Operation Third Form

Operation Third Form, features a fresh-faced John Moulder-Brown (Deep End) in a sparkling performance as the schoolboy out to foil a pair of north London crooks, is a pacey boy's own adventure complete with a groovy 1960s soundtrack.

This is quite an enjoyable caper that sees a group of young school children set up a complex sting operation to trap Derren Nesbitt ("Skinner") and his boss George Roderick who have pinched their antique school bell - and have their sights set on a valuable painting too. It's all the more enjoyable to watch 50-odd years later when looking back on the days when nobody has a mobile phone: the boys use their ingenuity, bicycles, phone boxes, a pram and the good old London bus to keep tabs on their quarry - with codewords and a meticulously planned enterprise - ensuring that they can repatriate their bell and make sure their friendly local rag and bone man escapes the suspicions of the law. It's not an hour long, and I found that it flew by. Sure, the production is all a bit basic and the plot somewhat far-fetched, but as a kid I recall these Children's Film Foundation efforts fondly - and this one still deserves a gander.