Friday 26 December 2014

Stig of the Dump

It's been a while since I posted anything, but this time of year is always extremely busy! This time I give you the classic Stig of the Dump from 1981!




Barney is a young boy staying with his grandparents on the chalk Downs of southern England. When he falls over the edge of an old chalk pit close to Barney's grandparents' house he tumbles down through the roof of Stig's den. When he looks round, there's Stig- apparently a 'caveman', with shaggy, black hair and bright black eyes. The chalk pit is disused and full of people's dumped rubbish.
Barney and Stig get on rather well together. They have to manage without language, as Stig speaks no English, but that doesn't seem to stop them. Stig's den is a place built out of discarded rubbish, that Barney enjoys.
Stig is Barney's secret friend, not because Barney doesn't tell anyone, but because no-one believes that Stig is real. They have a great time, improving Stig's den, collecting firewood, going hunting, and having all manner of adventures!

Sunday 14 December 2014

Sonic the Hedgehog

Not to be confused with another Sonic cartoon featured on the BCC site, this is the much less comical version of Sonic the Hedgehog!





The show takes place on a planet called Mobius. A warlord and former scientist named Dr. Robotnik, and his assistant/nephew Snively, invaded and conquered Mobotropolis, the capital city of Mobius, with an army of robot soldiers called SWATbots.

The show's backstory explains that Robotnik had once been leader of the Mobotropolis War Ministry, and that his creation and use of SWATbots led the country's victory in "The Great War". In the war's aftermath, he was to be appointed Minister of Science by the King of Mobius, who had decided to close the War Ministry and dismantle the SWATbots following the War. However, Robotnik overthrew the kingdom and declared himself to be the new King. King Acorn was never seen or heard from again.

Robotnik captures most of the citizens, including an intelligent old hedgehog named Sir Charles Hedgehog (Sonic's uncle) and his crowning invention, the Roboticizer. This invention, created with the intention to prolong life, changes living creatures into robots, but had the unintended effect of robbing the individual of their free will. Robotnik uses this technology to enslave the population.

Some citizens managed to escape the coup, and fled to Knothole Village in the Great Forest to hide from Robotnik's army. Under Princess Sally, they formed a group called the Freedom Fighters to restore Mobius and end Robotnik's rule.

Saturday 13 December 2014

Record of Lodoss War

Today is my birthday. Hoorays!!! In celebration of the day I am going to change the rules a bit and post up one of my favourite anime series ever. With an epic quest featuring elves, dwarves, magic and dragons, what more could you ask for? I give you the Record of Lodoss War!!



Created from the aftermath of the last great battle of the gods, Lodoss and its kingdoms have been plagued by war for thousands of years. As a quiet peace and unity finally become foreseeable over the land, an unknown evil begins to stir. An ancient witch has awakened, bent on preserving the island of Lodoss by creating political unbalance throughout the many kingdoms and keeping any one from maintaining central control. Only a mixed-race party of six young champions, led by the young warrior Parn, stand between this new threat and Lodoss' descent back into the darkness of war and destruction.

Thursday 27 November 2014

Legends of Treasure Island

Action, adventure magic and suspense  now in a tale of loot, piracy and betrayal in The Legends of Treasure Island!



The series was loosely based on Robert Louis Stevenson's original story "Treasure Island". Featuring a mysterious and dark storyline, it incorporates magic and many new characters. Unlike the book and most adaptations Long John Silver is not an anti-hero with dubious morality but rather a straight villain.

In "The Quest Begins" young Jim Hawkins is a pup at home in Olde England. Forced to flee for his life with his father's many-riddled treasure map Jim falls in with a sea-dog called Captain Smollett. They are joined by another pooch - Dr Livesey - and Squire Trelawney, a clucking pigeon. They set sail in search of Flint's treasure, although they've yet to fathom the riddle of the island's location. The map says it can be found in "Poseidon's Swirling Eye". But it doesn't matter anyway because they are overrun by a mutinous crew, lead by that old fox Long John Silver. Jim escapes and befriends a vixen called Jane who was kidnapped by Silver as a child (apparently her wealthy parents refused to pay the ransom because she was so spoilt). But the duo are recaptured and in a wild storm our heroes are collectively forced to walk the plank. Fortunately, Jim spies the answer to the map's first riddle in the form of a frothing maelstrom starboard . The five jump into its spiraling heart and emerge on the shores of Flint's secret, mysterious island...

Thursday 20 November 2014

Tickle on the Tum

Specially requested by a fan of the BCC, we have the wonderfully titled Tickle on the Tum!



The series was set in a shop in the fictional village of Tickle-on-the-Tum (the humorous double-meaning of the title was explained obliquely in the theme song). The original presenters were folk-singer Ralph McTell and Danuschia Harwood. From about the middle of the second series, Harwood was replaced by Jacqueline Reddin. In the final series, Reddin became the show's lead presenter and sang the theme song, after McTell returned to his recording career.

Ralph and Danni (or Jacqui depending which series you were in) would be working in the shop when a local resident would come in and recount at length an incident in their week. A song, written and sung with guitar by McTell, would follow based around either the week's story or simply the visiting character. Pet-shop proprietor Bunny was played by Nerys Hughes, while favourite characters amongst children was bumbling odd-job man Barney Bodger, 'Jack The Lad' Mike The Milkman and filthy G.P, Dr Dimple (played by [{Bill Oddie]]), who famously sang the song; Don't mind my hands, they're just a bit cold.

Monday 17 November 2014

Macross - Do You Remember Love?

Today is the 1st anniversary of the BCC and as a special treat, I give you an animated movie that blew my mind as a kid and was a big catalyst into my love of anime, Macross - Do You Remember Love (aka Clash of the Bionoids)!



The plot revolves around Hikaru Ichijyo (a hotshot pilot) and his love triangle with the coquettish pop-star Lynn Minmay and the fortress' first mate Misa Hayase. This story is framed by a war between humans and the alien Zentradi over possession of the space fortress Macross, which harbors tens of thousands of human civilians after the aliens bombarded Earth. However, it is revealed that the all-male Zentradi are fighting a war against their female counterparts: the Meltlandi; both genders, bred for war, are stricken by their contact with Protoculture (human culture), most particularly music.

Saturday 15 November 2014

Wacky Races

Classic cartoon don't come better than this. A cavalcade of crazy competitors in a high octane charge across America, it's Wacky Races!




Wacky Races is an animated television series from Hanna-Barbera, about a group of 11 different cars racing against each other in various road rallies, with each driver hoping to win the title of the "World's Wackiest Racer." The cartoon was unusual in the large number of regular characters, twenty-four in total: the twenty-three people spread among the 11 race cars, plus the unseen (and never identified) race announcer. Another unusual feature of the series is that the stars of the show are the villains as opposed to the heroes.
Attempting to foil the racers' efforts were the show's resident villains Dick Dastardly and his canine sidekick, Muttley. Dastardly would usually gain a large lead, then execute all sorts of elaborate schemes to trap, divert, blow up or stop the other racers, only to see them backfire spectacularly. The intended object lesson may have been that Dastardly might have easily won several races had he only kept his mind on the race and off dirty tricks.

Tuesday 11 November 2014

The Foxbusters

One of Cosgrove Hall's later series now on the BCC, loosely based on the Dick King-Smith book of the same name, here is The Foxbusters!!



The show is primarily set on Foxearth Farm, a fictional farm based in the English countryside in the West Midlands which is dominated by a variety of animals, particularly the chickens. The Foxbusters are three chickens, Ransome, Sims and Jeffries, who have the unlikely ability to fly. Each has a different personality; Ransome is the best flyer, Sims is the smartest and Jeffries is the comic relief. The Foxbusters also have the ability to spit grit like machine guns, and drop hard-boiled eggs like they were bombs - and these are used to effect among other methods to keep the hungry pack of foxes in Foxearth Forest at bay.

The arguments and conversations between the chickens makes an effective comedy. The foxes' attempts to get the better of the chickens are often unsuccessful, but they add a lot of humour to the show. The show itself is laden with gags and action, and is of a quality which led to its receiving two major awards in 2000.

Sunday 9 November 2014

The Snow Spider

Presenting to you the first part of The Magician Trilogy, based upon the novels by Jenny Nimmo, here is The Snow Spider!



Set in present day Wales, the story begins as young Gwyn celebrates his ninth birthday. He recieves five unusual gifts, which are to set him on a voyage of discovery - as he finds out whether he has inherited the magic powers of his Celtic ancestors and as he attempts to solve the five year old mystery of his sisters disappearance in a snow storm.
Gwyn's adventures involve him in strange encounters with other worlds - of snow and silver - and, strangest of all, is the snow spider, weaving a silken web around a girl - a girl who reminds Gwyn of someone...


Friday 7 November 2014

Happy Families

Time for a classic drama series based upon an even more classic card game! It's Happy Families!



