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Raven
Genre	Children's Game Show
Starring	James MacKenzie
Voices of	James MacKenzie
Narrated by	James MacKenzie
Theme music composer	David Brockett
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	120
Production
Producer(s)	Colin Nobbs (Series 1) Matthew Napier (Series 2-)
Location(s)	Scotland
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC
Original run	2002 – Present

Raven is a BBC Scotland children's adventure game show, currently showing on CBBC in the UK and on BBC Kids in Canada, with six series so far. It is hosted by James MacKenzie in the title role, who conducts a group of children, known as warriors, over 5 days through a series of tasks and feats. At various stages in the adventure, the group loses the least successful warrior until only two are left.

Contents 1 Format 1.1 Characters 2 The Warriors 2.1 Ultimate Warriors 3 The Challenges 3.1 The Last Stand 3.2 The Way of The Warrior 4 Production and Awards 4.1 Series 7 4.2 Series 8 4.3 Spin-Off Series 5 References 6 See also 7 External Links

The show consists of six warriors who compete in various challenges, set over five shows in one week; as such, each week brings a new set of six warriors. One warrior is lost each day except for the first, until there are two warriors left at the end of the week who go through to the final. At the start of their quest, each warrior is granted a number of lives, represented by raven feathers on a standard, which in turn represents a particular element or feature (such as a mountain or the sun). Lives may be lost by losing a game, and regained by collecting a number of rings, which are won during the game and placed on the warrior's standard until enough rings are collected.

Should all lives be lost, or a warrior have the lowest number of lives at the end of the day, that warrior is eliminated, and must face The Way of the Warrior; if they complete this difficult task, they continue their quest, and the warrior with the fewest lives must face the challenge. If two warriors have an equal number of lives, a black feather is drawn from a bag to decide who must face elimination. So far, only four warriors have completed the task: Ishal, Varna, Worjo and Kinsa.

In the first three series, each warrior was granted seven lives, and needed seven treasure rings to win back a life. Since then, this number has changed to nine lives and nine rings.

   For additional characters from the spin-offs relevant to the overall show mythology, see Raven: The Island and Raven: The Secret Temple.

Raven (James MacKenzie): Originally from the Island of Alaunus, Raven is an ancient Scottish warlord and the warriors' guide throughout the quest; his name refers to his ability to shape-shift into a raven at will. Both serious and dryly humorous, he urges and pushes the warriors to do their best in all challenges. He is quick to both praise their success and point out their failures, but always has a kind word for the warriors who are eliminated. He carries his Staff of Power (topped with a carving of a raven's head) with him at all times which allows him to bring warriors back when they lose a game, reveal the warriors' thoughts, recap what has happened previously, and both give and take away the warriors' lives from their standards. Raven's attitude to his warriors is reflected in his somewhat elaborate style of speech, and has generated some catchphrases, including: "Are you ready? Then let the challenge... begin", and "may the luck of the Raven's Eye be with you".

Nevar: A mysterious figure who wears a black-hooded cloak and an iron mask. Raven refers to him as 'the enemy of all that is good and true'. Responsible for the demons featuring heavily in the warrior's tasks, he is often seen watching the warriors' progress in his castle and only appears in person at The Last Stand where he does his best to stop the last three warriors from winning. In the spin-off show Raven: The Island, it is stated that Nevar has ruled the Island of Alaunus with his dark magic for four years, making Staffs of Power from the Enchanted Oak to arm his demons, in order to stop the warriors from reaching his fortress. Nevar is an anagram of Raven. His iron mask was partly hatched from the second series, and became a full mask in series four. In the spin-off show, Raven: The Secret Temple, he is thought to have been slain until the last 10 seconds of the show where he is show to have survived the temple falling on him.

See also: List of Raven series

Warriors are given four,five or six-letter names composed from letters selected from their real surnames and first names. Each warrior is given a standard with their lives and treasure rings on it. There are six different designs and colours to differentiate the contestants. There is a red standard containing a sun, a beige standard containing a cloud, a yellow standard containing a mountain, a green standard containing a tree, a blue standard containing a wave and a grey standard containing a moon and star. The designs have slightly changed through the series, and the contestants wear these colours themselves from the second series, making identification much easier.

The winners from each series is known as an Ultimate Warrior. In the first series, the prize was the warrior's heart's desire (in effect, a holiday), and from series two, the ultimate warrior also won their own staff of power.

