Coconuts (1990)

Richard Briers was such a versatile actor. He had the kind of face and voice that could apply to almost any role that was offered to him. From radio to stage to television to voice-overs, there are those who will remember him for one specific show or character - whether it'd be 'The Good Life', 'Roobarb', 'King Lear', 'Watership Down', 'P. G. Wodehouse', 'Monarch of the Glen' and an endless list of audiobooks (my personal favourites being the 'Wind in the Willows' sequels written by William Horwood).

In fact, Richard has starred in so many roles - leading and secondary - that it would be difficult to try and list them all. Some of these end up being sidelined and forgotten for some reason or other. This is one of them.

'Coconuts' is a little gem of a cartoon. Set on the tropical island of Guacamole, it focuses on the (mis)adventures of the clever, self-important Parrot, Minister to the bad-tempered, eccentric King Lion, who dotes on Parrot to do his every Royal bidding. Often, though, Parrot enlists the help of his assistant - the obliging but dim-witted Monkey - to do the jobs that Parrot tries to avoid. But it's not long before things go awry and then Parrot is forced to pull his weight by putting things right. Most of the time, if there is an opportunity for financial or personal gain, Parrot doesn't hesitate in trying to grasp either.

The title of the series seems rather fitting then that things become a little "nuts" in some shape or form!

On closer inspection, much of the humour for this series seems to draw inspiration from the popular Blackadder - ironically, Coconuts was released not long after Blackadder Goes Forth had first aired back in 1989. In fact, it's all too easy to imagine Blackadder and Baldrick reimagined as Parrot and Monkey (with Prince George more-or-less in the role of King Lion). Whether that was intended or not is hard to say. What I will say is that Coconuts is not only cleverly written, but nicely animated, designed and very pleasing to watch, made at a time when made-for-TV animation was slowly starting to pick up in terms of quality. 

In short: it's just plain fun! And bringing Richard in to voice all the characters is the cherry on this colourful cake.

The series was created and written by Graham Garside. Most of his life was dedicated to being Senior Graphic Designer and Animator at Central Television (ITV). These included Cosgrove Hall's 'The Talking Parcel', 'Jamie and the Magic Torch', 'Spot's Magical Christmas' and several title sequences - 'Bullseye', 'Emu's World' and 'Bloodbath at the House of Death' (not one for the kids!). He has also co-written/drawn the book 'Learn To Draw Animated Cartoons' with Janet Nunn.

Another surprise for me was discovering that Paul K. Joyce provided the theme tune and instrumental music here. In fact, this was his first television work as a composer. He would later go on to write music and theme tunes for many other shows afterwards, including 'Budgie the Little Helicopter', 'The Worst Witch' and 'Bob the Builder'.

Coconuts aired on ITV and ran for thirteen episodes. Unfortunately, all that remains is a single VHS cassette tape. I knew nothing about this until I came upon the episodes online by chance, as one often does whilst browsing on YouTube these days. Like many things in life, it was short but sweet, and so deserving of a proper DVD release if the master copies still exist somewhere (Or failing that, new life on a streaming app / service somewhere).

As for Graham: he too seems to have disappeared off the radar. But wherever he is, I'm sure that those that he worked with are grateful for his contributions to the animation world, however small they might have been. And it's only fair that people like me ensure that they don't go unnoticed.

"...And so it was!"

Check out Paul Joyce's website to see the other shows he's composed music for!

A Bit Of Variety

These days, many animated shows have episodes that play out between 11 minutes to a full half-hour, if anything to fill the required time slot for American broadcasting. Call me a stick-in-the-mud, but there was a time when episodes were no longer than 6 to 7 minutes, just as the original theatrical shorts that were played before the feature-length picture are (and still do, thank goodness).
Of course, it really depends on the type of shows that need a longer time format to tell a full beginning, middle and end, which is understandable. But what I really miss these days is seeing the classic "variety" format.

Just a handful of Bill and Joe's television stars...

To put it simply, a "variety" show is a TV Series with more than one segment, each featuring different sets of characters - Hanna-Barbera and Jay Ward established this format for their made-for-TV shows, which introduced the world to Quick Draw McGraw and Rocky and Bullwinkle among others.

These "varieties" continued as far as mid 2000 with various other channels having a go - Disney Channel (Raw Toonage), Fox Kids (Toonsylvania), Cartoon Network (Dexter's Laboratory) among others. But as time went on, the three-to-five variety format slowly dwindled away to two (Cow and Chicken, Grim and Evil, Pink Panther and Pals), until for whatever reason the other segment would quietly fade away after the first season.

Based on viewing rates, it would depend on which segment / characters proved to be the more popular. And in most cases, along with a lot of luck, some of the more popular characters would be given their own spin-offs. Case in point with Shaun the Sheep, Pinky and the Brain or even Yogi Bear.

    Animani...Totally insane-y!

One of the most recognisable "variety" series has been Animaniacs. Here, Tom Ruegger and his team experimented with and developed a huge selection of characters, each with their own settings yet based with the same "universe". In fact, one episode that remains a personal favourite is the "Animaniacs Stew", which saw the cast-members deliberately "mixed-up".

Even Cosgrove Hall Films got in on the act, bringing to life Vampires, Pirates and Aliens, based on the series of books by Colin Hawkins and Jacqui Hawkins. As the title suggests, it follows three different sets of characters from the seven seas to outer space to the usual "spooky castle" setting.

What I'm trying to say is that these sort of shows are worth watching because there is no "main character" to follow, there aren't any ongoing storylines that interconnect with one another like some soap opera, and we're allowed to jump from various worlds with - if lucky - potential crossovers from one or more segments.

But what's more important is that there is no risk of exhausting certain characters for further seasons down the line. At least with a variety show, the writers and storyboarders aren't shackled to a set local and wind up either repeating themselves or "jumping the shark".

