Jamie and the Magic Torch
Encyclopedia
Jamie and the Magic Torch was a British
children's animated television series, made by Cosgrove Hall for Thames Television
and shown on the ITV
network, running from 1976 to 1979. It was shown again in the 1980s to a new audience of children. The series was written and narrated by Brian Trueman
, who later wrote shows such as Dangermouse
and Count Duckula
for Cosgrove Hall.
. When shone on the floor, the torch opened up a hole into a fun dimension called Cuckoo Land.
The beginning of each episode had Jamie's mother tucking him into bed at night and saying, "Sleep well, Jamie." Then from under his bed, his pet dog Wordsworth would appear holding the torch in his mouth. Jamie would take the torch and shine it on the floor, opening up a portal to Cuckoo Land (which Wordsworth always got stuck in). The portal manifested itself as a helter skelter.
When they reached the end of the slide, they would fly out into Cuckoo Land from the bottom of a tree trunk and land on a trampoline
. All of this was accompanied by a song, written by Joe Griffiths. Once in Cuckoo Land, the fun would begin.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
children's animated television series, made by Cosgrove Hall for Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
and shown on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network, running from 1976 to 1979. It was shown again in the 1980s to a new audience of children. The series was written and narrated by Brian Trueman
Brian Trueman
Brian Trueman is a British writer and broadcaster known mainly for his work with the animation studio Cosgrove Hall...
, who later wrote shows such as Dangermouse
DangerMouse
Danger Mouse is a British animated television series which was produced by Cosgrove Hall Films for Thames Television. It features the eponymous Danger Mouse, an English mouse who works as a superhero/secret agent. The show is a loose parody of British spy fiction, particularly James Bond and the...
and Count Duckula
Count Duckula
Count Duckula is a British animated television series created by British studio Cosgrove Hall, and a spin-off from DangerMouse, a show in which the Count Duckula character was a recurring villain. The series first aired on September 6, 1988 and was produced by Thames Television for 3 seasons and...
for Cosgrove Hall.
Premise
The programme was based around the young boy of the title and his torchFlashlight
A flashlight is a hand-held electric-powered light source. Usually the light source is a small incandescent lightbulb or light-emitting diode...
. When shone on the floor, the torch opened up a hole into a fun dimension called Cuckoo Land.
The beginning of each episode had Jamie's mother tucking him into bed at night and saying, "Sleep well, Jamie." Then from under his bed, his pet dog Wordsworth would appear holding the torch in his mouth. Jamie would take the torch and shine it on the floor, opening up a portal to Cuckoo Land (which Wordsworth always got stuck in). The portal manifested itself as a helter skelter.
When they reached the end of the slide, they would fly out into Cuckoo Land from the bottom of a tree trunk and land on a trampoline
Trampoline
A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched over a steel frame using many coiled springs. People bounce on trampolines for recreational and competitive purposes....
. All of this was accompanied by a song, written by Joe Griffiths. Once in Cuckoo Land, the fun would begin.
Characters in Cuckoo Land
- Mr. Boo, who flies around in his 'submachine', obsessed with counting things.
- Officer Gotcha, who rides a unicycle, eats truncheons
- Strumpers Plunkett, who plays melodies on his trumpet nose
- Wellybob the cat, who does everything backwards
- Jo-Jo Help the unhelpful handyman
- Nutmeg the ragdoll
- The Yoo-hoo Bird, who plays tricks on and runs from Officer Gotcha.
- BullyBundy; the show business rabbit with oversized feet!