Brum (TV series)

*Brum*
Brum
Created by	Rex Garrod
Developed by	Ragdoll Productions for BBC Television
Starring	Brum
Narrated by	Toyah Willcox; Tom Wright
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	65
Production
Executive producers	Tom Poole; Vic Finch
Running time	10-15 minutes
Production companies	Ragdoll Productions; Hit Entertainment
Original release
Network	CBBC; CBeebies
Release	26 September 1991 –; 4 November 2002

Brum /ˈbrʌm/ is a British children's superhero rescue television series about the adventures of a radio controlled car of the same name. It was produced by Ragdoll Productions for HIT Entertainment and first broadcast in 1991. It was initially directed, written and produced by Anne Wood, latterly directed and written by Vic Finch, Paul Leather, Emma Lindley, Morgan Hall, Brian Simmons, Nigel P Harris and others. It was initially narrated by Toyah Willcox and later by Tom Wright. The show was first aired on Children's BBC on BBC One (later on CBeebies) and also aired in the United States on Discovery Kids as part of the Ready Set Learn kids block on the channel that lasted from 1996 to 2010. The show has also aired on ABC, ABC1 and ABC2 in Australia.

The series

Brum has been written by a range of writers over the years. Anne Wood primarily wrote all the first series, whilst the second series was written by Tom Poole, Dirk Campbell, Andrew Davenport and Morgan Hall. The last two series were written by the existing Ragdoll team which included Alan Dapre, Vic Finch, Dylan Leslie Birch and Holly Elson. There were also episodes by writers and originators on Boohbah, Steve Dorrance and Will Miller.

The title character is a half-scale replica of a late-1920s Austin 7 "Chummy" convertible. He drives by himself (in reality by radio control) and can express himself in a number of ways including opening and closing his doors and bonnet, "bobbing" his suspension, flashing and swivelling his headlamps, rotating his starting crank, extending his turn signals, and using his horn.

The actors in Brum do not speak; mime and off-screen narration help propel the story. For this reason, it has been easy to prepare episodes for airing in other countries and Brum has been broadcast in many parts of the world and in many languages, including English, Italian, Dutch, Hebrew, Croatian, Arabic, Norwegian, German, Spanish, Chinese, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Welsh, Polish, Portuguese, Thai, French, Hungarian, Catalan, Bulgarian and Japanese.

Each episode of Brum begins and ends in the same way - with Brum, sitting amongst the cars in a motor museum. When the museum owner's back is turned, he comes to life and heads out to go exploring in the "Big Town", but always returns to the museum at the end of each episode. The opening sequence and closing sequence was filmed at the Cotswold Motoring Museum in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, England. The model car used in filming is kept on display there when not in use.

Originally the programme was set in the city of Birmingham in England, hence the name; in addition to its onomatopoeic nature of a car engine revving, Brum is a common colloquial name for Birmingham and its inhabitants are known as Brummies. Later series make no mention of Birmingham, calling it the "Big Town", but Brum still continued to be filmed there and many Birmingham streets and landmarks can be seen in each episode, including Aston University.

The show's original title theme and music were composed by Kjartan Poskitt for the first two series. The incidental music for the most recent series was composed by Daniel Jones (but not that of the end credits) and is consistently scored for piano, bass guitar, drums and saxophone ensemble, although it varies stylistically from big-band swing to disco, classical, reggae, and music-hall styles. This consistency of sound gives a very convincing and appropriate sense of a small pit orchestra or circus band, and is very much part of the series.

"Brum" is no longer produced by Ragdoll Productions. Production ceased on 4 November 2002. Following Brum's redundancy from Ragdoll, the little car is now on display at the Cotswold Motoring Museum in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, England.

Brum was designed and built by Rex Garrod, and a very early prototype of Brum can be found in Rex's own series, Secret Life of Machines, dated about 1989.^[1] A radio controlled toy model of Brum is also seen in the music video for "Fireflies", the worldwide number one hit by Owl City.