Then again, there have been rare occasions when a creative writing team can still make the most of a limited cast - whether it's 11 minutes of Ed, Edd n Eddy or 5 minutes of Oggy and the Cockroaches, both shows which have managed a sizeable number of episodes between them. But I still stand my belief that a few additional characters and "worlds" would really add some new flavours to television for kids.

In fact, what prompted me to write this blog post came about after reading an interview from Vice President of Warner Bros, Jay Bastian, on the latest Tom and Jerry Show (2014). The show itself isn't too bad, but what rather irked me was this section in terms of "changing things up";

"…we’re also doing something with this show where we’ve got four rotating scenarios. There’s one what we call it the “classic” scenario, where they’re in a house, and they have reoccurring owners…Then we’ve got one where Jerry is a mouse in a lab, where there’s a professor always trying to come up with new inventions whether giving one another super powers or the ability to fly…The same with another scenario where we’ve got Tom is the cat of two witches, and Tom has access to spell books and magic wands that he and Jerry can get into all new trouble with. Then the fourth scenario is cat and mouse detectives, where they’re essentially working together, which they did in a lot of classic shorts to try and solve a mystery…"

And there lies the issue. Four different scenarios, three of which could have gone to entirely different characters, and instead they stuck with the T&J cast. Wasted potential, in my honest opinion. This was why I liked Tom and Jerry Kids for a time because there were different characters to watch, new settings and tales to explore. There wasn't just one cast for two eleven-minute episodes - heck, T&J Kids even gave secondary characters a few lead roles for a change. That, my friends, is how you "mix things up" for better watching, because in some cases watching the same characters for a prolonged amount of time can get quite boring.


...and confidentially, Warner Bros, you already have a cat-and-mouse detective duo. Look through your Hanna-Barbera Library and you may find Snooper and Blabber somewhere.


If ever I'm given the chance to pitch a show one day, I intend to give the old variety format another shot for possible redemption - pretty much how 3D Glasses for Cinematic viewing have made a quiet return to the theatres. The demand might not be as high as it once was, with today's generation turning to action heroes (Ben 10) or overly-weird concepts (Uncle Grandpa), but all I ask is for one cartoon show that offers three or more individual segments to swap between. It'll keep your audience interested and give the production team a lot more to work with.

After all, "Variety is the spice of life."

Little Robots (2003)

It is no stranger to all in the media biz that these days, any series or movie that features a "big time celebrity" is instantly branded a hit - when in truth, it is partly used as a marketing ploy in order to get the public's attention to what the producers hope will be the next best thing.
That all depends on the quality of the show or the performance of the celebrity (or more importantly, if said celebrities are chosen because they fit the character rather than how important they are). If neither manages to hold up then the efforts of the production team involved will be for none.

However, this show, from what I have seen, succeeds in both categories...

As with many kid's shows, Little Robots started out life as a children's book written and illustrated by Mike Brownlow way back in 1999. It's a cute little read full of rhymes about various types of robots - spotty ones, messy ones, noisy ones of all colours and shapes and sizes. And it caught the eye of Cosgrove Hall / Create TV & Film Ltd at some point, who brought Mike on to adapt his little book as an animated series, which involved designing and defining a full cast based on the many robots he drew.

The series focused on 12 little robots, who create their own special world beneath a scrapyard, proving that it's not just the Wombles who can recycle junk! Next to the fun scripts and the colourful stop-motion models crafted by Mackinnon and Saunders, the cast list is just as impressive - and it's helped greatly that each have a comedy or acting background to boot;

• Tiny, the helpful little mechanic, was played by Hayley Carmichael (co-founder of theatrical company Told By An Idiot), who lives in the Nut and Bolt tree with his dog Messy

• Lenny Henry played Sporty, a fitness fanatic

• The grumpy but organised Stretchy was played by long-standing writer and voice actor Jimmy Hibbert (of Cosgrove Hall fame)

• Rusty, the shy little lass, was played just adorably by Morwenna Banks (who these days is kept very busy playing 'Mummy Pig' for Peppa Pig)

• The gentle giant Stripy, who is never without his Teddy, was played by Martin Clunes (who is best remembered for his work on Men Behaving Badly and Doc Martin)

• Su Pollard (Penny Crayon, Hi-De-Hi!) fits into her role very nicely as Noisy...no questions asked!

• The (literally) well-rounded Spotty was performed by Emma Chambers. Very different to her role as the naive Alice Tinker from The Vicar Of Dibley!

• Comedian Mike Hayley played one of my favourite characters - the theatrical Scary, with a touch of Donald Sinden involved...and like Tiny, he has his own companion in the form of Flappy the Bat

• The Sparky Twins were played by comedian duo Mel and Sue (Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins respectively) Mel has also lent her voice for Mist: Sheepdog Tales and is currently the presenter for the 4 0'Clock Show for BBC Radio 4 Extra, whilst Sue became recognised for her work presenting The Great British Bake Off.

 

As I've said before, unless celebrities involved in any production don't fit their characters at all (or at least perform them well) then the show or movie will very likely flop. As it is, for this series, each and every one played their parts just beautifully. With so many characters to play off from, each with their own distinctive personalities, it allowed the writers to come up with many clever episodes, enough to teach the kids a subtle moral while also giving their parents something to giggle at, too.

And it has since paid off - the series became more recognised when it was broadcast overseas via BBC Worldwide, and the characters have even taken part in Peter Kay's All-Star Animated Band for Children in Need.

All four seasons can still be watched today on the cBeebies digital channel - proving how an electrifying series like this can make proper, careful decisions when casting celebrities into their ideal roles. It helps as well that pre-school shows such as these don't have to be Dora the Explorer clones to keep kids amused ;-)

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Mike Brownlow's Little Robots Page!

