Pipkins
Encyclopedia
Pipkins was a British
children's TV programme. Hartley Hare, Pig, Topov and the gang were the stars of ATV
's pre-school series which ran from January 1973 to 29 December 1981.
Pipkins was one of the first children's programmes on British TV where the characters had regional accents (Pig had a Black Country accent while Topov the monkey was a Cockney
and Octavia the ostrich had a French accent).
network expanded its daytime broadcasting hours and the Independent Broadcasting Authority
commissioned four of the main ITV companies to each provide a series of interest to pre-schoolers, as an alternative to the successful US import Sesame Street
. From this commission Thames Television
came up with Rainbow
, Yorkshire
with Mister Trimble, Granada
with Hickory House , while ATV
’s contribution would be Inigo Pipkin.
Inigo Pipkin was first shown on New Year's Day
1973. When the show started, the main character was an elderly puppet maker called Inigo Pipkin (hence the original title), played by actor George Woodbridge
. The puppets were his creations, and over the course of the first series, viewers saw Mr. Pipkin bring to life Hartley Hare and The Tortoise (aka George) played by Nigel Plaskitt
and Topov the monkey
, Pig and Octavia the ostrich
all played by Heather Tobias.
However, Woodbridge died in March 1973, during the recording of the second series. In 1974, in a first for children's television, Inigo's death was worked into the programme, predating the Mr. Hooper
episode on Sesame Street by nine years. From this episode onwards the show was renamed Pipkins, and Inigo's assistant, Johnny (Wayne Laryea
), took over. The direction of the programme had to change; from here on in the show ceased to centre around a puppet workshop and the characters became "The Help People", helping anyone in need of a hand. (In Death of a Goldfish) they replayed the episode except by acting on behalf of a death of a pet. Topov the monkey and Johnny discussed why the goldfish died and why do people die?
Johnny left Pipkins around 1978, to be replaced by Tom (Jonathan Kydd
), who moved on in 1980, his place taken by Peter Potter (Paddy O'Hagan). In later years Sue Nicholls
made regular appearances as the Pipkins' neighbour, Mrs Muddle. The name was somewhat ironic as she was always a calming, self-assured presence around the puppets.
The familiar workshop set was replaced in 1979 (in the story "Moving Out") with new interiors based around a kitchen and backyard. The new set was built up from ground level to enable puppeteers to work standing up and to move around more freely, modelled on the methods used by The Muppet Show
which was also filmed at ATV's Elstree Studios
.
, and was replaced by Let's Pretend
. In common with other 1970s shows, a lot of Pipkins episodes, including the first Inigo Pipkin, are missing from the archives (poor storage of former ATV master-tapes has also led to the loss of many shows). However, Nigel Plaskitt
, who played Hartley, made off-air recordings of many episodes and some of these have been released on DVD in the UK.
The series was made at ATV's Elstree studios with occasional filming on location. For the Inigo Pipkin episodes, the opening and closing titles were sung by Jackie Lee
, who had earlier sung the themes to children's programmes The Adventures of Rupert Bear
and White Horses
.
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 TV programme. Hartley Hare, Pig, Topov and the gang were the stars of ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
's pre-school series which ran from January 1973 to 29 December 1981.
Pipkins was one of the first children's programmes on British TV where the characters had regional accents (Pig had a Black Country accent while Topov the monkey was a Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
and Octavia the ostrich had a French accent).
Origins
In 1972, the ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network expanded its daytime broadcasting hours and the Independent Broadcasting Authority
Independent Broadcasting Authority
The Independent Broadcasting Authority was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television - and commercial/independent radio broadcasts...
commissioned four of the main ITV companies to each provide a series of interest to pre-schoolers, as an alternative to the successful US import Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. From this commission 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....
came up with Rainbow
Rainbow (TV series)
Rainbow is a British children's television series, created by Pamela Lonsdale, which ran twice weekly at 12:10 on Tuesdays and Fridays on the ITV network, from 16 October 1972 to 6 March 1992...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
with Mister Trimble, Granada
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
with Hickory House , while ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
’s contribution would be Inigo Pipkin.
Inigo Pipkin was first shown on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
1973. When the show started, the main character was an elderly puppet maker called Inigo Pipkin (hence the original title), played by actor George Woodbridge
George Woodbridge (actor)
George Woodbridge was an English character actor in films and television from the 1930s to the 1970s...
. The puppets were his creations, and over the course of the first series, viewers saw Mr. Pipkin bring to life Hartley Hare and The Tortoise (aka George) played by Nigel Plaskitt
Nigel Plaskitt
Nigel Plaskitt is a British actor, puppeteer, producer, and both stage and television director.His voice and puppetry talents have appeared on television shows such as Pipkins, Spitting Image and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet...
and Topov the monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
, Pig and Octavia the ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
all played by Heather Tobias.
However, Woodbridge died in March 1973, during the recording of the second series. In 1974, in a first for children's television, Inigo's death was worked into the programme, predating the Mr. Hooper
Mr. Hooper
Harold Hooper was a character on Sesame Street, played by Will Lee, who was the original proprietor of Mr. Hooper's Store, which still retains his name.-Biography:...
episode on Sesame Street by nine years. From this episode onwards the show was renamed Pipkins, and Inigo's assistant, Johnny (Wayne Laryea
Wayne Laryea
Wayne Laryea is a former British television actor. Wayne is best known to American audiences for his role as Harmony in The Bugaloos . British viewers may remember him as Johnny in Pipkins...
