Captain Fantastic
Encyclopedia
Captain Fantastic was a regular feature of Do Not Adjust Your Set
from 1967 to 1968 which appeared as a filmed insert between the videotaped sketches.
The title character
was a bowler-hat
ted, plastic-mac
wearing and umbrella carrying superhero
played by David Jason
. Denise Coffey
also appeared as the villain
ous Mrs Black.
Each episode was shot on location in and around London
. There was no lip sync
dialogue, so episodes played like silent movies
, narrated by Jason in character over a frenetic piece of library music. Each week Mrs Black would attempt to take over the world using the electronic gadgetry contained in her "horrible handbag
", while Captain Fantastic tried to set things right using his high-tech umbrella
.
Each episode ended on a cliffhanger
, usually accompanied by a sarcastic comment from the announcer. (This might be seen as a forerunner to the narration style of Dangermouse
, which also starred Jason as a voice actor).
During one first series episode of DNAYS, Eric Idle
followed the Captain Fantastic segment with the song "Captain Fantastic, We Love You", backed by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
. The performance featured several of the regular cast members dancing while dressed as superheroes, including Jason who was dressed as Robin
. Some years later Jason was to wear a Batman
suit in an episode of Only Fools and Horses
.
Once the run of Do Not Adjust Your Set
finished, the serial was incorporated into Thames Television
children's magazine Magpie
.
Do Not Adjust Your Set
Do Not Adjust Your Set was a children's television series produced originally by Rediffusion, London, then by the fledgling Thames Television for British commercial television channel ITV from 26 December 1967 to 14 May 1969....
from 1967 to 1968 which appeared as a filmed insert between the videotaped sketches.
The title character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
was a bowler-hat
Bowler hat
The bowler hat, also known as a coke hat, derby , billycock or bombin, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown originally created in 1849 for the English soldier and politician Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester...
ted, plastic-mac
Mackintosh
The Mackintosh or Macintosh is a form of waterproof raincoat, first sold in 1824, made out of rubberised fabric...
wearing and umbrella carrying superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
played by David Jason
David Jason
Sir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack...
. Denise Coffey
Denise Coffey
Denise Coffey is an English actress, director, and playwright.After training at the Glasgow College of Dramatic Art, Coffey began a career in repertory at the Gateway Theatre in Edinburgh, then moved to the Palladium Theatre there...
also appeared as the villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
ous Mrs Black.
Each episode was shot on location in and around London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. There was no lip sync
Lip sync
Lip sync, lip-sync, lip-synch is a technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals...
dialogue, so episodes played like silent movies
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
, narrated by Jason in character over a frenetic piece of library music. Each week Mrs Black would attempt to take over the world using the electronic gadgetry contained in her "horrible handbag
Handbag
A handbag, or purse in American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag that is often fashionably designed, typically used by women, to hold personal items such as wallet/coins, keys, cosmetics, a hairbrush, pepper spray, cigarettes, mobile phone etc....
", while Captain Fantastic tried to set things right using his high-tech umbrella
Umbrella
An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain...
.
Each episode ended on a cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
, usually accompanied by a sarcastic comment from the announcer. (This might be seen as a forerunner to the narration style of Dangermouse
DangerMouse
Danger Mouse is a British animated television series which was produced by Cosgrove Hall Films for Thames Television. It features the eponymous Danger Mouse, an English mouse who works as a superhero/secret agent. The show is a loose parody of British spy fiction, particularly James Bond and the...
, which also starred Jason as a voice actor).
During one first series episode of DNAYS, Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
followed the Captain Fantastic segment with the song "Captain Fantastic, We Love You", backed by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band are a band created by a group of British art-school denizens of the 1960s...
. The performance featured several of the regular cast members dancing while dressed as superheroes, including Jason who was dressed as Robin
Robin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
. Some years later Jason was to wear a Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
suit in an episode of Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
.
Once the run of Do Not Adjust Your Set
Do Not Adjust Your Set
Do Not Adjust Your Set was a children's television series produced originally by Rediffusion, London, then by the fledgling Thames Television for British commercial television channel ITV from 26 December 1967 to 14 May 1969....
finished, the serial was incorporated into Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
children's magazine Magpie
Magpie (TV series)
Magpie was a children's television programme shown on ITV from the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. It was a magazine format show intended to compete with the BBC's Blue Peter, but attempted to be more "hip", focusing more on popular culture...
.