This had nothing to do with the books, but it was a very enjoyable bit of festive fun. I’m so pleased that the TV adaptations have been popular enough to merit a Christmas special. I grew up in the days when the educational Establishment disapproved of Enid Blyton books, so it’s wonderful to see the iconic stories being rehabilitated into popular culture. It’s also interesting to see the much-maligned character of Gwendoline Mary being fleshed out and made more sympathetic.
This was just a two-part special in which, for various reasons, the characters featured in the main series ended up spending the Christmas holidays at school, but it carried on the themes of friendship, togetherness and teamwork, which are what the TV adaptations have really emphasised. And Matron sorting out a broken-down car, and saying that she (like my grandma) drove ambulances during the War (no need for rescue by passing males!), was a nice touch. It won’t work for purists, because it had nothing to do with Enid Blyton’s writings, but the spirit of the stories was there, and it made for a really lovely hour’s watching.
setinthepast 
I wasn’t aware of this, so thank you – I’ll watch it tomorrow! I agree with you on Gwen – she was awful in the books, but one of my favourite characters in the TV series.
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See this is why I get impatient with purists – the books as written would go very badly on TV but these shows as you say have a lot of the spirit and heart of GO and work as enjoyable family drama
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