Rainbow (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Rainbow is a British children's television series
, created by Pamela Lonsdale, which ran twice weekly at 12:10 on Tuesdays and Fridays on the ITV
network, from 16 October 1972 to 6 March 1992. It was intended to develop language and number skills for pre-school children, and went on to win the Society of Film and Television Arts Award for Best Children's Programme in 1975.
The programme was originally conceived as a British equivalent of long-running American
educational puppet series Sesame Street
. The British series would be developed in house by Thames Television, and had no input from the Sesame Workshop
.
After more than 1000 episodes, the series came to an abrupt end when Thames Television
lost its ITV franchise at the end of 1992. Since then, it has gained cult status and continues to get frequent mentions on radio and television.
, although guest singers would occasionally take their place), animations, and stories read from the Rainbow storybook, usually by Geoffrey. Some episodes would focus on a particular theme, such as sounds or opposites, and would consist mainly of short sketches or exchanges between the main characters, rather than a consistent storyline.
A few episodes also include some sort of a Geoffrey-type figure for Zippy called Vince. He seemed to be some sort of a brother to Geoffrey.
Generally speaking, George and Zippy represented two 'types' of child, George being the quiet and shy type, while Zippy represented the hyperactive and destructive type. George was usually vindicated, but Zippy got his comeuppance. While they were apparently young 'children', Bungle was an older 'child', and differed from them in being a costume, rather than a hand puppet. Geoffrey's relationship to them was unclear, other than being a kind of father figure (although he is referred to as 'Uncle' Geoffrey in at least one episode) . Apart from Jane and (in the early days) Sunshine, females rarely appeared on the programme, despite some ambiguity concerning the often effeminate (and permanently pink) George.
In 1989, Rod, Jane and Freddy left the show to concentrate on touring, pantomime appearances and their own separate TV show (which had run parallel with Rainbow since 1981). This meant that Dawn Bowden was introduced as a regular female character in place of Jane, while the songs were generally provided by guest singers, notably Christopher Lillicrap
. The show would also often include guest stars, to make a change from Geoffrey telling all the lessons - this way, the characters would be told stories and lessons by a fresh face.
and Tim Thomas of the band Telltale
, who regularly appeared in the first series of the show. This was released by Music For Pleasure in 1973 with the B-side "Windy Day".
There have been several dance versions of the theme tune which have been released as singles. The dance act Solo had a minor hit in 1991 with a sample-free instrumental version of the Rainbow theme, while Eurobop released a dance version in 1993 featuring samples taken directly from the original theme as well as voice samples of the main characters, who appeared on several music TV shows to promote the single; a hardcore version entitled 'Rainbow Vibes' by the Sonz of Bungle circulated on 12" vinyl in 1992 which sampled the theme tune over a chopped up breakbeat and featuring rave stabs. The most recent dance version, titled "It's A Rainbow" and featuring the vocals of Zippy and George, reached the UK top 20 in 2002.
(an independent production company spawned by Thames' children's department) revived it for ITV in 1994 and 1995 (two series, 33 episodes in total). The new version of the show departed from the original format, centred on the slightly redesigned puppet characters - without a presenter - running a toy shop. A new character was introduced, a Scouse
-sounding blue rabbit named Cleo (voiced by Gillian Robic). Geoffrey Hayes claims to have heard the news of his 'sacking' from the tabloids, rather than from Tetra: "I was shocked really, and for a couple of days I thought it was just me who had been dropped. But then Rod, Jane and Freddy had already left and of course Roy had now been dropped too, the guy playing Bungle - he was history, as was the puppeteer doing George - only Zippy's puppeteer was left. Ronnie Le Drew who also voiced Zippy for the new Tetra series;I discovered later, had auditioned for it. Bungle looked different too, though Zippy and George looked much the same".
A second revival, in 1996, saw a return to something like the original format in a series of short 10-minute shows entitled Rainbow Days, presented by Dale Superville, which ran to only one series of 12 episodes. Both were produced in association with HTV
. A comic based on the latter series, also titled Rainbow Days, ran for a handful of issues in 1997.
Episodes of the original Rainbow, dating from the early 1980s, were shown sporadically on the UK satellite TV channel Nick Jr.
