Captain Pugwash
Encyclopedia
Captain Pugwash is a fictional pirate
in a series of British children's comic strips and books created by John Ryan
. The character's adventures were adapted into a TV series, using cardboard cut-outs filmed in live-action (the first series was performed and broadcast live), also called Captain Pugwash, first shown on the BBC
in 1957, a later colour series, first shown in 1974–75, and a traditional animation
series, The Adventures of Captain Pugwash, first aired in 1998.
The eponymous hero – Captain Horatio Pugwash – sails the high seas in his ship called the Black Pig, ably assisted by cabin boy Tom, pirates Willy and Barnabas, and Master Mate. His mortal enemy is Cut-Throat Jake, captain of the Flying Dustman.
in 1950, then appeared regularly as a strip in Radio Times
. In 1957
the BBC commissioned a series of short cartoon films produced by Gordon Murray
. Ryan produced a total of 86 five-minute-long episodes for the BBC, shot in black-and-white film, but later transferring to colour. Ryan used a real-time technique of animation in which cardboard cutouts of the characters were laid on painted backgrounds and moved with levers. The characters' voices were provided by Peter Hawkins
. The last series of Pugwash shorts by Ryan was produced in 1975
.
Although there are many anachronism
s in the series, the book The Battle of Bunkum Bay gives some useful clues as to the era in which the stories are set. In this book, the King of Great Britain strongly resembles George I
and the King of France resembles Louis XIV
, suggesting that this story took place in 1714–15. However, one of the few direct references to a date is in the original TV series is the episode 'Pirate of the Year' where Pugwash enters the "Pirate of the Year contest 1775"
A number of spin-off books were written by John Ryan, and in the 1980s he drew three new Pugwash comic strip storybooks: The Secret of the San Fiasco, The Battle of Bunkum Bay and The Quest for the Golden Handshake.
A related book by John Ryan was Admiral Fatso Fitzpugwash, in which it is revealed that Pugwash had a medieval ancestor
who was First Sea Lord, but who was terrified of water.
's ABC Television
. There the show was screened by the ABC, during weekday afternoons, in the 1970s and 1980s.
The rights to Captain Pugwash were purchased by HIT Entertainment
, who from 1997
have issued a number of digital and part computer-animated cartoon films based on the Pugwash character, set on the island of "Montebuffo", "somewhere in the Spanish Main
". Peter Hawkins did not provide the voices, HIT Entertainment instead employing character actor James Saxon
.
A DVD
containing, 'ALL 30 heroic high sea adventures from the second generation colour 1974-1975, series, (156 minutes running time) was given away with the Sunday Times on 20 January 2008.
. He appears to be the youngest crew member (apart from Tom). He is a gentle soul, and is against using violence. He does, however, have the occasional brainwave and has been the crew's saviour (admittedly sometimes more by luck than by design). "Just you wait till we get back to Wigan – we won't half have a 'tail' to tell!"
player, despite this being a 19th century anachronism
for an 18th century pirate, and part of his repertoire is The Trumpet Hornpipe (the Captain Pugwash theme).
He was portrayed with a Home Counties
accent in the first television adaptation, and with an Irish accent in the 1997 series.
This character replaced pirate Barnabas, who featured in the older series. His catchphrase is "No good will come of this, mark my words!" Jonah appears to be of a Jamaican origin. He is the tallest of the crew as he often hits his head on the ceiling of the ship's lower deck. He is also one of the strongest of the crew as he serves as the Black Pig' s carpenter
.
This character lives at the top of the island in a mansion covered in vines. He talks very quietly and his head of guard, Lt. Scratchwood, usually acts as a megaphone. He is deeply in love with Donna Bonanza and attends to her every need.
This pirate queen appeared in the second series when she hijacked the captain's ship to escape from the authorities.
An Australian pirate who works for Jake. He almost always has a mug of grog in his hand. This character appeared in the original series, but never spoke, nor was he named.