Ultimate Warriors

Series	Winner	Name	Element	Runner Up 1	Runner Up 2
1	Lamar	Mark McLaughlin	Tree	Intho	Brhea
2	Grema	Emma Grace	Tree	Varna	Kinia
3	Jaddo	Jamie Woods	Mountain	Worjo	Brena
4	Linma	James Findlay	Wave	Kinsa	Dejan
5	Arnor	Lorna Wright	Wave	Kyson	Molyn
6	Kenat	Katie McKinnon	Sun	Nejad	Rohak

Interviews were shown on CBBC for Grema, Jaddo and Arnor, all of whom won holidays, to Tunisia, Barbados, and France respectively, as well as a Staff of Power; according to (h2g2), Linma went on a holiday to Cuba as his prize. No interview with Kenat has been shown.

The tasks and feats in which the warriors have to compete vary from series to series. They play the games to win treasure rings and to ensure that they do not lose a life.

• Balance Beam (Series 3-6, second day for series 5): The two leading warriors choose a weapon each from the 'weapons rack', then try to knock each other off while sitting on a large horizontal beam. The winning warrior gains a ring, then stays on to fight the person who is third, and so on, until all warriors have fought; falling warriors forfeit a life, winners receive rings. In series five, there are three battles between the two leading warriors, the two middle warriors and the two losing warriors.

• Battering Ram (Series 5-6, first or second day for all warriors): In teams of three, the warriors must break a gate, on the other side of which are rings. However, the battering rams are some distance away from the team's gate, and must use logs which support the ram to get it closer. Warriors can also climb onto the ram to collect rings which hang over the warriors' heads. The first team to break down the gate earn gold rings, while the members of the other team lose a life.

• Battle of the Boats (Series 5- 5th day (shown on a friday)for all of the three warriors): A boat race; the loser loses a life, the others get rings.

• Blasted Mountain: The warriors assembling stones, and varied between series; the first series saw the warriors pulling sleds of stones towards them and building a totem; everyone stands behind the winner's totem to protect themselves from the demon's breath, with the winner and the first to pull up the sled gaining a life. From series two to four, a nearby volcano's fire would eliminate any warrior who did not construct the totem before the time ran out, with the survivors gaining a ring. From series five, the time limit was reduced, and shields were built with a pattern on the front to protect the warrior.

• Burning Battlements (Series 2-3, 5-): The warrior must put out three continually burning flames breathed onto the battlements by a dragon, using a catapult and "ice" balls, within the time limit. If a warrior fails to extinguish any of the fires, they lose a life.

• Dark Path (Series 2-4): Two blindfolded contestants compete to be the first to get a ring on a post; they must follow their own vine until they come to the post with the ring on top. The vine they are following may be either the wrong path, represented with a skull hanging from it, or the correct path with a ring on it. Going beyond a skull will cause a demon to attack, and releasing the vine with two hands or losing the race to the final ring results in a life lost.

• Dark Pools (Series 1): Raven determines the two warriors that go to the final with this challenge. There is a portal with a riddle on the top of it. One word in the riddle is the answer, and the warrior must whisper into the 'listening rock' what their answer is. If the portal opens, they will step through into the final; the leading warrior goes first. For example, 'answer with wisdom and step through here'; the answer was the word 'wisdom' itself.

• Dead Man's Vault (Series 6, two leading warriors): Sticks of metal are put in a cage to cover up gaps, giving a path to a golden ball. If this reaches the bottom, the vault will open to reveal the rings inside.

• Deep Loch: The warriors must jump into the deep loch and swim to the other side. Each warrior who reaches the shore will gain a treasure ring, except for the warrior who finishes last, who loses a life. The first, second and third warrior to the shore claim three, two and one ring respectively.

• Demon Causeway (Series 4): Three warriors must pass two demons in a chess-like game, played on a 7x7 board, set at a 90 degree angle. The warriors can move one square in any direction while the demons can only move one square forwards or sideways. Landing on certain squares will gain them a treasure ring. They must get to the gold square at the end without the demons moving onto their square, and so removing them from the game. Considered a difficult challenge, it often resulted in all remaining warriors losing a life.

• Demon Square (Series 2-): A wisdom tree makes statements which are true or false, and the warriors must choose whether to step onto the white path (true) or the black path (false). If they are right they can take a step forward, if they are wrong they remain where they are. A demon on each path behind them moves forward regardless after every question; two wrongs answers and the demon will catch them, losing them a life. Reaching the tree produces a ring.

• Dragon's Blood (Series 2-5, two leading warriors, occasionally two losing warriors): Inside the wizard's tower two warriors must manoeuvre a long pole with four hooks on it through a complex upright maze, collecting small bowls of dragon's blood, and be the first to get to the end without spilling a drop. Series 5 saw only two bowls being used.

