The Lion, the Witch and the Saint

DIDCOT Railway Centre has taken a starring role in a new film about British writer CS Lewis (1989-1963) – author of The Narnia Chronicles, including The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – and his conversion from committed atheist to a reluctant believer in Christianity.

Directed by Norman Stone, railway scenes for The Most Reluctant Convert were filmed at Didcot in September 2020.

The film has been directed by 1A Productions, which is headed by double BAFTA and EMMY award winner Norman Stone for New York City-based Fellowship for Performing Arts. This is a not-for-profit production company producing theatre and film from a Christian world viewpoint, founded by awardwinning actor Max McLean. Stone also wrote the script for and directed the film.

It opened in USA theatres to great success in November, with many extra screenings added around the world. A DVD was due to be released soon.

McLean himself stars as the older Lewis, and Nicholas Ralph as young Lewis. Filmed in and around Oxford, the film follows the tragic death of his mother when he was just nine years old, his strained relationship with his father, through the nightmare of the trenches of World War One to Oxford University, where fellow intellectuals – all of whom were Christians, including Lord of the Rings creator JRR Tolkien – challenged him to consider the logical, mythological, and literary cases for their faith.

Meanwhile, on November 7, Didcot hosted the Antiques Road Trip TV show.

Presenters Natasha Raskin Sharp and James Braxton viewed videos of an auction on their iPads inside GWR Special Saloon No. 9002.

The episode was broadcast on BBC One on Thursday, January 6.

Above: GWR Saint 4-6-0 No.2999 Lady of Legend arrives while CS Lewis as a young man (played by Nicholas Ralph) awaits his tutor, William T Kirkpatrick (David Gant), who he and his brother nicknamed The Great Knock.

FRANK DUMBLETON Left: Didcot’s transfer shed set up as a station, with the young Clive Staples Lewis and his father boarding a train to school.

William T Kirkpatrick and CS Lewis leave the station, while Max McLean, who plays C S Lewis as an older man, follows them.

Natasha Raskin Sharp and James Braxton during the filming of Antiques Road Trip on November 7.