Sunday, 25 September 2011

Fourways Farm (1993)

Farms have had an impact on Children's TV over the years, going by the great number that have been made for younger viewers - Tumbledown Farm by Dick King-Smith, Dappledown Farm starring Brian Cant, Forget-Me-Not Farm starring Mike Amatt. Even today we have such gems such as Big Barn Farm and Mist: Sheepdog Tales, which teaches children about farm life or basic life lessons through talking animals.

Whether with puppets, animation or live-action, all have the same format, but each in their own way stand out in terms of storytelling for youngsters to watch and learn from.


Fourways Farm is no exception. Back when Channel 4 used to air educational shows during lunchtimes, this series was one of them (as well as Sesame Street, but that's another story). It was a stop-motion animated series produced by Case Television, as part of the 4Learning Primary Science block between 1994-1995. It was a fantastic show where the animal characters, all voiced by Martin Jarvis, taught viewers basic science - consisting of nature, the weather, forces, health and other topics. It offered a variety of characters that were a great source of ideas, from Godfrey the gloomy horse to cheery Davenport the dog, and the cunning rats known as Uno, Duo and Trio.

Chris Ellis created the show and wrote every episode. And it's thanks to him that the episodes were able to teach the viewers something new in the form of a clever, fun story each time. Even today many fans still remember it - and although there isn't a proper DVD release made for the public, one is never too far away from finding a "rare" VHS Cassette or selection of books from eBay or Amazon.

So enjoy a few episodes from the Playlist below and see just why many fondly remember Fourways Farm!


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