Toonhound remembers the Little Robots

BBC Report on the Little Robots launch

Creepy Crawlies (1987)

Throughout its legacy, Cosgrove Hall Films have brought to the world a great many shows, feature-lengths and TV Specials for audiences of all ages to adore. But with such hits like Danger Mouse, Count Duckula and the Wind in the Willows, it is rather a shame that Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall's other lesser-known pieces are left behind and forgotten about - that is until a DVD release graces them for a second wind.

Take the case of this show then...

Created by Bridget Appleby, Creepy Crawlies told the stories of a band of insects who all lived near "an old broken sundial that nobody wanted". It starred Lambeth the strong-but-dim beetle, Suppose the mopy red-nosed worm, the snooty snail Mr. Harrison, Ariadne the friendly spider, Anorak the woodlouse (who insisted that he was a Pillbug), the gentle Ladybird who has trouble with her R's and the very old caterpillar known as The Ancient.

Yes, long before Anthony Ant, long before A Bug's Life, even longer then before Insektors, these little insects gave us a look in to the everyday lives of an Invertebrate...which, for this series, may not seem much to some. Compared to Cosgrove Hall's other shows like the Avenger Penguins or Victor and Hugo, there's not a lot that actually happens here that one may call exciting.

However, after finally getting the chance to watch this series for the first time, I am actually quite taken with the writing here. All 52 episodes were written by Peter Richard Reeves - who contributed a sizeable number of scripts for Count Duckula - and in my personal opinion, it feels as though he might have been inspired by the lines of A. A. Milne and Kenneth Grahames in terms of the writing style for Creepy Crawlies. In that there is a lot of verbal humour and vast amount of character interactions that glitters with intellectual dialogue...even Lambeth's muddled way of speaking feels very BFG-ish.

Mr. Harrison, Lambeth and Suppose

Then of course, equal amount of phrase goes to the modelling dept of Cosgrove Hall. The characters all look the part in their scaled up garden settings, which makes it all the more beautiful with every episode ending with the lead characters watching the sunset after every "adventure".

The character voices were provided by Paul Nicholas - who has done a lot of work on stage and in the charts over the years, but is probably remembered more for starring in the BBC sitcom "Just Good Friends". And the perfect package to this series is Keith Hopwood and Malcolm Rowe, who contributed the catchy theme tune and credit song.

With many modern-day animated shows becoming more colourful and wackier nowadays, it's no wonder why Creepy Crawlies has been left behind. Yet those that know me would know that I embrace the obscure, the diamonds in the rough - and I find that this show's slow yet timeless style of entertainment that has made it different amongst Cosgrove Hall's vast library. It's really a shame therefore that there have only been a handful of VHS cassettes and hardly anything else since.

But then we've seen several of Cosgrove Hall's other lesser-known productions make the jump to DVD, like their adaptations of Truckers and The Fool Of The World And The Flying Ship. So one can only keep one's eyes open for that old broken sundial and its residents to be given the same chance one day...

In keeping with the theme of gardens, Bridget Appleby went on to redesign Bill and Ben for a brief comeback return in 2001 as well as create the look for Fifi and the Flowertots in 2005 - all part of her 30 year career in animation!

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Toonhound remembers Creepy Crawlies!
BBC Interview with Bridget Appleby

Avenger Penguins

Avenger Penguins may seem like an unabashed parody of Biker Mice From Mars, but that was the beauty of Cosgrove Hall - they had the ability to poke fun at the latest "fads" going on in America with a slight British spin on them in the humour dept.

This 1993 series focused on Marlon, Bluey and Rocky, a trio of bike-riding penguins who protected Big City (no relation ;-) ) from the evil mastermind Caractacus. P Doom with whatever creature he was able to create from the Monstertron.

It really is a mad little show, but in a good way. There's no end to the in-jokes and pop culture references that went on here, likewise with the kooky customers who visited Bella's Cafe for a Haddock Milkshake - which included the brilliant Badly-Drawn Brothers. Cosgrove Hall proved it wasn't shy in keeping up with the times and giving us more characters alongside Danger Mouse, Count Duckula and Victor and Hugo to adore. Heck, even "Planet Cute" makes a cameo in a Penguins episode...!

By this time also, long-time writer Brian Trueman had left Cosgrove Hall to spread his wings, which left Jimmy Hibbert to handle the "new crew" who had come on board. And having watched both seasons, it's safe to say he and his team did a very good job here, which included Roger Stennett and animator-turned-writer Malcolm McGookin. It was also one of the last of CH's shows that was cel-animated as by this time, all animation studios were slowly converting to digitally-painted methods to speed up production.

And what other animated series could include the vocal talents of Mike McShane and Lorelei King as part of the voice cast? Whether it was the heroes, heroines, villains or minor characters, Mike and Lorelei did wonders alongside Jimmy and, newcomer at the time, Rob Rackstraw, who would later contribute vast amount of voice work for Bob the Builder among other productions.

Throw in a kick-ass theme song by Paul Young, and you've another reason why 90's Animated Shows were considered the Silver Age. So "Bike Up!" and nab the 3-disc DVD Collection if you can!

Toonhound remembers Avenger Penguins

The Foxbusters (1999)

The subject for this blog post has a first-and-last theme to it. It was one of the first books written by the famous Dick King-Smith (Babe, the Water Horse) which set the bar for a lifetime career as a children's writer, and one of Cosgrove Hall's last "great" shows before turning their focus to the pre-school market for the remainder of its lifespan.

The original book, first published in 1978, tells the story of the chickens of Foxearth Farm, a special breed by the fact that they could fly - in particular, three of the more gifted hens (Ransom, Sims and Jeffries) help rage war against their age-old enemy the foxes, in what has been described as "Dambusters for kids"!

