Round the Twist, an Australian children’s TV series, gained international popularity when it first aired in 1989-1990. The supernatural adventures of the Twist family, a lighthouse dweller, broadcast in four seasons from 1989-1990 to 2001. A cottage industry has sprung up around Round the Twist nostalgia, as its original fans have grown older.
An ABC podcast is dedicate to finding the child actor who portray Bronson in series one. Each episode is cover in a recap podcast. Buzzfeed features pieces like 21 of the Most WTF Moments From Around The Twist. Netflix released a trailer for Stranger Things in 2016, based on the Round the Twist title sequence and featuring the iconic theme song. Netflix recognized the intergenerational appeal these dark fantasy series often have by creating this mashup trailer.
The Sydney Story Company presented Round the Twist in a special cinema screening with commentary by two of the actors who played Bronson. The theme song was use by Sainsbury’s in their 2018 Halloween ads. Tinpan Orange, an Australian band, performs a haunting and plaintive version of this song regularly. Every episode of the series made available on Netflix Australia earlier this year. Now, a stage musical adaptation is being announce.
Horror For Children Round
Round the Twist’s production house, the Australian Children’s Television Foundation had to fight for a home for the horror-inflected children’s program. Patricia Edgar, the ACTF founder and producer of Round the Twist, said that a French company was interest in co-finance this show. Round the Twist is a subversive, challenging show that mixes horror, dark fantasy, and the grotesque. Ghosts are often spooky, but they eventually turn out to be friendly spirits who need the support of their family to move on.
Skeletons are born; Santa Claus is Santa Claws, love spells fail, and monsters actually live under the mattress. It has left an indelible impression on the children who watched it. Children’s horror and dark fantasy often leave an impression. TV is where young viewers first encounter these genres.
Nostalgia Can Bring New Life To Your Heart
Round the Twist, as Kathleen Lock, a media scholar, describes it: Shows that remain relevant to their original audience or reach new audiences long after they cease to air. These forgotten shows are an integral part of Netflix’s business model and part of the current nostalgia wave that is sweeping the web.
Netflix doesn’t rely on ratings and isn’t constrained by airtime. They can license long-cancelled series such as Round the Twist because they don’t have to be dependent on them. They hope that previous viewers will re-watch the show and share their experiences on social media to attract more subscribers.
These shows are hosted by Netflix, which is able attract adults who like the nostalgia appeal. But also adults who have children and want to show their children shows they enjoyed as children.
Round the Twist will be joined by other 1990s shows such as Goosebumps, Spellbinder and other series like Lost in Space, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and the Baby-Sitters Club. This allows for an intergenerational conversation between adult and new viewers. Stage musicals can also be launch using nostalgia. Round the Twist will be direct by Simon Phillips. He also directed the stage musicals Muriel’s Wedding and Priscilla Queen in the Desert in 2017.
The release of Round the Twist on Netflix created a stir. However, nostalgia will also draw people to the musical. Producers already have the advantage over the iconic theme song to attract fans who first saw the show over 30 years ago, as well as new viewers who have seen it on streaming.