Tales of the Riverbank
| Tales of the Riverbank | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's television |
| Created by | Dave Ellison Paul Sutherland |
| Written by | Dave Ellison Charles Fullman Paul Sutherland Cliff Braggins |
| Presented by | Peggy Miller |
| Voices of | Paul Sutherland (Canada) Johnny Morris (UK) |
| Opening theme | Andante in C by Mauro Giuliani |
| Country of origin | Canada/UK |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 143 First: 13 Second: 39 Hammy Hamster: 26 HBO/C4: 65 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Dave Ellison Paul Sutherland |
| Cinematography | Josef Seckeresh |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC (1960) HBO (Hammy Hamster, 1972) /Channel 4 (1995-1998) |
Tales of the Riverbank, sometimes called Hammy Hamster, is a Canadian children's television show starring Hammy Hamster and other animals.
The series was created by David Ellison and Paul Sutherland, CBC film-editors, in 1959. After completing the pilot programme, CBC turned down the production and so Dave Ellison travelled to the BBC in London to show it.[1] The BBC at first commissioned thirteen episodes.
The programme had human voices in sync to the actions of the live animals to give the impression that the creatures were performing activities. They lived on a place called "The Riverbank". The animals operated various artifacts including toy sailboats, cars, and even a diving bell. Various techniques were used to persuade the animals to do what was required, including smearing jam on the objects to be handled by the animals.[2] The voices were selected to reflect personalities of the animals. Each episode ended with the narrator alluding to an event involving the characters, but refusing to elaborate, saying "But that is another story."
The original black and white Tales of the Riverbank series was first shown by the BBC on 3 July 1960 at 4:50pm.[3] It was originally narrated by Paul Sutherland, but the BBC did not want Canadian accents and so for the BBC showings, all the voices were provided by Johnny Morris. The series was eventually sold to 34 countries around the world.
After the original thirteen episodes, 39 further episodes were made in black and white. The majority of the episodes were written by David Ellison, Charles Fullman, Paul Sutherland and Cliff Braggins. The episodes of Tales of the Riverbank that were purchased by the BBC were adapted by staff writer Peggy Miller. Much of the filming was done on location at Wootton Creek on the Isle of Wight.
A later series with 26 episodes was filmed in colour in the 1970s, retitled Hammy Hamster[4] (full title: Hammy Hamster's Adventures On the Riverbank) launched in 1972. The BBC had introduced a policy of not using human voices for live animals and so this series was shown in the UK by ITV. In Australia the show aired on ABC TV through the 70s as Adventures on the River Bank.
A further series, from 1995 to 1998, was produced for YTV and Channel 4; 65 episodes of that series were made.[3] It is ranked 79th in the UK Channel 4's 2001 poll of the 100 Greatest Kids' TV shows. In the United States, Once Upon A Hamster was broadcast in a late-night slot, which helped the programme transcend its intended audience and develop a cult status among American viewers.[5]
Dave Ellison co/creator of 'Tales of the Riverbank' is still going strong with 'Further Tales of the Riverbank'. Filmed on the Isle of Wight, twenty six,five minute episodes in the style that brought the series a world wide audience over the past fifty years.
Main characters
In the later series the list of characters was expanded from the original first three listed below.
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| Hammy Hamster | the series' main protagonist and best known character. He is curious and kind and lives in an old boot on the Riverbank. He became GP's co-pilot in the episode The Aeroplane Ride. |
| Roderick the Water Rat | Hammy's best friend. He is cautious, resourceful and owns a small motorboat. In the Canadian and U.S. versions of the series, this character was Martha Mouse (although the "mouse" is really a rat). In Australia, the character was known as Matthew. |
| G. P. the Guinea Pig | boastful and creative, he is the Riverbank's resident inventor. His creations have included a "winch-a-ma-bob" and a "recyclamobile". He lived in a wooden house with a prominent water wheel at the front. He had a small plane which he flew in several episodes, and spoke in a voice that sounded rather like W.C. Fields. |
| Turtle | a slow and plodding character. He teaches his friends the importance of patience. |
| Wise Old Frog | a grouchy but clever frog. His wise advice is often sought by the other characters. |
| Granny Rabbit | acts as a grandmother to the whole community. She is fond of baking, singing and story-telling. |
| Berti and Herbi | are Roderick's sneaky hamster nephews who have no relation to Hammy. Appear in Bubbles. |
| The Owl | is always on a tree branch. The only word it ever says is "who". |
Feature film
A feature-length film, also Tales of the Riverbank, was released in September 2008 directly to DVD. It used a mix of puppets, live action and special effects. Directed by John Henderson, produced by Handmade Pictures and starring Stephen Fry as Owl, Ardal O’Hanlon as Hammy, Steve Coogan as Roderick and Jim Broadbent as G. P., the story follows three friends who live in a riverbank. After being swept away from their homes by a storm, they embark on an adventure to find their home and save it from the danger of the Fat Cats’ factory.
See also
References
Footnotes
- ^ Obituary of Paul Sutherland in The Independent 12 June 2004
- ^ Off The Telly web-site
- ^ a b Telly Nation web-site
- ^ http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/programming/television/programming_popup.php?id=458
- ^ Obituary of Paul Sutherland Toronto Star 20 May 2004