# The Legend of the Lost Keys

The Legend of the Lost Keys is an educational BBC Look and Read production, which first aired on BBC Two from 12 January to 23 March 1998, and was occasionally repeated on the same channel until 2007.

## Plot

Whilst on holiday, twins, Mark and Lisa, discover that their Uncle George is the guardian of an ancient box, which is a gateway to the world of Heritron. When the box is stolen by scientists, George worries that the evil leaders of Heritron are trying to break through to Earth and it's up to the twins to help get the box back.

## Characters and cast

| Actor | Character |
| Andrew Sachs | George Gardener |
| Jonathan Kitchens | Mark Astor |
| Abigail Ansell | Lisa Astor |
| Sabra Williams | Erica Turner |
| Richard Morant | Sir Derek Janus |
| David Gant | Professor Humphrey Waters |
| Tatiana Strauss | Dr Stephanie Burns |
| Nicola Arumugan | Ariana |
| Sonia Graham | Anna |
| Sita Ramamurphy | The Taker |
| Stafford Gordon | The Catcher |

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1 | "The Box" | Colin Cant | Jim Eldridge | 12 January 1998 (1998-01-12) |
| Mark and Lisa need to help their Uncle George (the current guardian) stop an ancient box from being opened. The box is a doorway to a slave world. |||||
| 2 | "The First Key" | Colin Cant | Jim Eldridge | 19 January 1998 (1998-01-19) |
| George, Mark and Lisa begin the search for the three keys to the box. Lisa is awakened during the night by people who think her uncle has the first key. |||||
| 3 | "The Watchers" | Colin Cant | Jim Eldridge | 26 January 1998 (1998-01-26) |
| Lisa and Mark are searching for the second key; when they find it, the Watchers try to kidnap them. |||||
| 4 | "Kidnap" | Colin Cant | Jim Eldridge | 2 February 1998 (1998-02-02) |
| Having escaped from the attempted kidnap by the Watchers, the twins join up their Uncle George to locate the third and final key at the Roman baths. |||||
| 5 | "The Crystal Connection" | Colin Cant | Jim Eldridge | 9 February 1998 (1998-02-09) |
| Now having all three keys, George and the twins persuade Professor Waters let them in to see the box. |||||
| 6 | "The Trap" | Colin Cant | Jim Eldridge | 23 February 1998 (1998-02-23) |
| George breaks into the Janus Foundation to try to steal the box back, but then Mark and Lisa realise it is, in fact, a trap. |||||
| 7 | "The Box is Opened" | Colin Cant | Jim Eldridge | 2 March 1998 (1998-03-02) |
| The gateway to the world of Heritron is now opened. George and the twins escape from the Janus Foundation, but are then betrayed. |||||
| 8 | "Into the Box" | Colin Cant | Jim Eldridge | 9 March 1998 (1998-03-09) |
| Professor Waters retrieves the Box back from the Watchers' Headquarters, and George goes through the portal to lock the doorway into Heritron forever. The Catchers are waiting for him on the other side. |||||
| 9 | "Betrayed" | Colin Cant | Jim Eldridge | 16 March 1998 (1998-03-16) |
| George is held against his will on Heritron. Anna tells Mark and Lisa that they must rescue him. |||||
| 10 | "The Final Hour" | Colin Cant | Jim Eldridge | 23 March 1998 (1998-03-23) |
| The twins find George imprisoned in a crystal cell. They manage to break him free, but can they escape from Heritron and get back home? |||||

## Media release

The series was released on VHS videotape, CD, and later on DVD, and the story also appeared in book format.

### Book

The book version was written by Jim Eldridge and published by BBC Books in 1998.
| Release name | UK release date | Author | Publisher | Notes | Ref |
| The Legend of the Lost Keys | January 1998 | Jim Eldridge | BBC Books | Paperback | |

### VHS

| Release name | UK release date | Notes | Ref |
| The Legend of the Lost Keys | 1998 | Double VHS video. | |

### DVD

| Release name | UK release date | Notes | Ref |
| The Legend of the Lost Keys | 31 July 2006 | Double DVD Plus Pack | |

### CD-ROM

| Release name | UK release date | Publisher | Platform | Notes | Ref |
| Look and Read Legend of the Lost Keys Macintosh CD Pack | 31 December 1997 | Logotron Limited | MAC | For ages 5–11 | |
| Look and Read Legend of the Lost Keys Acorn CD Pack | 11 June 1998 | Logotron Limited | PC | For ages 5–11 | |