Puddle Lane
Encyclopedia
Puddle Lane was a 1980s British
pre-school children's television
programme written by Rick Vanes with animated stories written by Sheila K. McCullagh
, author of Tim and the Hidden People
. A long series of books based on said stories was produced by Ladybird Books
, also under the title Puddle Lane. For a pre-school series, Puddle Lane attracted a large cult audience of adults and teenagers, and has been described as "a lunchtime favourite of students, sickies and truant
s alike".
in Leeds
for ITV
and ran on from 1985 (as a replacement for Mooncat
) till 1989. The main characters were the Magician (played by Neil Innes
, who also composed music for the programme), and a Spell Dragon named Toby (voiced by Richard Robinson
); the Magician told Toby stories by moving his finger around in a puddle (when using the interior set) and a bird bath (when using the exterior set) and producing images. He also had a cauldron inside and water barrel outside, both of which could talk. The stories he told were presented as animations, narrated by Kate Lee (who also played a minor character, Aunt Flo). The Magician lived in a large house at the end of Puddle Lane, hence the name of the programme.
A series of 54 books (plus two standalone volumes) was produced for Puddle Lane, published by Ladybird Books
. The texts, based on the animated stories, were written by Sheila McCullagh. Illustrations for the books were provided by several different artists (Tony Morris
, Gavin Rowe and others). There were five sets of books (different cover colour for each set), the first set (Stage 1) being the easiest to read and the last set (Stage 5) being the hardest. Since they were intended for children who are learning to read, the books with lower reading stages would present the text in two versions: the left page contained the full version, to be read aloud by the parent, while the right page contained a simplified version for the child. The books are currently out of print.
puzzles, dominoes, picture word cards, and several educational products: The Magician's Activity Book, The Griffle's Activity Book and Puddle Lane Fun Frieze.
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...
pre-school children's television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
programme written by Rick Vanes with animated stories written by Sheila K. McCullagh
Sheila K. McCullagh
Sheila K. McCullagh MBE is a British author. Her work was first published in the 1950s. Since then she has gone on to write many children’s fantasy and educational books.- Books :*Dragon Pirate Stories...
, author of Tim and the Hidden People
Tim and the Hidden People
Tim and the Hidden People by Sheila K McCullagh is a 1970s reading scheme originally devised for young children 4-7yrs. It consists of 32 books, each 32 pages long and illustrated by Pat Cook and later Ray Mutimer. There are also four lesser known paperback "novella" books intended for older readers...
. A long series of books based on said stories was produced by Ladybird Books
Ladybird Books
Ladybird Books is a London-based publishing company, trading as a stand-alone imprint within the Penguin Group of companies. The Ladybird imprint publishes mass-market children's books.-History:...
, also under the title Puddle Lane. For a pre-school series, Puddle Lane attracted a large cult audience of adults and teenagers, and has been described as "a lunchtime favourite of students, sickies and truant
TruANT
Truant is Alien Ant Farm's second album. It was released on August 8, 2003 by DreamWorks Records. The producers of the album were Stone Temple Pilots' guitarist and bassist Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo....
s alike".
TV programme
The programme was made by Yorkshire TelevisionYorkshire 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...
in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
for ITV
ITV
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...
and ran on from 1985 (as a replacement for Mooncat
Mooncat
Mooncat was a puppet character who, as his name suggests, was a cat from the moon. He appeared on Children's ITV from 1981 to 1985 in the series Get Up and Go! and the follow-up Mooncat and Co produced by Yorkshire Television....
) till 1989. The main characters were the Magician (played by Neil Innes
Neil Innes
Neil James Innes is an English writer and performer of comic songs, best known for his collaborative work with Monty Python, and for playing in the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later The Rutles.-Personal life:...
, who also composed music for the programme), and a Spell Dragon named Toby (voiced by Richard Robinson
Richard Robinson (puppeteer)
Richard Robinson is a puppeteer based in the UK, best known for building and voicing puppets for the television series Spitting Image, The Riddlers, Dizzy Heights, and Puddle Lane. In The Riddlers, he built the puppets Mossop, Middler, and Tiddler , also voicing Mossop and Middler...
); the Magician told Toby stories by moving his finger around in a puddle (when using the interior set) and a bird bath (when using the exterior set) and producing images. He also had a cauldron inside and water barrel outside, both of which could talk. The stories he told were presented as animations, narrated by Kate Lee (who also played a minor character, Aunt Flo). The Magician lived in a large house at the end of Puddle Lane, hence the name of the programme.
Transmission guide
- Series 1: 26 editions from 3 October 1985 - 1 May 1986
- Series 2: 26 editions from 16 October 1986 - 23 April 1987
- Series 3: 24 editions from 29 October 1987 - 21 April 1988
Books
- See also: List of Puddle Lane books
A series of 54 books (plus two standalone volumes) was produced for Puddle Lane, published by Ladybird Books
Ladybird Books
Ladybird Books is a London-based publishing company, trading as a stand-alone imprint within the Penguin Group of companies. The Ladybird imprint publishes mass-market children's books.-History:...
. The texts, based on the animated stories, were written by Sheila McCullagh. Illustrations for the books were provided by several different artists (Tony Morris
Tony Morris
Tony Morris is a newsreader for ITV Granada. Morris was born in Portsmouth but later moved to Ramsbottom. He has previously worked as a reporter and bulletin presenter for BBC North West Tonight and for a brief period was a reporter for the BBC national news. Prior to being a newsreader he...
, Gavin Rowe and others). There were five sets of books (different cover colour for each set), the first set (Stage 1) being the easiest to read and the last set (Stage 5) being the hardest. Since they were intended for children who are learning to read, the books with lower reading stages would present the text in two versions: the left page contained the full version, to be read aloud by the parent, while the right page contained a simplified version for the child. The books are currently out of print.
Miscellany
Other Puddle Lane merchandise included audio tapes supplied for the books, jigsawJigsaw
Jigsaw may refer to:* Jigsaw , a tool used for cutting arbitrary curves* Jigsaw puzzle, a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of interlocking pieces- Film and television :* Jigsaw , a 1949 film noir...
puzzles, dominoes, picture word cards, and several educational products: The Magician's Activity Book, The Griffle's Activity Book and Puddle Lane Fun Frieze.
External links
- Puddle Lane at Little Gems General information, screenshots, complete list of episodes, title music sample available for download