A Mexican who works for Jake who speaks little English. He repeats everything that Jake says, annoying him greatly. Again, this character was an unnamed, unspeaking character in the earlier series.
The voice for the governor and the law for the town of Portobello. In charge of the guard and collecting taxes, he also spends his time chasing thieves.
in The Adventures of Tintin
:
Cut-Throat Jake has occasionally been known to utter the similar exclamation, "Scupper me skull-and-crossbones!
"
which was played by accordionist Tom Edmundson and arranged by Philip Lane
. He had learned the tune from Jimmy Shand
. The tune appears to have been popular from the mid-19th century, but its composer and country of origin are unknown. In the United States it is known as the Thunder Hornpipe. Other background music was provided by renowned BBC music arranger and pianist, Johnny Pearson.
, repeated by the now-defunct UK newspaper the Sunday Correspondent
, which ascribes sexually suggestive names – such as Master Bates, Seaman Staines, and Roger the Cabin Boy (meaning to have sex with
) – to Captain Pugwashs characters, and indicating that the captain's name was a slang Australian term for oral sex. John Ryan
successfully sued both the Sunday Correspondent and The Guardian
newspapers in 1991 for printing this legend as fact.
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
in a series of British children's comic strips and books created by John Ryan
John Ryan (cartoonist)
John Gerald Christopher Ryan was a British animator and cartoonist, best known for his character Captain Pugwash. His brother was Roman Catholic theologian and philosopher Columba Ryan.-Biography:Ryan was born in Edinburgh...
. The character's adventures were adapted into a TV series, using cardboard cut-outs filmed in live-action (the first series was performed and broadcast live), also called Captain Pugwash, first shown on 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 1957, a later colour series, first shown in 1974–75, and a traditional animation
Traditional animation
Traditional animation, is an animation technique where each frame is drawn by hand...
series, The Adventures of Captain Pugwash, first aired in 1998.
The eponymous hero – Captain Horatio Pugwash – sails the high seas in his ship called the Black Pig, ably assisted by cabin boy Tom, pirates Willy and Barnabas, and Master Mate. His mortal enemy is Cut-Throat Jake, captain of the Flying Dustman.
History
Captain Horatio Pugwash made his debut in a comic strip format in the first issue of The EagleEagle (comic)
Eagle was a seminal British children's comic, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating...
in 1950, then appeared regularly as a strip in Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
. In 1957
1957 in television
The year 1957 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1957.-Events:*January 6 – Elvis Presley makes final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show....
the BBC commissioned a series of short cartoon films produced 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...
. Ryan produced a total of 86 five-minute-long episodes for the BBC, shot in black-and-white film, but later transferring to colour. Ryan used a real-time technique of animation in which cardboard cutouts of the characters were laid on painted backgrounds and moved with levers. The characters' voices were provided by Peter Hawkins
Peter Hawkins
Peter John Hawkins was an English actor and voice artist.- Career :Born in London and a native of Brixton, Hawkins' long association with British children's television began in 1952 when he voiced both Bill and Ben, the Flower Pot Men. In 1955–1956, He voiced Big Ears & Mr. Plod from The...
. The last series of Pugwash shorts by Ryan was produced in 1975
1975 in television
The year 1975 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1975.For the American TV schedule, see: 1975-76 United States network television schedule.-Events:...
.
Although there are many anachronism
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
s in the series, the book The Battle of Bunkum Bay gives some useful clues as to the era in which the stories are set. In this book, the King of Great Britain strongly resembles George I
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
and the King of France resembles Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, suggesting that this story took place in 1714–15. However, one of the few direct references to a date is in the original TV series is the episode 'Pirate of the Year' where Pugwash enters the "Pirate of the Year contest 1775"
A number of spin-off books were written by John Ryan, and in the 1980s he drew three new Pugwash comic strip storybooks: The Secret of the San Fiasco, The Battle of Bunkum Bay and The Quest for the Golden Handshake.
