Top News

Based on Alan Garner's acclaimed novel of the same name, The Owl Service was brought to live on Granada Television in 1969. The story centres on three young characters, Alison (Gillian Hills), Gwyn (Michael Holden), and Roger (Francis Wallis), who discover a set of owl-patterned plates in a Welsh attic, awakening forces linked to the Mabinogion - an ancient magical legend.

Notably, it was Granada's first fully scripted colour production and was filmed almost entirely on location, at a time when most television drama was still studio-based. Only a small cast of six featured in the eight episodes, including Edwin Richfield as Clive, Dorothy Edwards as Nancy and Raymond Llewellyn as Huw. While the series was produced as a children's television drama, it was later deemed too disturbing for them. More than 55 years later, here is where the cast are now.

Gillian Hills was 25-years-old when she portrayed Alison, but she was already an established actress. She had been performing since the late 1950s and was known for her lead role in Beat Girl (1960) and Blowup (1966).

The 81-year-old moved to France where she embarked on a singing career. She recorded popular songs such as 'Zou bisou bisou', 'Ma première cigarette', and 'Tut, tut, tut, tut...', and collaborated with major artists including Serge Gainsbourg, who wrote and performed a duet with her in 1963.

Hills continued releasing music throughout the decades, writing the song 'Qui a sui' which featured in Jean-François Richet's film Mesrine Part One: Killer Instinct.

She is married to Stewart Young, who has managed major artists like AC/DC and Cyndi Lauper.

Michael Holden was the only main star who was a teenager at the time of filming, starring as Gwyn at 19. Commenting on how the lasting effect the show had on him, Holden admitted the cast felt like they "were personally living the whole thing".

Unlike Hills, he did not go on to have a prominent or well-documented acting career.

The Owl Service was his first notable part, having made one-off appearances in TV series such as Please Sir! in 1968 and Strange Report the following year.

There are no widely known film or television roles associated with Holden after The Owl Service, meaning he likely stepped away from the spotlight and pursued another career.

But tragically, Holden was dead at 31 after being killed in an unprovoked attack.

Not much is known about the actor who brought Roger to life. Wallis was just 22-years-old when he starred in The Owl Service, which was his second acting role according to IMDb.

In 1970, he made appearances in the TV miniseries Husbands and Lovers and ITV Playhouse.

His last film credit came a few years later in 1974, where he played Simon Halliwell in three episodes of the TV series, The Crown Court.

His role in The Owl Service remains his most notable screen credit, and detailed information about his later life and career is quite limited, suggesting he turned his back on his acting career.

A well-known star by the late 60s, Edwin Richfield had appeared in various film projects, including The Blue Parrot (1953), Flannelfoot (1953), What Every Woman Wants (1954), Devil's Point (1954), Mask of Dust (1954) and The Dam Busters (1955), among many others.

He was also a major TV star, playing a titular role in The Odd Man (1960-1968) and appearing frequently as a villain in The Avengers (1961-1969).

Richfield married actress Valerie Jeanne Wilkinson in 1952 and welcomed three children together; twin girls and a boy. Tragically, one of their daughters died from a brain tumour in 1999.

The couple split in 1973 and Richfield married Gaynor Stuart in 1980. Together, they founded the Tanat Theatre Club in Llanrhaeadr, establishing a "Little Theatre" in 1985.

Beyond television, he was deeply involved in local theatre, helping to purchase and convert the old Green School in Llanrhaeadr into a space for theatrical productions.

Richfield died from cancer in 1990.

With a career that spanned decades, Dorothy Edwards was also an established actress by the time she starred as Nancy in The Owl Service.

After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she appeared in multiple productions in Manchester, Canterbury, and Plymouth before joining Emlyn Williams's theatre company.

Between 1941 and 1944, she toured internationally and across the UK. She had a long and distinguished association with the Castle Theatre in Farnham, where she performed in over 200 roles across the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s.

Following its closure, she went on to help establish the Redgrave Theatre in 1974, becoming one of its founding members.

Alongside her theatre career, Edwards was cast in a number of TV series including Crossroads (1964), Mr. Sheridan's Umbrella (1957), Armchair Mystery Theatre (1960), The Odd Man (1963), Perry Mason (1963−4), The Secret Agent (1967) and Sherlock Holmes (1968).

Edwards was rushed to Devizes Hospital after falling ill during a performance of Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce at the Connaught Theatre in Worthing, West Sussex. She died there aged 62.

Welsh actor Raymond Llewellyn said that his role as Huw was one of the two standout roles in his career, the other being Mr Pugh the original West End production of Under Milk Wood in 1956.

However, in 2008, Llewellyn admitted that the role of gardener Huw had haunted him all his life. Llewellyn, now 97, built a wide-ranging career across theatre, film, television, and radio during his career.

His stage work included international productions such as Cyrano de Bergerac, Much Ado About Nothing, and An Enemy of the People. The actor made appearances in notable TV shows, including Doctor Who, Holby City and Doctors.

His final role before retiring was in the romantic drama film, The Edge of Love, starring Keira Knightley, Cillian Murphy and Sienna Miller.