A nostalgic Christmas favourite among twentysomethings, this BBC adaptation of John Masefields magical mystery novel harks back
to those days when it snowed all through the festive season and posh children were eternally solving crimes before tea.
The time special effects have certainly not worn well (you could render better animation on an Etch-A-Sketch), yet the storytelling endures, as does Masefields flair for flowery names: Abner Brown, Cole Hawlings, Sylvia Daisy Pouncer he could give the Coens a run for their money.