The Legend of Dick and Dom

The Legend of Dick and Dom is a sitcom that stars Dick and Dom as two budding young princes who are on a quest to find the antidote to a terrible plague that consumed Fyredor because Dick accidentally dropped the cure. The all star cast also includes Mannitol (Steve Furst), a wizard who is really bad at doing magic, and Lutin (Chloe Bale), a thief who was released from prison. During the quest, they have to find various items e.g. a magnofish. They then put it in a special bottle to complete their potion. The programme is narrated by former Monty Python member Terry Jones. After the season three finale on 24 March 2011, the show was cancelled.

The Legend of Dick and Dom
Written by	Carl Carter & Tony Cooke Simon A Brown Julian Kemp Ciaran Murtagh & Andrew Jones Claire McCarthy
Directed by	Jeremy Wooding Dez McCarthy
Starring	Dominic Wood Richard McCourt Steve Furst Chloe Bale Terry Jones Dave Chapman Ian Kirkby
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	33 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	Steve Ryde
Running time	28 minutes
Release
Original network	CBBC BBC One
Original release	2 January 2009 (2009-01-02) – 24 March 2011

Main characters

Princes Dick and Dom

Prince Dick and Prince Dom (Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood respectively) are the sons of the King of Fyredor, a kingdom in Bottom World. They appear to be in their early twenties. They are both accident-prone and often naive. When a terrible plague ravaged the city, the king's mightiest warrior, a wizard, set out to find the cure. After successfully obtaining the ingredients, Dick and Dom were the first ones to be cured, but then, in their celebration, accidentally smashed the bottle and thus lost the cure. So, they set out on a quest with their trusty mage, Mannitol, and their servant, Lutin, to find the ingredients again. At the end of the first series they discovered that they had collected all the ingredients, but they had all the wrong ingredients and had created a potion to cure athlete's foot. In series 2 the plague evolved & the people of Fyredor start to transform into animals; Dick & Dom must therefore collect all the right ingredients as fast as they can.

Mannitol

Mannitol Chur-Railways (Steve Furst) is a mage who embarks on the quest with Dick, Dom and Lutin. Although he appears to be an experienced wizard, he is appallingly bad at magic, and most of his spells turn out disastrously wrong. His mishaps have included, among other things, turning Dick into a cowpat. Unlike the other characters, he wears a full-length, itchy-looking brown robe. He is bald, but (unusually) has long red hair around the sides and a long beard. In the episode Dick's Brain, whenever gruesome things are mentioned (e.g. removing Dick's brain), Mannitol throws up. In an episode called The King of Kong's Conker, Dick and Dom are turned to stone, and can only be restored by the King of Kong's magic touch and Mannitol and Lutin must marry the King's daughters. Mannitol was due to marry Princess Minnie, and, when worrying with Lutin over the effects of their last names, revealed his surname to be Chur-Railways (Manni Chur-Railways being a pun on 'miniature railways'). But Mannitol knows the knowledge of the Items about like the tears of furry and there was a story about it. In 'Land of the Luvies' everyone thought he had been infected by 'luviness' due to his nice optimistic comments about his stay in their village; Therefore, they had tied him up to a chair in 'Normans' Lab and left there when Dom revealed himself to be a 'Luvie'.

Lutin

Lutin Mum (Chloe Bale) is the servant of the princes. A very grumpy and querulous person, she was originally a thief. She dislikes the heavy labour she must do, such as carrying the supplies. When the characters get covered in mess (quite frequently) Lutin often complains about it messing up her hair or make-up, even though her hair appears messy and she obviously wears no make-up at all. She proves her toughness, though, in her handling of the princes and Mannitol, as she is rough with them. She is an outspoken critic of Mannitol, calling him an old fool and never listens to him. Lutin showed her courage, too, in The King of Kong's Conker, when she easily defeated a man-eating beast, but later owed this to the fact that she is a woman, not a man. In the same episode, Lutin had to pretend to be Prince Dom (who had been turned to stone), and had to marry a princess called Maxine. She argued with Mannitol over who should marry who; Lutin claimed she could not marry the other princess, Minnie, due to the fact that her surname was Mum, which would make Minnie's name "Minnie Mum". And Dom kissed Lutin on the cheek in one of the series. In the episode, "Tears of Fury" she had had a crush on a man called Jasper that lived within the walls (this led her to turning against the boys when they "killed" the Furies). They end up being girlfriend and boyfriend and actually kiss.This shows her soft side. In 'Land of the Luvies' she used her singing talent to trick the luvies that she had been infected and possessed to escape.

