At this time of year, switching on the radio to hear the twinkling harp at the start of ‘The First Nowell’ from Hely-Hutchinson’s Carol Symphony has a profound Proustian effect on an entire generation. It takes us back to our childhood living rooms in 1984, sitting cross-legged in front of a boxy TV with a 14-inch screen, bewitched by the most exciting, terrifying and Christmassy programme we had ever seen.
Part of the nostalgia comes from knowing that this wonderful series would probably never be made now
As a bookish child who lived largely in my head, I thought the BBC had made The Box of Delights especially for me. So, it seems, did an awful lot of other people. For The Box of Delights turns 40 this year, and its status as a beloved cult classic, now shared by parents of my vintage with their own mesmerised children, is celebrated with a special screening on BBC4 this Saturday, along with an interview with its director, Renny Rye.
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