Happy Families was based on the books written by Allan Ahlberg about a family of characters (A Father, Mother, Son and Daughter) which in turn was based on the Happy Families card game.

Each episode consisted of two parts which focused on one family the most memorable ones being Mr Creep the Crook, Mr Tick the Teacher, Mrs Wobble the Waitress, Mrs Plugg the Plumber and Mrs Lather. The cast played several different characters throughout the series with many recurring roles for the main cast including Milton Johns, Annette Badland and Elizabeth Estensen.

Saturday 1 November 2014

Once Upon A Time... Life

Although it's Saturday morning, and Saturday is time for relaxing after a long week, there is always time to learn new things! So I give you the educational cartoon Once Upon a Time... Life!



Once Upon a Time... Life combined entertaining storylines with factual information, presented metaphorically.

The series used the same characters from the other Once Upon a Time... seasons: the good characters represent the cells that make up the body's systems and defense mechanisms, such as red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, while the bad characters represent the viruses and bacteria that threaten to attack the human body. Every episode of the series featured a different organ or system within the human body (like the brain, the heart, the circulatory system, etc.).
The series also makes use of recurring human characters originally from Once Upon a Time... Man. Every character in the series appeared as a real person (the old intelligent doctor, the dedicated blonde mother, the boy and the girl, their obese friend, and the pair of bullies) and anthropomorphic representations of cells and cellular functions within the human body.

Friday 31 October 2014

The Worst Witch (1986)

Happy Halloween to everyone from the BCC! To celebrate the spooky festival, we have something a little bit special for you today, with the TV movie of The Worst Witch!



The movie centers around Mildred Hubble, who is invariably the school's "Worst Witch." Mildred creates many mishaps, including the incidents of when Mildred turns herself invisible and transforms Ethel into a pig. The climax surrounds Miss Cackle's notorious twin evil sister, Agatha, plotting to take over the Academy. Ultimately Agatha is foiled by Mildred and Mildred establishes herself as the hero for the academy.

The movie features roles from actirs such as Diana Rigg, Charlotte Fae,  Fairuza Balk and the legendary Yim Curry!

Tuesday 28 October 2014

Gigantor

A classic robot action series now with the classic anime cartoon of Tetsujin 28-go, or more commonly known in English speaking audiences as Gigantor!



The series is set in the year 2000. The show follows the exploits of Little Jimmy Sparks, a 12-year-old boy, who controls Gigantor, a huge flying robot, with a remote control. The robot is made of steel and has a rocket-powered backpack for flight, a pointy nose, eyes that never move, and incredible strength, but no intelligence (although he started to tap his head as if trying to think in one episode). Whoever has the remote control controls Gigantor.

Originally developed as a weapon by Jimmy's father, Gigantor was later reprogrammed to act as a guardian of peace. Jimmy Sparks lives with his uncle Dr. Bob Brilliant on a remote island. Jimmy usually wears shorts and a jacket, carries a firearm and occasionally drives a car. Together, Jimmy and Gigantor battle crime around the world, and clash with the many villains who are always trying to steal or undermine the giant robot.

Sunday 26 October 2014

Noddy's Toyland Adventures

A true children's classic now, with the little boy with the bell on his hat. It's Noddy's Toyland Adventures based upon the stories of Enid Blyton!



The series follows the adventures of Noddy, a little wooden doll who lives in Toyland with his red and yellow taxi often trying to make sixpence or getting himself in trouble. His best friends Big Ears, Mr Plod and Tessie Bear are always ready to lend a hand, especially when he gets tricked by Gobbo and Sly the wicked Goblins. Whatever the situation the episode mostly ends with Noddy laughing and nodding his head which makes the bell on his hat ring.

Saturday 25 October 2014

Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader

We return to the magical land of Narnia now on the BCC, with the second of the BBC adaptations of the Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader from 1989!



Young Prince Caspian of Narnia wonders and dreams about the old days of Narnia when animals talked, and there were mythical creatures and four rulers in Caer Paravel. But his uncle and aunt don't like to hear him thinking of such things, and plan to murder him and take his throne. Caspian's tutor, Dr. Cornelius manages to save him, and not only teach him about the old ways, but bring him into the real Narnia and introduce him to the real Narnia. But Caspian's plight is desperate, and he must use the legendary horn to call help from another world: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.

Friday 24 October 2014

The Neverending Story - The Series

Let us travel now to the land of Fantasia, filled with many adventures and magical creatures in the animated series of The Neverending Story!



Young boy Bastian helps yet again the Childlike Empress and her people of Fantasia, an imagination land that can be accessed and influenced through a magic never ending book called The NeverEnding Story, because the horrifying Nothing and other villains still threaten it. In the process, Bastian learns valuable lessons and gains many magical friends.

Thursday 23 October 2014

G.I Joe The Movie

This post marks 500 videos posted on to the BCC, so as usual I like to post something a little bit special in recognition of the milestone. This time I give you G.I Joe - The Movie!



Time and time again, Cobra has been on the threshold of global domination, only to be thwarted by the Joes. Now the ruthless terrorist organization has a new ally, the Cobra-La race, led by Golobulus. Golobulus wants to steal the Joes' "Broadcast Energy Transmitter" in order to ripen space spores and mutate the people of Earth. When Duke is injured and the rest of the force immobilized, it's up to the new "rawhides" and Slaughter's Marauders to pick up the slack and save the world!

Tuesday 21 October 2014

Jonny Briggs

Now a real treat for anyone who grew up in the UK in the mid 80's. The adventures of a working class boy named Jonny Briggs!



Based on a series of popular children's books by Joan Eadington, Jonny Briggs is a Children's BBC kitchen sink realism television programme first broadcast in 1985. The programme is set in Middlesbrough and revolves around the exploits of a young boy, the eponymous hero, his pet dog, Razzle, and his eccentric family members: Mam and Dad, older sister Rita and older brothers Albert and Humph (Humphrey). Another older sister, Marilyn, is mentioned but never seen.
The stories often centre on Jonny's school life, where he and his best friend Pam are constantly in battle with the dreadful twins Ginny and Josie.

Monday 20 October 2014

Fireball XL5

Time for one of Gerry Anderson's earlier works now on the BCC with Fireball XL5 from 1962!



Set between the years 2062 and 2063, the series featured the missions of spaceship Fireball XL5, commanded by Colonel Steve Zodiac of the World Space Patrol. The crew included glamorous Doctor Venus, a doctor of space medicine; middle-aged navigator and engineer Professor Matthew Matic and co-pilot Robert, a transparent anthropomorphic robot who would most commonly proclaim ON-OUR-WAY-HOME.. Robert was the only character in an Anderson series that was actually voiced by Anderson himself, albeit with the aid of an artificial larynx.

In the series, the World Space Patrol is based at Space City, located on an unnamed island in the South Pacific, headed by Commander Zero. Zero is assisted by Lieutenant Ninety. For unspecified reasons the 25-storey T-shaped control tower at Space City rotates; in one episode a character inadvertently makes it rotate fast enough for those inside to suffer from vertigo.

Fireball XL5 patrolled Sector 25 of charted interstellar space (although there only appeared to be three sectors marked on the space chart seen in the Space City control room). The patrols were missions of three months duration but the ship was also on call when at base.


Sunday 19 October 2014

Ninja Turtles - The Next Mutation

Well, after a posting hiatus of nearly 3 weeks, we are back on track with videos for you to enjoy. This time we have the live action Ninja Turtles - The Next Mutation!



This series introduced many new elements to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles saga, including a female mutant turtle called Venus de Milo (named after the famous statue) and new central antagonists, an army of humanoid dragons known as "The Rank" led by the vicious Dragonlord.
The series apparently followed the continuity of the live-action films. The Turtles lived in the same abandoned train station featured in the second and third films, and Splinter's ear is slashed as it was in the original film. However, the films and the series display differing styles, Shredder being alive (and no longer Super Shredder), and the absence of April O'Neil and Casey Jones.
Other notable differences were found in the Turtles' weapons; Leonardo carried one double-bladed ninjatō instead of two katana (though he was shown to own two in a few episodes); Raphael's twin sai could combine to make a staff; and because nunchaku are outlawed in several places, Michaelangelo's signature weapon in this series was a pair of tonfa.



Monday 29 September 2014

Old Bear Stories

Let's slow the pace a little and spend a little bit of time with Old Bear and friends in Old Bear Stories!



Old Bear Stories was a BAFTA award winning stop frame animation television series for children based on the Old Bear and Friends books by Jane Hissey. Jane Hissey also created the television series.
The animals at the play room have remembered that Old Bear disappeared long ago. He has been put into the loft. They rescue him and bring him back down to the Play room. He becomes the most respected toy and guides the others in their many adventures, both in the play ground and in the garden.

Sunday 28 September 2014

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

Let's go back in time now and learn how the travels and adventures of the world's most famous treasure hunter started in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles!