• Dragon's Roost (Series 2-3): The warriors race in pairs, and attempt to climb up a huge climbing frame. Rings may be collected on the way up, but if a warrior does not get to the final ring, or falls, they lose a life.

• Dwarf Mine (Series 4-, two leading warriors): Two warriors go into a cave supported by pillars; one warrior reads symbols at the back of the cave, describing them to the other warrior, who must then push the support with the same symbol on it. If they do, they get a ring, with four rings in total. If three false supports are pushed, or time runs out, the warriors will be trapped inside, losing a life. Considered a difficult challenge, few people have passed this challenge: Kinsa and Wilga, Linma and Darna, and Nejad and Tezan.

• Enchanted Stream (Series 3-4): Each warrior races against a partner to piece together a bridge across the stream and reach the rings on the other side. The warrior who loses the race is consumed by the mists of the Enchanted Stream and must lose a life.

• Fire Demon (Series 2 and 6, first and final day respectively): The warriors are equipped with an ice staff and, blindfolded, they must attempt to put out a floating, burning ball controlled by a demon, by hitting it with the staff.

• Gold Rush (Series 3): Warriors must piece together a jigsaw style path to make it to the other side of a room. They compete against two other warriors and the warrior who completes the path across first gains a ring. If a warrior doesn't come first (first round stages) or comes third (final round), or touches the ground, they lose a life.

• High Walk (Series 1-3, replaced by High Rope in Series 5): The warriors take it in turns to climb a very tall tree wearing harnesses, and walk along a beam, collecting three keys as they go which open up a portal at the end of the beam to another challenge.

• High Rope (Series 5-, fourth or fifth day): The warriors cross a rope suspended from a tree to earn three rings.

• Hunt For The Standard (Series 1): The warriors must find the standard that they have been awarded in the one minute egg timer; if they do not return with the standard in time, a life is lost.

• Leap of Faith: The harnessed warriors take it in turns to climb to the top of a tall tree and jump, trying to catch the gold rings dangling from above. If a warrior is not brave enough to jump, they lose a life. With one or two rings close to the platform and two or three more further away, it is up to the warriors to gauge how far they can jump. In series four, warriors climbed a tall pole rather than a tree, and falling meant a life was lost. In the first series, they were helped down by Raven.

• Long Staff: Similar to the Balance Beam, with the warriors fighting on two floating platforms in the loch or on two tall towers of stones, using staff like weapons. Up to series four, the victor remained to fight the next opponent; after this it became three fights. The victor gains a gold ring, with the falling warriors losing a life, and getting wet.

• Millstone Towers (Series 3-5): Two teams of three must bring three millstones through three sets of pillars and place them into a stand, one on top of the other, then climb the millstones and pull a lever, turning the demon blocking their path to ash; this also produces a ring for each warrior. If the warriors knock a pillar during the challenge, and the dragon's egg on top falls off, the team will be paralysed for 15 seconds, giving the other team an advantage. Series 5 instead used skulls on the pillars.

• Nevar's Eye (Series 5-): Two warriors are blindfolded to avoid the gaze of Nevar's blinding eye, and given a stick to feel their way along a path of stepping stones. If they stand on the ground or get touched by one of the chained demons walking around, they are taken.

• Pole Climb (Series 4-5): The warriors must climb up tall poles which have rings hanging near the sides. The person who gets the top wins a ring, with the losing warrior forfeiting a life.

• Old Troll (Series 1): Players take it in turn to solve a riddle given by the old troll at his house, answering on chalk and slate, and handing it in at the door. Taking the slate, the troll will give a single ring if successful; if they fail, a life is lost and their hand will be covered with muck including feathers, honey and flour. In the last week, the old troll gave these extra "prizes" as well as rings.

• Riddle Bridge (once named Vale of Dunan): A pair of warriors must solve a riddle posed by an enchanted book, one at the book and one stepping onto lettered squares that spell out the answer before Raven's hourglass runs out.

• Ring Rock (Series 3): Two warriors go face to face to fix a rock with a mythical picture on it.

• Ring Climb (Series 2): The warriors race along a string of rings to grab a ring. The losers forfeit a life.

• Ring Rack (Series 6): Two warriors must pull a rope towards themselves so that the rack swings to their rings; if the opponent is stronger, the rack will swing towards their rings. The challenge is over when both rings are collected by one warrior. The losing warrior also loses a life.