Brum's VHS and DVD Releases

Rescue and Other Stories

Rescue
Kite
Breakdown
Opera
Mower

Wheels and Other Stories

Seaside
Little Girl Lost
Wheels
Stilts
Removal Van

Brum and the Lost Kitten and Other Stories

Brum and the Lost Kitten
Brum and the Trophy
Brum and the Street Party
Brum and the Flood

Helicopter Rescue and Other Stories

Helicopter Rescue
Dancing In The Street
Skating
The Big Crane

Brum's Biggest Party Video

Brum and the Surprise Party
Brum and the Wedding
Brum and the Big Town Race
Brum and the Little Drummer Boy
Brum Goes Shopping
Brum and the Big Chase
Brum and the Helicopter

Airport and Other Stories

Brum and the Airport Adventure
Brum and the Naughty Dog
Brum and the Pizzeria
Brum and the Gymnast
Brum and the King of Thieves

Stunt Bike Rescue and Other Stories

Brum and the Stunt Bike Rescue
Brum and the Chasing Balloons
Brum and the Runaway Train
Brum and the Gorilla Caper
Brum and the Splash and Grab

Soccer Hero and Other Stories

Brum and the Soccer Hero
Brum and the Rampant Robot
Brum and the Mobile Phone
Brum and the Birthday Cake
Brum and the Splash and Grab

Runaway Statue and Other Stories

Brum and the Runaway Statue
Brum and the Bushes
Brum and the Chasing Balloons
Brum and the Skateboarding Bride
Brum and the Posh Dog

Kitten Rescue and Other Stories

Brum and the Kitten Rescue
Brum and the Golf Buggy
Brum and the Kidnapped Garden Gnome
Brum and the Stolen Necklace
Brum and the Runaway Rickshaw

Stopwatch Botch and Other Stories

Brum and the Stopwatch Botch
Brum and the Daring Gnome Rescue
Brum and the Shop Window Dummy
Brum and the Basketball Star
Brum and the Runaway Sofa

Snow Thieves and Other Stories

Brum and the Snow Thieves
Brum and the Golden Loo
Brum and the Music Box
Brum and the Pickpocket
Brum and the Runaway Ball
Brum and the Bowling Alley
Brum and the Pantomime Cow

Crazy Chair Chase and Other Stories

Brum and the Crazy Chair Chase
Brum and the Bank Robbers
Brum and the Mischievous Mouse
Brum and the Cream Balloon
Brum and the Paint Pandemonium

The Very Best Of Brum - 30 Episodes

Brum and the Airport Adventure
Brum and the Kitten Rescue
Brum and the Runaway Train
Brum and the Crazy Chair Chase
Brum and the Naughty Dog
Brum and the Stunt Bike Rescue
Brum and the Soccer Hero
Brum and the Cream Balloon
Brum and the Birthday Cake
Brum and the Snow Thieves
Brum and the Pickpocket
Brum and the Kidnapped Garden Gnome
Brum and the Chasing Balloons
Brum and the Rampant Robot
Brum and the Runaway Rickshaw
Brum and the Daring Gnome Rescue
Brum and the Golden Loo
Brum and the Splash and Grab
Brum and the Stolen Necklace
Brum and the Gymnast
Brum and the Music Box
Brum and the Golf Buggy
Brum and the Gorilla Caper
Brum and the Bowling Alley
Brum and the Skateboarding Bride
Brum and the Pizzeria
Brum and the Bank Robbers
Brum and the Runaway Ball
Brum and the Shop Window Dummy
Brum and the Mobile Phone

The Very Best Of Brum - Languages In Speaking and Subtitles including

English
Italian
Dutch
Hebrew
Croatian
Arabic
Norwegian
Danish
Finnish
Swedish
German
Spanish
Chinese
Polish
Japanese
Portuguese
Thai
Welsh
Catalan
French
Hungarian
Bulgarian

Brum: The Complete Series 3 Vol. 1

Brum and the Pizzeria
Brum and the Skateboarding Bride
Brum and the Chasing Balloons
Brum and the Birthday Cake
Brum and the Music Box
Brum and the Soccer Hero
Brum and the Basketball Star
Brum and the Runaway Ball
Brum and the Paint Pandemonium
Brum and the Cream Balloon