The series explores the childhood and youth of the fictional character Indiana Jones and primarily stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Corey Carrier as the title character, with George Hall playing an elderly version of Jones for the bookends of most episodes, though Harrison Ford bookended one episode. The show was created and executively produced by George Lucas, who also created, co-wrote and executively produced the Indiana Jones feature films.

Due to its enormous budget, the series was canceled in 1993. However, following the series' cancellation, four made-for-television films were produced from 1994 to 1996 in an attempt to continue the series. In 1999, the series was re-edited into 22 television films under the title The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones.


Friday 26 September 2014

The Freedom Force

Time for some superhero adventure now with The Freedom Force from Filmation!



The superheroine Isis gathered together heroes from around the world to help battle evil. Recruiting Hercules (of the Space Sentinels), Merlin, Sinbad and Super Samurai, she brought them to the Valley of Time, from where they would venture out throughout time to face monsters and villainy.

Thursday 25 September 2014

The Angry Beavers

Norbert and Daggett are not just annoyed, they are angry! The Angry Beavers!



When their parents have another litter, Norbert (the smart one) and Daggett (the stupid one) Beaver have to strike out on their own. Their new home on a lake in middle of the forest seems to be the scene of most every odd occurrence imaginable. The two beavers have to deal with wacko government scientists, 100-foot walking splinters, super-long teeth, a fish so big it can swallow a Swede, a giant cricket, the dreaded stinky toe, evil mind-controlling pond scum, a Swamp Witch, zombies, Mexican wrestlers, lying documentary-film makers, a stupidity potion, a big fat hairy naked Canadian, and a too-friendly robot, along with many other problems. In the midst of all this, Norb and Dag satisfy their love of Grade-Z 50's sci-fi, hot peppers, Yoo-hoo, and, of course, wood.

Wednesday 24 September 2014

Hot Rod Dogs and Cool Car Cats

Let's go into turbo in the high octane adventures of the Hot Rod Dogs and Cool Car Cats!



The series was about anthropomorphic automobiles that bore resemblances to cats and dogs. The main characters are freedom fighters trying to save their homeworld of Autopia from The Crusher.

Hot Rod is a bright red animal hybrid. He's part car, part canine, and he's just one of a collection of dog-cars and cat-cars found on the anthropomorphic automotive world of Autopia. And this place would be something of a car utopia, if it wasn't for the fact that Hot Rod has fallen foul of the Autopia police force, who come in the bulldogged shape of the Gridlockers. He's also caught the eye of the all-powerful, megalomaniac machine known as the Crusher, who has a variety of bounty hunters and mean machines at his disposal. And that's our cue for lots of freewheelin' action as Hot Rod and his miss-matched pals in the resistance attempt to dodge the constabulary and tackle the bad guy head-on in a bid to rid the land of tyranny for ever!






Tuesday 23 September 2014

The Spooks of Bottle Bay

Some spooky puppet drama now in the Spooks of Bottle Bay!



The Spooks of Bottle Bay followed the adventures of the honest Sidney Sludge and his dog Maxwell, and the town folk of Bottle Bay. The town was in fact located in a bottle on a mantelpiece of an unknown person's house. The residents are forever plagued by Sidney's evil siblings, Sybil and Cedric. Sidney spent most of the time trying to avoid the problems caused by his brother and sister and was always helped, albeit unwittingly, by the Spooks of Bottle Bay.

Monday 22 September 2014

Ace Ventura Pet Detective - The Series

Aaaallllrighty then! It's time for some zany cases with the world's only Pet Detective, Ace Ventura!



Serving as a follow up to the two Ace Ventura movies starring Jim Carrey, the completely-bonkers Ace Ventura continues to tackle cases involving stolen or missing animals, usually arriving at the solutions by pure fluke as he blunders his way through the facts in his inimitable way.

Saturday 20 September 2014

Sky Commanders

Time for some high flying action with the Sky Commanders!





The storyline of Sky Commanders comprises the daily adventures of a multi-racial group of soldiers and mountaineering specialists from all over the world who battle the evil General Lucas Plague and his goon squad of villainous mercenaries and miscreants, "The Raiders", whose aim is to seize control of the planet. The series is set on a new continent deep in the South Pacific which was created by the emergence to the surface world of a new and powerful, unstable radioactive element called Phaeta Seven.

This lethal energy source can only be stabilized for containment by exposure to temperatures of 200 degrees below zero. It is known that whoever can control the element and harness its enormous power would be the ruler of the world; a goal that the amoral General Plague wants strongly. It is up to General Mike Summit and his highly trained soldiers to stop him.

Friday 19 September 2014

Quack Pack

Following the success of Goof Troop, Disney tried the same model on Donald and his nephews and gave us Quack Pack!



The show centers around Donald and teenaged versions of his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Donald works as a cameraman alongside Daisy, who is a reporter. The group travel around the world looking for a big scoop.
Huey, Dewey and Louie have distinct personalities moreso than they have been presented with in their earlier lives. They usually resort to extreme and strange measures to avoid getting into trouble with their uncle and to achieve their ambitions. They usually do this by tricking Donald, or whoever else they wish to manipulate. But they usually feel guilty for any of the wrongdoings they had performed which may have upset loved ones, proving that they do possess good morals. Huey, Dewey and Louie share similar passions such as listening to rock music, getting revenge on those who anger them, impressing girls, getting money, pulling pranks, role models whom they look up to and admire, playing games and reading comics. They also share a profound knowledge of cars and mechanics. But there are certain aspects of their personalities that stand out more in each of them.

Thursday 18 September 2014

Dumb and Dumber

Another movie turned into cartoon series for you now, this time we have Dumb and Dumber!



The cartoon revolves around the continued misadventures of Lloyd and Harry after reacquiring their dogshaped van now named "Otto". It also features a new character, Kitty, a female pet purple beaver who appears to be smarter than both men.

Wednesday 17 September 2014

Pound Puppies

Based upon the cute, floppy, cuddly toyline comes the animated series of the Pound Puppies!



The series introduced Cooler, Nose Marie, Bright Eyes, and Howler, along with Whopper, a new character who is known for telling tall tales. Whopper is usually seen with Bright Eyes, and the two of them share a brother/sister relationship. The show also debuted the evil Katrina Stonehart with her equally evil daughter Brattina, Catgut the cat, and Holly, a friend of the Pound Puppies who originally ran the Puppy Pound.
Other characters included the horrific Captain Slaughter, who was responsible for the destruction of the puppies' hometown of Wagga-Wagga. Katrina and Brattina were constantly planning to tear down the pound where the animals lived while organizing themselves to be adopted out to loving families.

Tuesday 16 September 2014

Police Academy - The Series

Based up the series of movies with the same name, comes the comic capers of the Police Academy!




The animated series takes place chronologically between the fourth and fifth films of the series of films.

Twelve characters are re-created for this animated version, including a team of Academy graduates led by Carey Mahoney, a likeable rogue bachelor boy, who unconsciously—and consistently—does his best to make life miserable for Captain Harris and his knucklehead assistant Sgt. Proctor.
Mahoney's friends include the aptly named Moses Hightower, walking sound effects machine Larvell Jones, trigger-happy Eugene Tackleberry, sweet and timid Laverne Hooks, tough-as-nails Debbie Callahan, larger-than-life House, and the bread-&-butter duo of reformed gang member Zed McGlunk and his best buddy, Carl Sweetchuck.
Eric Lassard is the highly respected (albeit dreamy) Commandant, and Academy newcomer The Professor is also on hand, and also the cadets new friends, the K-9 Corps, a group of police dogs, and stocking our crime-fighting heroes with an endless supply of wacky gadgets as they combat a motley crew of Kingpin and other recurring villains such as Numbskull, The Claw, Mr. Sleaze, Lockjaw, and Amazona.

Monday 15 September 2014

Educating Marmalade

How do you teach the most unruly and naughty child in the world? Many tried and many failed when they tried Educating Marmalade!




The central character of Marmalade Atkins was played by 14 year old Charlotte Coleman, who was already familiar to UK viewers from her role as Sue in Worzel Gummidge. The ultimate tomboy, she rejects every attempt to feminise her or turn her into a "good girl", going to any lengths to upset the status quo. Essentially a solitary figure (she has no real friends to speak of other than a talking nodding dog), she posseses an heroic quality which allows her to come out on top in any situation regardless. A natural leader, she can both galvanise people together or sunder them apart.
Marmalade's parents are every bit as odd as their daughter. Despite their working class roots, they have ascended to the upper classes via Mr Atkins profitable business schemes, which mostly involve swindling rich arabs in the city. Mrs Atkins spends her whole life on the phone to Harrods in a quest to spend her husband's money as fast as it comes in. Sporting a hideously pretentious accent cultivated to disguise her humble origins, she indulges in mink eyelashes and other outlandish luxuries while forever berating Mr Atkins for his loutish behaviour ("the only reason I tolerate that man is because he's practically a millionaire!") The only thing they hate more than each other is their daughter, Marmalade.
In an earlier pilot episode, the Atkins had tried to rid themselves of Marmalade by having her sent into space. Now, with the aid of chirpy do-gooder social worker Mrs Allgood, they embark on a crusdade to turn their troublesome offspring into a "good girl" - first by sending her to a variety of different schools, then by calling in an animal trainer, then a nanny, and finally by packing her off to Dartmoor prison.
In the end though, it's all in vain as nothing and no-one can control Marmalade Atkins - truly the worst behaved girl in the world.

