The Way Things Work (TV Series)
Encyclopedia
The Way Things Work was a short-lived television series based on the best-selling book
of the same name by David Macaulay
. The series was co-produced by Millimages
and Schlessinger Media; it was distributed by the latter. The program ran daily on BBC2 and CBBC
from 2001 to early 2002, before it was discontinued due to a lack of both episodes and audience. The series (hand-animated) was one of the last few educational TV programmes
still shown by the BBC
on CBBC. It is one of its most short-lived television series, running for only 26 15 minute episodes. The programme aims to teach basic principles of science
to young viewers and revolves around the residents of the backward Mammoth Island as they struggle through daily life with the use of outlandish contraptions. A DVD
containing all 26 episodes of the series was released in 2005.
began in 1999, but the programme was not first aired until 2001, on both BBC2 and CBBC. The programme had a very short lifespan; it consisted of 26 episodes, each attempting to educate children about basic science, of 15 minutes each. Millimages had plans for a second series, but the programme was promptly discontinued, as it was not attracting enough audiences. It was one of the last hand-animated programmes on the BBC. The show takes features from the book, such as the constant abuse of the Woolly Mammoth, and the detailed and colourful explanations of the machines. Each episode focuses on a different area of science. The programme's plot was debated, before finally deciding on an island (later to be renamed Mammoth Island) on which the inhabitants build outlandish contraption
s to make their lives easier.
The Inventor: A middle-aged man on temporary vacation
to Mammoth Island. Throughout the series, he was never named, being constantly simply referred to as "The Inventor". He is responsible for the construction of the machines
on Mammoth Island, and is always showing the islanders how to make their lives easier. The Inventor was somewhat disliked by the citizens of the island, as he was always getting them into trouble.
Olive: Daughter of Frank and cousin of Troy, and the Inventor's closest friend. Aged 14, she has a very inquisitive mind and is always the one who believes that there is a better way of living than the sub-standard conditions of Mammoth Island. She appears to be intelligent and open-minded. A running gag in the series is that she often appears to be cleverer than The Inventor, often even overshadowing him with her ideas.
Troy: Olive's cousin and son of Brenda and Pilbeam. Troy is muscle-bound but lacks a big intelligence, often believing that everything can be solved with mammoth
s. He is a bit of a show-off, and often falls for tricks and traps. However, he makes up for all this in the fact that he is very fit and muscley.
Frank: Pilbeam's brother and Olive's father. He is the person who takes charge of building the contraptions and is kind and considerate. Pilbeam often gets on his nerves, but he is happy to go along with whatever the Inventor suggests.
Pilbeam: Troy's father; married to Brenda. Although he is Frank's brother, he lives separately from him and is often unsure of whether what Frank suggests would work or not. His wife Brenda often gets into some prickly moments with him; he sometimes even expresses a wish to be rid of her.
Brenda: Troy's mother, married to Pilbeam. She is the one who is very strictly opposed to the Inventors' ideas, thinking that "there is nothing wrong with the old way." She is rather bossy and often gets into arguments with Pilbeam. However, she still expresses love for him, especially in the episode "Life On The Water" in which she states that if Pilbeam never returned from his stranded position she would "miss him-a bit."
The series won a Gold World Award for Children's Programming at the New York Festival 2004.
The Way Things Work
The Way Things Work is a book by David Macaulay. It is intended to serve as an entertaining introduction to everyday machines. It covers machines as simple as levers and gears and as complicated as radio telescopes and automatic transmissions...
of the same name by David Macaulay
David Macaulay
David Macaulay is an author and illustrator. Now a resident of Norwich, Vermont, United States, he is an alumnus and faculty member at the Rhode Island School of Design.- Biography :...
. The series was co-produced by Millimages
Millimages
Millimages is a French television production studio, which produces both animated and live action programming. The studio was founded in 1990.-Progammes & Movies:*Mimi Cracra *Caroline and her Friends...
and Schlessinger Media; it was distributed by the latter. The program ran daily on BBC2 and CBBC
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...
from 2001 to early 2002, before it was discontinued due to a lack of both episodes and audience. The series (hand-animated) was one of the last few educational TV programmes
Educational television
Educational television is the use of television programs in the field of distance education. It may be in the form of individual television programs or dedicated specialty channels that is often associated with cable television in the United States as Public, educational, and government access ...
still shown by 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...
on CBBC. It is one of its most short-lived television series, running for only 26 15 minute episodes. The programme aims to teach basic principles of science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
to young viewers and revolves around the residents of the backward Mammoth Island as they struggle through daily life with the use of outlandish contraptions. 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 26 episodes of the series was released in 2005.
