The Mystery of The Mystery of the Lost Chord

For as long as I can remember, Danger Mouse was one of my firm favourites growing up with, all thanks to the creative forces that were Cosgrove Hall when their humour was given total freedom back in the days of quality kids TV. So you can imagine how delighted I was when, several years back, I nabbed the DM Box Collection for his 25th anniversary, containing every episode made and more...!

One of these grand Easter Eggs is the original Danger Mouse pilot entitled "The Mystery of the Lost Chord", which, once the series was picked up, would later be reanimated and edited into "Who Stole the Bagpipes?" What make the pilot a total mystery is the lack of credits, meaning no one - including the CH crew I assume - can remember who did what. Now animation-wise I'm not so sure of, but I've a good guess who'd be in charge of VAs and writing:

- First off, DM sounded more of a James Bond-type than what he is today while Penfold sounds more Welsh than squeaky. Best bet would be that Edward Kelsey (Colonel K and Greenback) was trialled as DM while Brian Trueman (Stiletto) originally voiced Penfold before David Jason and Terry Scott were first thought of. The lack of "Isambard" the Narrator is a dead giveaway that David wasn't first brought into light.

- Next comes the writing. If one recalls the first few DM Seasons, the earliest episodes (which originally aired as four-parter cliffhangers) the writing team consisted of Brian Trueman and Mike Harding, the latter who was also responsible for the show's music, theme tune included. The usual silly humour - such as Penfold's saxaphone playing, Colonel K's ramblings and the first encounter with McNasty regarding the Loch Ness Monster/Missing Bagpipes - seem to ring true(man) of Brian's pen.


All in all, for a pilot much of Danger Mouse was still there if a little different as all pilots usually are (Note how Baron Greenback was originally named Baron Greenteeth here!). As for what the original credits hold for who did what, we can never be sure aside from the actual writers/actors themselves. But it's fun to try and guess anyway...

And here's the actual pilot for your enjoyment. Make your own decisions, folks!

Danger Mouse - Cat-astrophe

Danger Mouse is, without a doubt, one of Cosgrove Hall's best-selling cartoons in the world, alongside Count Duckula and the TV Series of The Wind in the Willows. Before politic correctness, before the dumbing down on kids intelligence, before the dreadful reign of Hanna Montana and Fairly Odd Parents, shows like Danger Mouse ruled our British Screens, and it was all thanks to the brilliant wit of Brian Trueman - the writer and voice actor of many of CH's shows at the time - that DM and Penfold are still fondly remembered over 25 years later.

Out of all the villians DM has encountered - Baron Greenback, Prof. Crumhorn, J. J. Quark - I've always admired PAWS for being a true physical threat to DM - relying on his own strength and mine-reading skills against our hero whereas the mentioned villains relied on schemes, divertions and other creatures to destroy DM instead of doing their own dirty work. Plus, Paws has a kick-A voice that matches his appearance perfectly :D


Not only that but what I like about this episode is, whilst most of the series run relied on reused animation, ala Hanna-Barbera, the "new" animation scenes involved are so much more smoother and slightly different compared to how the characters were drawn in, say, the first 2 seasons. My favourite sequence starts from 3:36 in the video. Notice how slightly chubbier DM and Penfold appear before and during their encounter with Paws.

Although I'm especially fond of the animation style at 7:10 when Penfold finds Colonel K - for some reason, the movement and apperance of the characters here puts me in mind of Peter Maddocks' funny old style. While a little stiffer-looking, it stills upholds the quality DM look throughout the remainder of the episode.


....and if anyone's tired of me rambling at this point, then rejoice by watching the episode itself! ;)