Sunday 14 September 2014

Ghostwriter

Following on from our short series of Look and Read programmes and due to popular demand, I give you Ghostwriter!



The series revolves around a close-knit circle of friends from Brooklyn who solve neighborhood crimes and mysteries as a team of young detectives with the help of an invisible ghost named Ghostwriter. Ghostwriter can communicate with the kids only by manipulating whatever text and letters he can find and using them to form words and sentences.
The series was designed to teach reading and writing skills to elementary and middle school children. Each mystery was presented as a case, covering four or five thirty-minute episodes; children were encouraged to follow each mystery, and use the reading and writing clues given to attempt to solve them just as the Ghostwriter team does in the show.

Ghostwriter was the ghost of a runaway slave during the American Civil War. He taught other slaves how to read and write and was killed by slave catchers and their dogs. His soul was kept in the book that Jamal first discovered him in in the pilot episode, and when Jamal opened the book he was freed.

Saturday 13 September 2014

Robin Hood

Today we have another take on the classic legend, this time in the form of a Japanese anime from 1990. A few episodes of this were released on video in the Uk in the early 90's, but I think it aired on Saturday mornings in the US. It's Robin Hood! (aka Robin Hood No Daibouken in Japan)



Robin's home is burned to the ground by the order of Lord Alwine, the Baron of Nottingham. Robin and his cousins flee into Sherwood Forest hoping to escape persecution, and end up encountering a group of bandits led by Little John. Together, Robin and the bandits must stop Lord Alwine's persecutions and greed as well as prevent the greedy Bishop Herfort from adopting Marian Lancaster and obtaining her family's wealth.

Thursday 11 September 2014

Through The Dragon's Eye

Our next show in the series of Look and Read programmes is the much loved Through The Dragon's Eye!



The story was all-out fantasy, with three kids pulled into a mural they'd painted in their playground and asked to help save the dying land of Pelamar by retrieving the missing parts of its mysterious power source, the Veetacore. This involves a lot of trying to read difficult passages, and charging off round the neighbouring country of Widge, inhabited by the horrible furry little Widgets. The children are lead and helped by a flying dragon called Gorwen and a big talking mouse called Rodey (who inherited the arrogance and the voice - Charles Collingwood's - of Wordy). Until they succeed, Pelamar turns increasingly barren and its inhabitants just fade away to nothing. The situation is further complicated by the big baddie Charn, who wants to hijack the Veetacore for his own evil purposes.

Wednesday 10 September 2014

Dark Towers

Up next in our series of Look and Read programmes, comes the creepy Dark Towers!



An excellent and much-loved programme with a story that's comic, atmospheric and occasionally very scary ("Who comes to the Tall Knight's folly?") involving a young girl called Tracy who chases her dog into the gardens of a strange old house, Dark Towers. She meets the residents, Lord Dark and his son Edward, and becomes involved in a race to find the hidden treasure of Dark Towers. This race also involves three self-styled antique experts who're really searching for the treasure, and the house's two ghosts - the recently deceased Friendly Ghost and the more scary Tall Knight.

Tuesday 9 September 2014

Badger Girl

Presenting the second in our small series of Look and Read programmes, here's Badger Girl!



Three city children go on holiday to a country farm and mess about with the wildlife, in particular a wild badger that they find in the farmyard. They stumble across a pair of crooks engaged in pony-rustling, spy on them to see what's going on, then have to come up with a way to stop it. Three grown-ups are also hanging around the moors: a wildlife photographer, a strange old hermit and the farmer's son. The kids have to decide who they can trust, and who has been helping steal the horses.

Monday 8 September 2014

The Boy From Space

Today's show comes from a series of educational programmes called Look and Read that aimed to teach children how to read and spell neatly hidden within gripping dramas, and this is the one that stuck in my mind the most. The Boy From Space!



It told the story of Peep-Peep, a mysterious alien child, who was helped by two children, and kindly local astrologer, Mister Bunting. In an eerie echo of Terminator, Peep-Peep was being relentlessly stalked by an evil alien hunter, and only the children’s quick-witted reading ability could save him.

One of the problems the children faced was that Peep-Peep’s language was different to our own. It turned out, in a dramatic twist, the Peep-Peep was in fact speaking English, only written backwards. A crucial plot point was the discovery that "Pots" was in fact alien for "Stop".


Sunday 7 September 2014

Aubrey

Let's go and spend some time with the intrepid inventor, Aubrey!



Aubrey is a round orange humanoid character with a bulbous nose. He is also an aspiring inventor. Aubrey creates devices, contraptions and inventions in his garden shed, which he uses to solve his everyday problems. Sadly, his ideas are somewhat mightier than his skills and his poorly constructed designs regularly let him down. But Aubrey is a tenacious chap, which means he
often finds an even better use for his broken endeavours, come the end of each episode. Amongst other things, Aubrey builds a boat, he plays with a fire engine, puts his apple tree to good use and accidentally discovers soap.
There's no narration, instead each calamity plays out to the accompaniment of a blomping synthesised music track...

Saturday 6 September 2014

Young Robin Hood

A different spin on the classic legend of England's favourite outlaw in Young Robin Hood!



The show takes place when Robin is a teenager, Richard the Lion Heart is on his "first crusade" and Robin Hood's father, the Earl of Huntington, joins him.
Robin Hood quickly finds himself at odds with the establishment; the Sheriff of Nottingham and Prince John, and creates a camp in Sherwood forest with other youngsters. The only girl, Marian, is a ward of the sheriff and spy for Robin. The main thing about Robin's youth in this case, is that his plans do not always work and he is questioned from time to time because of his youth, the fact that he is a known criminal and has no legal guardian to vouch for him.

Friday 5 September 2014

Wil Cwac Cwac

Time for some mischievous adventures with the cheeky welsh duckling, Wil Cwac Cwac!



Wil Cwac Cwac is a duckling who lives in a farmhouse with his mother and father and has many big adventures with the folks and friends who live in and around their little Welsh village. Wil's best friend is Ifan the long-necked turkey and most stories inevitably feature Wil tracking down his pal for aid and assistance or just plain schoolboy fun. Every time Ifan speaks he can't help - gobble, gobble - adding a gobbling - gobble, gobble - expression into his dialogue. And Wil too, likes to add the occasional quack to his chatter. Our Wil is a hungry little duckling, liking nothing better than being able to tuck in to a bowl of snail porridge, or a yummy honey sandwich-or-two...

Thursday 4 September 2014

Children's Ward

Time for some serious drama now on the BCC in Children's Ward!



The programme was set – as the title suggests – in Ward B1, the children's ward of the fictitious South Park Hospital (known as Sparky's), and told the stories of the young patients and the staff present there.
During the course of its run, Children's Ward won many plaudits for covering difficult issues such as cancer, alcoholism, drug addiction and child abuse in a sensitive manner. The programme won many awards, including in 1996 a BAFTA Children's Award for Best Drama, won by an episode in which a serial killer lures children to him via the internet and is – highly unusually for children's television – not eventually caught.

Wednesday 3 September 2014

Here Come the Double Deckers

Let's have a song and a dance with the crafty kid crew! Here come the Double Deckers!



The ‘Double Deckers’ are a group of 7 friends that love hanging out with each other, and are made up of Brains, Scooper, Tiger, Doughnut, Spring, Billie, Sticks. They also like to break into song and dance wherever they go. They have one of the greatest club houses ever, a full sized London double decker bus, which is the reason they are called The ‘Double Deckers’. They like their privacy, so the bus is hidden out of sight behind a huge fence in a junk yard.
They may look organised (they even hold meetings), but when they all get together, it always ends up in chaos. Such as the time they tried to fix up Mrs Vickers’s house, to ensure she wasn’t kicked out by her landlord. The trouble is they all got in each others way and nearly demolished her house. Also they like hanging around the film and TV studios which is around the corner, the trouble is that they aren’t really wanted there and accidentally destroyed a number of sets

Tuesday 2 September 2014

Nellie the Elephant

Nellie the Elephant packed her trunk and said goodbye  to the circus, and had some amazing adventures!



Based on the famous children's song, "Nellie the Elephant", the series revolves around a pink elephant named Nellie who is returning to her home in Mandalay after escaping from the circus. Throughout the series, she meets new characters and sometimes returns to the same places in her quest to return home, though curiously, all of her travels are within the United Kingdom.