Many of Dick's stories were based on his years as a farmer himself, which comes as no surprise here. This particular book has a slightly dark but comedic tone, in which blood is spilt, feathers ruffled and containing "fowl language" throughout (all hen-related puns, of course!). And where the balance between predator and prey is thrown off completely with logical, clever storytelling.
 
How this came to animation was an interesting one. Before the turn of the millennium, David Freedman and Alan Gilbey (The Mr Hell Show) developed the book for Cosgrove Hall Films. A "pilot" had been made in 1997 to promote the series, which was intended to be based during WW2 (in fact, some of the original animation from there was reused in the final title sequence). However, such is the way, further changes were made until few elements of the book remained saved for character and location names, although by then only the titular characters themselves could fly.

Still, it seemed to have been worth it. Along with co-writer Joel Jessup, the show ran for two seasons and picked up several BAFTA awards along the way. Thanks to its sparkling comedy, perfectly British through 'n' through, it sits very nicely alongside Danger Mouse, Count Duckula and Victor and Hugo for insane plots and even madder characters.

Credit also due to the voice actors involved, with old favourites Jimmy Hibbert and Rob Rackstraw supporting the leading ladies - Jane Horricks as "Jolly Jeffries", Joanne Lumley as "Serious Sims" but most surprising of all, Whoopi Goldberg as "Ransome the Ringleader". How I'd love to hear the story behind that casting...!!

Sadly, only the first season has been made available to DVD in the UK. And as always it's a shame on account that the episodes become madder and funnier in the season that followed. Still, perhaps there's hope yet if only the rights to the series weren't quite so "scrambled"...!

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Download the Fox Busters audiobook - read by Nigel Planer

More of the Foxbusters Animated Series from Toonhound

Buy the Foxbusters on DVD from Play.com!

An Open Letter to CITV

Dear CITV,

We (that is everyone who grew up throughout the 80's and 90's) would like to share our united thanks for your fantastic Old Skool weekend on the 6th and 7th of January. It was without doubt the best way to celebrate your 30th anniversary by broadcasting the best of the best - a perfect blend of animation, comedy, game shows and drama, all of which were lovely to have seen again on the small screen after so long. I can say with complete satisfaction that I enjoyed each and every one to its fullest, all with good reason.

These are the viewing rates for the entire weekend;

(Source: Digital Spy / 'Sooty, Sweep and Soo' Facebook Page)

CITV - SATURDAY

09:25 - Mike and Angelo: 150k (2.3%)

09:50 - Super Gran: 203k (2.9%)

10:15 - Wizadora: 240k (3.1%)

10:30 - T-Bag: 304k (3.8%)

10:50 - Engie Benjy: 234k (3.0%)

11:05 - The Raggy Dolls: 308k (3.9%)

11:15 - Puddle Lane: 297k (3.8%)

11:35 - Count Duckula: 349k (4.4%)

12:00 - The Sooty Show: 396k (4.6%)

12:25 - Art Attack: 377k (4.2%)

12:40 - The Big Bang: 345k (3.5%)

13:00 - Finders Keepers: 411k (4.0%)

13:30 - Fun House: 403k (3.7%)

14:00 - Knightmare: 361k (3.2%)

14:30 - Fraggle Rock: 324k (3.0%)

15:00 - The Worst Witch: 199k (1.7%)

15:30 - Woof!: 247k (2.0%)

16:00 - Dramarama: 145k (1.0%)

16:30 - Press Gang: 163k (1.0%)

17:00 - The Tomorrow People: 134k (0.7%)

17:30 - Children's Ward: 83.5k (0.4%)

CITV - SUNDAY

09:25 - Mike and Angelo - 209k

09:50 - Spatz - 270k

10:15 - Huxley Pig - 297k

10:30 - Rainbow - 369k

10:50 - Button Moon - 448k

11:05 - The Riddlers - 453k

11:15 - Rosie and Jim - 457k

11:35 - Dangermouse - 544k

12:00 - Sooty and Co - 448k

12:25 - How 2 - 439k

12:40 - Finger Tips - 280k

13:00 - Jungle Run - 323k

13:30 - Fun House - 407k

14:00 - Knightmare - 325k

14:30 - Fraggle Rock - 226k

15:00 - My Parents Are Aliens - 154k

15:30 - Woof! - 79k

16:00 - Dramarama - 38k

16:30 - Press Gang - 71k

17:00 - The Tomorrow People - 65k

17:30 - Children's Ward - 28

The Top 10 Highest Ratings Shows (SATURDAY)

01 - Finders Keepers

02 - Fun House

03 - The Sooty Show

04 - Art Attack

05 - Knightmare

06 - Count Duckula

07 - The Big Bang

08 - Fraggle Rock

09 - The Raggy Dolls

10 - T-Bag

The Top 10 Highest Ratings Shows (SUNDAY)

01 - Dangermouse

02 - Rosie and Jim

03 - The Riddlers

04 - Sooty and Co

05 - Button Moon

06 - How 2

07 - Fun House

08 - Rainbow

09 - Jungle Run

10 - Knightmare

Still the Greatest after all this time!

To put this into perspective, the highest-rated programme on your digital channel is "Horrid Henry" with just 269k. In less than two days, Danger Mouse had broken the record for the highest ratings ever with 544k. Not just because of the nostalgic factor, but because this series - as with many of Cosgrove Hall's shows - has upheld against the tests of time, undoubtedly the best of British Animation. With humour that is clever and not vulgar, characters that are solidified but not exaggerated, and acting that is genuine and not forced.

The same also applies for the pre-school shows that were aired. Even aimed at a younger audience, the likes of Button Moon and The Riddlers were smart enough not to talk down to their viewers, whether they were teaching them basic lessons or simply to entertain them for 5 to 10 minutes. The Raggy Dolls' message of being different is still relevant to today's generation (where physical appearance has become more apparent than ever) but cleverly disguised with imaginative storytelling.