(and/or its sister channel, Nick Jr 2) in the late 2000s as part of its Nick Jr. Classics
re-runs. A previous repeat run took place on UK Gold (now G.O.L.D.) from its launch in November 1992 to 1994; these were mostly from the last three years of the programme (without Rod, Jane and Freddy).
, sometimes referred to as the "Twangers" episode. This show featured plenty of deliberate sexual innuendo (beginning with Zippy peeling a banana, saying "One skin, two skin, three skin, four...
" before being interrupted), and never shown at the time (as it was never intended to be screened to the general public.) It also included Geoffrey convincing the viewers to play with their balls, but if they didn't have any balls, they could ask a friend and play with his. Jane also claimed that she was banging
with Rod and Roger
. Soon, Zippy asked them to stop suggesting whether to play with a blowing tube
and maracas, so they could start singing the 'Plucking Song'.
The clip became famous after being aired on Victor Lewis-Smith
's Channel 4
programme TV Offal
(1997) and was referred to as "the pilot episode" in order to fit into the regular programme segment "The Pilots That Crashed". The clip clearly wasn't a pilot, as Geoffrey Hayes was the regular presenter at the time. The clip became widespread with the advent of the internet, first as an e-mail attachment and later via online video websites such as YouTube, where to date it has received more than a million hits. This has led to many erroneous claims that the episode was publicly broadcast as a regular episode.
TV Offal also broadcast some very risqué material featuring members of the cast as guests on a variety show hosted by comedian Jim Davidson
in the 1980s; the sketch in question, which featured former children's TV presenter Tommy Boyd
, asking a question about Adam and Eve. Boyd and Davidson used some profanities in the sketch, along with some innuendo from George (presumably again not intended for broadcast like the above), but contained one particularly shocking moment when Zippy exclaimed to Geoffrey an expletive phrase quite out of character from his children's television persona. This sketch would in all likelihood have been filmed during rehearsals.
Comedian Bobby Davro
also parodied Rainbow as a comedy sketch in his own TV series in the early-1990s, playing the part of Geoffrey alongside exaggerated versions of Bungle and the puppets, which contained some mild sexual innuendo. Davro had appeared in a regular edition of the show, in which he performed impressions of the characters in front of them.
While never explicitly adult, most interviews featuring Zippy and George since the show's demise commonly portray them as somewhat more edgy in terms of personality. For example, in an episode of SMTV Live
they call Bungle an "Idiotic, blundering creature."
Simon Sheridan, The A to Z of Classic Children's Television (Reynolds & Hearn books, 2004, reprinted 2007)
ISBN 1-903111-27-7. Features a chapter on the series and interviews with Jane Tucker
and Pamela Lonsdale.
Rainbow Unzipped - The Autobiography by Tim Randall
Published on 1 October 2009 by Headline Publishing Group (ISBN 13: 9780755319763).
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
, created by Pamela Lonsdale, which ran twice weekly at 12:10 on Tuesdays and Fridays 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, from 16 October 1972 to 6 March 1992. It was intended to develop language and number skills for pre-school children, and went on to win the Society of Film and Television Arts Award for Best Children's Programme in 1975.
The programme was originally conceived as a British equivalent of long-running American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educational puppet series Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. The British series would be developed in house by Thames Television, and had no input from the Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop , is a Worldwide American non-profit organization behind the production of several educational children's programs that have run on public broadcasting around the world...
.
After more than 1000 episodes, the series came to an abrupt end when 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....
lost its ITV franchise at the end of 1992. Since then, it has gained cult status and continues to get frequent mentions on radio and television.
Premise
Each episode of Rainbow revolved around a particular activity or situation that would arise in the Rainbow House, where the main characters lived. Usually it would involve some kind of squabble or dispute between the puppet characters of Zippy, George and Bungle, and Geoffrey's attempts to calm them down and keep the peace. The main story would be interspersed with songs (usually from Rod, Jane and FreddyRod, Jane and Freddy
Rod, Jane and Freddy was the most famous name for a singing trio who appeared in children's programming on the British TV channel ITV in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. They starred both in the long-running series Rainbow as well as their own 15-minute show, The Rod, Jane and Freddy Show...
