The Narnia Code, a new documentary based on Dr. Michael Ward’s Planet Narnia, is something we’d heard about late last year. It’s been a few months and is now complete and ready to air. We haven’t seen it yet, but you can watch a preview video for it here.
It is airing on BBC1 this upcoming Thursday, 16 April from 10:35-11:35pm.
C.S. Lewis wrote The Narnia Chronicles over fifty years ago, and they have never been more popular than they are today. However, when they were first published, many critics thought them little more than childish scribblings, full of random characters and unexplained events. Even Lewis’ good friend J.R.R. Tolkien thought them confused and misconceived. Other scholars were sure that all this pointed to something more, something hidden beneath the stories, but although many tried, none could find this secret key of Narnia… until now.
David J. Theroux writes:
The C. S. Lewis Society of California is co-sponsor of the forthcoming BBC2 documentary, The Narnia Code, based on the book, Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis, by Michael Ward. To be aired at Easter 2009, The Narnia Code is produced and directed by Norman Stone, producer of the International Emmy Award and BAFTA Award-winning BBC film, C. S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands, starring Joss Ackland and Claire Bloom, as well as the film starring Anton Rodgers, C.S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia, that premiered on the Hallmark Channel in 2005. At the C.S. Lewis Society’s May 17th sold-out, screening and luncheon last year of the film Prince Caspian, Dr. Ward was the featured speaker.
The Narnia Code will present the hidden themes that C.S. Lewis placed in The Chronicles of Narnia, based on the Christian spiritual symbolism of the seven heavens in medieval mythology. The book Planet Narnia first revealed this heretofore hidden layer in Lewis’s work, an enormous depth and sophistication by Lewis in creating the Narniad which has attracted an entire new appreciation for his accomplishment in creating these enormously popular classic stories that resonate for people worldwide.
The Narnia Code airs Thursday 16 April from 10:35pm -11:35pm on BBC1.
Why does Britain get all of the good stuff?
I know. I’m so jealous.
Fingers crossed they’ll send it to Australia!
It was very nice of Dr. Ward to suddenly make this discovery just in time for the Prince Caspian movie release.
as a primary, almost-angel investor in THE NARNIA CODE, let me assure blog readers that the DVD rights-sale will soon bring about US/ World release of this compelling & convincing documentary.
i have been promoting it heavily to CS Lewis / Inkling / Narnia sites, as well as European & US Media (TIME, CNN, CBN, EURONEWS, FRANCE 24 & many many others). also not forgetting many amateur astronomy groups & websites.
i can’t wait to see the smoke coming out of media-darling, atheists’ dragon nostrils, (to continue the fantasy theme)….
I hope it plays in the USA. Maybe PBS will show it. Narnia code. sounds cool.
omg omg omg. i need to see this end it to canada.if thry dont hope someone will put it on youtube
Here is a link to the write up of the show on the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jz2qp
Dr. Ward will be answering questions online on the BBC message board this Friday. Here is a link. (You need to register to participate.): http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbreligion/F2213240?thread=6473508
What, exactly, makes this an earth-shatteringly new interpretation of a series that’s been analyzed to death for 50 years?
I don’t know if I’ll be allowed to stay up that late to watch it but if not, I’ll tape it. 😀 To be perfectly honest, I don’t know why some people say Narnia is rubbish because it’s obviously not!!
Clive Staples Lewis was ‘given’ the connexion with study of the heavens with the revelation of God in Jesus and fulfilment of the sciptures. Each story is connected to the other by the subtle interlocking of the meaning and
Watched this but saw no mind shattering code at all.
Very biased as there was no-one giving objections to this thought at all.
I can clearly see the connections that Ward brings out with regard to the seven planets and their pagan facets
(It reminded me so of the Planet suite by Gustav Holst:)
With each planets identity he wrote a delightful story around it incorporating his own idea using his religious beliefs….But I don’t think for one moment that any of this will change mankinds view on religion or the Universe.. Also I don’t think for one moment that everyone looks at life in a logical scientific way…Many see the universe as something special and beautiful and life on this earth as something amazing without having to return to organised religion to appreciate a creator…I believe that Lewis probably had no hidden agenda but was more than likely testing his close clique that had made fun of his books…If there was a supposed code I could see no substance to it at all.It reminded me of art critics finding a meaning in a few slashes of paint on a canvas…It pleases them to think the painting has meaning but to others its an artist having a laugh…but 10/10 to Dr Ward for finding the 7 planets within the book….
Just a note that if you are not living in the United Kingdom or were unable to watch this film. You can watch it until Thursday 23rd April on the BBC iPlayer website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00jz2qp/The_Narnia_Code/). Hope this helps.
Jacob
I went to the link you gave the site declined to download or stream the video – it said it was NOT available to those living outside the UK, which is a shame.
Reggie,
Apparently you cannot download the videos outside of the UK, but it doesn’t mention anything about streaming. Obviously they count streaming as downloading. That is a real shame. Hopefully, they will show it in other countries in a few months or so.