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The Adventures of Black Beauty
1972 - 1974 6.2 (8 votes) 2 Seasons
Genres
Action & Adventure Family Drama
Networks
ITV1
Created By
Anna Sewell
Ted Willis

The Adventures of Black Beauty

Overview

Black Beauty is a pure black, thoroughbred horse in late 19th Century rural England who is adopted into the household of James Gordon, a local doctor and widower, and befriended by his daughter Vicky, son Kevin, and their friends Albert and Robbie.

Key Crew

Producer: Paul Knight

Top Cast

William Lucas
William Lucas

Dr. James Gordon

Charlotte Mitchell
Charlotte Mitchell

Amy Winthrop

Judi Bowker
Judi Bowker

Vicky Gordon

Stacy Dorning

Jenny Gordon

Roderick Shaw
Roderick Shaw

Kevin Gordon

Stephen Garlick

Ned Lewis

Seasons

Season 1 poster
Season 1 (1972)

No overview available.

26 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: The Fugitive
1972-09-17

Dr. James Gordon and his two children Vicky and Kevin move from London to the country. On the first day Vicky finds a hurt horse and takes it with her. She asks her father for help and he looks after the horse. Everyone can see, that the horse was treated. Later the son of the owner wants the stallion back. Dr. Gorden says no, and the young man moves. Vicky fells in love with the horse, but the family has no money to buy such a good horse.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 2: The Hostage
1972-09-24

An escaped convict holds Kevin and Black Beauty hostage and forces Vicky to get food and clothes so he can complete his bid for freedom.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 3: The Pit Pony
1972-10-01

A young miner steals a pony sold for slaughter and with Vicky's help hides it at Dr. Gordon's. The owner soon finds the pony and makes trouble for the young pair.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 4: The Horse Thieves
1972-10-13

Vicky, Kevin, and Black Beauty encounter two workmen who decide that stealing the horse is a way to a better life. Where they choose to hide Beauty is unfortunately the site of some dynamite blasting, leading to a race to rescue the him.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 5: Runaway
1972-10-20

While riding Black Beauty, Vicky and Kevin encounter a threatening recluse at the Abbott farm. Despite being warned by everyone to stay away, the children persist in trying to solve the mystery. When a runaway horse endangers young David Abbott, the children get their answer.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 6: Warhorse
1972-10-27

Dr. Gordon and Vicky rescue a former army horse whose end seems near. Robbie, over protected by his grandmother, becomes friends with the Gordon children after moving nearby. Robbie becomes enchanted by the new horse Soldier.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 7: The Horsemen
1972-11-03

Beauty is at risk from a spoiled young woman who is used to getting everything that she wants. In order to save Beauty, Vicky enlists the help of a secret society sworn to protect the interests of horses.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 8: The Duel
1972-11-10

Vicky discovers a young man, wounded in a duel. She takes him back to Dr. Gordon but the family is soon caught up in a dangerous and treacherous plot that places them all in peril.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 9: The Viking Helmet (1)
1972-11-17

Kevin and Robbie find an old helmet with a wing and lose the wing on the way home. An archaeologist from a nearby dig dismisses the helmet as a reproduction of little value, but when Robbie finds the wing it is promptly stolen. Later the thief is caught trying to steal the helmet, but the wing is nowhere to be found.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 10: The Viking Helmet (2)
1972-11-24

Dykes, the thief, escapes custody and heads back to the excavation site to look for the missing gold wing. Robbie also thinks he knows where it is and rides Black Beauty to the area. While looking he falls into a mud pit that is about to cave in. Beauty goes for help.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 11: Day of Reckoning
1972-12-01

Black Beauty starts showing unusual behavior and Dr. Gordon suspects rabies. After Beauty attacks two men including the new constable, she is ordered destroyed. But Vicky hides her horse, nothing is as it seems and Black Beauty had a good reason for her behavior.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 12: Man Trap
1972-12-08

