Raven: The Secret Temple is a BBC Scotland children's adventure game show, and the second spin-off to the main series, Raven. It comprises one series, which aired first on the CBBC Channel, and then during CBBC on BBC One in the United Kingdom, in 2007. In this series, warriors compete as teams and attempt to collect as many jewels as possible by completing fourteen tasks, so that they may find and enter the Secret Temple.
Production The series was commissioned by the BBC Scotland Children's Department and filmed in India.
Plot For more information of the plot arc over the course of the series, see Challenges.
After his homeland is held frozen captive under the icy grip of his enemy Nevar, Raven travels to an Eastern land with 16 of his young warriors in the hopes of finding the Secret Temple. Within the temple lies the elixir that will restore his homeland to its former glory and release his land from Nevar's spell. In the East, he finds an ally in Satyarani, who will guide Raven and his warriors to the temple, but only if they prove their worthiness by completing fourteen perilous tasks; only the strongest warrior will be able to enter the temple and retrieve the elixir from within. Unfortunately, Nevar and his demons have followed Raven and his warriors, determined to stop them from completing their quest at any cost.
Format Similar to Raven, the series features a set of challenges that warriors must undertake. The sixteen warriors being whittled down over time as warriors are lost during each challenge. However, in contrast, the warriors are split into teams of four, each under a different standard and different colour of clothing: the Panthers (purple), the Eagles (red), the Wolves (orange) and the Tigers (yellow). Each has a team leader, which was decided initially by two challenges for each team, the winner would become the leader. Each day, the teams complete (separately) one of the fourteen different challenges in an attempt to collect jewels, which may be used to bring a team member back should they be eliminated.
In further contrast to the main Raven series, there are no lives for each warrior. If a warrior is lost during a challenge, for instance, running out of time in a timed game, the warrior is eliminated. Satyarani, who governs the rules of the challenges, decrees that a warrior may be brought back in exchange for eight jewels should the team choose to do so. However, this may only occur once for each warrior. Should a warrior be eliminated twice, they may not be brought back, regardless of whether the team has enough jewels to do so.
Characters Raven (James Mackenzie): Raven returns in this series, travelling to a distant Eastern land to guide the sixteen warriors through their quest to discover the Secret Temple and find the sacred elixir within that will restore his homeland. He must also ensure their safety by battling Nevar and the demons he has brought with him.
Nevar (in this series, Nageswara Rao): After freezing Raven's homeland, the mysterious cloaked, dark figure follows Raven to the Eastern land to attempt to stop his warriors from completing their quest, commanding an army of demons and using an all-seeing eye, a dish of water through which he can spy on Raven and his warriors as they complete their quest. He is referred to as the Dark One by Satyarani.
Satyarani (Tara Sharma): Satyarani is a friend and ally of Raven's. A princess, fashioned from the earth itself and with the ability to transport herself through the air in the form of a dust cloud, she inhabits the Eastern land and guides the warriors through challenges, helping Raven on the journey to the Secret Temple. Perhaps less compassionate, and more doubting than Raven about his warriors, she often visits them at the start and the end of the day to question them about the choices they have made.
Warriors Sixteen warriors started the quest, with four to each team; the leader for each team was decided on the first day through two trials. As with the main Raven series, each warrior is given their own warrior name, comprising a mix of letters from the first name and surname. Each team has distinct colours reflected in their standards and their Eastern-inspired outfits.
The teams and warriors are listed below, with yellow cells indicating the warrior went through to the finals. The warrior in gold indicates the winner, silver for second place and bronze for third.
PanthersWarrior NameReal NameElimination 1Elimination 2ResultSonro (L1)***Rob McPhersonField of the Dead1stArtonJonathan StrachanObelisks of the SunChariots13thAksu (L2)Supriya Chak The Gulley +9thYonraRobyn LeonardTemple Spirit RunThe Gulley +7th
EaglesWarrior NameReal NameElimination 1Elimination 2ResultYeada (L)Thea DayStepping StonesSnakes and Ladders +6thTaylanAngus TaylorThrall ThreadsSnake Charmer +5thKarjaJanhvi DevalekarThe Way of the Dead +4thSamraRaghav RayasamStepping Stones **12th
WolvesWarrior NameReal NameElimination 1Elimination 2ResultDesot (L)Tom IstedField of the DeadThe Gulley +8thLymelClemmie BaileyThrall ThreadsStepping Stones10thTiborRob WhitmoreTemple Spirit Run **16thNebraSanchia ErboksThrall Threads **15th
TigersWarrior NameReal NameElimination 1Elimination 2ResultMarca (L)Carys ThomasThrall ThreadsChamber of the Three-Headed Serpent +3rdSoharCharlotte Moss-McCroryChamber of the Three-Headed Serpent +2ndJenroJoseph TurnerWaters of Time *14thHadavDiveakksh SchaePillars of CourageChariots11th *Not enough jewels to be brought back.
**Team elected not to bring the warrior back.
***Stripped of leadership after being brought back.
+Elimination on final challenges with no option to bring back
Challenges Seven virtues must be completed before the warriors may enter the Secret Temple. Each has two trials for the warriors to complete, making fourteen challenges in all. In each challenge, four jewels are available to be won.
