Enid Blyton's iconic Malory Towers brought to life on CBBC
Malory Towers is a new 13-part drama based on the iconic novels by Enid Blyton and following the adventures of Darrell Rivers as she leaves home for the first time to attend an all-girls’ boarding school.

The series is set in post-war Britain on the sun-drenched cliffs of the Cornish coast and explores a nostalgic world of midnight feasts, lacrosse, pranks, a mystery ghost and lasting friendships.
Both aspirational and inspirational, the show has also been given a contemporary twist telling the story of universal experiences such as shifting cliques, FOMO, bullying, crushes, peer pressure, and self-doubt. The girls keep an eye on each other and, like a family, are forever connected by their shared experiences.
The series opens with 12 year-old Darrell Rivers settling into her first day at Malory Towers. She is always in the thick of things and her hot temper causes her lots of problems. But she is also a responsible, hard-working girl and very popular, much to the annoyance of Gwen, who is also new to the school and jealous of Darrell’s popularity and friendships.
In awe of Malory Towers, Darrell keeps her past at her old school, St. Hilda’s, a closely guarded secret but with Gwen on the case will it come back to haunt her?
Malory Towers has exploits and excitement around every corner and Darrell’s dreams of adventure and independence are soon realised with the school surpassing all her expectations. However, Darrell quickly finds the expectations she has of herself are far harder to live up to.
The first episode airs on CBBC at 5.30pm on 6 April when the full series also lands on BBC iPlayer. The series has been made for CBBC by King Bert Productions and WildBrain in association with Family Channel. It has been adapted for television by Rachel Flowerday and Sasha Hails.
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Darrell Rivers (Ella Bright)

Darrell Rivers is a rare combination of dreamer and doer. She is sporty, impetuous and physically brave. Full of gumption, opinions and ambitions, she’s determined to become the kind of girl who would make Malory Towers proud. Unfortunately, Darrell has a terrible temper along with a strong sense of justice, which can cause her to lash out and let herself down.
Gwendoline Mary Lacey (Danya Griver)

Gwendoline is spoiled, egotistical, shallow and lazy. She continually attaches herself to any girl who she believes to be glamorous or rich. Gwen believes that "a woman’s place is in the home" and that "too much education can make a woman unattractive to a man". Gwen represents the opposite of everything Darrell stands for and is jealous of her popularity and friendships.
Sally Hope (Sienna Arif-Knights)

Sally initially seems cold, unfriendly and judgmental; the girls are curious but wary of her. She always has a tummy ache - which Matron diagnoses as over indulgence - but the real cause of the pain is revealed, just after Darrell loses her temper and shoves her.
Darrell guiltily imagines she is the cause of Sally’s illness and, after Darrell’s surgeon father operates, saving Sally’s life, the two girls finally open up to each other and bond, forming a strong friendship that will take them through their school years and beyond.
Alicia Johns (Zoey Siewert)

Impressively independent, Alicia is a ‘full charge’ pupil - left at Malory Towers by her Canadian parents the whole year round. Full of charm and fun she is a charismatic bundle of energy, clever and quick-witted. As the term progresses, Darrell learns that there is another side to Alicia - sharp-tongued and malicious. Alicia provides a steady stream of pranks for students and teachers. She’s used to ‘surviving’ and will often put herself first, even if it means being disloyal to friends.
Katherine (Twinkle Jaiswal)

Katherine is head of form in the North Tower. She keeps the girls in check but at the same time has their upmost respect. A girl who has grown up before her time, she knows how to have fun but also knows when to stop before things go too far. When the grown-ups aren’t around the girls go to Katherine, but her leadership is tested later in the series when she has to get to the bottom of who smashed Mary-Lou’s precious pen.
Mary-Lou (Imogen Lamb)

Quiet and conscientious, Mary-Lou is the shy girl. All of the girls are fond of Mary-Lou, although at times her timid personality causes them some frustration. She adores Darrell and finds it hard to accept a bad word about her, but will never stand up for her. Spotting her people-pleasing nature Gwen tries to befriend Mary-Lou and become each other’s best friends - but Mary-Lou isn’t convinced.
Jean (Beth Bradfield)

Jean is a straight talker, she’s pragmatic and loyal to her classmates - she loves to get involved in group activities. As a lacrosse player she is a big advocator of fairness and tries to uphold that in most situations.
Irene (Natasha Raphael)

Irene is the scatter-brained pianist. Amazingly gifted at music and maths, she is witty and fun and the sort of Malory Towers girl who will quite happily laugh at herself in a group situation.
Emily (Saskia Kemkers)

Emily is kind-hearted and eager to help any of the girls when they need a hand. She does, however, have a different side to her, quiet and unassuming - she’s a girl who blends into the crowd.
Miss Grayling (Jennifer Wigmore)
Miss Grayling is Malory Towers’ calm and collected headmistress. She has a wise and kind nature, staff and students respect her and the decisions she makes. However, under her warm and welcoming exterior, she is deeply sad, having lost her fiancé in the trenches of WW1.
Matron (Ashley McGuire)
Tough, occasionally cruel, and no-nonsense, she oversees the North Towers girls. She enjoys her power and status and can be a bit of a bully. She has a very sweet tooth and a weakness for cake. If you’re in trouble - you’re going straight to Miss Grayling!!
Miss Potts (Imali Perera)

Known as ‘Potty’ by the girls, but never to her face, she is the house mistress for the first form. She is intuitive, smart in the classroom and active on the lacrosse pitch, and has a no-nonsense attitude.
Mam'zelle Rougier (Genevieve Beaudet)

Malory Towers’ French mistress, she is glamorous but aloof, and can be sour-faced and cold. She has missed out on love and her heart has turned stony. She is a mistress who can have an awful temper and is very strict.