Another recurring character is a Dick Dastardly-like Ringmaster keen to recapture Nellie at all costs and return her to the circus, but is continuously foiled by Nellie and her friends.

The series featured Lulu as the voice of Nellie, with Tony Robinson as narrator.

Monday 1 September 2014

Curious George

They say curiosity killed the cat, yet it only seemed to get the monkey into minor bother. It's Curious George!



Animated antics of the curious little monkey named George and his owner The Man in the Yellow Hat. George's curiosity gets him into trouble but also saves the day. Whether he visits a ketchup factory, a green house, the park, the zoo, the beach, a costume party, a dump truck, or whatever, you can't help but enjoy this show.

Sunday 31 August 2014

Hong Kong Phooey

When there is trouble and you need  a master of the martial arts to come to your rescue, you need call on no other than Hong Kong Phooey!!



The main character Hong Kong Phooey is a clownishly clumsy secret identity of Penrod "Penry" Pooch, working at a police station as a "mild-mannered" janitor under the glare of Sergeant Flint ("Sarge"). Penry transforms himself into Hong Kong Phooey upon running into a magic filing cabinet despite always getting stuck — and unstuck by his striped cat Spot — and once transformed, gets equipped with the "Phooeymobile" vehicle that transforms itself into a boat, a plane, or a telephone booth depending on the circumstances by banging his gong or changes automatically whenever necessary. He fights crime relying on his copy of The Hong Kong Book of Kung Fu, but he succeeds only thanks to Spot who provides a solution to the challenges or they are solved by himself as result of a comically unintended side effect of his conscious efforts.


Saturday 30 August 2014

Aquila

Can you imagine how cool it would be to find a spaceship? What fun would you have? Two boys did just that and had some awesome adventures, in Aquila!



Two boys, Geoff and Tom, are on a weekend away with their mums where they do some digging for treasure at a local moor. As Geoff is digging, he falls into an underground cavern followed cautiously by Tom. It is there they find the skeleton of a Roman Centurion, standing beside a large red object which looks like a giant boulder. One of the boys notices a hollowed out area in this "boulder" which turns out to be a two-seat cockpit. The craft, which is called Aquila, soon turns out to be something more advanced than Roman technology, and by pressing the numerous coloured buttons in the cockpit the boys learn more about this strange craft and take off upwards into the sky.

The story becomes more tense and yet humorous as the boys try to think of ways to hide their amazing discovery, prevent doing damage with it, and communicating with it. Eventually, the boys manage to find a way of communicating with Aquila, but even then the show managed to end each week with a dramatic cliff-hanger as a new problem arose.

The last ever line in the series came as the characters discover the source of Aquila, and the camera pans into outer space to see a massive abandoned spaceship orbiting the sun. They realise the significance of this and exclaim "A battle cruiser! You could have some serious fun with a battle cruiser!".

Friday 29 August 2014

Shazam!

Time for some high flying, superhero action now with Captain Marvel and his friends in Shazam!



Shazam! follows the adventures of the Marvel Family. Billy and Mary Batson and their friend, Freddie Freeman, are ordinary kids who have a wonderful secret and a great responsibility. When trouble looms, the Batson siblings need but speak the name of the ancient wizard who appointed them, "Shazam", while Freddie must say the name of his favourite superhero, "Captain Marvel" to call the magic lightning to become respectively Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. Together, they fight the threats to the world, whether they be villians like the mad scientist Dr. Sivana, the malevolent worm Mr. Mind, or the renegade Marvel, Black Adam.

Thursday 28 August 2014

Blazing Dragons

Created by Monty Python member Terry Jones, we now have the madcap adventures of the Blazing Dragons!




The series' protagonists are anthropomorphic dragons who are beset by evil humans, reversing a common story convention. The series parodies that of the King Arthur Tales as well as the periods of the Middle Ages.
Squire Flicker is the main character of the series, a squire under Sir Loungelot, he happily accepts any task his master gives him. Flicker longs for the day he'll become a Dragon Knight himself, yet it seems the only reason he's not is that Loungelot typically takes credit for Flicker's heroic deeds. He is secretly in love with Princess Flame though he is very shy about showing it. Flicker is generally smarter and more competent than the Knights, and is a Machinist far ahead of his time even though his inventions do not always go well as he planned.

Wednesday 27 August 2014

The Smoggies

Here we have another of the environmentally friendly cartoons that were prevalent in the early 90's. This time we have The Smoggies!



The show took place on or around the fictional Coral Island, and revolved around a group of island-dwelling people called Suntots and a trio of polluting treasure hunters called the Smoggies. The Suntots spent much of their time defending their island paradise from the Smoggies, who polluted everything around them and lived on a coal fired steam ship, the SS Stinky Poo, which polluted the water and air around the island. The Smoggies constantly tried to destroy the Suntots' home for their own benefit.
Almost every episode had the environmentalist Suntots outsmarting the Smoggies latest scheme, after which the Smoggies invariably hatched another scheme. Thus, the show also explains the importance of protecting the environment.
A recurring theme was their attempt to steal the island's "magic coral" (which the Smoggies believed granted eternal youth), or find some alternative way to maintain youth. The show often implied that the magic coral did not actually exist, however, and were just manifestations of the Smoggies' (mainly Emma's) greed and vanity.

Tuesday 26 August 2014

Alias the Jester

Time for another classic Cosgrove Hall cartoon for you, this time we have Alias the Jester!



The show follows the adventures of a time traveller by the name of Alias and his dog-like companion Boswell. After their malfunctioning ship gets stuck in the Earth's magnetic pole, they crash-land in a Middle Age kingdom called Houghton Bottoms, ruled by the diminutive King Arthur and his Queen Edith. Taking up a secret identity of sorts as Alias the Jester, he gains employment at the court and befriends the bumbling court wizard Meredith. When the situation calls for it, Alias instantly changes back into his red uniform, which enables him to fly, and presumably a degree of super strength, which he can use to face the various villains of the show. Each episode inevitably ends with Arthur firing Alias and Meredith

Monday 25 August 2014

Teen Wolf

Loosely based upon the movie of the same name comes the adventures of Scott Howard, better known as Teen Wolf!




The series is about a teenage boy and his family who can transform into werewolves, focusing on themes of coming of age and fitting in. While generally keeping true to the main ideas, this version made some changes from the film.
Scott Howard and his family live in the fictional town of Wolverton, a small town that draws tourists because of its history of werewolf sightings. Unlike the film, Scott's status as a werewolf is a secret.
Despite the youth audience, the cartoon series delivered very powerful critiques of disability-as-civil rights. Freely invoking an asthma attack or seizure, the series centered on how Scott felt "weird" immediately before and during his werewolf transformation.
Although he never hurt anybody while he was a werewolf, Scott was conscious of his difference from other teenagers and had to make accommodations for himself. He also expressed frustration that the residents of this town had stereotyped "his people". A jock named Mick constantly picks on Scott for being the "outsider" at Wolverton High.


Sunday 24 August 2014

Mrs Pepperpot

Time to view things from a pint-sized perspective now in the tiny world of Mrs Pepperpot!



Mrs. Pepper Pot lives in a small little village with her husband. She wears a small magical teaspoon around her neck which every now and then shrinks her to the size of her teaspoon which does not shrink as well, and she must drag it along with her on her back when she gets shrunk. She always changes back to her original size after a certain amount of time. This special condition had its advantages—she can communicate with animals and enjoy wonderful adventures in the woods. This way she wins new and interesting friends on a regular basis. She is a good friend of Lily, a mysterious little girl who lives in the forest alone, she is also friends with a mouse family. She can not reveal her secret or show herself in the shrunk condition, which sometimes gets quite difficult. Her husband, Mr. Pepperpot, eventually finds out his wife's secret, later on in the series.

The Ghosts of Motley Hall

A haunting tale now by request from a BCC fan! It's The Ghosts of Motley Hall!




The Ghosts of Motley Hall is a British children's television series written by Richard Carpenter. It was produced and directed by Quentin Lawrence for Granada Television, and broadcast between 1976 and 1978 on the ITV network. The series relates the adventures of five ghosts who haunt Motley Hall. Each is from a different era, and all except Matt are unable to leave the confines of the building and Matt himself is unable to travel outside the grounds of the Hall. The only regular character who is not a ghost is Mr Gudgin the caretaker of Motley Hall.

Saturday 23 August 2014

Batman Beyond

The Dark Knight returns once more, this time in a different guise and a different time! This is Batman Beyond!



Batman Beyond (known as Batman of the Future in Europe, Latin America, Australia and India) is an American animated television series created by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy.
The pilot episode, titled "Rebirth," initially begins in the year 2019, 20 years after The New Batman Adventures. An aging Bruce Wayne continues his role as Batman in a high-tech Batsuit, having severed his ties with those of his former allies (such as his former sidekicks, the officers and detectives of the Gotham City Police Department, and the Justice League) and enemies who are still alive. In the rescue of a kidnapped heiress, Batman suffers a mild heart attack and, at risk of being beaten to death by one of the kidnappers, is forced to betray a lifelong principle by threatening to use a gun. Ultimately, Bruce reluctantly decides that his time as Batman is over and vows "never again" as he shuts down the Batcave.

