A Rubovian Legend
Encyclopedia
A Rubovian Legend is a British
children's television series
created by Gordon Murray
,
play for the BBC
in the mid 1950s, presented by The BBC Puppet Theatre. The first Rubovia play was transmitted live in December 1955 and was entitled 'The Queen's Dragon' and was performed by string marionettes.
Puppeteers Bob Bura and John Hardwick, and designers Andrew and Margaret Brownfoot, worked with Murray to produce 26 further episodes between about 1955 and 1960. 'Rubovia' was made in a very different style to the series for which Murray would later be known, involving large, string-operated puppets with caricatured features.
, Derek Nimmo
and Philip Latham
. The music was provided by Freddie Phillips
.
series called Rubovia. These remakes introduced some new characters.
in an undisclosed location, but almost certainly in Central Europe. It is known to share borders with the (equally fictional) Kingdom of Borsovia and the Grand Duchy of Humperstein.
The land is ruled as a benevolent dictatorship by King Rufus XIV, descendant of a long line of kings, all apparently named Rufus (although the heir apparent bears the title of Prince Rupert), and his Queen Caroline.
The population - at least the Royal Household - speak the English language and wear clothes that imitate the European fashions of approximately the late 18th century. They also lack the modern technology that other parts of Europe have adopted. This may be explained by the fact that, for unknown reasons, the Industrial Revolution passed by Rubovia. The technology of the country operates on a level of gas and steam. Electricity and communications such as the telephone have never been adopted by the kingdom, and much use is made of clockwork.
Rubovia is one place, perhaps the only place, in Europe, where magic
still works, although not always successfully. The main practitioner of the often ill-fated attempts at magic is Albert Wetherspoon (also spelled Weatherspoon). Weatherspoon is based in the Royal Household and carries out a wide variety of important duties, including Master of the Rolls, Court Photographer and Royal Gardener. As Court Musician, he plays the Royal organ
with his cat Puss (or puss) pressing the air pump with its tail.
Whilst Rufus tends to be a somewhat amiable and bumbling character, delegating most duties to Weatherspoon and the Lord Chamberlain, and consorting with his friend King Boris of Borsovia, his wife Caroline is a more formidable character. A close friend and cousin of Grand Duchess Arabella of Humperstein, she is much taken up with her pampered pet dragon
Pongo, who has a habit of turning into a cabbage whenever he hiccups.
Little is known of the general populace of Rubovia, except that they are mostly employed in agricultural activities. Consequently, the main (perhaps only) export of Rubovia is quality vegetables. The cabbages from the Royal Cabbage Patch are especially prized.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
children's television series
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 Gordon Murray
Gordon Murray (puppeteer)
Gordon Murray is a British television producer and puppeteer.He is the creator and writer of some of the most popular children's television programmes ever seen in Britain, Trumpton, Camberwick Green and Chigley, the Trumptonshire Trilogy were all made by the company he set up.-Early life and...
,
Background
It began as a black and white children's puppetPuppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
play for 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...
in the mid 1950s, presented by The BBC Puppet Theatre. The first Rubovia play was transmitted live in December 1955 and was entitled 'The Queen's Dragon' and was performed by string marionettes.
Puppeteers Bob Bura and John Hardwick, and designers Andrew and Margaret Brownfoot, worked with Murray to produce 26 further episodes between about 1955 and 1960. 'Rubovia' was made in a very different style to the series for which Murray would later be known, involving large, string-operated puppets with caricatured features.
Cast
Among those lending their vocal talents to the series were Roy SkeltonRoy Skelton
Roy William Skelton was an English actor and voice artist, whose voice was more familiar to television viewers than his name...
, Derek Nimmo
Derek Nimmo
Derek Robert Nimmo was an English character actor. He was particularly associated with upper-class "silly-ass" roles, and clerical roles.-Career:...
and Philip Latham
Philip Latham
Philip Latham is a British actor. He was educated at Felsted School.In the late 1960s/early 1970s he was well known to British TV viewers for his portrayal of chief accountant Willy Izard, the "conscience" to hard-nosed oil company industrialist Brian Stead in the BBC series The Troubleshooters...
. The music was provided by Freddie Phillips
Freddie Phillips
Freddie 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....
.
Episodes
The episodes were repeated throughout the early 1960s. In 1976, six of the plays were remade in colour, with redesigned puppets and settings, as a stop motion animatedStop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
series called Rubovia. These remakes introduced some new characters.
Background to the Kingdom of Rubovia
Rubovia is presented as a kingdomMonarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
in an undisclosed location, but almost certainly in Central Europe. It is known to share borders with the (equally fictional) Kingdom of Borsovia and the Grand Duchy of Humperstein.
The land is ruled as a benevolent dictatorship by King Rufus XIV, descendant of a long line of kings, all apparently named Rufus (although the heir apparent bears the title of Prince Rupert), and his Queen Caroline.
The population - at least the Royal Household - speak the English language and wear clothes that imitate the European fashions of approximately the late 18th century. They also lack the modern technology that other parts of Europe have adopted. This may be explained by the fact that, for unknown reasons, the Industrial Revolution passed by Rubovia. The technology of the country operates on a level of gas and steam. Electricity and communications such as the telephone have never been adopted by the kingdom, and much use is made of clockwork.
Rubovia is one place, perhaps the only place, in Europe, where magic
Magic (fantasy)
Magic in fiction is the endowing of fictional characters or objects with magical powers.Such magic often serves as a plot device, the source of magical artifacts and their quests...
still works, although not always successfully. The main practitioner of the often ill-fated attempts at magic is Albert Wetherspoon (also spelled Weatherspoon). Weatherspoon is based in the Royal Household and carries out a wide variety of important duties, including Master of the Rolls, Court Photographer and Royal Gardener. As Court Musician, he plays the Royal organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
with his cat Puss (or puss) pressing the air pump with its tail.
Whilst Rufus tends to be a somewhat amiable and bumbling character, delegating most duties to Weatherspoon and the Lord Chamberlain, and consorting with his friend King Boris of Borsovia, his wife Caroline is a more formidable character. A close friend and cousin of Grand Duchess Arabella of Humperstein, she is much taken up with her pampered pet dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
Pongo, who has a habit of turning into a cabbage whenever he hiccups.
Little is known of the general populace of Rubovia, except that they are mostly employed in agricultural activities. Consequently, the main (perhaps only) export of Rubovia is quality vegetables. The cabbages from the Royal Cabbage Patch are especially prized.
External links
- http://www.rubovia.org/index2.htm Realm of Rubovia