, although guest singers would occasionally take their place), animations, and stories read from the Rainbow storybook, usually by Geoffrey. Some episodes would focus on a particular theme, such as sounds or opposites, and would consist mainly of short sketches or exchanges between the main characters, rather than a consistent storyline.
Characters
Rainbow featured the following characters, each with their own character style:- The presenter - first David CookDavid Cook (TV presenter)David Cook is a British author, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for the screen adaptation of his 1978 novel Walter, and was the first presenter of the UK TV programme Rainbow....
, then the best known presenter Geoffrey Hayes, who brought the other members of the Rainbow household to order or gave them something to do. - BungleBungle (Rainbow)Bungle is a character in the British children's television series Rainbow. He is a large brown furry bear and is played by various actors, but chiefly Stanley Bates...
- a brown furry bear with a squashed face, who is inquisitive but also clumsy and complained a lot about the other characters especially zippy's antics (a costume; played by John LeesonJohn LeesonJohn Leeson is a British actor who is best known for voicing K-9 on the television series Doctor Who from 1977 to 1979, and again in the 1980–1981 season. He was called back to do the voice of K-9 again for the 2006 episode "School Reunion" and again for the 2008 Doctor Who episode "Journey's End"...
, Stanley BatesStanley BatesStanley Bates is a British actor and screen writer most famously known for the role of Bungle, and as a scriptwriter, in the children's television programme, Rainbow between 1973 and 1988. Other credits include roles in The Tomorrow People and Theatre of Blood.In 2001 Bates caused controversy due...
, Malcolm Lord and Paul Cullinan). The question regarding why Bungle always wrapped a towel around his waist to protect his modesty after a shower, in spite of the fact that he walked around nude for the rest of time, has never been addressed. (He also donned pyjamas at bed time.) - Zippy - loud and domineering, but usually very funny (albeit not to the other characters in the show) who was actually a rugby ball (though with a body attached). (puppet; originally voiced and operated by Peter HawkinsPeter HawkinsPeter John Hawkins was an English actor and voice artist.- Career :Born in London and a native of Brixton, Hawkins' long association with British children's television began in 1952 when he voiced both Bill and Ben, the Flower Pot Men. In 1955–1956, He voiced Big Ears & Mr. Plod from The...
, then voiced by Roy SkeltonRoy SkeltonRoy William Skelton was an English actor and voice artist, whose voice was more familiar to television viewers than his name...
- both well known for voicing DalekDalekThe Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
s and Cybermen in Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
) - and operated by Ronnie Le DrewRonnie Le DrewRonnie Le Drew is a puppeteer who was born in Toronto, Canada and trained at the Little Angel Theatre, London under John Wright. His association With the Little Angel spans over thirty years as performer, and later as director...
. Zippy's mouth was a zipZipperA zipper is a commonly used device for temporarily joining two edges of fabric...
, and when he became too bossy or irritating this would be zipped shut to prevent him from continuing: on at least one occasion he unzipped himself, though he appeared unable to do so on other occasions. - GeorgeGeorge (Rainbow)George is an effeminate anthropomorphic pink hippo and a character of the popular children's television programme Rainbow in the 1980s, voiced by Roy Skelton and operated by Malcolm Lord, Tony Holtham and later Craig Crane....
- a shy, pink and slightly camp hippo. (puppet; voiced by Roy SkeltonRoy SkeltonRoy William Skelton was an English actor and voice artist, whose voice was more familiar to television viewers than his name...
and operated by Malcolm Lord, Tony Holtham and later Craig Crane) - Sunshine and Moony - optimistic Sunshine (yellow with a red hat) and her more gloomy friend Moony (brown with a tuft of yellow hair) were the original 'stars' of the programme, but soon became little more than foils to the more popular Zippy; they were phased out by 1973, in favour of greater roles for Bungle and (especially) George.
- Rod, Jane and FreddyRod, Jane and FreddyRod, Jane and Freddy was the most famous name for a singing trio who appeared in children's programming on the British TV channel ITV in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. They starred both in the long-running series Rainbow as well as their own 15-minute show, The Rod, Jane and Freddy Show...