The story fast-forwards to 2039 in Neo-Gotham, a futuristic megalopolis featuring staggering high rises and flying vehicles. Bruce is now a recluse living in bitter isolation in Wayne Manor, with no companion but his guard dog Ace. Terry McGinnis is an athletic 17-year-old high school student and reformed troublemaker with a deeply ingrained sense of personal justice. Living on poor terms with his father Warren, Terry disobeys his curfew one night to meet up with his girlfriend Dana Tan, only to incur the wrath of a group of the Jokerz gang harassing them. A high-speed motorcycle chase between Terry and the Jokerz leads them to the grounds of Wayne Manor, where they run into the elderly Bruce Wayne. Bruce and Terry fend off the Jokerz side-by-side, but the exertion aggravates Bruce's heart condition. Terry helps Bruce back to the manor and, while exploring the mansion, stumbles upon the entrance to the Batcave, only to be chased out by a recovered and angered Bruce.

Terry returns home to discover that his father has been murdered, apparently by the vengeful Jokerz. Soon after, though, he discovers that his father had stumbled onto information about the production of illegal chemical weapons by the merged Wayne-Powers (Wayne's former company, bought out and run by CEO Derek Powers) and that the man actually responsible for his father's murder is Mr. Fixx, Powers' personal assistant and bodyguard. Terry goes to Bruce for help, but Bruce refuses, feeling he is too old and too weak to be of any use. Terry subsequently steals the Batsuit, intending to bring Powers to justice. Bruce initially opposes all of Terry's efforts and vehemently demands he return the suit (at one point even paralyzing the suit while Terry is wearing it in the midst of a fight), but Terry convinces Bruce to let him take on the Batman mantle, partially by drawing on the fact they both lost a parent to criminals, and subsequently defeats Mr. Fixx. During the battle, Powers is exposed to the chemical and forced to flee into hiding to receive treatment, which subsequently mutates him into a radiation-emitting entity, Blight, though he uses artificial skin to hide the accident. Realizing that crime and corruption are running rampant in Gotham without Batman's presence, Bruce offers Terry the chance to assume the role of Batman.

Friday 22 August 2014

TigerSharks

From the makers of Thundercats and Silverhawks, comes an aquatic adventure team, the TigerSharks!



The series follows a team of powered up man/marine form hybrids called the "TigerSharks". The members of the TigerShark team were humans who had to use a device called the Fish Tank in order to transform into their powered-up marine forms and enter it once again to revert into their human forms. The TigerSharks' base was a spaceship that could also go underwater. The ship was called the SARK and contained the Fish Tank, along with other research facilities.
The action took place in the fictional world of Water-O (pronounced Wah-tare-oh), which was covered almost completely by water. The planet was inhabited by a race of fish-men called the Waterians. The TigerSharks arrived there on a research mission and ended up serving as the protectors of the planet against the evil T-Ray, who had arrived there beforehand.

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Silver Surfer

Now joining the BCC, we have Marvel's intergalactic protector, the Silver Surfer!



While inspired by various Silver Surfer comic book stories, the series alters the original mythos in some key ways. The most notable change is the removal of the Fantastic Four from The Galactus Trilogy, the story that serves as the foundation for the first three episodes of the series. In this version, the Silver Surfer, who has had the memories of Norrin Radd partially restored to him by Thanos, protects Earth from the hunger of Galactus because it reminds him of Zenn-La.

Many other characters from Marvel's cosmic stable appear in the series, including The Watcher, Ego the Living Planet, Pip the Troll, Drax the Destroyer, and Adam Warlock. Most of the characters featured in the series differ from their printed-page incarnations. For instance, Thanos serves Lady Chaos rather than Death and Adam Warlock is an alien supersoldier designed to fight the Kree.

The series utilizes a serialized storytelling approach. As with many Silver Surfer comic book stories, episodes tackle a range of social and political issues, including imperialism, slavery, non-violence, and environmental degradation.!


Tuesday 19 August 2014

Garfield and Friends

Let's spend some time with the fat, lazy, lasagne loving feline and his pals in Garfield and Friends!



Cartoon series based on Jim Davis' popular comic strip. The star of the series was Garfield, a lazy feline whose only desires in life were lasange, catnaps and kicking his hapless canine companion, Odie, off the table. The show also starred Garfield's hopelessly-single owner, Jon Arbuckle. Each Garfield adventure featured Garfield's adventures and run-ins with the cast of semi-regulars (including Nermal, an irksome kitty; Binky the Clown and the mice which inhabited Jon's house); most were satires on American life and pop culture.
Each show also featured "U.S. Acres," (Orson's Farm outside of the U.S.) another of Davis' strips; this strip was set in a barnyard and featured the adventures of such characters as Orson Pig, Wade Duck, Roy Rooster, Bo and Lanolin the sheep, Booker the chick and Sheldon, an unhatched egg.

Monday 18 August 2014

The Adventures of T.Rex

What is better than being a Tyrannosaurus Rex? How about being one that is in a band, fights crime and has awesome powers? It's The Adventures of T.Rex!!




The show features five musical Tyrannosaurus brothers who played to sold-out crowds as a vaudeville group for the Dragon company owned by the beautiful and wealthy Myrna while also secretly fighting crime as "T-REX," masterminded by Professor Edison.
Set in a world of anthropomophic dinosaurs, brothers Bernie (blue), Bruno (pink), Bubba (green), Buck (yellow) and Bugsy (purple) were born with special powers to help fight crime. Each brother's special power was related to a specific part of their anatomy; Bernie's legs, Bruno's arms, Bubba's tail, Buck's mouth and teeth, and Bugsy's telekinetic eyes. The group rode out on their Rexmobile to battle “Big Boss” Graves, crime kingpin of Rep City (the show's setting), and his evil organization, The Corporation. Kid sister Ginger was part of the singing group, but didn’t know about her brothers’ secret identities.

Sunday 17 August 2014

Starcom - The U.S. Space Force

Based upon the toy line of the same name, which featured Magna-Lock technology (remember that!?) comes the short lived 90's cartoon, Starcom!



The evil members of Shadow Force, led by Emperor Dark, were trying to take over the cosmos, and it was up to Starcom to stop them. Young hero Col. James “Dash” Derringer, an ace Starcom pilot, was the star of the series, and several of his teammates were family members. He was also backed up by the resourceful ace pilot John “Slim” Griffin, whose niece was yet another Starcom pilot. Other heroes on the Starcom side included Col. Paul “Crowbar” Corbin and Admiral Franklin Brinkley. The show had very high quality production, with top notch animation and relatively mature subject matter and dialog.
Together, the members of Starcom fought Dark’s legions of robotic minions, flying into battle in a fleet of advanced spacecraft.

Saturday 16 August 2014

Spider-Man - The Animated Series (1994)

Been a while since the ol' web-head made an appearance on the BCC, so here is his 90's series! It's Spider-Man!




The series focuses on Spider-Man and his alter ego Peter Parker during his college years at Empire State University. As the story begins, Peter has already gained his superpowers and is a part-time freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle. The show features most of Spider-Man's classic villains, including the Kingpin, the Green Goblin, the Lizard, the Shocker, Doctor Octopus, Mysterio, the Scorpion, Rhino, the Vulture, the Chameleon, and Venom. Over the course of the series the single Peter contends with the romantic love interests of Mary Jane Watson, Felicia Hardy and her alter ego, the Black Cat. The show also features appearances from various other Marvel superheroes including the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Daredevil, Blade, Doctor Strange, the Punisher, and Captain America.

Fun Fact - The theme song for the series (including the lyrics) was performed by Joe Perry of Aerosmith!

The Girl from Tomorrow

A classic Austrailian sci-fi series for you now with The Girl From Tomorrow!



In the year 3000, the human race is in a state of Utopia. The major challenge facing them is continuing rebuilding the Earth after The Great Disaster, a catastrophic event that took place in 2500 and nearly destroyed the entire Earth. In order to investigate its causes, a scientist named Tulista is sent to the past using the Time Capsule, a device created by a scientist named Bruno. Upon the capsule's return, Tulista is held hostage by Silverthorn, a criminal from the year 2500, who is intent on conquering the future. Realizing that even though the year 3000 does not have weapons per se, his own weapons are no match to the superior technology of the Transducer, he manages to take Alana, Tulista's student, hostage, and escapes into the past, where he figures he will have a better chance. Arriving in 1990, Alana escapes, and later meets a teenager named Jenny Kelly, whose help she enlists in order to get back to the Capsule before it returns automatically to the future, leaving her stranded in the past. After thinking that the Capsule was destroyed, Jenny and Alana discover that it has been seized by Silverthorn, who is building his power and making vast amounts of money by using information from the Capsule's database, and will therefore not allow Alana to use it to return to her own time. Along with the help of Jenny's family and her teacher, Alana and Jenny must devise a plan to retrieve the Capsule while foiling Silverthorn's plans, so that Alana can return home to the year 3000.

