TV series

The Legend of Tim Tyler: The Boy Who Lost His Laugh

1979–1980 · 1 season

A gentle, slightly eerie children's drama that lingers on loss and the strange bargain at its heart.

Created by: James Krüss
Genres: Drama, Kids, Sci-fi & fantasy
Starring: Thomas Ohrner, Horst Frank, Richard Lauffen

Overview: Timm Thaler is a 1979 children's television miniseries based on the 1962 children's novel by German writer James Krüss. The series originally aired in Germany as the first Christmas series on German national broadcaster ZDF. In 1988, the series was acquired for transmission in the United Kingdom by the BBC. The English version was produced by Angela Beeching, with script by Nel Romano, and retitled The Legend of Tim Tyler. It aired during Children's BBC in the weekday afternoons. The screenplay was written by Justus Pfaue and Peter M. Thouet and differs somewhat from the original novel. Directed by Sigi Rothemund, the series became a hit in Germany and made then 14-year-old Tommi Ohrner, in the lead role of Timm Thaler, a popular teen idol of the era. The role of the Baron was played by Horst Frank.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.

Created by: James Krüss
Genres: Drama, Kids, Sci-fi & fantasy
Starring: Thomas Ohrner, Horst Frank, Richard Lauffen

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: melancholicstrength 2 of 3
eeriestrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
darkstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: identity
grief
family
betrayal
redemption
Places: big city
home
Era: contemporary
Audience: family
Form: serialised
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex none

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	2
Horror	2
Humour	3
Realism	6
Romance	1
Tension	5
Darkness	5
Complexity	4
Emotional weight	6

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres: drama, kids, sci-fi & fantasy
Created by: James Krüss
Written by: Peter M. Thouet, Justus Pfaue
Starring: Thomas Ohrner, Horst Frank, Richard Lauffen, Stefan Behrens, Bruni Löbel, Edgar Bessen, Marlies Engel
Length: 1 seasons, 13 episodes, 25 min each
Network: ZDF
Country: Germany
Languages: German

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The Legend of Tim Tyler: The Boy Who Lost His Laugh

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