TV Preview: Enid – BBC4, 9pm
IT'S a shame Enid has fallen off the radar when it comes to girls' names. Olive and Binty similarly.
But at least tonight we are reminded of one of life's great Enids. I'm talking about Blyton, the old bird who came up with, among many other creations, the Famous Five, remarkable adventures in which four youngsters, George, Julian, Dick and Anne, and dog Timmy, repeatedly foiled the foul deeds of smugglers.
All went on to be leading lights in Customs and Excise, apart from Timmy who was turned into a rug.
Enid is the first of several films as part of the Women We Loved season. The others celebrate the lives of Margot Fonteyn, Gracie Fields, and Dolly The Sheep.
Blyton's tales have enchanted generations of children for nearly 80 years. More than 500 million copies of her books have been sold. Across the globe, children still return from their holidays disappointed they too didn't find a haul of gold bullion in a wood.
Enid reveals the woman who was also behind the Secret Seven, Malory Towers and the Noddy series, casting light on an ambitious and driven author. It explores how the reassuringly-clear worlds she created in her stories contrasted with the complexity of her personal life.
Helena Bonham Carter plays Enid, while Matthew Macfadyen is Hugh Pollock, her publisher, first husband, and father of her daughters Gillian and Imogen.
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