Speed
Temple Spirit Run: Bags containing either sand or jewels are suspended from the ceiling, and are raised and lowered repeatedly. The warriors must run and jump to grab the bags and find one of four that contains a jewel and present it to the sole spirit guard keeping watch before the time runs out, lest he eliminate them from their quest.
Eliminations: Tibor of the Wolves and Yonra of the Panthers, only Yonra was brought back.
Waters of Time: Speed is of the essence in this challenge, where the warriors must run carrying water from one side, to the long containers at the other. Filling the containers raises the precious jewel so that the warrior may reach in and receive their reward. If the jewel is not held when the second drum beats, the warrior will be eliminated.
Eliminations: Jenro of the Tigers, who was not brought back as the team didn't have enough jewels to do so, also, Jenro had injured his hip during the challenge. Jenro was about to get his jewel but the drum sounded and the serpent took him as he was tipping the water in.
Strength
Obelisks of the Sun: The warriors must reconstruct a shattered statue by carrying the pieces to the top of the hill and assembling them within the time limit. Doing so will focus the sunlight to produce a jewel; failure to do so will result in the warrior's elimination.
Eliminations: Arton of the Panthers, who was brought back. He was about to put his final piece on when the drum sounded.
Chariots: Each warrior sits in a chariot that they must move forward by pulling on a guide rope, and tug themselves over the bumps that block an otherwise speedy path. They must collect the pieces of tube along the way that, when constructed, allows them to unhook a jewel bag strung high overhead. Failure to retrieve a jewel and make it back to the start within the time limit will end the warrior's quest.
Eliminations: Arton of the Panthers and Hadav of the tigers, who could not be brought back because both of them had been eliminated before. Lymel suffered heatstroke and was unable to do the chariot challenge, so Desot got her gem for her.
Agility
Bridge/Stepping Stones: The team of warriors must traverse a set of rocks without touching the ground, collecting jewel bags along the way, that may contain either pebbles or jewels. Should they touch the ground, they will be eliminated. Bridge provides the warriors with planks of wood they may use to cross from stone to stone. Stepping Stones provides no such support, and warriors must jump to find their way to the exit.
Eliminations: Yeada and Samra of the Eagles and Lymel of the Wolves. Lymel could not be brought back because she had already been eliminated once, Desot told her not to go for any jewels but she did. In the Eagles, only Yeada was brought back.
Thrall Threads: A tangled web awaits the team of warriors, who must traverse through the threads without knocking any of them, as this will cause bells attached to the strings to ring, alerting the spirit guards to their presence and punishing them for their carelessness via elimination. Several jewel bags are attached in hard-to-reach positions, delicately connected to the threads themselves.
Eliminations: Lymel and Nebra of the Wolves, Marca of the Tigers and Taylan of the Eagles. Nebra was not brought back but the others were.
Courage
Pillars of Courage: Courage is tested, as each warrior must traverse the gaps between a set of sturdy pillars, from one side of a building to the other. Failure to find this courage, or loose footing resulting in the warrior falling, will see that warrior's quest come to an abrupt end. Jewel bags are suspended above each pillar for those warriors brave enough to reach high above them.
Eliminations: Hadav of the Tigers was brought back.
The Ledge: Courage is once again tested at great heights, each warrior tasked with making their way from one side of a building to the other, with a thin ledge as their only path. Any warrior who lacks the courage, or should fall, will no longer be a part of the quest. Jewel bags may be reached above a warrior's head.
Leadership
Enchanted Demons: The warriors must each pick up a rope, connected to the centre of a circle guarded by spirit guards and use the hook in the centre to pick up a casket containing the jewels. The guards, normally kept in slumber owing to an enchantment read by an old man nearby, will wake when the ropes are taken up and the man becomes silent, and begin to pace round the circle, becoming ever faster. Should the guards touch either the warrior or the ropes, that warrior will be eliminated. Field of the Dead: One warrior is elected to be blindfolded, and be guided by another warrior through a time-worn field that was once host to a great battle. Jewel bags are suspended in strategic locations; the blindfolded warrior must be careful not to touch the many strewn swords, weaponry, skulls and fallen men, or they too will find their end on this field.
Eliminations: Desot of the Wolves and Sonro of the Panthers were both brought back. The remaining Panthers, Aksu and Yonra, decided to have Aksu to take Sonro's place as leader.
Wisdom
Rangoli Ring: A set of symbols are placed around a large circle, with the jewels placed on a pillar in the centre. However, the circle will erupt into flame if approached, unless the warriors are able to draw the correct symbols missing from three of the surrounding circles. The warriors must identify the correct completed drawing from the five presented to them, and transcribe the three missing symbols accurately into the empty circles using the colour powders provided, and within the time limit, or the jewels will be lost. On completing the symbols, any mistakes made will cause the fire to erupt when a stone is tossed into the centre, whilst a correct set of symbols will allow them to pass freely and collect the jewels as their reward.
Failures: The Wolves