At thirteen, life in a foster home is a miserable affair for Jack Holborn. When his chance arrives he steals away to the Charming Molly, a ship of secrets led by Captain Sharringham, a navel officer with a sideline in piracy. He is initially rebuffed by the Captain, after he tries to stow away (partly to get to sea, but mostly because Sharringham appears to recognise Jacks leather armband). This armband was the only thing found with him when as a baby he was left on the steps of Holborn church, and it may hold the key to the truth about Jack’s past...

Jack Holborn, directed by Sigi Rothemund, is a much loved, six part, children's series from 1982 which has dated very well, though some of the special effects have not worn so well. The show was based on an original novel by Leon Garfield (1921 - 1996), a British author best known for his historical adventures for children; the book was originally published in 1964. Essentially this is an action/adventure story much in the boys own tradition and any fans of Treasure Island will find a lot to enjoy here. Being a period piece, the show is set in the 1800’s.

I can see why this show has such a vocal following. The acting is quite excellent for a children’s show - especially Patrick Bach, who plays Jack, who is plagued by a vision of a man and woman, possibly his parents, who fall overboard a small boat. Bach hardly ever gives into overacting, giving a very naturalistic feel to his performance. The other actor of note is Matthias Habich, who plays both Captain Sharringham and his twin brother Judge Sharringham, who seems obsessed with capturing the Captain.

If you like high adventure with pirates, treasure, exotic locations and an intriguing central mystery then Jack Holborn has a lot to offer. The whole thing runs to 290 minutes with each episode running at a little over 46 minutes. In case you have lost some of the plot each episode has an accompanying synopsis.

Picture quality is a bit of a 4:3 washed out affair with noticeable artefacts, but none the less watchable. Audio is mono and each disc has three episodes, though I’m not quite sure why, as there are no real extras per se, the whole thing couldn’t have been put on a single disc. What extras there are appear on disc two in the form of around fifty production shots which plays as a slide show.

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Charles Packer