Where are they now? The kids from Raven who took on the Way of The Warrior

Raven was the show of our childhood. The gold rings, the emblems, the black feathers, the Way of The Warrior. And Raven himself, what a man. Cloaked entirely in black feathers with a stern Scottish accent, ordering children into mazes where they would get bludgeoned by massive shields.

The internet can tell you everything you need to know about what Raven has been up to. But what about all the little warriors? Are they still hitting each other with foam sticks on a pontoon in the middle of a lake in Scotland? Battering each other until one of them falls in, drenching their tunic?

Yes, this is a little bit weird, but tell me you’re not intrigued to know what it was like being on the show, and wondering what the hell they’re up to now. We tracked down some ex-warriors to find out.

Pamela “Padwy” Dwyer – Series One, Week Three, 2002

Then

Now

Pamela Dwyer is an actress, and appeared on the first series in 2002 when she was eight. Known as “Padwy” she actually appeared in the pilot when the show was called ‘The Decimator’. Rogue name, glad they changed it.

She says she was terrified of every challenge and describes herself as the most useless warrior ever, having thrown up and fainted on the first morning of filming.

Pamela was one of the kids who managed to get to the top of the tree during the “Leap of Faith” challenge before getting scared, eventually limply hopping into mid-air, miles away from the gold ring they were supposed to be grabbing. An iconic part of the show.

She was allowed to keep one of the gold rings and a black feather after finishing filming, and still receives fan mail on Facebook to this day. Mad. Now a professional actress, she still appears in front of cameras, but not usually dressed in robes and walking in single-file behind a bearded Scottish man with more than a penchant for hair gel.

Mark “Lamar” Mclaughlin – Series One, Week Two, 2002

Then

Mark McLaughlin, who preferred for us to just use screenshots from his time on Raven (the fame must have gotten too much), is a house husband. He also appeared in the first series in 2002 as “Lamar” and ended up winning the entire show.

He completed the Way of The Warrior, running through the portal to be greeted on the other side by Raven and the entire TV crew who were cheering and throwing flowers and confetti at him.

His prize was a boating holiday around the Dominican Republic. Mark and his entire family were put up in a 2* hotel, “the cheapskates” he says, but also that they had a great time celebrating his success.

When he returned home he was teased by kids who were jealous of his achievement. Known as “The boy who won Raven” he was called names such as “ginger pubes” and got himself into fights. In one incident he punched another kid and bit his ear drawing blood, earning himself the new nickname “Iron Mark”. In hindsight a pretty bad idea to mess with the kid who has gone toe-to-toe with the Way of The Warrior and come out on top. “Let’s just say he didn’t call me ‘ginger pubes’ again.”

Lladel “Bryal” Bryant – Series One, Week Three, 2002

Then

Now

Another professional actor, Lladel had to attempt the classic challenge where you would have to avoid disturbing the hooded characters on the ‘Isle of Demons’, while simultaneously trying to hook gold rings off a tall totem pole. He didn’t win the task but resolved to keep his head up, saying he would “keep on fighting and hopefully get the next one”. Supposedly bringing this experience into his current day job, competing for parts at auditions in an industry that’s tough to crack.