Concept
Due to the popularity of the book The Way Things Work by David Macaulay, Millimages pitched a concept for an educational television series with similar features to Schlessinger Media, who accepted the idea and agreed to distribute the programme to the BBC upon completion. AnimationAnimation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
began in 1999, but the programme was not first aired until 2001, on both BBC2 and CBBC. The programme had a very short lifespan; it consisted of 26 episodes, each attempting to educate children about basic science, of 15 minutes each. Millimages had plans for a second series, but the programme was promptly discontinued, as it was not attracting enough audiences. It was one of the last hand-animated programmes on the BBC. The show takes features from the book, such as the constant abuse of the Woolly Mammoth, and the detailed and colourful explanations of the machines. Each episode focuses on a different area of science. The programme's plot was debated, before finally deciding on an island (later to be renamed Mammoth Island) on which the inhabitants build outlandish contraption
Contraption
Contraption may refer to:*a contraption; a machine, device or gadget*Contraption, a British electronica band*Contraption, a German Heavy metal music band*Contraption , a game show formerly broadcast on the Disney Channel....
s to make their lives easier.
Characters
The programme consisted of six main characters, all of whom appeared in every episode of the programme.The Inventor: A middle-aged man on temporary vacation
Vacation
A vacation or holiday is a specific trip or journey, usually for the purpose of recreation or tourism. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances, or for specific festivals or celebrations...
to Mammoth Island. Throughout the series, he was never named, being constantly simply referred to as "The Inventor". He is responsible for the construction of the machines
Invention
An invention is a novel composition, device, or process. An invention may be derived from a pre-existing model or idea, or it could be independently conceived, in which case it may be a radical breakthrough. In addition, there is cultural invention, which is an innovative set of useful social...
on Mammoth Island, and is always showing the islanders how to make their lives easier. The Inventor was somewhat disliked by the citizens of the island, as he was always getting them into trouble.
Olive: Daughter of Frank and cousin of Troy, and the Inventor's closest friend. Aged 14, she has a very inquisitive mind and is always the one who believes that there is a better way of living than the sub-standard conditions of Mammoth Island. She appears to be intelligent and open-minded. A running gag in the series is that she often appears to be cleverer than The Inventor, often even overshadowing him with her ideas.
Troy: Olive's cousin and son of Brenda and Pilbeam. Troy is muscle-bound but lacks a big intelligence, often believing that everything can be solved with mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
s. He is a bit of a show-off, and often falls for tricks and traps. However, he makes up for all this in the fact that he is very fit and muscley.
Frank: Pilbeam's brother and Olive's father. He is the person who takes charge of building the contraptions and is kind and considerate. Pilbeam often gets on his nerves, but he is happy to go along with whatever the Inventor suggests.
Pilbeam: Troy's father; married to Brenda. Although he is Frank's brother, he lives separately from him and is often unsure of whether what Frank suggests would work or not. His wife Brenda often gets into some prickly moments with him; he sometimes even expresses a wish to be rid of her.
Brenda: Troy's mother, married to Pilbeam. She is the one who is very strictly opposed to the Inventors' ideas, thinking that "there is nothing wrong with the old way." She is rather bossy and often gets into arguments with Pilbeam. However, she still expresses love for him, especially in the episode "Life On The Water" in which she states that if Pilbeam never returned from his stranded position she would "miss him-a bit."
Reception
The series was released on the BBC to general acclaim; however, late into its airing, the BBC believed that it had not been as popular as they thought it would, and, by early 2002, the show had been discontinued before Millimage's plans of a second series could be carried through. However, Millimages still went on to release a DVD of the existing 26 episodes in 2005.The series won a Gold World Award for Children's Programming at the New York Festival 2004.
External links
- The Way Things Work at the MillimagesMillimagesMillimages is a French television production studio, which produces both animated and live action programming. The studio was founded in 1990.-Progammes & Movies:*Mimi Cracra *Caroline and her Friends...
website - The Way Things Work, BBCBBCThe 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...
- The Way Things Work, OVGuideOVGuideOVGuide is a website aggregator which allows users to find online video content. The name of the site stands for Online Video Guide. Created in 2006, it is considered to be the world's first popular guide to video content and sites that for the first time allowed users to go beyond exploring video...
- The Way Things Work, MSNMSNMSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...
- The Way Things Work, Big Cartoon Database
- The Way Things Work Video Series, School Videos
- The Way Things Work Video Series, Library Video Company