Friday 15 August 2014

The Adventures of Sir Prancelot

Who knows what could happen when you are an eccentric inventor-knight who heads for the Crusades in the Holy Land!  It's The Adventures of Sir Prancelot!



To escape both his bank manager and his overbearing wife Lady Histeria, Prancelot decides to join the crusades. He is dismayed when he learns that Histeria intends to accompany him and eventually the entire household - including the children Sim and Sue, the miserly majordomo Girth, a cockney minstrel (who is also the show's narrator) and several serfs - set sail for adventure. They repeatedly fall foul of the dastardly Count Otto "The Blot" but always escape by some contrivance of Sir Prancelot himself. After many unlikely adventures they arrive in the Holy Land to discover they are 50 years too late. After a final showdown with Count Otto they return to England in a rocket ship also invented by Sir Prancelot.
The Sir Prancelot animation came from the same stable as Captain Pugwash and was in a similar style.

Thursday 14 August 2014

Extreme Dinosaurs

Spinning out of Street Sharks in the most extreme way, come the Extreme Dinosaurs!



The series starred a Tyrannosaurus, a Triceratops, a Stegosaurus, and a Pteranodon that were transformed into super warriors by an interdimensional criminal named Argor Zardok. They rebelled against the alien criminal and do battle with Argor's second group of warriors known as the evil Raptors. Eventually, the Raptors' objective is to cause global warming by increasing the Earth's temperature, which will make life on earth more comfortable for reptiles.

Wednesday 13 August 2014

Oggy and the Cockroaches

How do you cope when you are plagued by pesky cockroaches? Watch Oggy now and take a few clues as how not to do it!! It's Oggy and the Cockroaches!



The show centers on Oggy, a content, blue cat, who would prefer to spend his days watching television and eating - if not for the three roaches in the household: Joey, Dee Dee and Marky (named after members of the punk group Ramones). The trio seems to enjoy making Oggy's life miserable, which involves mischief ranging from (in most cases) plundering his refrigerator to such awkward things like hijacking the train Oggy just boarded. Oggy usually finds creatures accompanying him to the end of the episode, such as crabs, clams, a horse, a very technologically advanced child, a puppy, and an octopus. However, it's not always Oggy who wins.

The cartoon relies on slapstick humour, much like its "ancestor", Tom and Jerry, only amplifying the level of extremities up a notch. While traditional slapstick cartoon characters prefer dropping anvils and pianos on each other, this show sometimes uses buses or submarines. Despite these, however, most gags are easily accessible and enjoyable for younger viewers. Since dialogue is kept to a minimum, the humour is entirely visual.


Tuesday 12 August 2014

Jumanji - The Series

In honour of Robin Williams who sadly passed away yesterday, I bring you the cartoon spinoff one one of his great family movies, Jumanji!




While it followed the movie's plot, there were a few changes such as the exclusion of Bonnie Hunt's character Sarah Whittle and the age and relationship of the policeman Carl Bentley (played by David Alan Grier in the movie) was changed somewhat. Van Pelt appears in some episodes. Each turn, the player was given a "game clue" and then sucked into the jungle until they solved their clue. Robin Williams' character Alan was stuck in Jumanji because he had never seen his clue. Judy and Peter would help Alan try to leave the game providing the characters' motivation during the series. Also, Peter would sometimes be transformed into various animals whenever he cheated, sometimes using the abilities of whatever animal he becomes to an advantage.

Monday 11 August 2014

Insektors

There's a war going on in the undergrowth, a war hidden from our eyes, but of you look carefully you find the Insektors!



Insektors is a 90’s Children’s TV computer generated cartoon, which follows a character called Flynn who was found as a baby by the Verigreens and raised as their own.
The Verigreens live in a beautiful place full of enormous flowers and colour. But all is not not well in this wonderful place, because nearby lives a group called the Kruds. They live underground in a place where everything is brown and no one laughs or has fun. They especially don't like the Verigreens with all their flowers and colours and their main aim is to cut down all the flowers and turn them all into Kruds.

Sunday 10 August 2014

Storybook International

I am a storyteller and my stories must be told... It's Storybook International!



The show famously began with an animated title sequence with a troubadour singing the theme song, accompanied by a friendly anthropomorphic fox. The original version was sung in a traditional English folk style, but subsequent international versions had different versions of the song. Notably the US version replaced the line "In England I am John" with "In America I'm John".
The weekly, half-hour show was a collection of folk tales and fairy stories from all over the world, based on an anthology of stories for children published by Gollancz in 1981, edited by Veronica Kruger. Filmed in such locales as Russia, Ireland and Scandinavia, the series' live-action playlets were based on stories which originated in England, Czechoslovakia, France, Romania, Turkey, Wales, Israel, Norway, China, Africa, India and elsewhere. A few of the stories were campfire legends derived from the Native Americans of New England and the Maori of New Zealand.


Vicky the Viking

It's taken a lot of time to find this show, but finally it's here for you all to enjoy! It's Vicky the Viking!



The series' main character is Vicky, son of Halvar, chief of the Viking village of Flake. Unlike his village fellows - including most of the other boys of his age - Vicky is blessed with a sharp and imaginative mind which helps his fellow Vikings out of many tight situations, including rival Viking lord Sven the Terrible. Certain results of his intellectual approach shown in the series and the film adaptation include building a makeshift catapult to beat his father in a stone-ferrying contest, fitting their longship with kites to make it glide through the air, and using a small sawfish to cut an escape hole through a wooden door.


Saturday 9 August 2014

The Adventure Game

Time for an intergalactic journey to the planet Arg, to take part in The Adventure Game!



The story in each show was that the two celebrity contestants and a member of the public had travelled by space ship to the planet Arg. Their overall task varied with each series. For example, the team might be charged with finding a crystal needed to power their ship to return to Earth. The programme is often considered to have been a forerunner of The Crystal Maze.
Arg was inhabited by shapeshifting dragons known as Argonds. As a reference to this, most proper nouns in the programme, including Argond, were anagrams of the word dragon. All Argonds shifted shape within the first few minutes before the contestants arrived, most to human form to avoid scaring them.
The contestants had to complete a number of tasks in order to achieve their overall goal (e.g. regain their crystal and return to their ship). Many tasks involved the drogna, a small transparent plastic disc containing a solid geometric figure, which was the currency of Arg. The value of a drogna was its numbered position in the visible spectrum multiplied by the number of sides of the figure. For example, a red circle is worth one unit, an orange circle is worth two units, a red triangle and a yellow circle are both worth three, and so on.

Friday 8 August 2014

The Red Hand Gang

Time for some crime solving kids now with The Red Hand Gang!




The Red Hand Gang consists of 5 children and are like a modern Famous 5. The gang is named after the red hand that they leave on walls to mark their territory and show that they have been there. The gang consists of Frankie, JR, Doc, Joanne, Lil Bill and not forgetting Boomer the dog. They have even built their own club house, on some waste land, where they all hang out.
Now the Red Hand Gang have an uncanny knack of solving mysteries and battling criminals. Whenever they get to a dead end in one of their investigations, they all regroup and discuss their next plan of action. This usually results in one of them coming up with a bright idea to help with their investigations.


Thursday 7 August 2014

The Adventures of Spot

He's small, fluffy and very inquisitive. He's also the cutest puppy around! It's Spot!



Spot is a young puppy that lives with his parents, and likes to help them around the house. He loves to discover what things are and sings songs about what he sees. Spot enjoys solving mysteries. Such as the time he found a key and wondered what lock it would open. He tried every lock he could find and eventually found out that it fitted the lock on his father’s tool box. He even has a favourite bone. He lost it once and searched everywhere. Once he found it, he made sure he’d never lose it again, by tying a piece of string to it and then dragging it around (boy, he must like that bone!).
Spot loves to play with his friends especially down at the playground. He also likes playing with all the toys he has, especially his bath toys. His favourite is his boat. Like most children, Spot doesn’t like to walk downstairs, and instead bounces down the stairs on his bum. After he’s spends most of the day running round and playing with his friends, its time to curls up in his basket and go fast asleep, with his orange teddy bear.


Wednesday 6 August 2014

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros 3

Based upon the Nintendo game of the same name, comes the animated series of The Adventures of Super Mario Bros 3!




