Wonders In Letterland/Trouble With T. Bag DVD

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General Information
Official Blurb
How to get a copy
Episode Guide
Bonus Features/Extras
More details
Progress & Development
Promotion of the DVD
Reception of the DVD
Customer reviews


In May 2010 it was announced by Revelation films that a DVD of the first series of T-Bag (Wonders in Letterland) would be released in November 2010.

This page chronicles all the latest information about the DVD release with links to online retailers where you can purchase the DVD. News and updates are taken from a variety of sources including Revelation films, Revelation Films Twitter page, Wikipedia - Revelation Films page and Facebook - Revelation Films page.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Date (UK): 8th November 2010
RRP (Recommended Retail Price): £12.99
Released by: Revelation films
Running Time: 201m 10s / 3 hours 21 minutes (10 episodes).
BBFC Rating: U (Universal, suitable for all).
Classified (by BBFC): 19/08/2010.
BBFC Reference: AVV272219
Region/Format: PAL region 2
Number of discs: 1
Language: English
Aspect Ratio: 4:3
ASIN: B003O956YE

OFFICIAL BLURB

Below is the official blurb from the DVD itself and the Revelation Films website:

DVD cover blurb
It's the 4th April 1985. It's 4.20pm. Picture yourself parked in front of the telly in your school uniform, refusing to do your homework and watching CITV. This is the day you first experienced T-Bag, the brand new series that, to this day, evokes such fond memories. Now for the very first time, it's out to own on DVD... and it's still as fantastic as you recall!

The classic kids TV series stars Elizabeth Estensen (Tallulah Bag), Jennie Stallwood (Debbie) and John Hasler (T-Shirt) as the characters we know and love.

In the first series, Debbie finds herself in the Curiosity Shop, where she discovers an old borad game 'Wonders In Letterland'. When she finds out that evil witch T-Bag is keeping everyone from reading, she goes on a mission to retrieve lots of misssing letters, and to complete the legend.

Revelation Films website blurb
The classic kids TV series, which to this day still boasts a hugely loyal following, stars Elizabeth Estensen (Tallulah 'T-Bag' Bag), Jennie Stallwood (Debbie) and John Hasler (T-Shirt), comes to DVD for the very first time.

T-Bag is a full time mischief-maker. She is the wickedest witch around who, with her heinous helpmate T-Shirt, manages to create havoc wherever she goes - although none of the spells she casts ever go quite according to plan...

Contains the episodes:
1. Arrival In Letterland
2. Debbie In The Land Of B
3. Debbie In The Land Of S
4. Debbie In The Land Of I
5. Debbie In The Land Of P
6. Debbie In The Land Of R
7. Debbie In The Land Of V
8. Debbie In The Land Of O
9. Debbie In The Land Of E
10. Debbie's Journey Home

HOW TO GET THE DVD

The DVD was released on 8th November 2010. The DVD may be ordered via online retailers. To get up-to-date information on the price and availability please visit best-dvd-price.co.uk, Find-dvd.co.uk or dvdcollections.co.uk.

The following list shows all known websites that have the Wonders in Letterland/Trouble with T-Bag DVD to purchase. Click on the link to take you to the DVD page.

UK Retailers
Amazon.co.uk
Blackwell.co.uk
Zavvi.com

Links correct at time of writing but may have changed. As this DVD was released in 2010 stores may have sold out and not have stock available for despatch. It may be easier to purchase this DVD (new or second hand) from sellers on eBay or Amazon.

Please note the websites above are listed for comparison only and The High-T Website has no affiliation with any online retailer.


EPISODE GUIDE TO THE SERIES

The DVD features all ten episodes from the first series, below shows the list of episodes and their running times (confirmed by BBFC).

#Episode TitleRunning time
1Arrival In Letterland00:20:16:05
2Debbie In The Land Of B00:20:10:01
3Debbie In The Land Of S00:20:33:11
4Debbie In The Land Of I00:20:03:21
5Debbie In The Land Of P00:20:04:06
6Debbie In The Land Of R00:19:59:00
7Debbie In The Land Of V00:19:52:07
8Debbie In The Land Of O00:20:01:22
9Debbie In The Land Of E00:20:04:05
10Debbie's Journey Home
(aka Back To Square One)
00:20:04:23


BONUS FEATURES

The DVD has episode commentaries with Elizabeth Estensen (T-Bag), John Hasler (T-Shirt), Jennie Stallwood (Debbie) and Jim Norton (The Gardner & Others). These cover five episodes: Episodes 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10.

The extras also include a photo gallery consisting of 12 photographs lasting approx 41 seconds.

There is also a 'Also available' section showing other DVD's available from Revelation Films.