New gamekeeper Ted Hewitt sets out snares and traps on Lord Eddington's estate to protect game and catch poachers. This doesn't sit well with Dr. Gordon, who, with daughter Vicky, pays him a visit. While the men talk, Vicky learns the man's wife, Beth, is pregnant and doesn't seem well. She refuses to take it easy so Vicky visits often to help with her chores. When Beth collapses, Vicky must run for the doctor and gets caught in a snare. Beauty must get help.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 13: Clown on Horseback
1972-12-23

Kevin and Robbie become friends with Andy, an unfunny clown while Vicky tries to help Dan tame Mr. Collin's horse Thunder. It turns out Andy's skills and comedy are tied to working with horses.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 14: Three Lock to Fortune
1973-12-06

Vicky's friend Colin returns from school and informs her his grandfather's estate is to be auctioned. The young people learn of a family secret that if discovered, may provide the funds to save Colin's heritage. But they are in a race against time.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 15: Recruiting Sergeant
1973-01-01

Vicky discovers a young Tom Honeywell hiding in the church cemetery, on the run after leaving the army. The local recruiter confiscates Black Beauty until Tom returns and Kevin is tricked into enlisting in an effort to help. It is up to Albert and Black Beauty to make things right.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 16: The Debt
1973-01-20

Amy Winthrop's nephew steals Beauty after his aunt refuses to give him fifty pounds to get out of debt to a bookie who is threatening him. To save Beauty and her nephew, Amy must pawn her jewelry and hurry to the auction to bid on the horse.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 17: The Horse Healer
1973-01-27

A vagabond natural healer is on the run from several people who hold him responsible for regrettable outcomes. Vicky and Dr. Gordon step in to give him temporary sanctuary, which is fortunate when Beauty suffers a severe laceration.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 18: The Witch
1973-02-03

While riding Beauty, Vicky bumps into an old woman out gathering mushrooms who many in town think is a witch. After she scares off Kevin when he tries to retrieve a kite from the roof of her cottage, he sets out on Beauty for another try and is injured, but makes his way to the cottage where the woman takes him in and tends to him.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 19: The Ponies
1973-02-10

Dr. Gordon has his hands full with a typhoid outbreak, but the children are concerned with an illness claiming Mr. Garner's ponies. Albert brings his favorite, Chalky, into contact with Black Beauty and soon Vicky is trying to do everything to save Beauty's life.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 20: The Ruffians
1973-02-17

When Dr. Gordon interrupts a robbery, hooligans take first him, than Vicky captive. Needing his medical skills for one of their mates, they refuse to release them. It is up to Kevin, Albert and Black Beauty to rescue them.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 21: Two of a Kind
1973-02-24

Vicky and Kevin encounter a brother and sister on the run from authorities, claiming to be orphans. A reformatory is missing two children and when items begin disappearing from the house the true story comes out. Vicky and Kevin learn an important life lesson.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 22: Foul Play
1973-03-03

When the Gordon's neighbor Lady Faulkner discovers her racing horses are being drugged, their curiosity gets the best of them. After Dr. Gordon is attacked and Albert rescues the constable from a well, the pieces start to come together. But it's Black Beauty who delivers the decisive moment.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 23: Sailor on a Horse
1973-03-10

A secretive man moves into an abandoned cottage which engages Vicky and Albert's curiosity. Seemingly unrelated, the land and Beauty's paddock next to the Gordon family is being sold by contentious lawyer Weems. The missing Thackeray heir seems to be key to both incidents.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 24: Wild Justice
1973-03-17

Dr. Gordon is arrested for a cottage burning that belonged to Mr. Skinner after he criticized it's condition. Vicky, Albert, and their friend Jill work to clear his name but need Black Beauty's help. Complicating matters is a mysterious man Duffield and a horse identical to Beauty.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 25: The Barge
1973-03-24

Vicky and Beauty befriend an older woman living on the river whose son Albert is just out if prison. A series of valuable art thefts occur and Vicky discovers the stolen paintings on Maggie's houseboat. With things looking bad for Albert and his mother, Vicky, her friends and her horse search for the truth.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 26: Father and Son
1973-03-31

The arrival of entertainers in the village draw the Gordons and Albert into a custody fight. Mr. Groat is keeping his son Stan away from his grandfather Woolgar but the boy's deadly illness causes Dr. Gordon to force a solution.