The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 focuses on Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool, who reside in the Mushroom World. Most of the episodes revolve around the four characters' efforts to prevent the attacks made by King Koopa and his seven Koopalings to take over Princess Toadstool's Mushroom Kingdom.
Since the show was based on Super Mario Bros. 3, the enemies and power-ups were also seen in the show. In addition to being more faithful to the Mario gameplay, the series was given an established sense of continuity, something that the previous series (Super Mario Bros Super Show) lacked. The show was also known for having many of its episodes set in "the real world", with "actual" human beings appearing from time to time. Episodes took place in locations such as London, Paris, Venice, New York City, Cape Canaveral, Los Angeles and even Washington, D.C.

Tuesday 5 August 2014

Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths and Legends

We have all heard about the Roswell incident in the 1940's, but what if that event itself was a cover up for something even more sinister? Find out in the Roswell Conspiracies!




On the show, the Roswell UFO Incident which is part of a conspiracy theory is portrayed as being a man made phenomenon. It was set up by humans to deflect popular attention from the truth. The unidentified flying object was a prop; the body of a little green or grey man was a dummy; the witnesses to the crash were plants; as were the Air Force investigators. In fact the whole shadow world surrounding Area 51 was nothing but a distraction from the fact that the aliens had landed long ago and there were known incidents of their desire to attack, assimilate and/or destroy the human race.
These known incidents could be found in legend, myth and folklore of beings so strange and alien that they became the fabric of what human beings thought of when they thought of being frightened; vampires, werewolves, banshees, manitou, evil spirits, etc. As human beings progressed into the Industrial Age the attacks seemed to lessen, but recently they'd begun to go on the rise.

The story begins as Nick Logan, a bounty hunter, gets tapped to hunt down what he thinks is a regular bounty, but things don't stay regular for long. When his next bounty turns out to be a very unusual girl, he soon finds himself involved in something both incredibly outrageous but also potentially satisfying. There are aliens among us and he can possibly play a part in helping to protect the earth. His new circumstances could also help him discover the truth behind his biological father's disappearance. Raised and trained by a stepfather in the know, Nick is one of a few human beings born with an innate sense of seeing through alien deceptions; most of the aliens can morph into human form at will. This ability gives him a unique advantage. In time he discovers his father and grandfather shared this advantage too.
Nick ends up teaming with Sh'lainn Blaze, a rogue Banshee who wants to be the bridge that helps humans and her species co-exist on the planet together. The Banshee haven't fared well in an age of cold iron and Sh'lainn seems aware that they are plotting some form of 'final' solution. Together they become agents under James Rinaker the current Executive Officer of The Global Alliance, an international agency responsible for keeping the secret from the public and keeping the aliens in check by preventing the more aggressive and volatile ones from hunting human beings.


Monday 4 August 2014

Fireman Sam

Deep in the Welsh valleys, there is a man you can always depend on to get you out of a jam. It's Fireman Sam!

Sunday 3 August 2014

Into the Labyrinth

There is mystery, magic and time travel as we venture Into the Labyrinth!



The series was based around a struggle between two timeless, feuding sorcerers - the noble Rothgo and the evil Belor. Each aimed to obtain possession of the Nidus, a magical object of limitless power. The Nidus actually belonged to Rothgo and was the source of his power, but it was stolen by Belor who used her own magic to send it through time and space so that Rothgo would not be able to find it. Without the power of the Nidus, Rothgo would ultimately die. The first series followed a group of modern-day children (Phil, Helen and Terry) who find Rothgo, almost lifeless, in a labyrinthine cave. Rothgo sends the children through different periods of time to search for the Nidus, which is disguised as a different object in each time period and can only be seen in reflection. The children arrive at various points of history (the French Revolution, Ancient Greece, English Civil War, etc.), in which they find an earlier version of Rothgo himself, playing a character from each period. Together they search for the Nidus, but their attempts are constantly thwarted by Belor who also appears in each time period disguised as a character herself.
Just as the children are about to retrieve the Nidus, Belor uses her magic to hurl it further through time (using her magical incantation "I deny you the Nidus!" as a bolt of lightning emanates from her fingertips). Belor cannot actually touch the Nidus whilst Rothgo still lives, and so she can only hope to deny him possession of the artefact until he eventually dies.

Saturday 2 August 2014

Children of the Stones

Critically renowned as being one of the scariest childrens shows ever made, this morning I bring you Children of the Stones!



Scientist Adam Brake and his son Matthew come to the quiet village of Milbury to study the 4000 year-old stone circle that surrounds it. But the stones seem to hold some kind of ancient power, one that the mysterious Mr Hendrick hopes to tap into and that holds all of the villagers in its thrall.


Friday 1 August 2014

Tumbledown Farm

A trip to the farm is always a fun adventure for kids, and this one has even more surprises in store! It's Tumbledown Farm!



Farmer Dick (Dick King-Smith) invites his grand-daughter Georgina to Tumbledown Farm, where she makes friends with all the puppet characters and animals who live there in a world of fun and fantasy.
Dick King-Smith was a farmer for 20 years before he became a teacher and author. He was the writer of the novel the Sheep Pig, which was later turned into the movie Babe, as well as The Queen's Nose and Harry's Mad, both of which became children's TV series in the mid 90's.


Thursday 31 July 2014

Fantomcat

From Cosgrove Hall, the production company behind DangerMouse and Count Duckuls come the swashbuckling hero, Fantomcat!



Fantomcat centres on the character Phillipe Lentheric Guerlain de Givenchy, the Duke of Fantom, a masked swashbuckling hero who thrived in 1699, in mortal combat with his nemesis Baron Von Skeltar (a sword-wielding caped Skeletoid alchemist). De Fantom was treacherously cast into a painting within the halls of his house, Castle De Fantom, and became trapped for centuries. As time passed, the area around Castle De Fantom became a bustling metropolis called Metro City, a city submerged in crime rings led by the fiendish arachnid Marmagora.
The Duke of Fantom is a masked swashbuckling hero who joins Metro City's Detective Team after his release and is nicknamed Fantomcat. Fantomcat is naturally completely oblivious to the modern world and its various new technologies, which can hinder him and the detective team if not careful. Fantomcat has a sword called "Touché" which can respond to his beck and call, he can also turn invisible, hence his namesake to act like a "Phantom" when needed.




Wednesday 30 July 2014

The Storyteller

Requested by BCC fan Mark Davies, we have the classic show The Storyteller!



The series featured both human actors and creatures from the Jim Henson Creature Shop in retelling classic, but lesser known, folk tales, fables and legends. The series combined humor, intrigue and magic. The role of the Storyteller was played by John Hurt, and Dog was performed by Brian Henson.


Tuesday 29 July 2014

Dog City

Today we have the adventures of a cartoon canine detective, and his creator (who is also a dog) in Jim Henson's Dog City!




Dog City centers on Eliot Shag, a Muppet dog and animator, and his cartoon creation Ace Hart, an animated canine private eye. In each episode, Eliot translates his own dilemmas into Ace's more adventurous exploits in the tough, 1940s-style streets of Dog City. The Muppet sequences featured, in addition to Eliot, his admiring young neighbor Artie Springer, building superintendent Bruno, his assistant Bowser, and girlfriend Colleen Barker. Eliot, Bruno, and Bowser were all refurbished puppets, with new taxidermy eyes, from the original Dog City special, and Colleen recycled the same puppet, name, and voice.
The animated segments, meanwhile, maintained the film noir-spoof atmosphere of the original special, with hero Ace Hart, private eye dog, battling gangster Bugsy Vile and his gang, with the assistance of Eddie the newspup and the help or hindrance of by-the-book Chief Rosie O'Gravy, all of whom had counterparts in the puppet segments. Each episode thus had roughly parallel plots running between the Muppets and the cartoon characters, with creator Eliot and creation Ace engaging in good-natured arguments about the storylines.


Monday 28 July 2014

Dink the Little Dinosaur

Stepping into prehistory now to the time before men, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, in Dink the Little Dinosaur!




Riding the wave of cartoon dino-mania brought on by Don Bluth’s The Land Before Time, Ruby-Spears produced its own team of little dinos. Young brontosaurus Dink joined Jurassic friends Amber, Scat, Shyler and Flapper in exploring Dinosaur Valley.
An aged sea turtle named Crusty served as a mentor to the youngsters, while Tyranno the tyrannosaurus put the fear of the dino gods in them. Kiddies who watched learned lessons on ecology, tolerance and teamwork, while simultaneously enjoying the good-natured adventures of Dink and the gang.

Sunday 27 July 2014

Tugs

From the people that brought you Thomas the Tank Engine, comes the tale of life pulling ships into port, it's Tugs!



It is the 1920s: Rival tug fleets compete for work in Bigg City Port. Captain Star briefs his Star Tugs – he's trying the regular contract to dock The Duchess ocean liner. It'll be a difficult job but to help out, the captain has recruited Sunshine, a small switcher. The rival Z-Stacks are encouraged by their devious Captain Zero to sabotage the operation. Their leader Zorran runs Big Mac aground, and nudges Sunshine into The Duchess's bow, swinging her dangerously. Captain Star orders Sunshine's dismissal, but he runs away, and is lost in the harbour in a thick fog.