providing additional voices.
All seasons Rob Rackstraw as Campion, Captain Holly, Hickory (season 3) Raincloud, Granite Stephen Mangan as Bigwig, Silverweed (season 3) Black Rabbit of Inle, Shale David Holt as Vervain, Bluesky, Boxwood, Darkling Andrew Falvey as Fiver, Flax, Feldspar Sue Elliot Nichols as Blackberry, Tabitha Lee Ross as Hawkbit
Seasons 1-2 only Ian Shaw as Hazel Elliot Henderson-Boyle as Pipkin Stephen Fry as Cowslip Stephen Gately as Blackavar Kiefer Sutherland as Hickory Kate Ashfield as Primrose Tim McInnerny as Silverweed Dawn French as Buttercup Stephanie Morgenstern as Marigold Anthony Barclay as Culoci Matt Wilkinson as Pedro the Weasel Phill Jupitus as Dandelion Jane Horrocks as Hannah Rik Mayall as Kehaar Tom Eastwood as Moss Joanna Ruiz as Clover Robert Harper as Strawberry Janet Dale as Bark, Tassle, Frost, Katrina Alice Welsh and Sean Welsh as Primrose's Bunnies
Season 3 only Maria Darling as Hannah, Pipkin, Clover Paul Panting as Strawberry, Flax Penny Freeman as Primrose, Marigold Nigel Pegram as Hazel, Moss, General Woundwort, Dandelion
These voices would also replace actors who left their roles from the first two seasons, but these roles are currently difficult for fans to identify who played which role, as season 3 credits only listed the actors' names and not the roles they played.
Characters Watership Down Hazel – The main protagonist of the series and Fiver's older brother. He leads the rabbits from Sandleford and eventually becomes Chief Rabbit of Watership Down. Although Hazel is not the strongest of the Watership Down rabbits, he is one of the most intelligent of the rabbits, and is also a charismatic leader who recognizes and employs the skills of his fellow rabbits to great success. He is shot while freeing a hutch rabbit at Nuthanger Farm and almost dies, but is saved by his younger brother Fiver. Although lamed by this injury, he leads the foray to Efrafa and comes up with the final, successful strategy to defeat General Woundwort. Hazel's mate is Primrose, whom he freed from Efrafa. Fiver – Hazel's younger brother. A shy and kind runty rabbit whose visions of the destruction of the Sandleford warren led him to leave, along with his older brother Hazel and several other rabbits. He appears to be more prescient than his novel counterpart, and his visions come in rhymes. He often feels responsible for foreseeing terrible things or blaming himself for their outcome. He and Hazel are very close. Bigwig – A former an officer of the Sandleford Owsla, so-called because of the large amount of hair surrounding his face, giving him the appearance of a lionhead rabbit. The largest and most powerful of the Sandleford survivors, he is often blunt and impatient for dangerous action and fighting. After nearly getting killed in a snare in episode 3, he realizes that Fiver is right more often than not. He quickly befriends Kehaar and often asks for his help on Hazel's behalf. Hazel often selects him for the most dangerous missions, such as the infiltration of Efrafa. Later, he becomes captain of Watership Down's Owsla and falls for Spartina, a doe from Darkhaven. Blackberry – While a male in the original novel and in the 1978 movie, in the TV series, Blackberry is a doe who is skilled with herbs and is referred to as the digging expert. As in the novel, she is the most intelligent of the rabbits, and often comes up with ingenious ideas. She is the only doe to go to Watership Down with Hazel and the others. Later in the series, she falls in love with Campion. She is devastated when she thinks Campion is dead, but is reunited with him when she is taken prisoner in Darkhaven. At the end of the series, she and Campion return to Watership Down together. Pipkin – A very young, adventurous rabbit eager to prove himself in the eyes of his bigger companions—particularly Hazel and Bigwig. He is the youngest of the Watership Down rabbits and has the gift of making friends with everyone, including other animals in the Down area, to the point that when he is in trouble they will immediately join with the Watership Down rabbits to come to his rescue. Even Woundwort found he was not immune to Pipkin's charm and refused to kill him, saying that it would be like killing a part of himself. During the last season Pipkin, grows up to be a responsible rabbit, even leading the "Junior Owsla". Dandelion: Dandelion is an accomplished storyteller. He is a joker and a wise guy and provides much of the series' comedy relief. He is a good friend of Hawkbit, despite their mutual attraction to former Efrafan doe Heather (who later leaves with Moss to start a new warren). He and Hawkbit serve in Bigwig's Owsla together. Hawkbit– A pessimistic, grouchy, and sarcastic rabbit who always has a biting comment for every situation, but is a dependable member of the warren whenever help is needed. He later becomes a good friend of the more cerebral Dandelion and during the last season, he settles down with Clover. Holly – The former captain of the Sandleford Owsla, Holly has only a minor role and is mostly used as a background character. He formed a key part of the Watership Down defenses in the last season. Clover – A former hutch rabbit rescued from Nuthanger Farm. She and Hawkbit settle down at the end of the series. Primrose – Born in Redstone, she was held captive in Efrafa until her rescue by the Watership Down rabbits. Primrose is very supportive of Hazel, who becomes her mate, and is also a dedicated mother to her three children, Snowdrop, Mallow and Gilia. She and Campion also have a strong bond, due to her being saved by him multiple times back in Efrafa. In Efrafa, she showed a rebellious and stubborn attitude toward Vervain, who bullied and tormented her at every given opportunity. Despite her deep hatred for Vervain, she, Fiver, Holly, and Broom saved his life when he was caught in some wire, although she originally protested the idea of helping the rabbit that "made her life miserable." Later, she hates herself for letting him go when she finds out he formed an alliance out of fear with Woundwort. Primrose replaces the character of Hyzenthlay from the novel and film. Blackavar – A captive in Efrafa with Primrose who was rescued by the Watership Down rabbits. Blackavar has only a minor role and is mostly used as a background character. Strawberry: An orange-brown rabbit who leaves Cowslip's warren after meeting Hazel and Bigwig and joins them in Watership Down. Initially lazy from his time with Cowslip, he later proves to be an accomplished digger and serves in Bigwig's Owsla. Broom – The former captain of the Redstone Owsla. When Primrose, now free from Efrafa, returns to see her old friends, Broom informs her that an unspecified illness has wiped out the entire warren but him. He joins the Watership Down rabbits at Hazel's invitation. He usually bores them with his tall tales, but does have wisdom (his knowledge about sheep helps avert a disaster) and can be relied upon in a crisis. He and Captain Holly also get along with each other. Campion: Woundwort's most trusted subordinate. Campion sees that Woundwort's leadership is destroying Efrafa, but is torn between his feelings for the free ways of Watership Down and his loyalty to his chief rabbit. He met Blackberry and it was love at first sight, but he sacrificed himself to save his chief from a cave in. He survived, albeit horribly scarred, and was taken to Darkhaven. He fought in the last battle against Woundwort. Afterwards, he and Blackberry settled down together.