• Serpent's Eye (Series 3-): An archery tournament, with black targets and a red serpent's body around the outside, the head at the top, and a green oval in the centre. Each warriors gets three shots. If they hit the green oval, they obtain two gold rings; the black yields no consequences. Failing to hit the target after three attempts, and from series 4, hitting the red serpent, means a lost life. In addition, from series four, warriors only get one gold ring for each time they hit the target.

• Snake Pit (Series 4): The warriors split into two teams and must pass across an area of ground with snakes in it. Each team has three planks to use and must use them at all times, even if one warrior touches the ground, losing a life and being eliminated from the game. Any remaining members of the team that lose the race across the pit must also lose a life.

• Spider's Wood (Series 6): Three warriors must negotiate a giant spider's web collecting rings; any dropped rings are lost. If they touch any webs, or are too slow, they lose a life.

• Spider's Tunnel (Series 1-3): Two warriors must climb through a series of giant spider webs in a cave, seeking holes through which they can fit, collecting rings and making it out before the time is up. The warriors are roped together, so they must ensure that they go through the same holes in the spider's web and do not get tangled up.

• Stepping Stones (Series 5): One by one, the warriors must jump across a series of unstable floating stones strung across a river. Making it to the other side of the river earns two gold rings, whilst falling in means the loss of a life.

• Swinging Ball (Series 2): The warriors swing a giant ball trying to knock each other off the towers. The warrior who falls loses a life, with the winner facing the next warrior, until all the warriors have played the challenge.

• Thrall Demons (Leading warrior and partner of choice): Played in a tower, the leader is blindfolded and the other must verbally guide them through a maze of strings strung across the chamber without disturbing the inactive demons by snagging one of the strings and ringing the attached bells. If they complete the task, the leader gets three rings, and can choose how to divide them up between themselves and their helper.

• Torture Chamber (Series 5-): Two warriors enter the wizard's tower, one given a pole and the other a net. They must manoeuvre them round a maze to unhook rings. The gates holding demons back are continually opening, and if they fail to get out before the gates open, the demons will take them.

• Tower Build (Series 4-): Two teams of two warriors each compete to build a tower out of blocks in order to reach a ring positioned high above the towers. The winners are the first to reach the ring, with the team members losing a life if the tower falls, a warrior falls from it, or the other team reaches the ring before them.

• Treasure Ring: Two warriors sit in coracles, each with a long rope that are attached to the bank and a chest with a gold ring on top. They must use their rope to pull themselves towards the treasure ring before their opponent; whoever fails to reach the ring before their fellow warrior must forfeit a life. The game is usually played with six warriors - two different warriors for three races.

• Troll Trap (Series 3): Played in teams of three. Inside a cage there are three gold rings suspended from the bars. Two of the warriors must manoeuvre a lance whilst the third warrior stands on the cage to move it around. Whilst the lance is being moved the warrior in the cage must hang from vines. If either the warrior or the lance touches the floor the trap will spring shut. Once the gold rings have been collected the team have a limited time to get the warrior out or the trap will spring shut. Considered a difficult challenge.

• The Eyeless Demons (Series 1-2, 4): Two warriors, each carrying a pole with chimes at either end must race to a ring without being heard by the blind demons, each equipped with a battleaxe which will eliminate warriors if they hit them with the pole.

• Warrior's Gate (Series 5-, beginning of the week): The six warriors of the quest have to pull a canister up a rope to the top of some battlements, whereupon their standard will unfurl. Three, two and one rings are awarded to the first, second and third warriors, respectively. Played at the beginning of the week, no warriors will lose a life.

• Water Demon (Series 3-): Each warrior must row in a small coracle into a lake, grab a ring from a small platform and race back before the water demon guarding the ring catches them. For extra help, two other warriors must pull the third warrior onto shore. In later series, the warriors walked out along a walkway to get rings; as soon as the rings are taken, the walkway disappears and the warrior must climb into a coracle, with two other warriors on the shore pulling the warrior back to safety before a demon in a canoe catches them.

• Zip Line (Series 6): The warriors are attached to a zip-line so that they 'fly' along a line, attempting to collect rings on the poles that they are carrying. Warriors lose a life if they spear no rings.

