nodrog93
Passenger Engine
Eh? What are you gawking at?!
Posts: 931
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Post by nodrog93 on Jul 12, 2011 4:29:35 GMT
Old rubbish? The original Fireman Sam series may have been old but it was a goldie. I love it and would take that any day over the new series. It had subtle lil adult humor bits in there. The characters were likeable. You could relate to them and it was funny seeing a normal everyday event in Pontypandy. Something the new series is missing in the story lines is that it was character driven. In the new ones a fire happens everyday and Sam isn't as nice as he used to be. He doesn't even act family like towards Sarah and James and Norman is just annoying. Not the same old red head who was a troublesome but lovable lad.
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SteamArt
Goods Engine
We Are One!
Posts: 289
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Post by SteamArt on Dec 2, 2011 20:05:47 GMT
*blows dust off oldish thread*
Fireman Sam has always been one of my all-time favourites! I've always been fascinated by the appearance of the immortal fire engine Jupiter, since I believe it to be a symbol of courage and nobility that every fire engine truly represents!
I was quite surprised I was still into it when I developed an unpleasant fear of fire when my school was shown a presentation on house fires when I was ten. But then I've reasoned that, so long as something is on TV or in books, it can't actually do you any harm!
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Post by gordonfan on Dec 25, 2011 17:29:05 GMT
Hello there and a merry christmas to you all.
Being honest, at first I found the new series of Fireman Sam an utter disappointment but now its really grown on me.
My favourite episode is Pontypandy Extreme- the one where Norman falls down a well for the second time. The reason being because Wishing Well was always one of my favourites from the original series(although it took me years to fully understand the "medal" bit). However one criticism I have with it is the way when Fireman Sam is called Steele says "Quick as you can- he could be short on food". My opinion was they should be more concerned as to whether or not he was injured.
One interesting point I've noticed about this episode is that the well that Norman falls down appears to be in the same location as the one where Lion the cat fell down but the appearance of the well is different.
Also, does anyone know, does the blue and red skateboard that Trevor gives him at the end of the episode appear again or does Norman always have the yellow and red one in other episodes?
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Post by OJ on Feb 17, 2012 17:52:06 GMT
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Post by Old Square Wheels on Feb 26, 2012 2:02:17 GMT
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Post by Chris on Jun 17, 2012 16:23:17 GMT
This week I rented the latest Fireman Sam DVD, mainly just to investigate what the new mountain railway addition was like. Surprisingly, I ended up enjoying it more than expected! The new head writers are Thomas "veteran" Paul Larson and Laura Beaumont. They took over from Andrew Brenner - who, as we know, has moved onto pastures new. Amongst the improvements I noted in the writing were Elvis's silliness being toned down, and Norman's appearances getting reduced slightly. Sometimes he only had 3 or 4 lines as a supporting character. There's still a good dose of humour sprinkled throughout, most of it between Steele and Elvis - who seem to have developed into something of a double act. A particularly funny moment sees Elvis glue himself to a chair and then Steele gets his hands stuck when he tries to free him. Regrettably, characters like Trevor and Dilys were given very little to do (funny or otherwise) in the episodes I watched. A shame as both were a constant source of laughs in the older episodes, so hopefully they will be featured more later on. Oddly enough, at times the new engine driver character looks/acts very much like the Trevor of old... The CGI is still rather poor, usually looking like a video game cut scene. Characters breaking into an awkward looking run during dramatic moments often provides some unintentional laughs! The music (composed by a guy called Dave Pickvance) is another downer for me. Nothing in the way of really hummable tunes in there any more, just background filler. In spite of the above, I was still entertained overall, so I guess it goes to show which I find easier to overlook when it comes to bad writing vs. bad visuals. And the writing definitely shone through in this case. Not sure what sort of engine the animators based "The Pontypandy Flyer" on, but it doesn't look to be a British one to me. Anyone have any ideas or is it clearly a made up design? As you can tell the railway is featured quite heavily in these 6 episodes. One story involves the (apparently wooden) water tower catching fire. Flynn's great granddad makes an appearance in the opening title sequence, but didn't feature in any of the episodes. On a closing note, I must commend the Fireman Sam DVD range for it's value for money. This one included a decent 6 x 10 minute episodes, plus a bonus music video. No filler linking material here. Why HiT don't follow a similar model with their Thomas & Friends DVDs is beyond me...
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Post by OJ on Jun 17, 2012 18:39:48 GMT
I read somewhere that a new fire veihcle was going to be called Mercury. Could it be that Flynn type machine?
Good screen caps Chris. I haven't seen any of the new CGI episodes but I still think it's sad John Alderton is not around. He was a great narrator. BTW apparently the new engine driver is Sarah and James's Grandad
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SteamArt
Goods Engine
We Are One!
Posts: 289
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Post by SteamArt on Jun 17, 2012 18:47:16 GMT
Hmm, I wonder what the steam engine's going to be called. Pluto? Mars?
But I agree with you, OJ. John Alderton is certainly as good a narrator as Willie Rushton ever was! I was quite surprised that he didn't audition for Thomas. He could have pulled off some beautiful Welsh accents for Skarloey and Rheneas!
It's also interesting that Sarah and James have family that extends further than their ever-protective Uncle Sam! I sometimes wondered in my youth if they even had parents!