- a group of musicians who regularly featured on the programme. Originally known as Rod, Jane and Matt when they debuted on the show in 1974. Matt's position being held by Matthew CorbettMatthew CorbettMatthew Corbett is an English television personality best known for The Sooty Show and laterly Sooty and Co. He is the son of Harry Corbett...
(of The Sooty ShowThe Sooty ShowThe Sooty Show is a British children's television series that aired on the BBC from 1955 to 1967 when the BBC eventually cancelled The Sooty Show after Paul Fox, the controller of BBC1 at the time, cleared out some of the long running shows. After it was cancelled from the BBC that year, The Sooty...
fame) and from 1977 by Roger Walker, before Freddy Marks took over in 1981. - TelltaleTelltale (Rainbow)Telltale were a group of six musicians who regularly appeared on the first series of the British TV series Rainbow in 1973.Telltale began with Tim Thomas and Hugh Portnow who were working with the Freehold Theatre Company. In 1970, Tim concentrated on forming a group of musicians and actors, and...
- a six-piece group who provided the music in the early days of the show being replaced by Charlie DoreCharlie DoreCharlie Dore is an English singer-songwriter and actress.-Career:Although best known as one of the UK's most respected singer-songwriters, Dore has a multi-faceted career that includes acting in film, TV and radio, comedy-improvisation and composition for film and TV...
and Julian Littman and then Rod, Matt and Jane. - Zippo - Zippy's cousin, identical in appearance to Zippy but slightly darker in colour, who would make the occasional guest appearance. Originally portrayed as an eloquent Frenchman, but a later episode depicted him as an American-accented rapper with loud, flashy clothing.
- Georgina (a.k.a Georgie), a cousin of George. Georgina was physically identical to George, except for her long eyelashes and floppy hat.
- Dawn - the next-door neighbour, played by Dawn Bowden, who was introduced in the shows later years, first appearing in 1990.
- Aunty - played by numerous actresses, was the aunt of one of the characters, probably Geoffrey.
A few episodes also include some sort of a Geoffrey-type figure for Zippy called Vince. He seemed to be some sort of a brother to Geoffrey.
Generally speaking, George and Zippy represented two 'types' of child, George being the quiet and shy type, while Zippy represented the hyperactive and destructive type. George was usually vindicated, but Zippy got his comeuppance. While they were apparently young 'children', Bungle was an older 'child', and differed from them in being a costume, rather than a hand puppet. Geoffrey's relationship to them was unclear, other than being a kind of father figure (although he is referred to as 'Uncle' Geoffrey in at least one episode) . Apart from Jane and (in the early days) Sunshine, females rarely appeared on the programme, despite some ambiguity concerning the often effeminate (and permanently pink) George.
In 1989, Rod, Jane and Freddy left the show to concentrate on touring, pantomime appearances and their own separate TV show (which had run parallel with Rainbow since 1981). This meant that Dawn Bowden was introduced as a regular female character in place of Jane, while the songs were generally provided by guest singers, notably Christopher Lillicrap
Christopher Lillicrap
Christopher Lillicrap is a British television presenter, writer and composer. He is best known for being a children's TV presenter in the 1970s and '80s, and has numerous writing credits, including Rainbow and Fimbles. He presented We'll Tell You a Story, and Flicks – ITV's answer to Jackanory –...
. The show would also often include guest stars, to make a change from Geoffrey telling all the lessons - this way, the characters would be told stories and lessons by a fresh face.
Theme song
The theme song for the show was actually a small part of the full version, also called 'Rainbow' and written by Hugh Portnow, Hugh FraserHugh Fraser (actor)
Hugh Fraser is an English actor and theatre director.-Early life:Born in London but raised in the East Midlands, Fraser studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art...
and Tim Thomas of the band Telltale
Telltale (Rainbow)
Telltale were a group of six musicians who regularly appeared on the first series of the British TV series Rainbow in 1973.Telltale began with Tim Thomas and Hugh Portnow who were working with the Freehold Theatre Company. In 1970, Tim concentrated on forming a group of musicians and actors, and...