DVD F.A.Q

Will this DVD be released in Australia?
Revelation Films only had the rights to release the DVD in the UK. An Australian publisher would have to release the series on DVD. So far there is no news of an Australian release.

Can I play this on my DVD player?
This is a region 2 disc so will only play on region 2 or multi-region DVD players. If you are not living in a region 2 country you will need a multi-region DVD player.

More details and Fan Zone interviews

More details were found on the official Revelation Films website. The links below will take you to those webpages via the Internet archive.

Revelation Films - T-Bag Series One page
Revelation Films - T-Bag newspage

Revelation Films had a fan-zone section on their website with interviews with some of the cast and the writers, although these are no longer on the Revelation Films website they can be found via the Internet archive:
Lee Pressman and Grant Cathro
Jim Norton
John Hasler

PROGRESS & DEVELOPMENT OF THE DVD

These quotes from reliable sources show the development the DVD took from initial production to release.

We are delighted to announce that, after 25 years, the first series of popular kids TV show T-Bag will be released on DVD this November.
The series ran on CITV in the 80s and early 90s and followed a witch-like character (T-Bag) and her sidekick (T-Shirt) on fun adventures and magical mysteries.

Thursday, 13 May 2010 09:29

Revelation Films - T-Bag news

In May, it was announced that T-Bag would be released following a long-time online petition by fans

May 2010

Wikipedia - Revelation Films page

In May 2010, Revelation Films announced plans to release the series on DVD, with the first series scheduled for November.

Wikipedia - T-Bag page

These quotes suggest that due to all our efforts with the petition we are getting the DVD release and seem to indicate that further series will follow. If you've not signed the petition yet please continue to do so as we would love to see a release of all the series and Christmas specials.

@john_hasler Hey John. We'll be releasing T-Bag on DVD in November and would love it if you could be involved! Maria x

@RevelationFilms hi there! Great news about the DVD release. So many people ask me about it. Let me know and I'll def be involved! Jh x

@john_hasler Fantastic! We'll get in touch when we have a plan of action then. Yay! Maria x

Revelation Films Twitter page & John Hasler Twitter page

These above quotes from Twitter suggest we may be getting some extras too, I know I'd love to hear some episode commentaries or interviews from John Hasler, hopefully more of the cast and crew could provide commentaries/interviews too.

@RevelationFilms will u be realsing them all?

Hi there. Yes, the long-term plan is to release all nine series. The first of which will be out in November.

@RevelationFilms cool and the xmas specials ?

Hey there. Not sure about the Christmas specials at this point as we are still in the very early stages. Sorry about that.

Revelation Films Twitter page & nwgayboy Twitter page

These quotes from Twitter have Revelation Films confirming they plan to release all nine series but are currently unsure about the four Christmas specials. Although the series release is in the early stages there are four series to release before the first Christmas special, fingers crossed that they add the Christmas specials as a bonus episode to the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh series).

The classic kids TV series which, to this day still boasts a hugely loyal following, stars Elizabeth Estensen (Tallulah Bag), Jennie Stallwood (Debbie) and John Hasler (T-Shirt), comes to DVD for the very first time! T-Bag is a full time mischief-maker. She is the wickedest witch around who, with her heinous helpmate T-Shirt, manages to create havoc wherever she goes - although none of the spells she casts ever go quite according to plan… Contains the episodes: Arrival In Letterland | Debbie In The Land Of B | Debbie In The Land Of S | Debbie In The Land Of I | Debbie In The Land Of P | Debbie In The Land Of R | Debbie In The Land Of V | Debbie In The Land Of O | Debbie In The Land Of E | Debbie's Journey Home

June 2010

Amazon.co.uk

We received the T-Bag masters today. It's all go, go, go!

6:33 AM Jul 9th via web

Revelation Films Twitter page

We've been whisked back to our childhood today researching T. Bag. Time to go home now though. More next week. A bientôt, mes amis!

9:38 AM Jul 23rd via web

Revelation Films Twitter page

These quotes from Twitter show Revelation Films are progressing with the DVD.

Who wants a blast from the past? Look how young @john_hasler looks in this screen grab from T-Bag! Brilliant! http://twitpic.com/2b7l0o

11:28 AM Aug 3rd via Twitpic

Revelation Films Twitter page

The above Twitter post gives a screengrab from episode two showing the picture quality which appears to be brilliant (and much better than 25 year old VHS copies). The screengrab can also be seen to the right (click for full size image).


Anyone for T-Bag? http://twitpic.com/2dchllo

9:57 AM Aug 10th via Twitpic

Revelation Films Twitter page

The first picture of the DVD case was posted online by Revelation Films. This can now be seen on many of the online retailers websites offering the DVD for pre-order.