Wizadora - you'll adore her...and so would today's kids!

In fact, comparing Wizadora with the odd choice of Engie Benjy, I found the former to be much more interesting than the latter. Wizadora managed to give us a string of witty one-liners as characters interacted with one another, which resulted in a valuable yet subtle moral of friendship. Engie Benjy, on the other hand, downplayed and over-explained everything as if in fear that their audience might not understand the story entirely. And while Wizadora did break the "fourth wall" by interacting with the viewers, it wasn't as constant as Engie Benjy, which in this fashion quickly became tiresome and distracted attention from the episode.

It has also become evident that, as with CBBC and Disney Channel, you have taken a similar interested focus on live-action comedy. And while the American Imports may save costs on creating home-made programmes, they still lack the perfect comedy timing that Mike and Angelo, Woof! and Super Gran contained that made them oh-so popular in their own times. And not all of them required a laugh-track to prompt viewers to 'join in', which was where the quality of "My Parents Are Aliens" had started to slip later in its run...

Far and away, though, the one element missing from your digital channel nowadays is a way of engaging the viewers within the action. That was what made Saturday Mornings much more interesting, where children were allowed to be part of the programme, whether in-studio or as a phone-in contestant, a time when it was great fun to get messy while earning prizes, and a time when a child used their brains and their muscles within each mad challenge ahead. Even the presenters for the Monday - Friday schedule made CITV worth watching because they had more than a disembodied voice to talk to and be greeted by every afternoon.

Back when "Saturday was Tiswas Day!"

Without these Saturday Mornings for kids, there would have been no other way technology or certain famous faces would have gotten to where they are today. Aside from being one of the first to experiment with live phone-ins, Tiswas introduced us to that common game-show ingredient known as “gunge”, Knightmare was revolutionary for introducing such technology like the blue screen chroma - and of course, a huge amount of folks in prime-time media owe their gratitude to their current careers - Ant and Dec, Matthew Kelly, Fearne Cotton, Holly Willoughby, Chris Tarrant - all of which first started out getting their hair washed with gunge and having a high old time with the kids!

And not just game shows, but "funducational" programmes made children want to learn the world and create amazing arts and crafts by hand - before we had Wikipedia or Photoshop, before the internet had exploded, we learnt hundreds of worldly facts from How 2, we learnt from Finger Tips what to make out of cardboard and sticky tape, and we saw how Neil Buchanan of Art Attack created a Surfboarding Santa in Barbados! If most schools had these programmes on-hand, perhaps Science and History lessons wouldn't appear so boring to many 12 - 14 year-olds.

To round off, we must make mention of the drama shows. What made CITV amazing was that, at the time, you weren't afraid to push the envelope now and again. You proved that you weren't afraid of showing a dark side as well as a light. Whether it was frightening the life out of kids with the supernatural tales of Dramarama or showing the harsh reality of Children's Ward that today's children ought to and should know about, covering difficult issues in a sensitive manner.

While it's now possible to revive several shows with today's technology, there are still many that are best left well alone to simple repeated airings (for fear that the same mistakes would be made as reviving Bernard's Watch had proved). However, in case of Sooty - who is still going on stronger than ever - a blend of the old and the new in future schedules would be lovely: showcasing Richard's latest seasons while introducing newer fans to Matthew Corbett (and, one day, a little of Harry Corbett!) in a way that everyone, old and new, is left satisfied.

The mention of that 65 year old yellow bear brings up a key point - longevity. So many of the shows highlighted in this retro feast boasted very long runs in their day, and were surely discovered and enjoyed by several different generations throughout the 80's, 90's and early 00's. Art Attack very nearly managed twenty years on the air, while Fun House and Children's Ward notched up a very respectable decade each. Aside from this obviously meaning plenty in the archive for you to repeat, can you honestly say any of your currently imported shows will still be running or even remembered in ten years?

Now is the perfect time to encourage the current generation to embrace the past alongside the present. Nostalgia is, after all, becoming ever more apparent and celebrated. These vintage programmes, however dated they may appear now, can still offer great entertainment and educational value for your newer, younger audience.

The weekend of the Old Skool has, in my opinion, been a rousing success. Though it may have been intended as a one-off event I really think you should consider another some time soon, or possibly an Old Skool slot in the schedule. If many of these shows aren't graced with DVD releases - be it due to copyright issues or lack of interest - further repeats in future would be most welcome.

When that day comes, I'm sure many others would be more than happy to suggest a great many other programmes of the 80's and 90's that ought to be given a second broadcast - in fact, I have quite a list prepared already...!

Thanks for letting us "rerun the fun".

Your fellow nostalgic viewer,

Christopher Signore

WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO THE SOOTY, SWEEP AND SOO FACEBOOK PAGE FOR VIEWING RATES AND THEKIPPERRUNSAGAIN AS CO-WRITER.

Don't forget to visit Toonhound for more Old Skool British Animation! 

And keep the Nostalgia alive by nabbing a few retro t-shirts from TruffleShuffle!

The Willows In Winter (1996)

Even though my heart will always remain true to Cosgrove Hall's adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's timeless Wind in the Willows, William Horwood's sequels should receive equal admiration for capturing the original spirit of Grahame's characters and text. Each little hidden gems in their own way, intertwined with flawless continuity.

In fact, the first sequel penned by Horwoods, The Willows in Winter, was adapted for animation by HIT Entertainment and TVC for Carlton UK, just over a year after they had brought to life their vision of the first original book - and with its beautiful hand-drawn animation and well-chosen cast, it has in itself remained a much-loved favourite to many since.