This last challenge is used to determine which warrior will go through to the final, as well as being the challenge to determine who wins the series. Like many challenges, it has changed over the course of the series. In series 2 and 3, the warriors must collect four pillars without being blasted by Nevar. Doing so will make them lose a life, and they are eliminated if they lose all their lives. The winner is the first to collect the pillars and go through the portal. Series 4 changed this; now, three warriors must get through Nevar's battleground and defeat the demons in their path by completing small challenges, ultimately opening up a portal to go through. After one warrior has taken out all their demons, Nevar starts attacking the two remaining warriors, with questionable accuracy; when two warriors have gone through the portal, his next shot causes instant elimination to the sole, losing warrior. In the final, the first warrior through the portal wins and the other two are blasted by Nevar.

The Way of the Warrior is used to test the warrior in last place at the end of the day, except for day one. The warrior must cross a golden path, avoiding the obstacles and not touching the floor on either side. It is intentionally difficult so as to provide an element of 'second chance', whilst still producing only a small number of winners, so that not every warrior remaining in one week can be successful and someone can be eliminated.

There are many obstacles on the path which are designed with the sole purpose of pushing the warrior off the path:

• A short tunnel, with two rubber scarecrows, which swing back and forth
• A rope path, which zig-zags; there are ropes above which the warrior can hold on to. On the second wooden section, a trapdoor will open above the warrior, releasing rocks. From the fifth series, this was changed to a row of blocks that rise and fall.
• A swinging gate
• A carousel of heavy rocks that swing round repeatedly
• An elevating boulder
• An elevating spikey barrel
• A balance beam; at the end, the warrior has to use a rope to aim for a target. If this target is hit, a drawbridge opens in front.
• Three shields that push in and out from the walls.
• A huge swinging spiked barrel, about two metres long, that the warrior must cross using ropes underneath the barrel
• Swinging blades
• Tall elevating metal spikes
• Finally, access the portal.

In the first series, any warrior could volunteer to do the challenge. If they won, they regained a life. Failing twice meant automatic elimination, such as happened to Lydav (Week 1). If the warrior failed the task but was not in last place, the two joint last place warriors choose a hand and if they choose the black feather, they are eliminated; this happened to Glema (Week 3).

From the second series, if the warrior succeeds, they get to survive for another day, and the warrior in second to last place has to attempt the challenge. Up to series 3, the three finalist warriors eliminate a warrior. Kinia and Brena, who were in second place, had to do the challenge as Varna and Worjo, who were in last place, escaped its wrath by accessing the portal.

The challenge is considered very difficult, with a large number of contestants mistiming the three shields that push in and out from the walls. Only four warriors have completed the challenge so far; none of these four won the series to become the ultimate warrior.

• Ishal and Varna (Series 2), leading Dyasa and Kinia to attempt the challenge. Ishal repeated the challenge in the final week, but failed.
• Worjo (Series 3), leading Brena to attempt the challenge
• Kinsa (Series 4), leading Wenra to attempt the challenge

See also: List of Raven series

The series was first produced by BBC Scotland in 2002. It was shot in the grounds of Castle Toward 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Dunoon, near Toward Point and the village of Toward. The production included many CGI effects throughout, including the appearance and disappearance of objects and characters (including contestants), rapidly encroaching lava flows, burning targets and fizzing gases, and the zoomorphism of Raven in the title sequence. The show has won two BAFTAs for 'Best Children's Programme', in 2003 and 2006 for the previous years' shows.

The first series in 2002 was produced by Colin Nobbs, with all subsequent series produced by Matthew Napier. The directors have changed between series.

Series	Name
1	Brian Ross, Bob Harvey
2, 5	Bill McLeod
3, 4	Paul Hineman
6	Dougie Napier

A seventh series will be aired around February 2008, and has been filmed at Castle Toward,Scotland.

Series eight Applications are out on the Cbbc website. All applications must be in before Monday 18th February 2008.

Main articles: Raven: The Island and Raven: The Secret Temple

Two spin-off series have been produced. The first, Raven: The Island, takes place on the Island of Alaunus, Raven's homeland, taken over by Nevar and his demons. His trusted friend, Princess Erina, guides the warriors on their path. The series differs in that teams of four warriors compete, and if a warrior is eliminated, they cannot return.

The second, Raven: The Secret Temple, features Raven taking four teams of four warriors to an Eastern land (India), after his home was frozen by Nevar. He and Satyarani, a friend fashioned from the earth itself, guide the young warriors in the hopes that they will reach the secret temple to retrieve an item that will allow his homeland to return to its former glory. Unfortunately, Nevar has followed him there and is determined to stop his warriors from completing their quest.

• BBC H2G2 Article on Raven
• Official Forum and Fan Club

• List of Raven series
• Raven: The Island
• Raven: The Secret Temple

• Official Forum and Fan Club
• Official CBBC Raven Website

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