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Post by stuart7 on Jan 28, 2006 13:26:34 GMT
Oh dear, that would cause confusion and delay. Nice one, Skarloey. I remember there was a rumour a while back about HIT buying 'Postman Pat', or something. I'm glad that hasn't happened, or I'd have thrown a fit. HIT Entertainment? Huh! Anyway, does anyone remember Button Moon at all?
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Post by OJ on Jan 28, 2006 21:43:24 GMT
I reckon the new Fireman Sam episodes have gone downhill for several reasons: - The replacement of John Alderton as Narrator: I don't mind them bringing in new actors/actresses to expand the voice range, but if they could get Ken Barrie back for the new series of Postman Pat, I don't see why John Alderton couldn't return to voice at least Fireman Sam. - Loss of Sam's personality: In the old episodes, Sam was up fun loving and generally up for a laugh. In the new ones, he's a humourless stern figure, primarly there to deliver the morals. He's almost turned into The Fat Controller from recent Thomas episodes. - Moralistic endings: At the end of the most episodes, after Sam and co. save the day, the safety warning (e.g. "Don't leave birthday cake candles unattended" ) is usually stated quite plainly and obviously (and usually by Sam). In the classic episodes, the message was cleverly disguised or in some cases not said at all. It was obvious to the viewer. This makes the new eps comes across as rather preachy. - Norman: The cheeky kid has now been turned into a sort of Scrappy-Doo (and is just as annoying), and is almost always the one who gets in trouble, is rescued, and has the safety warning preached to him. - Ignored characters: Trevor's now just a bus driver, no longer an auxillary fireman. He was a great character in the old episodes, and a much loved source of comic relief, but has been relegated to the sidelines in favour of Penny, who's now even duller than she was in the old episodes! The same goes for Station Officer Steele, who no longer accompanies and Sam and Elvis on rescues. That's generally what I feel is wrong with the new series. No surprises that it was produced by HIT Entertainment! Looking at the list, it sounds quite similar to what they've done to Thomas - morals, personality changes, ignored characters etc. They sure know how to kill classic shows The only good points I can think of are the improved animation and sets. Some of the original music is still heard, which also nice, and the new rendition of the theme song is reasonable. I think Norman is like how percy was in series 6 in the new Fireman sam series. Infact in the new flashback episode I saw it was all about him and not Sam. His new voice doesn't suit him at all.
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Post by stuart7 on Jan 28, 2006 21:56:33 GMT
Why couldn't they bring John Alderton back in any case?
Stuart
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Post by OJ on Jan 28, 2006 22:49:34 GMT
I remember Button Moon. The set and characters looks like something made from Blue Peter. . There was certinly a baked bean tin in the background.
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Post by stuart7 on Jan 28, 2006 23:37:10 GMT
I remember my favourite episode of all time at one point was "Cinders and the Magic Beans". The way the Button Moon theatre made a cross between "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Cinderella", classic stuff, especially when Rag Doll met that Giant.
Stuart
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Post by FlyingScotsman on Jan 29, 2006 12:35:15 GMT
Personally, I have some complaints against new Fireman Sam. First of all, the mixed race family. This is a show about saving lives and subtle morals about fire safety. Instead In one ep, the girl gets ill and can't go to some sort of carnival. Later she gets presented with a carnival outside of her house. This isn't what Fireman Sam should be about. There is too much emphasis on children. Furthermore, Fireman Sam is NOT the place for different races in life, those things should be learnt from reality (and the BBC News), not a show with puppets (please excuse me if I'm kinda ranting, and I am not trying to be racist, what's gone on here is the curse of Political Correctness!). I don't think there's anything wrong with featuring ethnic minorities in children's programmes- if you've got white characters, why not other races? The thing is, it tends to be done in a very heavy-handed manner. Re Button Moon, that was one of my all-time childhood favourites. The baked bean tin, along with a funnel, formed Mr Spoon's rocket.
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Post by Captain Punjab on Jan 30, 2006 2:29:37 GMT
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Post by dragonfox on Jan 30, 2006 16:39:18 GMT
Whoa, that hit like a bullet. I'll miss his Bert voice, it was hilarious!
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Darthboco
Passenger Engine
Uuuuhhhh...
Posts: 728
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Post by Darthboco on Feb 1, 2006 1:20:08 GMT
Anyone here ever watch Firefly or see the movie Serenity? That show was awsome. I was thinking of doing a Thomas adaptation of Firefly, in the style of Skarloey's Star Wars/Thomas.
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Post by Old Square Wheels on Feb 1, 2006 5:36:10 GMT
I have actually lost interest in quite a lot of the kids shows I watched as a child, although I wouldn't mind seeing some of them again. Anyway, besides Thomas and TUGS, here are my favs
Fireman Sam The Trap Door (no ones' mentioned this yet; I think it's a gem) Dangermouse (no one's mentioned this either; hilarious) Charlie Chalk (was annoyed that I couldn't find his dvd anywhere whilst in the UK) Ed, Edd N Eddy (well, not quite a classic, but still good) Chucklevision - Saw them live about 12 years ago, and they were great. The later episodes aren't brilliant, but still worth watching
TO be honest, I've lost interest in quite a few of the shows I enjoyed as a kid, but wouldn't mind getting back into them (Postman Pat, Wombles).