Featuring the voices of Alan Bennett, Michael Gambon, Michael Palin and the ever-enthusiastic Rik Mayall!

Read more about The Willows in Winter on Toonhound

Buy the original Willows in Winter book from Amazon.co.uk

CITV - No School like the Old Skool

This year has seen a number of anniversaries, achievements and landmarks celebrated - but for us British, this is one celebration to round off 2012!

Children's ITV - once an after-school programme block and now it's own dedicated Digital Channel - is to celebrate its 30th anniversary with a special documentary in January and an entire weekend of classic shows to air. Featuring old friends like Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, The Raggy Dolls, Children's Ward, Fun House, Huxley Pig and plenty more.

View the schedule for CITV's Old Skool schedule and see if your favourites are listed!

TBH, I'd love to see an Old Skool block become a permanent staple in CITV's schedule. As a child of the late 80's myself, so many of its programmes still hold up against all the merchandise-driven, celebrity-hyped madness of today - which while rakes in the quantity are fleeting in quality. Nostalgia is wonderful stuff that should be cherished than cashed-in or thrown out as this intriguing little article might explain.

And earlier this month, we have seen an example of history being remembered when animation veteran Brian Cosgrove was (finally!) awarded his BAFTA Special at the British Academy Children's Awards - which you can view in full coverage here:

So until January rolls in, relive further memories by viewing a wide selection of UK shows from this special - if lengthy! - little playlist =)

LINKS OF INTEREST:

ATV Today's release of CITV's Old Skool celebrations

Visit Toonhound for a full list of British Animation!

Chuck Jones' Centenary

One of Warner Bros' most renowned directors of all time has finally reached his 100th birthday. From his early "Disney-esque" days with Sniffles the Mouse right to the very last with Thomas Timberwolf, Chuck, along with his own cast and crew - consisting of Mike Maltease, Maurice Noble, Ken Harris and Abe Levitow - have demonstrated his impeccable comedy timing and fantastic facial expressions. During his lifetime career, among many of his creations, the Road Runner and Wile. E. Coyote have become his most famous to date. And it's evident why!

Celebrate his 100th birthday by watching the playlist below - including a snippet of his collaboration with Cosgrove Hall Films' "Peter and the Wolf"!

OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST:

"One for the Road" - a Looney Tunes DC Tribute Comic from 2002

The Official Chuck Jones Homepage

 The Chuck Redux YouTube Page

The Chuck Redux Blog 
Chuck Jones: The Dream That Never Was (Facebook)

Budgie the Little Helicopter

The 90's were a great time for animation. It was, for all of us growing up then, the ultimate period for Saturday Morning shows which were entertaining, high of quality and above all else, original. Whether for preschoolers or older, you can guarantee that there was always something different with the "new blood" rising.

Budgie the Little Helicopter is one of these, who actually has quite a regal back-story.

The little chap started out as a line of children's books written by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, influenced from her flight training in the Royal Navy. Aircraft Characters weren't exactly new at the time - Jimbo and the Jet Set, Dilbert, Harold the Helicopter - but Budgie had such an appeal with his airborne adventures that the Sleepy Kids Company and Fred Wolf Films got together to create a series from the books, to be broadcast on CITV (UK) and Fox Kids (US) respectively.

Based in Dublin, Ireland, the quality of Fred Wolf Films's shows are just an example of what can still be achieved with traditional animation today - since they helped bring to life James Bond Jr, Dino Babies, Disney's The Wuzzles or the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So it's little wonder why the character designs in Budgie have such a Disney-type feel to them, but the setting of Harfield Airfield was strictly British nonetheless.

Another remarkable note of this series was that all three seasons (bar a few episodes) were written by Cosgrove Hall veteran Brian Trueman. You know it's a Trueman episode when there are chunks of continuity, adventure, imagination, research and comedy - but above all, true characterisation throughout.

Budgie and Pippa

Right from the start when "Pippa Arrives", Budgie, Lionel and Chuck have many a tailspin during the show's run - travelling to the Arctic and Holland, constructing a new Airport (with visits from Concorde), saving their own from demolition and many others - while along the way meeting new friends, airborne or grounded. All featuring the voices of Richard Pearce (Budgie), Abigail MacVean (Pippa), Jeremy Nicholas (Lionel), Gorden Lorenz (Chuck) and Jeff Rawle as the Storyteller.

Despite production running between 1994 - 1997, the series is still being shown today overseas, and has done extremely well with its success. Merchandise galore included tie-in books, comics, toys, bath-towels, audio CDs, VHS cassettes...and yet the demand for a complete DVD set is minimal, with just a few measly releases scattered here and there. Perhaps Classic Media should be a little more considerate with the UK Programmes they now have as part of their Product Catalogue - we Brits care, too, you know!

Dedication from the Duchess!

So if you remember the series or curious to know more, you need only watch the Playlist below - whether to entertain a young family member or if you happen to be an Aviation Fan =)

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Budgie on Toonhound
More Plane-Sailing fun with "Mike Da Mustang" from Airshowbuzz!

We are the Treacle People...

# ...we seek Treacle high and low! #

Amidst his renowned career penning most of Cosgrove Hall's top shows, Brian Trueman teamed up with son Jonathan to co-write another series that deserves more attention prior its first airing - The Treacle People!

Produced by Fire Mountain Productions (Tom and Vicky, Captain Mack), the series was created by The Dewhurst Family; set in the fictional Northern English village of Sabden, it focuses on the adventures of the madcap villagers and their famous treacle mines as they struggle through a treacle shortage, crazed "Boggarts", even crazier Moobarks and...well...each other.