A related book by John Ryan was Admiral Fatso Fitzpugwash, in which it is revealed that Pugwash had a medieval ancestor
Ancestor
An ancestor is a parent or the parent of an ancestor ....
who was First Sea Lord, but who was terrified of water.
Episodes
Prior to the 1974-1975 series, the first Generation of Captain Pugwash episodes were filmed in black and white and were first shown on British TV, between 1957-1966. These early episodes, number a total of 87 episodes, with the producers using the production codes of CP001 to CP087, respectively. These earlier episodes are in addition to the later 30 episodes, from second generation of the series, which was produced in color, during 1974-1975. Captain Pugwash also sold overseas, to various TV stations, including AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
. There the show was screened by the ABC, during weekday afternoons, in the 1970s and 1980s.
The rights to Captain Pugwash were purchased by HIT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment
Hit Entertainment is a British-American entertainment distribution company established in 1989, and originally the international distribution arm of Jim Henson Productions called Henson International Television...
, who from 1997
1997 in television
The year 1997 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1997.- Events :-Debuts:-Miniseries:*Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac, a reunion of the 1979–93 series*The Last Don...
have issued a number of digital and part computer-animated cartoon films based on the Pugwash character, set on the island of "Montebuffo", "somewhere in the Spanish Main
Spanish Main
In the days of the Spanish New World Empire, the mainland of the American continent enclosing the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico was referred to as the Spanish Main. It included present-day Florida, the east shore of the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, Mexico, Central America and the north coast of...
". Peter Hawkins did not provide the voices, HIT Entertainment instead employing character actor James Saxon
James Saxon
James Saxon was a British character actor. He often played aristocrats or middle class characters.Having trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he made a career on screen with leading parts in television series such as the BBC adaptation of Vanity Fair , the ITV comedy Brass , the brief...
.
A DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
containing, 'ALL 30 heroic high sea adventures from the second generation colour 1974-1975, series, (156 minutes running time) was given away with the Sunday Times on 20 January 2008.
Captain Pugwash
The pompous but likeable captain of the Black Pig. Although he boasts of being the "bravest buccaneer", he is actually quite cowardly and stupid. His greed often gets him into trouble. Despite all this, he usually wins the day – either with the help of Tom the Cabin Boy or through sheer luck. Strangely enough, despite being a pirate, he is rarely seen committing any acts of piracy.Master Mate
A somewhat dopey character, who has a tendency to use malapropisms and to mispronounce common words. He has a teddy bear in his bunk and is quite mild-mannered. It is not entirely clear why he is the mate, as he does not appear to have any authority over the rest of the crew. He was present in the first ever Pugwash story, in which he was depicted as being constantly sleepy.Barnabas
The most aggressive of the pirates, but in reality just as harmless. He is quite rebellious and grumpy, and is perhaps marginally more intelligent than Willy, the Mate or the Captain. He was not present in the 1997 series.Willy
A simple sailor from WiganWigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
. He appears to be the youngest crew member (apart from Tom). He is a gentle soul, and is against using violence. He does, however, have the occasional brainwave and has been the crew's saviour (admittedly sometimes more by luck than by design). "Just you wait till we get back to Wigan – we won't half have a 'tail' to tell!"
Tom the Cabin Boy
It might be argued that without Tom, Pugwash would have been sunk long ago. He is the most intelligent and resourceful member of the crew, the only one who can cook and the only one who can actually sail a ship. Although Pugwash would never admit it, Tom's ability to think up schemes is probably the only thing that prevents him from being a total failure as a pirate. Tom is an expert concertinaConcertina
A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
player, despite this being a 19th century anachronism
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
for an 18th century pirate, and part of his repertoire is The Trumpet Hornpipe (the Captain Pugwash theme).
He was portrayed with a Home Counties
Home Counties
The home counties is a term which refers to the counties of South East England and the East of England which border London, but do not include the capital city itself...
accent in the first television adaptation, and with an Irish accent in the 1997 series.