Now, onto the Fireman Sam debate. I've just got round to watching some of the old episodes when I bought the 'Best of' dvd, and I've really enjoyed watching them. They're a heck of a lot better than the new series, which I don't enjoy too much, except for the more upbeat music, and there can sometimes be the odd funny joke in it. However, I find that whilst the accidents in the original were more casual everyday things, the new ones seem to be a lot more dramatic then would be expected for a quiet Welsh village (Norman trapped on a mountain, a bushfire etc.) Plus, Norman seems to take the spotlight all the time, Sam, as Chris said, has lost his personality and also the fire service hardly plays a role; only at the start and when someone needs rescuing. However, the new seires of FS is a lot better then some of the rubbish shown on Childrens tv nowadays 'coughs'Barney *coughs*theWiggles
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Post by stuart7 on Feb 1, 2006 16:03:42 GMT
Now here's something that I've wanted to ask. What is the Wombles about exactly? I've heard of them (particularly when Ryan said that Johnny Morris made Thomas sound like Orinoco or something on the Recordings thread) but I've never seen them. What are they about?
Stuart
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Post by OJ on Feb 1, 2006 17:19:45 GMT
Wombles was about a group of animals who always picking up litter. The womble in charge was Great Uncle Bulgaria.
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Post by Chris on Feb 1, 2006 19:18:49 GMT
The original 1973-75 Wombles series was written by Elisabeth Beresford, directed by the great Ivor Wood and narrated Bernerd Cribbins. They made a new version in 1996, adding new characters including one named Stepney. Lots more information and couple of pictures can be found here: www.toonhound.com/wombles.htmCan't say I'm much of a fan of the show myself. Although the animation was good, it feels as if there wasn't an actual script for the show, as most of the narration seemed to by improvised by Cribbins (he seems adds lots of er's, um's, and ah's between every other word!), which I find rather irritating.
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Post by dragonfox on Feb 1, 2006 20:02:53 GMT
The Trap Door (no ones' mentioned this yet; I think it's a gem) Don't you open that Trap Door, 'cos there's something down there...I love that show. There's something about it which makes it so darn hilarious that you lose breath afterwards! I've got the Complete Collection on DVD and a small badge, as well as models I had made at school for an animation project. I've gotta say though, they know how to make really sad episodes. The final one in particular was really emotional.
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Post by OJ on Feb 1, 2006 22:30:14 GMT
The Trap Door (no ones' mentioned this yet; I think it's a gem) Don't you open that Trap Door, 'cos there's something down there...I love that show. There's something about it which makes it so darn hilarious that you lose breath afterwards! I've got the Complete Collection on DVD and a small badge, as well as models I had made at school for an animation project. I've gotta say though, they know how to make really sad episodes. The final one in particular was really emotional. What happens in the final episode?
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Post by Christopher on Feb 2, 2006 12:00:08 GMT
What happens in the final episode? Well, in the Last-Ever episode ( THE BIG RED THING), the Big Red Thing that terroised Berk in the First Episode comes back and starts making a mess of things. Rogg comes out of The Trap Door and the two monsters chase each other outside where they have a vicious battle. Berk, Boni, Drutt and his "nippers" (Don't Ask!) go after him to see if he's alright, but when the fight's over, all they see is Rogg lying lifeless on the ground. Berk goes over and tries to wake him. When he can't, Boni sadly replies: "I'm afraid...he's gone," A real tear jerking moment where we see everyone saying goodbye to Rogg...but don't be folled when the credits roll, for as Berk and the gang are about to set off for home, they feel a tap on their shoulders and are delighted to see their old mate alive! Now the twist - when Berk asks of what happened to the Big Red Thing, it suddenly jumps out from no where and it ends like that! Being a lover of the series myself, I don't feel they should have ended it like such. I reckon it would have been more suitable if they had wrapped up with BYE BYE, BERK - where Berk has finally had enough and decides to leave forever...only to return after the credits. What I really liked about that was it had every character in that episode (including those who would appear in Series 2 even!) not to mention ending with a suitable moral: "There's No Place Like Home!" ;D
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Post by stepneydude on Feb 2, 2006 16:11:23 GMT
What I didn't understand is how Drutt has his "nippers" despite being male... nonetheless, their antics were hilarious!!
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Post by OJ on Feb 2, 2006 16:24:03 GMT
The most emotional end to the series would have to be David the gnome (anyone remember?) which I saw recently.
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Post by Christopher on Feb 2, 2006 17:04:48 GMT
What I didn't understand is how Drutt has his "nippers" despite being male... nonetheless, their antics were hilarious!! LOL! Tell me about it! To quote Boni in that same episode following that discovery: "How odd!" The most emotional end to the series would have to be David the gnome (anyone remember?) which I saw recently. Er...I've heard of GORDON THE GARDEN GNOME, but this David sounds new to me.
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Post by OJ on Feb 2, 2006 17:49:13 GMT
David the Gnome must be an american show then. There was a show simillar that aired on CITV years ago called "Wisdom of the gnomes" (it's rarer than TUGS) I used to enjoy it.
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