False Haven is the fourth episode of the first series of The Animals of Farthing Wood. It was originally broadcast in the UK on 27 January 1993.
Plot[]
The animals have been travelling in pouring rain and have stopped to rest, but many of the animals start bickering and get involved in a mud fight. Toad returns to the group having found a dry, warm barn for the animals to sleep in and the group heads for the farmland.
Fox is, at first, worried about their close proximity to humans but Kestrel, Owl and Pheasant are employed to take turns watching out for humans from a plum tree. However, when Kestrel finishes her watch Pheasant is too busy sleeping to take over, so Mrs Pheasant volunteers to take his place, only to result in her being seen and shot by Tom Griggs the farmer.
Tom Griggs locks the rest of the animals in the barn and threatens to kill Fox for killing his chickens, after finishing his dinner. While Adder is keeping the farmer's dog Bruno (Jack as he's named in the books) quiet, Owl suggests that the animals dig a tunnel out of the barn, but Mole is unable to dig through the wooden floorboards with his claws.
Several of the animals help out by biting through the floor with their teeth, and Mole and Badger dig the tunnel out of the barn. The animals escape through the tunnel, with Fox just making it out as the farmer returns with his gun. The animals run up a steep hill to a copse as Fox stays behind to stop Bruno from following them. After outwitting Bruno, Fox joins the other animals at the copse where they all stop to rest, but Badger soon realizes that they have left Adder behind on the farm.
Trivia[]
- This episode marks the first appearance of Tom Griggs, Betsy Griggs and Bruno, and the death of Mrs Pheasant.
- On "The Journey Begins" VHS, the first scene and the scene where Fox confronts Bruno are cut. The last three shots of the episode are also removed, so that story can overlap into the next episode.
Goofs[]
- Adder is seen with the group when Owl tells them about the copse, even though she is supposed to be still hiding in a bucket on the farm.
| Series and Episodes |
|---|
| Series 1 (1993) • Series 2 (1994) • Series 3 (1995) |
| Series 1 episodes (1993) |
| The Wood in Danger • The Journey Begins • Through Fire and Through Water • False Haven • Snare for the Unwary • Who Shall Wear the Crown? • New Friends, Old Enemies • Friends in Need • Whistler's Quarry • Between Two Evils • A Deathly Calm • Pandemonium • So near and yet so far... |
| Series 2 episodes (1994) |
| A Heroes' Welcome • Winter • Survival • New Enemies • A Joke Backfires • Home Is Where the Heart Is • The Feud Begins • Like Father, Like Son • Narrow Escapes • Shadows • A Time of Reckoning • Blood Is Thicker Than Water • Reconciliation |
| Series 3 episodes (1995) |
| Comings and Goings • Out and About • Water, Water • The Missing Fox's Friend • Tiffs and Tempers • Adventure for the Birds • The Long-Tailed Visitor • Scared Silly by Snakes • A Bigger Oink • The Mole Game • The Worst Kind of Hurricane • Homeward Bound • Bully-Bully-Bully |