The Box of Delights

Upper class boy discovers the secret of eternal life in a Punch and Judy man's box. Can the magic of Christmas be saved from the wolves?

This enchanting story was adapted from John Masefield's classic book. It told the tale of how young Kay Harker (Devin Stanfield) helps mysterious wanderer Cole Hawkins (Patrick Troughton).

They're fighting to keep the Box of Delights from falling into the hands of a bunch of evil wolves who are pretending to be clerics. They're led by the insatiably evil Robert Stephens, who, in his quest for immortality is taking on the forces on nature and imprisoning whole choirs in the underground vaults.

Made in 1984, the production was a daring mixture of live action and animation, and included a large number of complicated visual effects. Unusually, a lot of them still look impressive today. (Source: BBC)