Dennis & Gnasher (2009 TV series)
Encyclopedia
Dennis and Gnasher is a British/Australian animated television series currently being aired on CBBC
. Based on the original comic strips from The Beano
, it features the adventures of the rebellious schoolboy Dennis the Menace
and his dog Gnasher
. The programme is aimed for 5-to-10 year olds and commenced on 7 September 2009 and ended on 26 February 2010 after 52 episodes.
Images of the characters and production were featured in The Beano
's 70 year anniversary.
The show was created at Red Kite's Scottish
animation studios as well as Sticky Pictures in Australia
. Consisting of 52 11-minute segments, the animation is directed by Glenn Kirkpatrick with Donna Andrews as producer (Sticky Pictures) alongside Jane Schneider and Sue Smith (Red Kite). Jane O'Brien, Sarah Aubrey
and Keith Scott are confirmed to be voice actors for the series.
Cartoonist Lew Stringer
has refuted on his blog the political correctness claims made by some areas of the media, especially the reports that Dennis will no longer use catapults and Gnasher will no longer bite people. Describing these claims as "another 'political correctness gone mad' myth embellished by the media", he has posted videos showing that the show has not been softened up to the extent that the media has reported.
Despite, or possibly because, of these changes, the show was received positively by the mainstream audience and a small number of professional critics, and the show was a ratings winner on the CBBC Channel at launch. However, the show has been criticised by long-standing fans of the character for changing Dennis' personality to a softer personality, and has been looked at by fans as the worst moment of the comic's history.
in the United States on the same day the network launched on 10 October 2010. The programme also airs in Australia on Nine
. The programme also began unofficial airing on Disney XD
in India. It will air on Disney Channel Asia
on 14 May 2011.
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
. Based on the original comic strips from The Beano
The Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
, it features the adventures of the rebellious schoolboy Dennis the Menace
Dennis the Menace (UK)
Dennis the Menace, later called Dennis the Menace and Gnasher and now Dennis and Gnasher, is a long-running comic strip in the British children's comic The Beano, published by D. C...
and his dog Gnasher
Gnasher and Gnipper
Gnasher is the pet dog of Dennis the Menace in the British comic strip Dennis the Menace from The Beano. First introduced in 1968, in issue 1363 dated 31st August 1968 , seventeen years after Dennis the Menace started in The Beano...
. The programme is aimed for 5-to-10 year olds and commenced on 7 September 2009 and ended on 26 February 2010 after 52 episodes.
Production
The new series features the return of Dennis, Gnasher, Mum, Dad, Curly and Pie-Face and also features the introduction of Dennis' little sister Bea, as well as several original characters like Athena. The production shots also showed Dennis' treehouse with a more menacing design. Screenshots and an episode can be found at the production company Red Kite Animation's website.Images of the characters and production were featured in The Beano
The Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
's 70 year anniversary.
The show was created at Red Kite's Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
animation studios as well as Sticky Pictures in Australia
Australia
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...
. Consisting of 52 11-minute segments, the animation is directed by Glenn Kirkpatrick with Donna Andrews as producer (Sticky Pictures) alongside Jane Schneider and Sue Smith (Red Kite). Jane O'Brien, Sarah Aubrey
Sarah Aubrey
Sarah Aubrey is an English-Australian actress. She has had guest roles in episodes of All Saints, Water Rats, and Above the Law, along with numerous TV commercials...
and Keith Scott are confirmed to be voice actors for the series.
Changes
A number of changes have been made to the original format compared to the comics and previous television series. As well as being updated and modernised, Dennis will lose his catapult and peashooter and will no longer deliberately cause trouble, In addition Walter, Dennis main rival, was made more masculine, removing elements like his pink pyjamas, a small poodle, effeminate voice and his friends being mainly girls. There were fears that Dennis could be seen as homophobic or at the least bullying Walter about his effeminacy, sparking fears and criticism that the show has been toned down for reasons of political correctness. However the producers have stated that "Dennis will not lose his sense of fun."Cartoonist Lew Stringer
Lew Stringer
-Biography:Stringer began his career from the late 1970s with a series of fanzines, many featuring his popular Brickman character; these were read by several pro creators who encouraged Stringer to try comics as a profession and Stringer recalls that "Alan Moore actually introduced me to one of...
has refuted on his blog the political correctness claims made by some areas of the media, especially the reports that Dennis will no longer use catapults and Gnasher will no longer bite people. Describing these claims as "another 'political correctness gone mad' myth embellished by the media", he has posted videos showing that the show has not been softened up to the extent that the media has reported.
Despite, or possibly because, of these changes, the show was received positively by the mainstream audience and a small number of professional critics, and the show was a ratings winner on the CBBC Channel at launch. However, the show has been criticised by long-standing fans of the character for changing Dennis' personality to a softer personality, and has been looked at by fans as the worst moment of the comic's history.
DVD releases
3 volumes of DVDs have been released so far, which include Double Trouble, School Rules?, Highly Over-rated! and Fangs for the Memories.International Broadcast
The show began airing on The HubThe Hub (TV network)
The Hub is an American digital cable and satellite television channel that launched on October 10, 2010. The channel, which replaced Discovery Kids, is a joint venture of Discovery Communications, Inc. and Hasbro...
in the United States on the same day the network launched on 10 October 2010. The programme also airs in Australia on Nine
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
. The programme also began unofficial airing on Disney XD
Disney XD (India)
Disney XD is a television channel broadcasting in India, owned by The Walt Disney Company. It is a merger between Jetix and Toon Disney as one channel, unlike Toon Disney which aired action shows under a block called Jetix and animated in the channel itself, Disney XD will have no action dedicated...
in India. It will air on Disney Channel Asia
Disney Channel Asia
Disney Channel Asia, a franchise of Disney Channel, airs in most parts of Southeast Asia.- Programming :Disney Channel Asia airs a variety of shows, aimed particularly at children and teenagers. Most of the programming is similar to the American counterpart with some shows exclusive to the Asian...
on 14 May 2011.
Episode list
The full list of episodes has been released:| Ep# | Title | First aired | Production Code |
|---|
External links
- Dennis and Gnasher
- Dennis and Gnasher at The HubThe Hub-Places:* "The Hub", a nickname for Boston, Massachusetts; short for The Hub of the Universe* The Hub , former church in Edinburgh which is now home to the Edinburgh International Festival...