), took over. The direction of the programme had to change; from here on in the show ceased to centre around a puppet workshop and the characters became "The Help People", helping anyone in need of a hand. (In Death of a Goldfish) they replayed the episode except by acting on behalf of a death of a pet. Topov the monkey and Johnny discussed why the goldfish died and why do people die?
Johnny left Pipkins around 1978, to be replaced by Tom (Jonathan Kydd
Jonathan Kydd (actor)
Jonathan Kydd is a British actor. He is the son of the actor Sam Kydd.His first film was The Iron Maiden, in which he appeared aged six with his father. His mother, Pinkie, was one of England's first female advertising copywriters. She also played table tennis eleven times for England.Kydd was...
), who moved on in 1980, his place taken by Peter Potter (Paddy O'Hagan). In later years Sue Nicholls
Sue Nicholls
Susan Frances Harmar Nicholls is an English actress, best known today for her long-running role as Audrey Roberts in British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:...
made regular appearances as the Pipkins' neighbour, Mrs Muddle. The name was somewhat ironic as she was always a calming, self-assured presence around the puppets.
The familiar workshop set was replaced in 1979 (in the story "Moving Out") with new interiors based around a kitchen and backyard. The new set was built up from ground level to enable puppeteers to work standing up and to move around more freely, modelled on the methods used by The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
which was also filmed at ATV's Elstree Studios
Elstree Studios
"Elstree Studios" refers to any of several film studios that were based in the towns of Borehamwood and Elstree in Hertfordshire, England, since film production begun in 1927.-Name:...
.
Cancellation
The programme ended when ATV was restructured and became Central Independent TelevisionCentral Independent Television
Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central is the Independent Television contractor for the Midlands, created following the restructuring of ATV and commencing broadcast on 1 January 1982. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting...
, and was replaced by Let's Pretend
Let's Pretend (TV series)
Let's Pretend was a 1980s children's television series aimed at preschool ages. It was shown across the ITV Network at 12.10 on Tuesdays, then later Mondays, replacing the popular Pipkins which had been cancelled at the end of 1981...
. In common with other 1970s shows, a lot of Pipkins episodes, including the first Inigo Pipkin, are missing from the archives (poor storage of former ATV master-tapes has also led to the loss of many shows). However, Nigel Plaskitt
Nigel Plaskitt
Nigel Plaskitt is a British actor, puppeteer, producer, and both stage and television director.His voice and puppetry talents have appeared on television shows such as Pipkins, Spitting Image and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet...
, who played Hartley, made off-air recordings of many episodes and some of these have been released on DVD in the UK.
The series was made at ATV's Elstree studios with occasional filming on location. For the Inigo Pipkin episodes, the opening and closing titles were sung by Jackie Lee
Jackie Lee
Jackie Lee is an Irish popular music singer, who has recorded under various names.-Career:Lee was a musical child prodigy. She won a scholarship and trained as a soprano for four years...
, who had earlier sung the themes to children's programmes The Adventures of Rupert Bear
Rupert Bear
Rupert Bear is a children's comic strip character, who features in a series of books based around his adventures. The character was created by the English artist Mary Tourtel and first appeared in the Daily Express on 8 November 1920. Rupert's initial purpose was to win sales from the rival...
and White Horses
The White Horses
The White Horses is a 1965 television series co-produced by RTV Ljubljana of Yugoslavia and German TV .-Plotline:...
.
Cast
| Role | Actor |
|---|---|
| Inigo Pipkin | George Woodbridge George Woodbridge (actor) George Woodbridge was an English character actor in films and television from the 1930s to the 1970s... |
| Hartley Tortoise Narrator Uncle Hare Angus McHare Mooney The Eccentric Detective |
Nigel Plaskitt Nigel Plaskitt Nigel Plaskitt is a British actor, puppeteer, producer, and both stage and television director.His voice and puppetry talents have appeared on television shows such as Pipkins, Spitting Image and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet... |
| Pig, Topov, Octavia, The Bag Lady | Heather Tobias |
| Pig, Octavia, Topov, Pigeon | Lorain Bertorelli |
| Pig, Topov, Octavia | Elizabeth Lindsay |
| Pig, Sophie The Cat | Anne Rutter |
| Pig | Alex Knight |
| Mrs P, The Penguin | Diana Eden |
| Tom | Jonathan Kydd Jonathan Kydd (actor) Jonathan Kydd is a British actor. He is the son of the actor Sam Kydd.His first film was The Iron Maiden, in which he appeared aged six with his father. His mother, Pinkie, was one of England's first female advertising copywriters. She also played table tennis eleven times for England.Kydd was... |
| Peter Potter | Paddy O'Hagan |
| Bertha | Jumoke Debayo |
| Fred Pipkin | Royce Mills Royce Mills Royce Mills is an English television, stage and film actor.He attended Eastbourne College, then studied fine art for 5 years and qualified as a theatre designer before attending the Guildhall School where he was a prize winning student.He then joined in Bristol Old Vic and appeared in many theatres... |
| Charlie, The Dustman | Charles McKeown Charles McKeown Charles McKeown is a British actor and writer, perhaps best known for his collaborations with Terry Gilliam. The two met while shooting Monty Python's Life of Brian, while McKeown was doing bit parts in the film.-Screenwriting career:... |
| The Old Gentleman | Preston Lockwood Preston Lockwood Preston Lockwood was an English actor.He is best known for his television credits, including the role of Butterfield the butler in several episodes of Jeeves and Wooster... |
| The Genie | Billy Hamon |
| Mrs Muddle | Sue Nicholls Sue Nicholls Susan Frances Harmar Nicholls is an English actress, best known today for her long-running role as Audrey Roberts in British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:... |
| Granny | Janet Dale |