Cut Throat Jake
Captain Pugwash's fearsome arch-enemy, captain of the Flying Dustman (a pun on the Flying Dutchman combined with a reference to the occupation of dustman). When he is not scheming to bring about Pugwash's downfall, he is a rather more competent pirate than his enemy, and always seems to have plenty of treasure. He speaks with a stereotypical West Country accent, and is easily recognisable by his eye patch and enormous black beard.Characters added in the later series
- Jonah
This character replaced pirate Barnabas, who featured in the older series. His catchphrase is "No good will come of this, mark my words!" Jonah appears to be of a Jamaican origin. He is the tallest of the crew as he often hits his head on the ceiling of the ship's lower deck. He is also one of the strongest of the crew as he serves as the Black Pig
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
.
- Governor of PortobelloPortobello-Places:England* Portobello, West Midlands* Portobello Road, London* Portobellow, an estate in Wakefield, West YorkshireIreland* Portobello, Dublin, IrelandNew Zealand* Portobello, New ZealandPanama* Portobelo, PanamaScotland* Portobello, Edinburgh...
This character lives at the top of the island in a mansion covered in vines. He talks very quietly and his head of guard, Lt. Scratchwood, usually acts as a megaphone. He is deeply in love with Donna Bonanza and attends to her every need.
- Maggie Lafayette
This pirate queen appeared in the second series when she hijacked the captain's ship to escape from the authorities.
- Swine
An Australian pirate who works for Jake. He almost always has a mug of grog in his hand. This character appeared in the original series, but never spoke, nor was he named.
- Stinka
A Mexican who works for Jake who speaks little English. He repeats everything that Jake says, annoying him greatly. Again, this character was an unnamed, unspeaking character in the earlier series.
- Lieutenant Scratchwood
The voice for the governor and the law for the town of Portobello. In charge of the guard and collecting taxes, he also spends his time chasing thieves.
Pugwashisms
Captain Pugwash is renowned for his exclamations, owing something to the style of Captain HaddockCaptain Haddock
Captain Archibald Haddock is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé...
in The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
:
- "Dolloping doubloons/dolphins!"
- "Coddling catfish!"
- "Lolloping landlubbers!"
- "Suffering seagulls!"
- "Staggering stalactites!"
- "Nautical nitwits!"
- "Plundering porpoises!"
- "Kipper me capstans!"
- "Tottering turtles!"
- "Dithering dogfish!"
- "Scuttling cuttlefish!"
- "Stuttering starfish!"
- "Blistering Barnacles!"
Cut-Throat Jake has occasionally been known to utter the similar exclamation, "Scupper me skull-and-crossbones!
Jolly Roger
The Jolly Roger is any of various flags flown to identify a ship's crew as pirates. The flag most commonly identified as the Jolly Roger today is the skull and crossbones, a flag consisting of a human skull above two long bones set in an x-mark arrangement on a black field. This design was used by...
"
Theme
The series had a memorable signature tune The Trumpet HornpipeHornpipe
The term hornpipe refers to any of several dance forms played and danced in Britain and elsewhere from the late 17th century until the present day. It is said that hornpipe as a dance began around the 16th century on English sailing vessels...
which was played by accordionist Tom Edmundson and arranged by Philip Lane
Philip Lane (composer)
Philip Lane is an English composer and musicologist. He is noted for his light music compositions and arrangements, as well as his painstaking work reconstructing lost film scores.-Biography:...
. He had learned the tune from Jimmy Shand
Jimmy Shand
Sir James Shand MBE was a Scottish musician who played traditional Scottish dance music on the accordion.-Early life:...
. The tune appears to have been popular from the mid-19th century, but its composer and country of origin are unknown. In the United States it is known as the Thunder Hornpipe. Other background music was provided by renowned BBC music arranger and pianist, Johnny Pearson.