, who regularly appeared in the first series of the show. This was released by Music For Pleasure in 1973 with the B-side "Windy Day".
There have been several dance versions of the theme tune which have been released as singles. The dance act Solo had a minor hit in 1991 with a sample-free instrumental version of the Rainbow theme, while Eurobop released a dance version in 1993 featuring samples taken directly from the original theme as well as voice samples of the main characters, who appeared on several music TV shows to promote the single; a hardcore version entitled 'Rainbow Vibes' by the Sonz of Bungle circulated on 12" vinyl in 1992 which sampled the theme tune over a chopped up breakbeat and featuring rave stabs. The most recent dance version, titled "It's A Rainbow" and featuring the vocals of Zippy and George, reached the UK top 20 in 2002.
Revival
Although the original Rainbow ended with the loss of Thames' broadcasting licence in 1992, Tetra FilmsTetra Films
Tetra Films was a London - based independent production company, founded by Alan Horrox, ex-controller of children’s programmes at Thames Television in 1992, the same year when classic ITV series The Tomorrow People was revived...
(an independent production company spawned by Thames' children's department) revived it for ITV in 1994 and 1995 (two series, 33 episodes in total). The new version of the show departed from the original format, centred on the slightly redesigned puppet characters - without a presenter - running a toy shop. A new character was introduced, a Scouse
Scouse
Scouse is an accent and dialect of English found primarily in the Metropolitan county of Merseyside, and closely associated with the city of Liverpool and the adjoining urban areas such as the boroughs of south Sefton, Knowsley and the Wirral...
-sounding blue rabbit named Cleo (voiced by Gillian Robic). Geoffrey Hayes claims to have heard the news of his 'sacking' from the tabloids, rather than from Tetra: "I was shocked really, and for a couple of days I thought it was just me who had been dropped. But then Rod, Jane and Freddy had already left and of course Roy had now been dropped too, the guy playing Bungle - he was history, as was the puppeteer doing George - only Zippy's puppeteer was left. Ronnie Le Drew who also voiced Zippy for the new Tetra series;I discovered later, had auditioned for it. Bungle looked different too, though Zippy and George looked much the same".
A second revival, in 1996, saw a return to something like the original format in a series of short 10-minute shows entitled Rainbow Days, presented by Dale Superville, which ran to only one series of 12 episodes. Both were produced in association with HTV
HTV
HTV, now legally known as ITV Wales & West, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England, which operated from studios in Cardiff and Bristol. The company provided commercial television for the dual-region 'Wales and West' franchise, which it won from TWW in 1968...
. A comic based on the latter series, also titled Rainbow Days, ran for a handful of issues in 1997.
Episodes of the original Rainbow, dating from the early 1980s, were shown sporadically on the UK satellite TV channel Nick Jr.
Nick Jr. (UK)
Nick Jr. is a television channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland operated by Nickelodeon UK. The channel is aimed at pre-school children.-History:...
(and/or its sister channel, Nick Jr 2) in the late 2000s as part of its Nick Jr. Classics
Nick Jr. Classics
Nick Jr. Classics was a British television programming block that shows every night from 8pm-10pm on Nick Jr. The block was previously known as Noggin, which launched in 17 May 2004. At first screened on Nick Jr., the block moved to Nick Jr. 2 on 5 January 2009. Many of the shows are at least 25...
re-runs. A previous repeat run took place on UK Gold (now G.O.L.D.) from its launch in November 1992 to 1994; these were mostly from the last three years of the programme (without Rod, Jane and Freddy).
The "adult" version
In 1979, the cast and crew of Rainbow made a special exclusive sketch for the Thames TV staff Christmas tapeChristmas tape
In relation to British television, Christmas tapes are unendorsed videotapes compiled by technical staff for their personal amusement. The name originates from the 1950s, when the material was filmed at the staff's Christmas parties where impromptu sketches were carried out...
, sometimes referred to as the "Twangers" episode. This show featured plenty of deliberate sexual innuendo (beginning with Zippy peeling a banana, saying "One skin, two skin, three skin, four...
Foreskin
In male human anatomy, the foreskin is a generally retractable double-layered fold of skin and mucous membrane that covers the glans penis and protects the urinary meatus when the penis is not erect...