Runtime: 25 min
Season 2 poster
Season 2 (1973)

No overview available.

26 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: A Member of the Family (1)
1973-09-23

Jenny returns from school and immediately angers the new neighor Armstrong by spoiling his fox hunt. A scruffy waif called Ned arrives at the Gordon's house and claims to be Amy's nephew. He refuses to follow the simplest of rules and tensions escalate with Armstrong.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 2: A Member of the Family (2)
1973-09-30

Ned's behavior creates tension in the Gordon household and when items start disappearing, he is suspected. An older man Simey followed Ned from London and is threatening him to cooperate. It's up to Black Beauty and the children to help Ned.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 3: The Outcast
1973-10-07

Ned is caught in a lie by Dr. Gordon and decides to run away, encountering a drifter mistreating a circus pony. After Ned intervenes, the pony adopts him, leading to the man Rundle accusing him of theft. The misunderstandings escalate but are cleared up after Ned becomes a hero rescuing Squire Armstrong's niece.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 4: Good Neighbours
1973-10-14

Briggs and his family are being evicted from one of the squire's cottages after his wife becomes ill. Dr. Gordon and his family become involved after Black Beauty is used in an escape while Jenny insists the Squire see the conditions his tenants live in.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 5: Mission of Mercy
1973-10-21

Ned ignores Dr. Gordon's warning about keeping Jonah the pony away from yew leaves, which could poison him. When Jonah does indeed become sick, Dr. Gordon cannot leave John Danby's ailing wife, so it is up to Jenny, Ned, and Black Beauty to save the pony's life.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 6: Battle of Wills
1973-10-28

After breaking his leg, Dr Gordon has to enlist the assistance of a new young doctor to carry on his duties. However, things do not go well as the new doctor treats Beauty cruelly and refuses to assist an elderly patient.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 7: The Medicine Man
1973-11-04

Mr. Joskins is selling quack remedies and Dr. Gordon intervenes after they make several of his patients ill. To get revenge Joskins tampers with Beauty's girth strap which injures Kevin while he is riding. Albert intially blames saddle maker Surtees but ultimately discovers the true villain.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 8: Out of the Night
1973-11-11

While coming home late evening, Jenny and Ned catch glimpses of a mysterious figure in the shadows. Squire Armstrong again warns the Gordon household to stay away from his property but the children persist in investigating. A legend of an ancient treasure plays a part in the puzzle.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 9: Panic
1973-11-18

During a storm Squire Armstrong believes he was attacked by Black Beauty and promises if it happens again, Beauty will be destroyed. Jenny, Kevin, and Ned try to keep the horse contained but Beauty has a equine friend she must get to.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 10: The Challenge
1973-11-25

Charles Armstrong, the squire's nephew, arrives for a visit and soon quarrels with Albert and Ned. The boys are warned away from the sheep, who are about to lamb but one of them chooses not to during a race. Among the consequences is a struggle where Albert and Charles end up at the bottom of mine shaft.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 11: Pocket Money
1973-12-02

There's been a drought causing a shortage of oats for Black Beauty. Ned works at the squire's stable to earn money for Aunt Amy's present, where he learns Potter is stealing oats and selling them secretly. Ned is not believed and Jenny is shut in a grain bin when they try to expose him. Beauty must come to the rescue.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 12: The Quarry
1973-12-09

Dr. Gordon and Black Beauty head to the quarry after a blast goes wrong and men are injured. Lawson is fired by the squire for negligence and in revenge he steals cash and horses, including Beauty. Beauty escapes, alerting Jenny and Kevin, who endanger themselves trying to stop Lawson.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 13: Secret of Fear
1973-12-16

Mr. Duncan, an old acquaintance of Dr. Gordon, asks for a letter of recommendation and is refused. Duncan vows revenge and hypnotizes Jenny to fear Black Beauty. Everyone is mystified until Albert starts to learn the truth.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 14: Lost (1)
1973-12-23