The show was, and still is, immensely popular to fans alike. Next to the odd-ball stop-motion designs, the writing from Brian and Jonathan had humour that worked superbly on both levels - for kids AND adults to enjoy without being too childish nor too close to the bone. It ran for two seasons between 1995 - 1996, plus the BAFTA award-winning Christmas Special, and has since had respectable runs on CITV, Nick Jr and currently in the wee hours on Channel 4...

But apart from a small DVD release with the first six episode of Season 1, nothing much has come out of it, and it's a great shame. It's this sort of series that kids today could do more with in terms of good ol' children's comedy. Never mind whatever Nickelodeon or the House of Mouse are putting out with their copy/paste "tween" sitcoms. Just clever humour and plenty of slapstick is what's required, I feel, and those who have grown up with Brian Trueman's works would agree with me on that.

Check out a handful of episodes from the Treacle People Playlist below, and then their unofficial mini-site to buy a copy of the DVD currently available. Perhaps one day, we may well see a complete collection - both seasons plus the Christmas special - released at last if the demand is required...only time will tell.

The Treacle People on the Channel 4 Website with Episode Guide

The Wind in the Willows - Cosgrove Hall

Over the years, Kenneth Grahame's classic story of The Wind in the Willows has been adapted many, many, many times - in Theatre, on Radio, in Animation and live-action. Even a few "sequels", including some by William Horwood, were written in the same familiar style, with one even brought to the small screen.

Really, once Disney pretty much set the ball rolling with their 1949 adaptation, that was it: a timeless classic telling the stories of Mole, Ratty, Badger and pompous Mr. Toad have been told and re-told by just about everybody, British and American alike. Terry Jones, Rankin/Bass, the BBC...and now Ray Griggs is next in line to recreate the stories - not only with a darker view of the book but with hopes that Ricky Gervais would be up voicing Mole...

Oh. Joy. How. can. I. con-tain. my. ex-cite-ment. < / sarcasm>

Honestly, of all the adaptations I've seen so far in this life, sequels and prequels included, while they may each have their own appealing charm, none of them - and I mean none of them - can compare with Cosgrove Hall's vision...which is, by and far, the strongest of the lot.
Next to a memorable cast consisting of David Jason, Richard Pearson, Peter Sallis, Ian Carmichael, and Sir Michael Hordern among others, it also boasted of some of the studio's most beautiful stop-motion animation in its history.

Cosgrove Hall (of Danger Mouse and Count Duckula fame) first adapted the book as a film in 1983, which was met with outstanding ovation for its tranquil theme, beautiful soundtrack and their own personal touches to the original text. As soon as they had bagged a BAFTA award and an international Emmy award, the studio then created the TV Series.

And unlike some Movie-to-TV creations these days, this was just as faithful to Grahame's style and characters as William Horwood's own work, right down to the introductions to each episode describing the changing of the seasons.

Picking up where the film left off, the first series (with Rosemary Anne Sisson co-writing) also made use of the three sole chapters that were omitted from the film - The Further Adventures of Toad, Wayfarers All and The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. And with Brian Trueman handing the writing from Series 2 onwards, it ran for Five Seasons, ranking up 52 episodes between 1983 - 1990, and was granted another TV Special, A Tale of Two Toads.

The writing especially is firmly on par with the animation and voice acting. The continuity Brian Trueman and Rosemary built up throughout is outstanding, with new characters like Auberon, Mole's Cousin, making their mark in the series, and constant references from previous episodes that also come into play for future ones to follow - often as the Chekhov's Gun for a particular storyline or three.

In fact, the storyline of Series 4 throughout, which sees the Riverbankers and Wild Wooders in threat of a foreboding railway company, is exactly the sort of thing that grabs the viewer's attention and urges them to "stay tuned for the next episode". It makes such shows far more interesting to watch, with the sort of careful script writing that makes you believe that these characters, though set in the 1900's, were actually real. The believability in their personalities and the adventures they've had has, for this series at least, much more appeal and curiosity than stand-alone episodes that have little to no connection with the original books they were "based" from...or in some cases, their own continuity created by some TV Executive.

 

The series also showed a great many sides with Brian in the writer's chair: Plentiful comedy from Toad's stupidity and general wordplay, sentimentality without being too soppy, and at times drama, before the Soccer Moms loomed their interfering heads. Drama really made this series stand out at the time it was made, clearly evident that Cosgrove Hall weren't afraid to push the envelope now and again - which has seen the Chief Weasel caught in a hunter's trap, the Wild Wood and Toad Hall set fire respectively and poor Mole suffering from mushroom poisoning.

However, comedy has always been a major part of the show's charm, in relation to the original book, which has seen Toad play out a number of lead episodes as he goes from one craze to another. In fact, the entire Fifth and last Season, "Oh, Mr. Toad!" became a spin-off focusing on Toad's antics, even though it still maintained the strong continuity from the previous seasons. Despite this, the original opening titles were replaced with the classic theme tune in later broadcasts (and DVD releases) to avoid possible confusion.

In short, if anyone asks what's my favourite version of The Wind in the Willows, there can only be one clear winner as I look now to the complete DVD box set sitting proudly on my shelf above me. And I never tire of rewatching the same episodes over and over, knowing full well that we may never see the likes of such a series again...at least outside of another Hollywood money-maker pipeline.


Oh, and to finish up - Rik Mayall, Charles Nelson Reilly, Matt Lucas...you all did your best, but David Jason's performance of Toad still gets the biggest laughs from me ;-)

Series 1 Playlist - for viewer's interest!

OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST:

Toonhound's The Wind in the Willows page (TV Series)

The Wind in the Willows Complete DVD Box Set (which includes the original movie and A Tale of Two Toads)

Download the Songs and Music of the original TV Series from Play.com - composed by Keith Hopwood & Malcolm Rowe

The Kenneth Grahame Society Website

Pluto Music - home of composer Keith Woodman

When Animation Goes AWOL: Cosgrove Hall

Mark Hall 1936 - 2011

First off, something that I only just found out last night - I regret to inform the death of Mark Hall, who lost his battle with cancer on Friday November 18th. The news really took me off-guard, especially as it seemed he and Brian Cosgrove were ready to provide a host of exciting new animation projects for a fresh young generation, while attracting the interest of the old following the opening of their new studio...