Brum: The Complete Series 3 Vol. 2

Brum and the King of Thieves
Brum and the Stolen Necklace
Brum and the Pantomime Cow
Brum and the Bushes
Brum and the Snow Thieves
Brum and the Golden Loo
Brum and the Bowling Alley
Brum and the Bank Robbers
Brum and the Pickpocket
Brum and the Stopwatch Botch

Brum: The Complete Series 3 Vol. 3

Brum and the Naughty Dog
Brum and the Mobile Phone
Brum and the Posh Dog
Brum and the Kitten Rescue
Brum and the Rampant Robot
Brum and the Shop Window Dummy
Brum and the Gorilla Caper
Brum and the Kidnapped Garden Gnome
Brum and the Mischevious Mouse
Brum and the Daring Gnome Rescue

Brum: The Complete Series 3 Vol. 4

Brum and the Airport Adventure
Brum and the Gymnast
Brum and the Runaway Train
Brum and the Runaway Statue
Brum and the Splash and Grab
Brum and the Golf Buggy
Brum and the Runaway Sofa
Brum and the Stunt Bike Rescue
Brum and the Crazy Chair Chase
Brum and the Runaway Rickshaw

Airport Adventure and Other Stories (Koch Vision Exclusive)

Brum and the Airport Adventure
Brum and the Naughty Dog
Brum and the Pizzeria
Brum and the Gymnast
Brum and the King of Thieves

Stunt Bike Rescue and Other Stories (Koch Vision Exclusive)

Brum and the Stunt Bike Rescue
Brum and the Chasing Balloons
Brum and the Runaway Train
Brum and the Gorilla Caper
Brum and the Splash and Grab

Soccer Hero and Other Stories (Koch Vision Exclusive)

Brum and the Soccer Hero
Brum and the Rampant Robot
Brum and the Mobile Phone
Brum and the Birthday Cake
Brum and the Pickpocket
Brum and the Kidnapped Garden Gnome
Brum and the Runaway Rickshaw

Crazy Chair Chase and Other Stories (Koch Vison Exclusive)

Brum and the Crazy Chair Chase
Brum and the Bank Robbers
Brum and the Mischevious Mouse
Brum and the Cream Balloon
Brum and the Paint Pandemonium
Brum and the Stolen Necklace
Brum and the Golf Buggy

Snow Thieves and Other Stories (Koch Vision Exclusive)

Brum and the Snow Thieves
Brum and the Golden Loo
Brum and the Music Box
Brum and the Runaway Ball
Brum and the Bowling Alley
Brum and the Pantomime Cow
Brum and the Skateboarding Bride

Credits

Narrators - Tom Wright, Sarah Wichall
Choreographer - Litza Bixter
Writers - Ragdoll Team, Alan Dapre, Will Miller, Stephen Darrance
Script Researchers - Emma Collins, Daniel Clarke, Heather Tyrell, Emma Collins,
Casting Assistant - Duncan Nichol
Brum Design and Team - Bob Berk, Rex Garrod, Mick Culler, Andy Spooner, Alex Hogg, Kevin Sear
Art Directors - Zoe Bacharach, Tim Jones, Jane Holloway, Keith Maxwell
Costume & Make Up - Gillian Sanderson, Carolyn Fleming, Janice Rider
Production Co-ordinators - Frances Duncan, Rebecca Whyte
Post Production Co-ordinators - Louise Neighbour, Lynne Hawkins
Script Supervisors - Amanda Wasey, Alex Moat, Sylvia Ellis
Corporation Men - Kevin McGreevy, Adam Schumacher, Vince Williams, Sam McDonald, Dennis Herdman
Corporation Women - Denise Dave,
Props Buyers - Tom Beach, Simon Blackmore
Unit Managers - Frances Duncan, Lee Smith
Location Managers - Nick Eastwood, Ken Holt, Malcolm Walker
Production Secretary - Sarah McKintosh
Assistant Directors - Richard Lindsay, Steve Murphy, Martin Patience, Trudy Coleman, Rose Wilde, Philip Monks
Cameras - Noel Paley, James French, Nigel Davey, Shelley Gibbs
Editors - Dawn Mears, Lee Phillips, Nick Robins,
Dubbing Mixers - Brendan Nicholson, Tom Sayers, Graham Peters, Tim Vine
Production Accountant - Gary Phillips
Line Producer - Nicky Barfoot
Head of Production - Liz Queenan
Director of Production - Sue James
Production Designers - Helen Dagger, John Plush
1st Assistant Director - Richard Lindsay
2nd Assistant Director - Merlyn Rice
Camera Assistant - Ben Reeves
Runner - Paul Honeyghan
Associate Producer - Jos Houben
Brum Brum Gets Things Done - Beggs/Harris/Sheppard
Music by - Paul Honey, Howard McGill
Directors - Chris Bernard, Morgan Hall, Brian Simmons, Paul Leather, Emma Lindley, Nigel P Harris, Vic Finch
Producers - Chris Wood, Crispin Evans
Executive Producer - Anne Wood

