Trumpton
Encyclopedia
Trumpton is a stop-motion children's television show from the producers of Camberwick Green
first shown on the BBC in the 1960s. The third and final series in the sequence was Chigley
.
Trumpton was narrated by Brian Cant
. The animation was by Bob Bura and John Hardwick and Pasquale Ferrari. Scripts are by Alison Prince; all other production details are identical to Camberwick Green.
The townsfolk then appear and go about their daily business. These include the Mayor, Mr Troop the Town Clerk, Chippy Minton the carpenter and his apprentice son, Nibbs; Mrs. Cobbit the florist; Miss Lovelace the milliner and her trio of pekingese
dogs (Mitzi, Daphne and Lulu); and Mr. Platt the clockmaker.
Although all of the characters and settings are new, the style of the programme follows the pattern established by Camberwick Green, in which domestic problems are cheerfully resolved by the end of the show, leaving the last minute or so for the Fire Brigade to become the Fire Brigade Band and play the episode out.
The Fire Brigade are perhaps Trumpton's most-recognised feature. Captain Flack's roll-call was recited in every episode: "Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grub." with the exception of "Cuthbert's Morning Off" in which Cuthbert is omitted. They are continually being called out to attend some emergency or other (in many cases to resolve fairly trivial matters); but to Captain Flack's annoyance, never an actual fire. (One reason for this may be that both fire and water would have been too difficult to animate.) However after "Right men Action Stations", this doesn't stop the Fire Brigade absent-mindedly getting out the fire hose and receiving a rebuke from Captain Flack ("No no! Not the hose!").
Note: Episode titles were given in Radio Times, but were not shown on-screen.
DVD
of the series was released in April 2006 and the restored version currently airs on Noggin and Nick Jr Classics. Although there are noticeable improvements, a number of episodes still exhibit a "rubber picture" effect where the image constantly 'stretches' in and out from the centre of the screen. It is thought that this effect, caused by warping of the original film, would have been too expensive to fix. On these episodes the problem is lessened slightly by cutting in unaffected common sequences from other episodes, such as the Trumpton Clock at the start, numerous fire station and fire engine sequences, and the final 'band show' at the end.
Camberwick Green
Camberwick Green is a British children's television series, originally seen on BBC One, featuring stop-motion puppets. It was one of the first British television series to be filmed in colour.-Background:...
first shown on the BBC in the 1960s. The third and final series in the sequence was Chigley
Chigley
Chigley is the third and final stop-motion children's television series in Gordon Murray's Trumptonshire sequence. Production details are identical to Camberwick Green....
.
Trumpton was narrated by Brian Cant
Brian Cant
Brian Cant is an English actor, television presenter and writer.-Personal life:Born in Ipswich, he currently lives in Buckinghamshire and is married to writer and director Cherry Britton, sister of TV presenter Fern Britton and actor Jasper Britton. They have three children, daughter Rose, and...
. The animation was by Bob Bura and John Hardwick and Pasquale Ferrari. Scripts are by Alison Prince; all other production details are identical to Camberwick Green.
Story and structure
Following Camberwick Green, the action in the new series moves a short distance away to the imaginary town of Trumpton. Each episode begins with a shot of Trumpton Town Hall Clock, "telling the time, steadily, sensibly; never too quickly, never too slowly; telling the time for Trumpton". (The musical box device used in Camberwick Green was dropped from the new series.)The townsfolk then appear and go about their daily business. These include the Mayor, Mr Troop the Town Clerk, Chippy Minton the carpenter and his apprentice son, Nibbs; Mrs. Cobbit the florist; Miss Lovelace the milliner and her trio of pekingese
Pekingese
The Pekingese, or "Peke" is an ancient breed of toy dog, originating in China. The breed was favored by the Chinese Imperial court, and its name refers to the city of Beijing where the Forbidden City resides...
dogs (Mitzi, Daphne and Lulu); and Mr. Platt the clockmaker.
