Willo the Wisp
Encyclopedia
Willo the Wisp is a British cartoon
series originally produced in 1981.
provided voices for all of the characters, which included these main characters:
Other recurring characters include:
The series was written and directed by Nick Spargo and produced by Nicholas Cartoon Films in association with the BBC
and Tellytales Enterprises. The character of Willo the Wisp originated in an educational animation created by Nick Spargo for British Gas plc
in 1975 and the stories were set in Doyley Woods, a small beech wood in Oxfordshire, near the director's home.
Each of the original 26 episodes lasted approximately 5 minutes and were broadcast at 5:35 in the evening on BBC1, a tradition as short cartoons were always shown between the end of the main children's BBC drama or sitcom for that afternoon, and the BBC Evening news at 5:40. This tradition ended with the first of two major reshufflings of the BBC1 schedules within 6 months of Michael Grade
becoming the head of BBC1. This first reshuffle occurred in September 1984, with the BBC Evening News being moved to 6 o'clock, and the regional news programmes at 6:30, vacating a 25-minute slot between 5:35 and 6:00, filled with various programmes until Australian soap Neighbours
was chosen to fill that gap.
The series was repeated on Channel 4
during the early 90s and satellite channel Galaxy Kids Club (aka Sky Kids) in 1989 before Channel 4.
.
Although it maintains the style of the original, alterations include:
The second series aired on Playhouse Disney
in the UK.
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
series originally produced in 1981.
First series (1981)
In the first series, Kenneth WilliamsKenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
provided voices for all of the characters, which included these main characters:
- Willo the Wisp, the narratorNarratorA narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
. A blue floating ghostGhostIn traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
-like creature, Willo had a long pointed nose which caricatureCaricatureA caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
d that of Williams. The name refers to the ghostly light will-o'-the-wispWill-o'-the-wispA will-o'-the-wisp or ignis fatuus , also called a "will-o'-wisp", "jack-o'-lantern" , "hinkypunk", "corpse candle", "ghost-light", "spook-light", "fairy light", "friar's lantern", "hobby lantern", "ghost orb", or simply "wisp", is a ghostly light or lights sometimes seen at night or twilight over...
from folklore. - Arthur the caterpillarCaterpillarCaterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
(as a gruff cockneyCockneyThe term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
). - Mavis Cruet, a plump clumsy fairyFairyA fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
with erratic magicMagic (paranormal)Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
al powers. - Evil Edna, a witch in the form of a walking, talking television set who could zap people with her aerialsAntenna (radio)An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
. - Carwash, a snooty bespectacled cat with a character based on Noel CowardNoël CowardSir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
. - The Moog, a supposed "dog" who is unable to think for himself.
- Twit, a small bird.
- The Beast, who began life as the dim Prince Humbart The Handsome, who can't pronounce the letter r correctly; an unfortunate encounter with Edna ended up with his transformation into a hairy shambling creature. In this encounter, he crashed into Edna on his bicycle and called her, "Vewy dangewous. And what a wotten pwogwamme." Edna replied, "I'll 'wotten-progwamme' him!" and transformed him into The Beast.
Other recurring characters include:
- GnomeGnomeA gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
s, one of them of whom Mavis takes a liking to. - The Astrognats, explorers of spaceOuter spaceOuter space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
with a mushroom-shaped spaceshipSpacecraftA spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
. - The BookwormBookwormBookworm may refer to:* Bibliophile or bookworm, an avid reader and lover of books* Bookworm , a popular generalization for any insect which supposedly bores through books...
, a very clever intelligent worm who eats facts from books as a source of knowledge. - A regiment of toy soldiersToy SoldiersA toy soldier is a miniature figurine that represents a soldier, but the term may also refer to:In film and television:*Toy Soldiers , an action/drama film in which terrorists take a school hostage...
. - A bat.
The series was written and directed by Nick Spargo and produced by Nicholas Cartoon Films in association with the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and Tellytales Enterprises. The character of Willo the Wisp originated in an educational animation created by Nick Spargo for British Gas plc
British Gas plc
British Gas plc was formerly the monopoly gas supplier and is a private sector in the United Kingdom.- History :In the early 1900s the gas market in the United Kingdom was mainly run by county councils and small private firms...
in 1975 and the stories were set in Doyley Woods, a small beech wood in Oxfordshire, near the director's home.
Each of the original 26 episodes lasted approximately 5 minutes and were broadcast at 5:35 in the evening on BBC1, a tradition as short cartoons were always shown between the end of the main children's BBC drama or sitcom for that afternoon, and the BBC Evening news at 5:40. This tradition ended with the first of two major reshufflings of the BBC1 schedules within 6 months of Michael Grade
Michael Grade
Michael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth CBE is a British broadcast executive and businessman. He was BBC chairman from 2004 to 2006 and executive chairman of ITV plc from 2007 to 2009.-Early life:...
becoming the head of BBC1. This first reshuffle occurred in September 1984, with the BBC Evening News being moved to 6 o'clock, and the regional news programmes at 6:30, vacating a 25-minute slot between 5:35 and 6:00, filled with various programmes until Australian soap Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
was chosen to fill that gap.
The series was repeated on 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...
during the early 90s and satellite channel Galaxy Kids Club (aka Sky Kids) in 1989 before Channel 4.
Credits
- The Voices of: Kenneth Williams
- Music by: Tony KinseyTony KinseyCyril Anthony 'Tony' Kinsey is an English jazz drummer and composer.Kinsey held jobs on trans-Atlantic ships while young, studying while at port with Bill West in New York City and with local musician Tommy Webster in Birmingham. He had a close association with Ronnie Ball early in his life; the...
- Script and Direction: Nicholas Spargo
- Animation: Ron Murdoch, Ted Percival, Mike Pocock
- Devised and Designed by: Nick Spargo
- Editor: Michael Crane
- Backgrounds: Mary Spargo
- Camera: Chris King
- Production Assistant: Andrea Fontaine
- Trace & Paint: Lynne & Ian Sachs
- Produced by: Nicholas Cartoon Films Ltd
- Processed by: Rank Film LaboratoriesRank OrganisationThe Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
Ltd
Second series (2005)
A second series of 26 episodes (5 minutes each) was produced by Bobby Spargo in 2005, and voiced by James DreyfusJames Dreyfus
- Early life and career :Born in London, Dreyfus was educated at Harrow School and then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His parents divorced when he was very young. He is openly gay....
.
Although it maintains the style of the original, alterations include:
- Willo no longer being a caricature of Williams.
- Mavis being slimmer (although still too heavy to fly).
- Evil Edna being a widescreenWidescreenWidescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
television, with a wheeled stand instead of the original's metal legs.
The second series aired on Playhouse Disney
Playhouse Disney (UK)
Disney Junior is a British television channel owned by Disney-ABC Television Group.-History:The channel launched on 29 September 2000 as Playhouse Disney, on the same day as the now defunct sister channel, Toon Disney....
in the UK.
External links
- http://www.willo-the-wisp.co.uk/
- Willo The Wisp at IMDB