" before being interrupted), and never shown at the time (as it was never intended to be screened to the general public.) It also included Geoffrey convincing the viewers to play with their balls, but if they didn't have any balls, they could ask a friend and play with his. Jane also claimed that she was banging
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with Rod and Roger
Threesome
A threesome is a group of three engaged in the same activity. In relation to a sexual activity a threesome refer to the activity involving three people of any gender or sexual orientation...
. Soon, Zippy asked them to stop suggesting whether to play with a blowing tube
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
and maracas, so they could start singing the 'Plucking Song'.
The clip became famous after being aired on Victor Lewis-Smith
Victor Lewis-Smith
Victor Lewis-Smith is a British satirist, producer, critic and prankster. He is known for his sarcasm and biting criticism.-Radio and recordings:...
's Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
programme TV Offal
TV Offal
TV Offal was a British television comedy sketch/archive series that ran on Channel 4, from October 1997 to June 1998. It was written and narrated by comedian and writer Victor Lewis-Smith, who shared writing duties with Paul Sparks...
(1997) and was referred to as "the pilot episode" in order to fit into the regular programme segment "The Pilots That Crashed". The clip clearly wasn't a pilot, as Geoffrey Hayes was the regular presenter at the time. The clip became widespread with the advent of the internet, first as an e-mail attachment and later via online video websites such as YouTube, where to date it has received more than a million hits. This has led to many erroneous claims that the episode was publicly broadcast as a regular episode.
TV Offal also broadcast some very risqué material featuring members of the cast as guests on a variety show hosted by comedian Jim Davidson
Jim Davidson (comedian)
Jim Davidson OBE is a British comedian, actor and television presenter. He has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to entertainment, particularly of British service personnel in conflict zones.- Biography :The son of a Glaswegian father, Davidson was born in...
in the 1980s; the sketch in question, which featured former children's TV presenter Tommy Boyd
Tommy Boyd
Timothy Leslie Boyd , better known as Tommy Boyd, is a British radio and television presenter who now lives in Chichester, West Sussex.-Early career:...
, asking a question about Adam and Eve. Boyd and Davidson used some profanities in the sketch, along with some innuendo from George (presumably again not intended for broadcast like the above), but contained one particularly shocking moment when Zippy exclaimed to Geoffrey an expletive phrase quite out of character from his children's television persona. This sketch would in all likelihood have been filmed during rehearsals.
Comedian Bobby Davro
Bobby Davro
Bobby Davro is a British actor and comedian. He is mainly known for his work as an impressionist...
also parodied Rainbow as a comedy sketch in his own TV series in the early-1990s, playing the part of Geoffrey alongside exaggerated versions of Bungle and the puppets, which contained some mild sexual innuendo. Davro had appeared in a regular edition of the show, in which he performed impressions of the characters in front of them.
While never explicitly adult, most interviews featuring Zippy and George since the show's demise commonly portray them as somewhat more edgy in terms of personality. For example, in an episode of SMTV Live
SMTV Live
SMTV Live , also written SM:TV Live and in early promotional material SMTV://live, was a British Saturday morning children's television programme, first broadcast on ITV on 29 August 1998 and last broadcast on 27 December 2003.On the surface, the programme did not seem to stray away from the format...
they call Bungle an "Idiotic, blundering creature."
Further reading
Mike Anderiesz, Climbing High: Life Under the Rainbow Exposed (Boxtree, 2002).Simon Sheridan, The A to Z of Classic Children's Television (Reynolds & Hearn books, 2004, reprinted 2007)
ISBN 1-903111-27-7. Features a chapter on the series and interviews with Jane Tucker
Jane Tucker
Jane Tucker is a singer, song writer and pianist. She is best known for being part of the musical trio Rod, Jane and Freddy. Jane was born into a family with an artistic background. Her grandmother was an opera singer, her mother a pianist, and her father was Rex Tucker, the drama director for the...
and Pamela Lonsdale.
Rainbow Unzipped - The Autobiography by Tim Randall
Published on 1 October 2009 by Headline Publishing Group (ISBN 13: 9780755319763).