Captain Pugwash books
- Captain Pugwash: A Pirate Story (1957)
- Pugwash Aloft (1960)
- Pugwash and the Ghost Ship (1962)
- Pugwash in the Pacific (1963)
- Pugwash and the Sea Monster (1976)
- Captain Pugwash and the Ruby (1976)
- Captain Pugwash and the Treasure Chest (1976)
- Captain Pugwash and the New Ship (1976)
- Captain Pugwash and the Elephant (1976)
- The Captain Pugwash Cartoon Book (1977)
- Pugwash and the Buried Treasure (1980)
- Pugwash the Smuggler (1982)
- Captain Pugwash and the Fancy Dress Party (1982)
- Captain Pugwash and the Mutiny (1982)
- Pugwash and the Wreckers (1984)
- Pugwash and the Midnight Feast (1984)
- The Battle of Bunkum Bay (1985)
- The Quest of the Golden Handshake (1985)
- The Secret of the San Fiasco (1985)
- Captain Pugwash and the Pigwig (1991)
- Captain Pugwash and the Huge reward (1991)
- The books were 32 pages each, alternating two pages full colour and two pages black, blue and white, by Puffin BooksPuffin BooksPuffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s it has been the largest publisher of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world.-Early history:...
.
1975 series
- Down The Hatch
- Cannon Ball
- Sea Monster
- Mouse Amidships
- Showboat
- Flood Tide
- Pirate Picnic
- Fishmeal
- Mutiny On The Black Pig
- The Great Bank Robbery
- A Shot Across The Bows
- Wedding Bells
- Stung!
- The Golden Trail
- Diamonds On Ice
- Birthday Cake
- Witches Brew
- Six Foot Deep
- Riddle Of The Rubies
- Pirate Of The Year
- Easy Money
- The Plank
- A Fair Exchange
- Voyage Of Discovery
- Smugglers Cove
- The Flying Buccaneer
- Island Of The Dodos
- Caught In The Act
- A Tell Tale Tail
- Off With His Head
1997 series
- The Stowaway Sheep
- The Portobello Plague
- The Doubledealing Duchess
- The Emperor's New Clothes
- The Boat Race
- The Dingly Dangly Crab
- Chest Of Drawers
- The Vanishing Ship
- Hot Chocolate
- The Fat Cat
- The Pandemonium Parrot
- The Brush With Art
- A Hair-Raising Day
- Fiddle De Diamonds
- The Melodious Mermaid
- The Titanic Teapot
- The New Cabin Boy
- Treasure Trail
- Peppercorn Pistols
- Sticky Moments
- Muddling Monsters
- The Megamango Monkeys
- King Pugwash
- The Devil's Dog
- Perfumes Of Arabia
- The Admiral's Fireworks
Libel case regarding double entendres
There is a persistent urban legendUrban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
, repeated by the now-defunct UK newspaper the Sunday Correspondent
Sunday Correspondent
The Sunday Correspondent was a shortlived British weekly national broadsheet newspaper. Launched on 17 September 1989, it ceased publication on 25 November 1990. It was edited by Peter Cole....
, which ascribes sexually suggestive names – such as Master Bates, Seaman Staines, and Roger the Cabin Boy (meaning to have sex with
Roger
Roger is primarily a common first name of English, French and Catalan usage, from the Germanic elements hrod and ger meaning "famous with the spear." The Latin form of the name is Rogerius, as used by a few medieval figures.The name Roger was transmitted to England by the Normans after the...
) – to Captain Pugwashs characters, and indicating that the captain's name was a slang Australian term for oral sex. John Ryan
John Ryan (cartoonist)
John Gerald Christopher Ryan was a British animator and cartoonist, best known for his character Captain Pugwash. His brother was Roman Catholic theologian and philosopher Columba Ryan.-Biography:Ryan was born in Edinburgh...
successfully sued both the Sunday Correspondent and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspapers in 1991 for printing this legend as fact.