Though I fear of how this may affect Cosgrove Hall Fitzpatrick now, when so early in the game, my deepest sympathies and coincides go out to Mark's family, friends and colleagues in this difficult time. God Bless =(


However, I intend to carry on regardless by showcasing a few other shows that Cosgrove Hall Films were unable to complete before their company folded in 2010:

One of these was their first venture into CGI with a series entitled "Theodore". While little information is given on this particular pitch, Wikipedia states that it was to be set in a Nuclear Organisation called "Radioactive Science and Technology Station" (RSTS). When these may resurface again remains uncertain.

Another series that never passed the pilot stage was The Carrottry Kid, created by Andy Fanton (a comic artist for the recent Dandy Comic). The series would have featured the characters as anthropomorphic fruit / vegetable characters, the hero being a karate-chopping young carrot who, with help from his mentor Master Che-Ri, trains to be a true karate fighter in order to stop the evil forces of Count Cornelius Cob.
Unfortunately, due to ITV's absorbing of Cosgrove Hall, the series never really flourished. However, over the years it has found new life as a web comic, with the original pilot still available to view online:


To say that Mark passed away aged just 75 years old says a great deal for his legacy in the British Animation media. The talents he urged, the skills he shared and developed, the hands-on approach with every member of every series that he and long-time colleague Brian Cosgrove helped to create should be an example to us all - even in today's cynical media, half the shows in the world that are created are not as glorious as Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, the Wind in the Willows, Victor and Hugo and many, many, many more...

In fact, I received a second surprise the following morning when I was contacted by one Roger Stennett, who was a writer on several CHF shows, including Fantomcat, Avenger Penguins and Sooty's Amazing Adventures. He was "particularly pleased that I enjoyed the work of Cosgrove Hall Films so much", going by what I've posted about in the past, and went on to say:

"Both he (Brian Cosgrove) and Mark were such gently powerful influences at Cosgrove Hall Films, and whenever I think of my time working with them both, it always makes me smile.

Over my 20 years + of writing Animation, they were indeed 'the best of times' "

In short, Mr. Hall truly did leave his Mark.

Thank you, Sir. From all of us.

And from 2006, view a brief interview with Mark Hall himself on his time with his most famous company.

They're the Baddies! Victor and Hugo...

Of all the shows Cosgrove Hall had produced over the years, it comes as a surprise when only a handful are still remembered to this day (thanks to DVD releases). Danger Mouse, Jamie & the Magic Torch, the Wind in the Willows, and even Terry Pratchet's Truckers.

But then there are shows from CH that somehow fall by the wayside, either by lack of interest from the public or lack of advertising from the TV Boffins - shows like Creepy Crawlies, Fantomcat, Albie and even Vampires, Pirates and Aliens. Anyone seen a (British) DVD featuring this lot?

But the most semi-obscure show from CH has to be these guys:

Victor and Hugo: Bunglers in Crime was another of Cosgrove Hall's wonderfully odd-ball shows, featuring two French criminal brothers always hatching "a meticulous plan" to steal valuable items - but hardly ever succeed due to their constant bumbling.

But there is more to this series than one would think:

  - The series combines the writing / voice-acting talents of Brian Trueman, Jimmy Hibbert and David Jason alone (with others such as Edward Kelsey popping up time to time). This would be the last time that Brian and David would provide their voices for a Cosgrove Hall series, as well as being the company's cel-painted show before going from Cosgrove Hall Productions to Cosgrove Hall Films.

 - David Jason's voice for Hugo (the short "brain of a brussel sprout") is based from that of Bluebottle from the famous radio programme The Goon Show! To add to that, often Hugo is constantly pestering Victor with the phrase "What is it that it is...?", another Bluebottle trademark ;-)

 - Often in animated shows starring anthropomorphic animals, everyone bar themselves is human. Whereas in THIS cartoon, it's vice-versa - the brothers themselves the only human characters!

But that's not all...

A crossover well deserving - drawn by Andrew Morrice!

 - Victor and Hugo weren't always Victor and Hugo to begin with. Originally, they started out as Gaston and Pierre from Count Duckula before being redeveloped slightly as humans. And as a result, with thanks to Brian and Jimmy's hilarious scripting, other characters from Danger Mouse and Count Duckula cross-over into V&H either in reference or as supporting characters!!

So with all the perfect chemicals for a winning show, what has happened to the "Bunglers in Crime"?


Well, the sad fact was that V&H were unfortunately created at the time when Children's ITV was undergoing an anti-cartoon phase in 1991-1992, causing Thames TV to lose their franchise. So according to various sources, the episodes were never shown more than once - at least for British airwaves. Last I heard, they seemed to have gained new life Down Under in Aus...

And apart from one episode on a Cosgrove Hall-themed DVD, the rest of the two seasons that were made are only available on lesser-spotted VHS cassettes and books (both hardback and audio!!).

However, for those who do remember, let us hope that one day we shall see all of Victor and Hugo's bungles on DVD, in this day and age where even the most obscure of shows have managed to find new life for today's generation as such...and pray even harder that we Brits will get it first and not Australia...!! =P


For now, though, here's a handful of eppies to watch by - now updated with a fancy new Playlist!

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Victor and Hugo on Wiki

Toonhound's V&H Page

A more in-depth history of Victor and Hugo from Cosgrove Hall Ate My Brain!
More episodes from Dailymotion - including crossovers with Danger Mouse and Count Duckula!