Beastmaster

The Beastmaster (Dave Chapman) is the main antagonist of the series. He follows Dick & Dom through Bottom World in the second and third seasons. He is a tall cloaked man who wears a mask that resembles a bull's head. All the villains of series 2 work for him, but when they fail to stop the heroes the Beastmaster turns his minions into animals, e.g. Hans becomes a goat, the Hag becomes a slug, the Sirens become sheep, and the Bank manager becomes a toad. When his evil animals fail him he cooks and eats them, e.g. Jackal the duck, Evil prince Dick the rabbit, evil prince Dom the dog, evil Lutin the cat and evil Mannitol the guinea pig. He is responsible for the plague. In Haunted he caught the heroes at last, but they later escaped. At the end of the series, he falls into a vastly deep drill hole that leads to the water caverns under Fyredor and apparently dies.

Episodes

Series overview

Series		Episodes		Originally aired
				First aired	Last aired
	1	13		2 January 2009 (2009-01-02)	27 April 2009 (2009-04-27)
	2	10		3 March 2010 (2010-03-03)	5 May 2010 (2010-05-05)
	3	10		19 January 2011 (2011-01-19)	20 March 2011 (2011-03-20)

Series 1 (2009)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original air date	Prod. code
1	1	"Tickle Tournament"	2 January 2009 (2009-01-02)	1.1
Princes Dick and Dom enter a tickling tournament to win a Magnofish for the potion, and face the current world champions, the Two Shadows.
2	2	"Milk"	9 January 2009 (2009-01-09)	1.2
The next item on Dick and Dom's quest is a pint of milk, but Bottom World has run dry. Who has captured all the cows?
3	3	"Princess Gladys"	16 January 2009 (2009-01-16)	1.3
Our heroes need dandruff from the golden hair of Princess Gladys. Prince Dom is in love, but has a rival for her hand in marriage.
4	4	"The Neehi Tribe"	23 January 2009 (2009-01-23)	1.4
Dick and Dom seek the fruit of the lost Neehi tribe, but will it lead to war?
5	5	"Swampy's Girlfriend"	30 January 2009 (2009-01-30)	1.5
The two princes need the song of the swamp monster to add to their potion. Meanwhile, Lutin swerves away from the quest temporarily.
6	6	"Hairwolf"	6 February 2009 (2009-02-06)	1.6
The princes' potion requires a lock of hair from the golden wig of Barnet, but the wig is cursed and a foul beast terrorises the land.
7	7	"Nan Trap"	13 February 2009 (2009-02-13)	1.7
The quest for the next ingredient leads the gang to Nan's house, but will she ever let them leave?
8	8	"Mists of Time"	20 February 2009 (2009-02-20)	1.8
The heroes need The Mists of Time to add to their potion. Who would have thought this quest would take them to modern-day Slough?
9	9	"Back to School"	27 February 2009 (2009-02-27)	1.9
Princes Dick and Dom send their terrible wizard, Mannitol, back to wizard school while they hunt down a dragon's clack, the next potion ingredient.
10	10	"Tears of Fury"	6 March 2009 (2009-03-06)	1.10
The terrible Furies are feared throughout the land but our heroes need to make one cry to continue their quest. Things take a turn for the worse for the boys when Lutin betrays them to the people that protect the Furies.
11	11	"Rock Hard"	13 March 2009 (2009-03-13)	1.11
When the gang try to pinch the King of Kong's conker, Princes Dick and Dom are turned to stone; is this the end for our heroes?
12	12	"Vampire Baby"	20 March 2009 (2009-03-20)	1.12
The potion needs a little something from Alan the Vampire Baby. Our heroes must journey to Deepest darkest Pramsylvania.
13	13	"Dr Cheese"	27 March 2009 (2009-03-27)	1.13
By finding the last ingredient, a Griffin’s snot, the potion is finally complete - but will it work? The heroes return to the kingdom of Fyredor to try it out, and remember the many adventures they had along the way. They eventually discover from the eccentric Dr. Cheese that because of Mannitol, they have collected a cure for athlete's foot as they were using a prescription scroll for his infection instead of a magic scroll. They have to do the quest all over again.

