Watt on Earth
Encyclopedia
Watt on Earth is a children's television programme that ran for two 12-episode series, shown as part of Children's BBC
. It was written by the Doctor Who
writers Pip and Jane Baker
.
with, by human standards, an odd taste in food, and the ability to transanimateobjectify. He comes to Earth
to flee his evil uncle: Watt is heir to the throne on his home planet, and his uncle had sent his top henchman
Jemadah to follow and kill Watt. While Watt is over 300 years of age, he appears to be a human in his early twenties.
Watt lands in the English
town of Haxton, where he becomes friends with Sean Ruddock (played by Tom Brodie). Sean keeps Watt's presence in the house a secret throughout the series.
When they first meet, Watt is disguised as an apple
with two stalks. Every episode features Watt transanimateobjectifiying into a different inanimate object, each time with an error. Watt himself has back-to-front ears in the first series, and green ears in the second. The first series ends with Watt losing the ability to transanimateobjectify, and in trying to regain the ability, he passes through each of the transformations in the previous eleven episodes.
Sean's parents are in charge of the local newspaper, The Haxton Weekly, and think their son is odd. Sean's sister, Zoë, is suspicious of his behaviour, and comes close to seeing Watt on many occasions. In the final episode of series two, she finally works out who Watt is, and turns him in to Jemadah.
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...
. It was written by the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
writers Pip and Jane Baker
Pip and Jane Baker
"Pip" and Jane Baker are British television writers best known for their contributions to the long running science fiction series Doctor Who. A husband-and-wife writing team, they wrote four serials for the programme: The Mark of the Rani, Parts 9–12 and 14 of The Trial of a Time Lord and Time...
.
Premise
The show centres around the titular character Watt; an extra terrestrialExtraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
with, by human standards, an odd taste in food, and the ability to transanimateobjectify. He comes to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
to flee his evil uncle: Watt is heir to the throne on his home planet, and his uncle had sent his top henchman
Henchman
Henchman referred originally to one who attended on a horse for his employer, that is, a horse groom. Hence, like constable and marshal, also originally stable staff, henchman became the title of a subordinate official in a royal court or noble household...
Jemadah to follow and kill Watt. While Watt is over 300 years of age, he appears to be a human in his early twenties.
Watt lands in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
town of Haxton, where he becomes friends with Sean Ruddock (played by Tom Brodie). Sean keeps Watt's presence in the house a secret throughout the series.
When they first meet, Watt is disguised as an apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
with two stalks. Every episode features Watt transanimateobjectifiying into a different inanimate object, each time with an error. Watt himself has back-to-front ears in the first series, and green ears in the second. The first series ends with Watt losing the ability to transanimateobjectify, and in trying to regain the ability, he passes through each of the transformations in the previous eleven episodes.
Sean's parents are in charge of the local newspaper, The Haxton Weekly, and think their son is odd. Sean's sister, Zoë, is suspicious of his behaviour, and comes close to seeing Watt on many occasions. In the final episode of series two, she finally works out who Watt is, and turns him in to Jemadah.
Cast
- Watt - Garth Napier Jones
- Sean Ruddock - Tom BrodieTom Brodie (actor)Tom Brodie is an English actor, who first appeared on British television screens as a young boy, and remained active into his early 20s.-Regular TV appearances:*Watt on Earth, 1991–1992, as Sean Ruddock.*Chris Cross, 1993, as Mookie....
- Mr Jemadah/Jemadah - John GrilloJohn GrilloJohn Grillo is a British actor and playwright who has appeared in many film and television productions....
- Hilda Lacey - Isabelle Lucas
- Voice of Watt's Uncle - Michael KilgarriffMichael KilgarriffMichael Kilgarriff is a British actor, born 16 June 1937 in Brighton. As an actor he is well known for two things: his rich voice, leading to much radio and voice over work; and his height. At six feet seven inches tall, he is sought for certain roles, the most notable of which has been The Cyber...
- Zoë Ruddock - Jessica Simpson
- Tom Ruddock - Simon Cook
- Val Ruddock - Heather WrightHeather WrightHeather Wright is an English actress, noted for her performances in film and television. Her film credits include: Psychomania, The Belstone Fox, Shout at the Devil and Inseminoid. On television, she has been seen in the following series: Arthur of the Britons, Survivors, Return of the Saint,...
- Jonah/Jemadah - Andrew Henry
- Giselle Menton/Jemadah - Emma Lewis
- Brigadier Jeramiah Jones/Jemadah - Michael Godley
- Gillian/Jemadah - Sacha Craise
- Councilor George Carrington/Jemadah - Edward PeelEdward PeelEdward Peel is a British actor.He has mostly appeared on television, his roles include Shogun , Juliet Bravo , Cracker , Emmerdale Farm and London's Burning...
- Jennifer Tate/Jemadah - Francesca Ryan
- J.J. Jefferson/Jemadah - Davyd Harries
- Kate - Laura McMahon
- Lucy - Alex Staden
- and the Greenwood Morris Dancers
Crew
- Pip Baker - Writer
- Jane Baker - Writer
- Roger Singleton-TurnerRoger Singleton-TurnerRoger Singleton-Turner is a British television director, known for a number of series including The Demon Headmaster for the BBC.-Directing:Singleton-Turner began his directing career in 1974 on the long-running story-telling programme, Jackanory...
- Director - Angela Beeching - Producer
- Richard AttreeRichard AttreeRichard Attree is a British TV and Film composer. He attended Highgate School, and then studied electronic music at the Royal College of Music following a degree in computer science. Whilst completing these studies he played as a keyboard player with various bands...
- Composer
Production
- Episode length: 15 minutes
- Series One (12 episodes), 11 November - 17 December 1991, BBC OneBBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
Mondays & Tuesdays - Series Two (12 episodes), 16 November - 23 December 1992, BBC One Mondays & Wednesdays