How exciting! We've received the first draft of the T-Bag packaging artwork! It's coming together nicely #tbagdvd http://twitpic.com/2i1qxh

25th August 2010 via Twitpic

Revelation Films Twitter page


Any T-Bag fans want to guess what is happening RIGHT NOW?! http://twitpic.com/2ibkf2

2:02 PM Aug 26th via Twitpic

Revelation Films Twitter page

So this week I've recorded the DVD commentary for the forthcoming release of T-Bag DVD!! Not sure if I can say who with yet. But what fun!

3:40 PM Aug 27th via Twitterrific

John Hasler Twitter page

@john_hasler Thanks for everything. Feel free to tell the world about the commentaries. Shout it from the rooftops. Enjoy your weekend!

4:34 PM Aug 27th via web in reply to john_hasler

Revelation Films Twitter page

Revelation Films have confirmed on Twitter and Facebook that they have recorded commentary for the DVD with Elizabeth Estensen (T-Bag), John Hasler (T-Shirt), Jennie Stallwood (Debbie) and Jim Norton (The Gardener & Others). Whether commentaries have been recorded for all the episodes is still to be confirmed. Revelation Films have posted a photograph of the cast involved with the commentaries. John Hasler has also tweeted the news!


http://twitvid.com/HWTXP - Only two months to go, T-Bag fans!

4:48 PM Sep 10th via TwitVid.com

Revelation Films Twitter page

Revelation Films have posted a video trailer on their website Revelation films and also posted it on Twitter here and youtube here. The video trailer can also be seen below. The picture and sound quality seem to be the same as initial broadcast.

PROMOTION OF THE DVD

Revelation Films have promoted the DVD on their website, twitter and facebook pages. They have produced banners and images to promote the series as below. The first 'poster' showing the November 2010 DVD releases was featured on the inside cover of issue 148 of 'DVD & Blu-ray Review' magazine.

Revelation also produced a press release advertising the DVD to the media. This can also be seen below.

Play.com run a full page advert in 'DVD & Blu-ray Review magazine' (Issue 150 - February 2011, page 11) promoting the DVD release and the forthcoming 'T-Bag Strikes Again' DVD. This can also be seen below.

Empire magazine & DVD & Bluray Review magazine websites had competitions to win a teapot signed by Elizabeth Estensen, John Hasler, Jennie Stallwood and Jim Norton. See below for images.

DVD RECEPTION & REVIEWS

The DVD was reviewed in 'DVD & Blu-ray Review magazine' (Issue 150 - February 2011, page 99) rating the DVD itself 3 out of 5 and 4 out of 5 for the extra features. See image right for the full mini-review.

The DVD has been reviewed on the website www.myreviewer.com rating it 6 out of 10.

If you see any other online reviews please let me know and I'll add them here.


MINI-REVIEWS

"The DVD we all wanted!"

Well what can I say, after years of campaigning for an official DVD release of the series here it is and at last! I never thought I’d see the day.

The DVD is wonderful to watch, all ten episodes are featured and all are of excellent audio and visual quality, much better than old VHS recordings from 25 years ago. The picture quality ensures that all the intricacies of the scenery and costumes is clearly visible and makes the episodes more enjoyable than ever.

The episodes are all from the ‘Trouble with T-Bag’ version of the series due to copyright issues of the ‘Wonders in Letterland’ broadcast version. This doesn’t detract from the episodes as only superficial adjustments were made.

The sleeve of the DVD is bright, colourful and well put together. I’m sure if someone picked the DVD up in a shop the images would bring back memories to those who watched the show.

The menus are superb and really capture the essence of the series, with the board game path linking all the options together; the puppets and the pumpkin add a neat touch and the background music of each section are taken from the main theme, the ‘puppet’ theme from episode seven and the ‘chest opening’ theme from episode ten.

Extras include cast commentaries on five episodes and these offer an insight into the cast’s memories of the show and insider information never known before now. The photo gallery is somewhat brief and consists of 12 photographs but is a welcome addition all the same as these images I’ve not seen before now.

It’s clear that Revelation Films have given us the DVD we all wanted and I would recommend you buying the DVD, nostalgia is one thing but reliving your childhood is much better. Even if you’ve never watched this series I would still recommend buying it, it was wonderful in 1985 and twenty-five years later it’s still wonderful, recommended for children and grown-up children alike!

The DVD retails at £12.99 and is worth every single shiny penny, but if you shop around online you can get the DVD for only £7.99. At less than eighty pence an episode you’ll have no excuse not to buy it. Here’s to series two!

Jamie (me)

If you would like to write a review please send your reviews to me either via e-mail or via The Forum.