Series 2 (2010)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original air date	Prod. code
14	1	"Beastly"	3 March 2010 (2010-03-03)	2.1
The plague is starting to turn humans into animals, and the gang must work faster than ever to retrieve potion ingredients. Before beginning their quest once more, they meet Hans, who says that Mannitol has resigned from the quest and that he is to help them instead. But what are Hans' true motives?
15	2	"Dick's Brain"	10 March 2010 (2010-03-10)	2.2
The antidote needs the brain of a prince called Dick, but after Prince Dick refuses to let them to take his brain, the gang are forced to search for another prince by the name of Dick. Meanwhile, evil clones of Dick, Dom, Lutin and Mannitol cause chaos at the fairest fairy fayre and the gang are put to blame - it's time to call in Inspector Harold Batt.
16	3	"Hag Pus"	17 March 2010 (2010-03-17)	2.3
The hereos need the pus from an old hag's spot, but they become children, and the hag turns children into butter!
17	4	"Sirens"	24 March 2010 (2010-03-24)	2.4
The sirens are twelve feet tall with rows of razor-sharp teeth, and the heroes need one of their talons for the potion!
18	5	"Garlic Tuesday"	31 March 2010 (2010-03-31)	2.5
The four need the biggest Turnip in Bottom world. Dick is celebrating a festival that Dom made up. An ogre is attacking a village of vegetables. It's a catastrophe!
19	6	"Heist"	7 April 2010 (2010-04-07)	2.6
Whilst their penguin's egg, the next ingredient, is defrosting, the gang have to steal back the potion from a corrupt bank manager and his child henchmen.
20	7	"Hairy Fizzogs"	14 April 2010 (2010-04-14)	2.7
The Hairy Fizzogs are the hottest boy band in Bottom World, but now they have the plague! To make matters worse, the heroes are stalked by a sinister duck...
21	8	"Journey to the Centre of Bottom World"	21 April 2010 (2010-04-21)	2.8
The Eye of the Beholder is needed, so the heroes descend to Bottom World's very core.
22	9	"Haunted"	28 April 2010 (2010-04-28)	2.9
The princes need a ghost for the last potion ingredient - and where better to find one than Aaargh Manor? But there are sinister forces at work - and Lutin's gingerbread addiction becomes out of control.
23	10	"The Beastmaster"	5 May 2010 (2010-05-05)	2.10
The group are imprisoned by the Beastmaster at last, but despite the danger they are determined to escape...