Although all of the characters and settings are new, the style of the programme follows the pattern established by Camberwick Green, in which domestic problems are cheerfully resolved by the end of the show, leaving the last minute or so for the Fire Brigade to become the Fire Brigade Band and play the episode out.
The Fire Brigade are perhaps Trumpton's most-recognised feature. Captain Flack's roll-call was recited in every episode: "Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grub." with the exception of "Cuthbert's Morning Off" in which Cuthbert is omitted. They are continually being called out to attend some emergency or other (in many cases to resolve fairly trivial matters); but to Captain Flack's annoyance, never an actual fire. (One reason for this may be that both fire and water would have been too difficult to animate.) However after "Right men Action Stations", this doesn't stop the Fire Brigade absent-mindedly getting out the fire hose and receiving a rebuke from Captain Flack ("No no! Not the hose!").
Episodes
- "The Printer and the Bill Poster" (3 January 1967)
- "Miss Lovelace and the Mayor's Hat" (10 January 1967)
- "Mrs Cobbit, the Ice Cream Man and the Branch" (17 January 1967)
- "Miss Lovelace and the Statue" (24 January 1967)
- "Mr Platt and the Painter" (31 January 1967)
- "The Mayor's Birthday" (7 February 1967)
- "Telephone" (14 February 1967)
- "The Rag and Bone Man" (21 February 1967)
- "The Window Cleaner" (28 February 1967)
- "Cuthbert's Morning Off" (7 March 1967)
- "The Plumber" (14 March 1967)
- "Pigeons" (21 March 1967)
- "The Greenhouse" (28 March 1967)
Note: Episode titles were given in Radio Times, but were not shown on-screen.
Remastered versions
As with Camberwick Green, the original masters seem to be lost; surviving versions often suffer from technical flaws. A digitally restoredFilm preservation
thumb|300px|Stacked containers filled with reels of [[film stock]]The film preservation, or film restoration, movement is an ongoing project among film historians, archivists, museums, cinematheques, and non-profit organizations to rescue decaying film stock and preserve the images which they contain...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of the series was released in April 2006 and the restored version currently airs on Noggin and Nick Jr Classics. Although there are noticeable improvements, a number of episodes still exhibit a "rubber picture" effect where the image constantly 'stretches' in and out from the centre of the screen. It is thought that this effect, caused by warping of the original film, would have been too expensive to fix. On these episodes the problem is lessened slightly by cutting in unaffected common sequences from other episodes, such as the Trumpton Clock at the start, numerous fire station and fire engine sequences, and the final 'band show' at the end.
Appearances in popular culture
- The show has been referenced by the cult indie band Half Man Half BiscuitHalf Man Half BiscuitHalf Man Half Biscuit, often "HMHB", are an English rock band from Birkenhead, Merseyside, active since the mid-1980s, known for satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs. The group comprises Nigel Blackwell , Neil Crossley , Ken Hancock , and Carl Henry...
, particularly in their 1986 song "The Trumpton Riots" which referenced many of the show's characters.
- In 1987 a sketch named "Trumpton Raid" appeared in Alas Smith and JonesAlas Smith and JonesAlas Smith and Jones is a British comedy sketch television series featuring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1984 to 1998...
series four. Smith is a news reader on the telephone to Jones (as "Mike Airey" Live from Trumpton) reporting on an early morning American Raid by F-111 aircraft on Trumpton.
- In the UK in the early 1990s there were several dance music tracks based on children's TV programmes or short educational films. The ProdigyThe ProdigyThe Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
released the track "CharlyCharly (song)"Charly" is the debut single released by the British electronic act The Prodigy, taken from their debut album Experience. The version featured on the album is the significantly longer "Trip Into Drum & Bass" remix...
" in 1991 which was then promptly followed in 1992 by "Sesame's TreetSesame's Treet"Sesame's Treet" is a 1992 remix of the "classic" Sesame Street theme song by the English rave group Smart E's. The song reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart....
