Fiddley Foodle Bird
The Fiddley Foodle Bird was a British children's animated musical series written by Jonathan Hodge, and narrated by Bruce Forsyth. Thirteen episodes of the series were made in total, with one story continuing through the episodes. They were made in 1991 and broadcast in 1992 on BBC One at 4:15.[1] It was produced by H.A.P.P.Y. Animation and Fiddley Foodle Bird Productions in association with HIT Entertainment and was broadcast in over 30 different countries worldwide. The show also continued airing on the BBC until 2001.
| Fiddley Foodle Bird | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Jonathan Hodge |
| Written by | Jonathan Hodge Stuart Lethwood |
| Directed by | Tony Garth |
| Starring | Dennis Waterman Kate Robbins Jimmy Hibbert Jonathan Hodge Julian Littman Stuart Leathwood Tammy Coleman |
| Narrated by | Bruce Forsyth |
| Opening theme | "The Fiddley Foodle Bim Bam Boom" |
| Ending theme | "The Fiddley Foodle Bim Bam Boom (Reprise)" |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Theresa Plummer-Andrews Chris Ambler Andy Taylor |
| Producer(s) | Jonathan Hodge |
| Running time | 10 minutes |
| Production company(s) | HIT Entertainment Fiddley Foodle Bird Productions H.A.P.P.Y. Animation |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Original release | 8 January – 1 April 1992 |
Plot
The main character of the series is a bird, whose full name is the "Fiddley Foodle Bim Bam Boodle Oo Diddley-Doodle Oodle Bird". The character is voiced by Dennis Waterman (actor and singer famous for his roles as Terry McCann in Minder and Detective Sergeant George Carter in The Sweeney). The bird was originally nothing more than just a picture in a book, which was found by a young boy named Algernon. He wished that the bird would come to life, and when the wish came true they set out on an adventure with Algernon's friends, the eternally hungry Princess Toto, and his housekeeper, the overly strict Mrs. Grumblebaum. The aim of the mission is to find Algernon's lost parents, two members of the Potty Explorer's Club- Carzy and Maudy. They were lost exploring in a sieve. However, Algernon's dastardly Uncle Arbathnot is out to ensure that their mission does not succeed, and also to seize a mysterious treasure chest. He is assisted by a muscle-man named Damage, a Frenchman named Flannel, and a pirate named Pierre Head, who, like most pirates, is accompanied by a parrot — a wise-cracking green glove puppet. The show features a guest appearance from Cilla Black, who voiced the President of the Potty Explorer's Club.
Episodes
- Foodle Power (08/01/1992)
- Sea Saw (15/01/1992)
- Cock-a-Doodle Crazy (22/01/1992)
- The Yolks on Who? (29/01/1992)
- Catch My Drift (05/02/1992)
- Up the Pole (12/02/1992)
- There's No Business Like Snow Business (19/02/1992)
- What the Dino Saw (26/02/1992)
- Hic Hic Wooray (04/03/1992)
- Goin' Bananas (11/03/1992)
- Planks a Lot (18/03/1992)
- Squids In (25/03/1992)
- Will Ee No Come Back Again? (01/04/1992)
Voices
- Dennis Waterman - Fiddley Foodle Bird
- Bruce Forsyth - Narrator
- Kate Robbins - Mrs. Grumblebaum
- Jimmy Hibbert
- Jonathan Hodge
- Julian Littman
- Stuart Leathwood
- Tammy Coleman
Merchandise
Video releases
The entire series was released on a set of VHS recordings in 2001. There was also another video released by Pocket Money Video which contained the first eight episodes.
Music release
A soundtrack of the series was also released on CD and cassette which contained the introduction by Bruce Forsyth, a full extended version of the main title theme song and all of the songs that were featured in all thirteen episodes of the series. It was released by EMI Music Publishing in 1992, the same year as when the show first aired.
Credits
- Based on the Original Story by: Jonathan Hodge
- Written by: Jonathan Hodge & Stuart Leathwood
- Scripts by: Don Arioli, Jonathan Hodge, Stuart Leathwood
- Title Song by: Jonathan Hodge & Bob Saker
- Original Songs by: Jonathan Hodge, Stuart Leathwood, Julian Littman
- Incidental Music by: Jonathan Hodge & Julian Littman
- Produced by: Jonathan Hodge
- Music Recorded at: Honeywood Studios
- Voice Recordings by: Ian Gillespie at Silk Sound
- Animation by: Whizzline Productions, Clinton J. Priest, Nick Love-Gittins, Stephen Hales, Billy Allison, Simon Turner, Paul Smith, Denise Smith, Bob Smith, Malc Smith
- Overseas Animation by: Shanghai Morning Sun Animation Co., Ltd.
- Overseas Animation Directors: Horseman Cao
- Design Storyboards and Layouts: Vince James, Jeremy Lounge, Miss Spomin
- Backgrounds: Aileen Raistrick
- Line Testing and Xerox: Lynn Durans, Kate Smith
- Co-ordination: Karina Stanford, Margaret Johnson
- Paint and Trace Supervisor: Louise Harding
- Paint and Trace: Michael Ambler, Anne Marie Briggs, Damian Knapper, David McGuire, Russel Marshall, Greg Smith, Paul Murphey, Sharon Walsh, Fabian White, Tanya Blosen
- Production Manager: Heather Pedley, Tyne Tees Facilities
- Sound: John Cook, Charles Heath
- Editing: Paul Rudkin
- Rostrum Camera: Glynis Werndly
- Supervising Cameraman: Alec Jacklin
- Executive Producer for the BBC: Theresa Plummer Andrews
- Executive Producer for HIT Entertainment: Peter Orton
- Executive Producers for H.A.P.P.Y. Productions: Chris Ambler & Andy Taylor
- Directed by: Tony Garth
- Produced by: Jonathan Hodge
- An H.A.P.P.Y. Production
- © 1991 Fiddley Foodle Bird Productions Ltd