Series 3 (2011)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original air date	Prod. code
24	1	"Escape"	19 January 2011 (2011-01-19)	3.1
Imprisoned by the evil Beastmaster, Princes Dick and Dom must escape with their cure before the kingdom of Fyredor is doomed forever.
25	2	"The Loopy Tribe"	26 January 2011 (2011-01-26)	3.2
The princes encounter the daftest tribe in all of Bottom World. They think that Prince Dick is a God, and they want him to stay forever.
26	3	"The Magic Oblong"	2 February 2011 (2011-02-02)	3.3
What dark secret does this mysterious wizard's society hide? Could this be the end of our heroes' fellowship?
27	4	"Valley of the Bigheads"	9 February 2011 (2011-02-09)	3.4
Princes Dick and Dom are put to the test. Will they overcome the biggest brains in Bottom World?
28	5	"Land of the Luvies"	9 February 2011 (2011-02-09)	3.5
The gang arrives at Land of the Luvies. With Prince Dom possessed by the Tribe; Will he give in to the power of Jazz Hands?
29	6	"Forget Me Nuts"	23 February 2011 (2011-02-23)	3.6
In an ancient grove where very peculiar nuts grow, the heroes struggle to remember who they are or where they are headed.
30	7	"The Numbskulls of the Beast"	2 March 2011 (2011-03-02)	3.7
The princes journey into the mind of the Beastmaster. What foul discoveries lie in wait?
31	8	"The Cabbage Ball Run"	9 March 2011 (2011-03-09)	3.8
Princes Dick and Dom must take part in the biggest race in Bottom World to escape the Beastmaster.
32	9	"The Cabbage Ball Secret"	16 March 2011 (2011-03-16)	3.9
The cure has been stolen. Will the heroes be able to retrieve it and return it to Fyredor before it is destroyed?
33	10	"Home"	24 March 2011 (2011-03-24)	3.10
As the heroes get closer to home the Beastmaster makes his final attack. Will Princes Dick and Dom fail in their quest once again?

Guest stars

Several well-known faces from CBBC have played guest parts in The Legend of Dick and Dom. These include Kate Edmondson (Hider in the House), Ted Robbins (The Slammer), Phil Cornwell (who has appeared in various shows such as MI High and Dani's House), Dave Chapman (Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow) and Ian Kirkby (Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow and Harry Batt). Kirkby and Chapman have semi-regular roles throughout the series (see below). Fenella Fielding also started in the episode called Land of the Luvvies. There have also been guest appearances by veteran entertainers, including Alan Ford (The Armando Iannucci Shows) Ian Lavender (Dad's Army) and Stephen K. Amos (The Stephen K. Amos Show)

Cultural references

Throughout the series there are a number of allusions to popular films and television programmes. While most of these are recognisable to a younger audience, there are also a number of references exclusively for mature viewers.

• In "Hairwolf", Dick responds to the children fleeing at the sight of the gang by saying to Dom, "I thought we were still popular with kids." This is a reference to Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow.
• "Back to School" features several references to the Harry Potter series, most notably when Dick questions the originality of sending Mannitol to a wizards' academy and asks Dom if it "seems familiar".
• Upon smashing one of the vials in "The Mists of Time", the gang find themselves falling through a time portal where the Doctor's TARDIS can be seen.
• In the same episode, Mannitol uses the power of suggestion on two security guards (Ian Kirkby and Dave Chapman, reprising their Harry Batt characters) to allow him and the princes access to Pinewood Studios. The scene is an exact recreation of Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker's entry into Mos Eisley Spaceport in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
• In the episode of "The Neehi Tribe" it seems to be copying the film Braveheart.[1] When prince Dom waits for the mash to be fired its seems exactly the same as the scene from Braveheart.
• The pub in "The Tears of Fury" is called The Woolpack after the bar in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale.
• The eponymous 'beasts' in "The Tears of Fury" are based on the Tribbles from Star Trek.
• In "Vampire Baby", the POV shot of Baby Alan (Carter Lewis Claret) closing in on the gang as they sleep in the open woodland is modelled after The Evil Dead, while the vampire baby's projectile vomiting onslaught is inspired by The Exorcist.
• In his closing narration for "Dr Cheese", Terry Jones complains of mistreatment by the programme makers and boasts that he was "in a very popular comedy series a few years ago." The earlier episode "The Mists of Time" also featured Eric Idle's "Money Song".
• Ian Kirkby and Dave Chapman's guest spots often involve them playing roles in the style of famous comedians or comedy characters. In "Dr Cheese", for example, Kirkby models his eponymous doctor on Eric Morecambe while his clumsy assistant (Chapman) is styled after Frank Spencer.
• In "Escape" many parts of the episode refer to The Great Escape, including the tunnel being dug behind a stove and one of the workers giving parts to the four prisoners

External links

• The Legend of Dick and Dom at BBC Programmes
• The Legend of Dick and Dom on IMDb

References

1. Braveheart (film)