Simey returns, seeking retribution on the Gordons for his time in prison. With his cohort Brit, they trick Ned, taking him and Black Beauty captive. Simey tries to sell Beauty to first Waggs, than at a market giving Ned a chance to escape.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 15: Lost (2)
1973-12-23

Ned returns to the Gordons, having escaped from his abduction, but the constable doubts his story. Simey sells Beauty to Waggs but he escapes, attempting to return home. Beauty arrives at the Jones farm and is adopted by the young Rosie, who renames the horse Mike. Kevin, Ned and Jenny keep hoping for Black Beauty's return.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 16: Lost Goddess
1973-12-30

Squire Armstrong inherited a religious Indian idol from his grandfather and is outraged when it's stolen. Rana, a visitor to the community, is befriended by Jenny and Ned. He appears to have ties to the missing statue and Squire decides to act on his suspicions.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 17: Where´s Jonah ?
1974-01-06

Ned spends his time playing circus with Jonah instead of doing chores, angering Dr. Gordon. Ned decides to run away when Alf and Wilt, two circus journeymen, ride through but they con him out of Jonah. Ned and the doctor need Black Beauty's help to get the pony back.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 18: The Horse Breaker
1974-01-20

Albert takes Black Beauty for a run against Dr. Gordon's wishes and he forbids Kevin and Albert from riding the horse without permission. The boys have a falling out and Albert heads to the Grainger farm where he presents himself as an experienced trainer. He is tested when he gets on a dangerous stallion.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 19: A Long Hard Run
1974-01-31

T. Otis Waygood and Dolly arrive in the village and Dolly, over Jenny's objections, borrows Beauty for a fast gallop. The squire is intrigued and sets up a match race between Jenny and Dolly. Ned recognizes the shady Waygood from his days in London and wonders what he's up to.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 20: Goodbye Beauty
1974-02-03

Paperwork is discovered revealing Black Beauty doesn't belong to the Gordons. The lawyer Crevache refuses to listen to reason so Jenny takes off with Beauty to keep him from being taken. In the end Black Beauty will decide who he should be with.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 21: The Escape
1974-02-10

There are new inhabitants in the Eglinton manor with Kevin and Albert coming upon a young Cecily running away from her uncle. Joshua Eglinton claims to Dr. Gordon his niece has a nervous disposition and needs to be kept alone, but Kevin disobeys his father to rescue her. Albert dresses as Cecily allowing Kevin and Black Beauty time to save the young lady from her relative's nefarious intentions.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 22: A Ribbon for Beauty
1974-02-17

Ned is spending time with George downing trees while Jenny is excited about a party invite from Frances Bazely. Dr. Gordon asks Ned to escort Jenny but right before George is hurt by a fallen tree. Ned needs help from Beauty and Jenny to help his injured friend.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 23: The Last Charge
1974-02-24

Kevin and Albert enjoy listening to the tales of Corporal Donovan, who claims to have been in the Light Brigade but Albert has his doubts. When men claiming to be the squire's employees evict Donovan, the boys come to his aid and with Beauty's help uncover stolen goods.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 24: Race against Time
1974-03-03

Dr. Gordon and a syndicate of farmers plan to buy Parsons field as a refuge for old horses, but Kevin and Albert stumble across a dastardly plan to foil their good intentions.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 25: Game of Chance
1974-03-10

Dr. Gordon and Amy visit London for the day leaving Jenny to look after the things. The boys however have other ideas about who is in charge . Albert gallops off to Maybury Fair and loses not olny his money but Beauty as well.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 26: The Last Roundup
1974-03-27

Mr. Coomb's dog is injured in one of the squire's traps and the older man doesn't know how he will watch his sheep. Dr. Gordon volunteers Kevin and Albert, who do their best but the sheep start mysteriously disappearing. Albert uncovers a rustling operation but needs Beauty's help to prove it.

Runtime: 25 min

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