Updated / Thursday, 6 May 2021 16:05
Jenny Agutter will reprise her role from much loved 1970s family drama The Railway Children in a sequel also starring Sheridan Smith and Tom Courtenay.
Shooting on The Railway Children Return, which is set during World War Two, begins this Monday at key locations from the original film, including Oakworth Station, Haworth, and The Bronte Parsonage.
The original 1970 movie, which also starred Bernard Cribbins and Sally Thomsett and was based on the E Nesbit book, saw Agutter play the eldest sister in a trio of resourceful children who are forced to move to a small village in Yorkshire with their mother after their father is arrested on mysterious spying charges.
Fascinated by the nearby railway, the children prevent an accident and befriend some important passengers who may be able to help unravel the mystery of why their father disappeared.
Agutter also played the eldest child in a 1968 TV adaptation, two years before the film, and she also played the mother in an ITV remake in 2000.
Now 68, in recent years she has played Sister Julienne in the BBC’s Call the Midwife.
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The sequel follows the adventures of a group of children who are evacuated to a Yorkshire village during World War Two, where they encounter a young soldier, who like them, is far away from home.
In a press release, production company Studiocanal said, “Inspired by one of the most beloved British family films of all time, The Railway Children Return is an enchanting adventure for a new generation bringing a contemporary sensibility to a classic story and combining British cast with stunning locations”.
The Railway Children Return opens in Irish cinemas on April 1st, 2022
