King Cinder Rides Again

For fans of a certain age, the news that King Cinder is currently available on YouTube will be welcome indeed. The BBC drama from 1977 has never been repeated or been made commercially available so this may be the first chance in nearly fifty years to see it again.

The vintage kid's adventure series is primarily a crime drama, but is set in and around the world of speedway. There are numerous racing and pits scenes, all filmed at Rye House in the era of monkey masks and riders tucking their leathers into their boots.

Len Silver plays a version of himself, leading the riders out onto parade and keeping the crowd and viewer informed about the participants and the significance of each race. There's a mix of fact and fiction, with real riders like Kelvin Mullarkey and Hugh Saunders receiving name-checks, as well as appearing as supporting background actors and riding their bikes in the action scenes.

There are six episodes and the third, fourth and sixth feature most of the speedway content. We see the Barton Barons take on the Weyfield Warriors in both league and K.O. Cup action. The production budget must have been generous as both teams were provided with sets of matching leathers, as well as a full complement of racejackets.

The rest of the story revolves around a protection racket being run by villain Todd Edwards who has returned to the town seeking revenge, particularly against Richard Hutson, the titular King Cinder.

Richard's sons Trevor and Kerry are both riders and get caught up in the drama. It's primarily told from Kerry's viewpoint and he's played by Peter Duncan, who later found fame on Blue Peter. Kerry's girlfriend is played by Lesley Manville who has gone on to become an award-winning actor of repute.

Rather unusually, some of the background music is provided by The Beatles, with 'Sergeant Pepper' and 'Here Comes the Sun' both prominent. This may well be the reason why a commercial release has never been possible, clearing the music rights would likely be prohibitively expensive. It may also mean that the content will disappear from YouTube as suddenly as it appeared.

We won't provide a link to the videos as these kind of links tend to change quickly. The search facility on YouTube is your friend and currently offers the option of individual episodes or a single combined video.

There will undoubtedly be questions around the legitimacy of these uploads, so please don't wait too long to check them out.

Here are a few captures from the speedway scenes to whet your appetite.

This article was first published on 23rd February 2025

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