" by the Smart E's and "A Trip To TrumptonA Trip To Trumpton"A Trip To Trumpton" was a rave song released in the early 1990s by the group Urban Hype , and was produced by DJ Jack Smooth. It featured samples from the 1960s children's television programme Trumpton...
" by Urban HypeUrban HypeUrban Hype were a British early 1990s techno and acid house band, consisting of Bob Dibden and Mark Lewis . They are best known for their Toytown Techno single, "A Trip to Trumpton", which peaked at #6 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1992...
which was based on the original Trumpton music by Freddie PhillipsFreddie PhillipsFreddie Phillips was a British musician and composer, best known for his work on television theme music, particularly the children's programmes, Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley....
with heavy use of Trumpton samples.
- At the 2007 Edinburgh FringeEdinburgh FringeThe Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
, Phill JupitusPhill JupitusPhillip Christopher Jupitus is an English stand-up and improvised comedian, actor, performance poet, musician and podcaster....
and Brian Cant presented Trumptonshire Tales. The format consisted of Jupitus interviewing Cant and introducing clips from the series.
- In 2005 Wolverhampton artist BibioBibioStephen Wilkinson, better known as Bibio, is a British music producer. His music is primarily electronic and experimental in nature. He currently releases music on the Warp Records label, and previously on Mush Records.-Biographical information:...
released a 7 inch vinyl, "Sheila Sets Sail", the a-side of which loosely resembles the Trumpton theme tune.
- In 2009 Chippy Minton appeared in the "The Official BBC Children in Need MedleyThe Official BBC Children in Need Medley"The Official BBC Children in Need Medley" is a cross-over single by Peter Kay's Animated All Star Band. It is the official Children in Need Single for 2009, and was released on 21 November 2009. The song was shown for the first time on Children in Need 2009. The cover art is a parody of the cover...
" music video, he appears at the end of the video and is told that they've just finished. Miss Lovelace and Windy MillerCamberwick GreenCamberwick Green is a British children's television series, originally seen on BBC One, featuring stop-motion puppets. It was one of the first British television series to be filmed in colour.-Background:...
also appear in the video.
- In their explanation of the fiscal multiplier, More or LessMore or Less (radio programme)More or Less is a BBC Radio 4 programme focusing on numbers and statistics.The programme was started by Andrew Dilnot as a one-off series of six programmes...
used the Trumpton economy as a model. Notably, Officer Dibble was laid off due to the financial crisis.
- 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...
show runner Steven MoffatSteven MoffatSteven Moffat is a Scottish television writer and producer.Moffat's first television work was the teen drama series Press Gang. His first sitcom, Joking Apart, was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage; conversely, his later sitcom Coupling was based upon the development of his...
described its fictional English village of Leadworth, created as the home of companions Amy PondAmy PondAmelia Jessica 'Amy' Pond is a fictional character portrayed by Karen Gillan in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, Rory WilliamsRory WilliamsRory Williams is a fictional character portrayed by Arthur Darvill in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Having been introduced at the start of the 5th series, Rory joins the Eleventh Doctor as a companion in the middle of Series 5...
and MelsRiver Song (Doctor Who)River Song is a fictional character played primarily by Alex Kingston in the British science-fiction series Doctor Who. River Song was introduced to the series as an experienced future companion of series protagonist the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who travels through time in his TARDIS...
to be "basically Trumpton".
VHS and DVD Releases
In 1984, 17 years later after the broadcasts on BBC in 1967. Longman Video released the first four episodes on Video as part of its 'Children's Treasury' collection.| VHS video title | Year of release | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Trumpton (SLL 5022) | 1983 | Nick Fisher the Bill Poster, The Mayor's Hat, Mrs Cobbit and the Ice Cream Man, Miss Lovelace and the Statue. |
| Trumpton 2 (SLL 5028) | 1984 | ? |