That fire engine somehow reminds me of the one used in the Dad's Army episode Brain Vs Brawn. And it's interesting to see that, like Greendale, Pontypandy has built itself a railway! Maybe they're hoping for some enthusiasts...
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Post by Chris on Jun 17, 2012 18:54:44 GMT
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Post by OJ on Jun 17, 2012 19:43:56 GMT
It's also interesting that Sarah and James have family that extends further than their ever-protective Uncle Sam! I sometimes wondered in my youth if they even had parents! Here's an even bigger question. What do we know about Norman's dad? He has never even been mentioned let alone appeared in the show. Don't suppose he'll make an apperence one of these days.
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TEngine
Main Line Engine
Posts: 1,920
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Post by TEngine on May 9, 2014 21:52:01 GMT
Fireman Sam has recently been revamped for American audiences, with a new website on the way, the logo has been redesigned and the current TV series will now feature a US voicecast.
In all honesty, the new logo isn't really my taste, and neither are the voices.
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Post by Old Square Wheels on May 9, 2014 23:43:02 GMT
I don't really see a problem with them. It's no different to what they do with Thomas and Bob the Builder, it's just another means of making the brand global. At least they're not replacing the UK voice cast altogether.
The US voices in that clip aren't all that bad (bar Trevor, who seems to have adopted an Italian accent). I can't say they're any worse than some of the current UK voices - in particular, the UK voices of Elvis and Steele are terrible!
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EdwardTerence
Goods Engine
I've been thinking about you, oh yeah, I've been thinking about you
Posts: 109
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Post by EdwardTerence on Nov 26, 2014 19:24:51 GMT
There are some Spot Of Bother questions I want to ask that I'm unsure of: 1 What is that thingy that the white helmet guy is pulling at the beginning before telling them of their fitness training? 2 Why did he send Elvis and Evans jogging? Was it because of Elvis's spluttering and Trevor toring his fitness trousers? Did he say "Pontypandy Fireman back."? before starting his stopwatch? 3 What did Elvis mean when saying to Trevor that they're having milages like they have in the C R R ah? 4 Where is Bella in that episode? They could have put her in the shop whilst Mrs Price was talking to Sam and the kids. 5 Norman wasn't playing another trick at the end of the episode, wasn't he? Did he wished he had gone to do the spelling test at the end? 6 I know the episode is called because of the chickenpox, but is there a real spot of bother in the episode? Was the fire 1? 7 Tv.com says that there is footage from Thief In Pontypandy and Chemistry Set, but I can't see them. Where are they? And I suppose we'll never know who's to blame for the fire. Even if Elvis had suddenly remembered the stew whilst jogging, there'd be no way of contacting the fire station as there isn't a phone box for miles around. I've seen that this episode appears on both The Greatest BBC Children's Video Ever! and Toybox Bumper Special. Why did they have to put it on the latter? They should put different episodes on Children's Specials videos. I bought both videos whilst I was in school and on the days when my girlfriend Joanne Myles here www.facebook.com/jo.myles.75?fref=ts wore a white shirt, I muttered to myself "Fireman Sam - Spot Of Bother." because the back of The Greatest BBC Children's Video Ever! is white and on the days when she wore a blue shirt, I muttered to myself "Pingu's Curling Game. Fireman Sam - Spot Of Bother." because the back of the Toybox Bumper Special video is blue. I don't like the episode with Pingu's Curling Game, I prefer the episode with Pingu's New Kite which comes after it on The Greatest BBC Children's Video Ever!. I find the episode alright and my best part of it was when Sam and Elvis put out the fire and Sam recognising Elvis's face after they put the fire out.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2015 20:41:51 GMT
I don't watch Fireman Sam very often, but it is fun to see Norman Price causing mischief or Station Officer Steele directing Sam, Trevor Evans, and Elvis Criddlington to an emergency. It's also interesting to hear phrases like "All present and correct, sir," "Mega-brill!", "Bloomin' heck," and "That was a close shave."
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Post by thomasultimate1213 on Jun 13, 2015 23:54:51 GMT
Does anyone know if the show airs in Canada? I watched season 5 on treehouse in 200? but they took it off. All I can find is the Italian and French dubs.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2015 16:26:55 GMT
I've been watching a lot of the old 'Fireman Sam' episodes recently - quite a Children's Classic I think. Then after a few episodes, I had an idea. This goes out to any other members on SiF who play the game where the dialogue comes from.
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Post by thomasultimate1213 on Aug 6, 2015 18:18:13 GMT
I've been watching a lot of the old 'Fireman Sam' episodes recently - quite a Children's Classic I think. Then after a few episodes, I had an idea. This goes out to any other members on SiF who play the game where the dialogue comes from. Oh my god, this is literary perfect. It works so well! Thank you for that!
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Post by OJ on Nov 3, 2015 23:43:45 GMT
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Post by Chris on Apr 8, 2016 16:47:14 GMT
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Post by OJ on Apr 8, 2016 19:39:59 GMT
Aliens in a non science fiction is always a risky move (just like Indiana Jones and a recent Asterix story) but in Fireman Sam I hope there's a logical explanation for it. Maybe Norman plays a prank that there are aliens and takes the hoax too far. Guess we'll just have to wait and see
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