Bertha

So, I'm sitting looking at lots of big machnery this morning. (I won't go into details of why) and I thought to myself, What kind of factory would make these? Or at least the components?
As a result of my brain being hardwired to this site my thoughts turned to...

Bertha!

I mean, is there anything she can't make?Jigsaws, springs, inflatable bears, cuckoo clocks... The list is endless!!

Maid Marian and her Merry Men

Today we have a piece of comedy genius from Tony Robinson, Maid Marian and her Merry Men!

The true story of Sherwood Forest is finally revealed: Robin was a cowardly tailor from Kensington, and Marian was the brains behind the Merry Men. With her ruthless band of freedom fighters, Marian seeks to save the villagers of Worksop from the tyrany of King John and his cunning henchman, the Sheriff of Nottingham...

Time to join Marian, Robin, Barrington, Rabies and Little Ron in their fight to free Nottingham from King John's tyrannical rule!

Also, included at the beginning of this video is a taste of what the Broom Cupboard used to be like with a small clip with Andi Peters!!

Earthworm Jim

A little experiment for this one, I've tried an embedded link from another site. However, all seems to be well and I can now bring you Earthworm Jim!



Based on the videogames, Earthworm Jim retains the absurdist and surreal humour of the games as well as introducing its own features. Most episodes involve the series' numerous villains attempting to reclaim the super suit, rule/destroy/freeze/knock over the universe, or otherwise causing mayhem throughout the galaxy. Other problems facing Jim include returning his neighbor's eggbeater and finding a new power source after his suit is depowered. 

Episodes begin with Earthworm Jim and Peter Puppy in some peril that has nothing to do with the main plot or the previous episodes, with little explanation of how they got into the mess. In between parts, there is a short side-story, generally featuring one of the villains doing a more natural part of life, usually without any involvement from Jim. These can range anywhere from Psy-Crow going through a career change, Evil the Cat disguising himself as a movie star in order to make his evil plans known to the world, or Professor Monkey-For-A-Head attending group therapy and always ending with "and now, back to Earthworm Jim." The end of every episode involves Jim or any other character being crushed by a cow, a play on the first game of the series (in the first stage, the player launches a cow into the sky, only to have it crush the princess upon the game's ending).


Most of the main characters from the show originated from characters introduced in the Earthworm Jim and Earthworm Jim 2 video games. Peter Puppy becomes Jim's sidekick and friend and Princess Whats-Her-Name his love interest. Many villains from the game, including Evil the Cat, Psy-Crow, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt and Professor Monkey-for-a-Head also appear in the show.

Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone

Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone is an animated series produced by Hanna Barbera and is known outside the US as Potsworth & Co.. In the UK, the BBC felt that the suggestion of children being awake after midnight was inappropriate, thus the name was changed.

The series revolves around Potsworth, an English Springer Spaniel, based upon a real-life springer spaniel called Potsworth, bought from the Battersea Dogs Home by Martin and Vivien Schrager-Powell. The couple were somewhat disheartened with some of the children's programmes being made at the time, commenting that "Six-year-olds just aren't content to be fobbed off with 'Mr Wizard go pouf and nasty man go away'. Stories these days have to be believable, contain some logical process".

The series tells of four children and Potsworth the dog who live in the same neighborhood. When they go to sleep at night they turn up in the Dream Zone where, as the Midnight Patrol, they are appointed by the Grand Dozer to protect it from nightmares and other threats and are given their missions by the Snooze Patrol. Their main enemy is the Nightmare Prince.
Whilst they are in the Dream Zone, the five have special powers. Keiko has a flying skateboard; Carter can draw anything and then have it come to life; Nick is super-strong and is able to fly; his stuffed toy Murphy comes to life; whilst his cynical sister Rosie tags along. Potsworth himself acquires the power of speech which enables him to complain about the way he is treated in the real world, and make wry comments about the kids and their own attitudes and relationships. The cartoon Potsworth had a very "English" accent, even in the American version of the programmes, reflecting his real-life counterpart's British origins. (taken from Wikipedia)

Charlie Chalk

It's Charlie Chalk! Another classic stop motion cartoon from Ivor Wood!

It tells the story of Charlie Chalk - a jolly clown who, after falling asleep whilst fishing out at sea, ends up on a strange island by the name of Merrytwit. Characters had to be aware of coconuts which constantly fell from the trees on the island.
The pilot episode of the series (entitled 'Shipwrecked Charlie') finds Charlie having just landed on Merrytwit, and after making friends with some of its inhabitants, decides to stay and build a home there. The following episodes follow Charlie and his new friends on various adventures on the island.