Andy Pandy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Andy Pandy | |
|---|---|
 The 1952 Andy Pandy title card. The card was not actually a card as the blocks turned to reveal the title one block at a time. |
|
| Format | Childrens |
| Created by | Freda Lingstrom |
| Starring | 1950 Maria Bird Gladys Whitbred 2002 Tom Conti Vera McKechnie |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | David Boisseau Peter Thompson |
| Running time | 30mins |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC One 1950 CBeebies 2002 |
| Original run | 1950-1970 – 2002-2005 |
Andy Pandy is a British children's television series, which originally premiered on BBC TV in June or July 1950. The original series of programmes were shown until 1970, when a new series was made. A third series was made in 2002.
Contents |
[edit] The original 1950-52 series
The original version of Andy Pandy premiered on BBC TV on either 11 July 1950,[1][2] or 20 June 1950,[3] as part of the For the Children strand (later Watch with Mother). A marionette who lived in a picnic basket, Andy was later joined by Teddy (a teddy bear) and Looby Loo, a rag doll, who would appear when Andy and Teddy weren't around. All three lived in the same picnic basket.
In one episode Andy Pandy sees how high he can go on a swing. This episode was released on the 1987 compilation by BBC Video.
- Producer: Freda Lingstrom.
- Writer/composer: Freda Lingstrom[3] and Maria Bird.[3]
- Singers: Gladys Whitbred, Julia Williams[4]
- Puppeteers: Audrey Atterbury,[3] Molly Gibson,[1] Martin Grainger.[3]
Initially the programmes were transmitted live.[3] Then it was realised that if the programmes were filmed, they could be repeated. Twenty-six fifteen minute episodes were filmed on 16mm;[3] they were repeated continuously until 1970. 13 of the episodes were filmed in colour for use during early experimental colour transmissions on the old 405-line system.[citation needed]
It is claimed that the design for the character was based on Paul Atterbury, the then young son of puppeteer Audrey Atterbury.[2]
A comic-strip version was published in The Robin.
[edit] The 1970 series
By 1970 the black and white films were almost worn out and so 13 new episodes were filmed in colour and transmitted from 5th January 1970.[5][6]
[edit] The 2002 series
Another set of 52 episodes were made in 2002, now using the stop-motion technique instead of string puppeteering. The original nursery and garden were expanded to an entire village, with Andy, Teddy and Looby Loo now owning individual houses, and four new characters were introduced - Missy Hissy, a snake, Tiffo, a dog, Bilbo, a sailor, and Orbie, a yellow-and-blue ball. Whereas the emphasis of the original series was on music and movement, the emphasis of the 2002 series was on making and doing.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Watch with Mother
- ^ a b Audrey Atterbury on Telegoons.org
- ^ a b c d e f g TV studio history Lime Grove
- ^ Evans, Jeff (1995). The Guinness Television Encyclopedia. Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Publishing. pp. 23 - 24. ISBN 0851127444.
- ^ Watch with Mother site reference
- ^ Watch with Mother episode guide