other cast from Brum episodes:

The Celebrity - Johnny Fori
Baddies - Chakky Skywalker Chawner, Paul Jackson, Christine Nayrolles, Daniel Lloyd, Jason Segado, Eric Mallet, Paul Filipiak, Julia West, Miles Anthony
Traffic Policeman - Mark Powlett
Granny Slippers - Linda Kerr Scott
Gorgeous Gordon - Enoch White
Max Speed - Christian Dixon
Tramp - Gary Barber
Mayoress - Lesley Stainer
Yellow Coaches - Andrew Cullum, Malcolm Deathridge
Bakers - Andrew Cullum
Yellow Team - Daniel Applewaite, Curtis Applewaite, Alex Wedver, David Poynor, Jonathan Woolf
Red Team - Julian Keane, Justyn Towler, Mike Peters, Mark Berryman, Paul Cox
Girl - Iesha Green
Mum - Jo Bradford Mason
Balloon Seller - Simone Rhone
Workmen - Ian Harrison, Vince Williams
Boyfriend - Rupi Lal
Girlfriend - Cheryl Stott
Scooter Girl - Lynsey Willmore
Piano Delivery Men - Vince Williams, Ian Harrison
Mr Brillo - Rob Thirtle
Stall Holder - Roger Bill
Jim - Adam Crinage
Blue Coach - Kevin McLaughlin
Red Coach - Denise Dave (Denise Dove)
PC Plod - Mike Eastman
Biker - Toby Sedgewick
Biker's Girlfriend - Leeza Roche
Window Dresser - Helene Pratrot
Delivery Men - Kevin McGreevy, Rrenford Junior Fagan
Ice Cream Wendor - Daniel Delgado
Rickshaw Driver - Rrenford Junior Fagan
Café Waiter - Pausto Sciarappa
Mrs Posh - Iona Kennedy
Busker - Barney Dee
Pickpocket Polly - Catherine Marimer
Girl Bowler - Katie Hardy-Lane
Cashier - Sarah Mackintosh
Runner - Vince Williams
Weight Lifter - Steven Thompson
Theme Park Manager - Gary Barber
Mayor - Gordon Lea
Mayoress - Lesley Stainer
Binbag Man - Ian Harrison
Bank Manager - John Woodford
Mrs Bank Manager - Norma Cohen
Policewoman - Maya Sondhi
Shop Assistant - Rochi Rampal
Teacher - Dawn Morris
Museum Keeper - Brian Wilson
Man Loading Lorry - Vince Williams
Policeman - Pushpinder Chani
Lady Behind Desk - Sharlene Rough
With thanks to - Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Billy - James Smith
Tilly - Laura Higgs
Ballet Teacher - Sami-Saidi-Dubrevil
Stall Holder - Roger Bill

Double-bill episodes from Brum

Brum and the Airport Adventure/Brum and the Runaway Rickshaw
Brum and the Naughty Dog/Brum and the Stunt Bike Rescue
Brum and the Pizzeria/Brum and the Daring Gnome Rescue
Brum and the Gymnast/Brum and the Pantomime Cow
Brum and the Snow Thieves/Brum and the Cream Balloon
Brum and the Crazy Chair Chase/Brum and the Bushes
Brum and the Chasing Balloons/Brum and the Runaway Train
Brum and the Bowling Alley/Brum and the Basketball Star
Brum and the Runaway Statue/Brum and the Stolen Necklace
Brum and the Gorilla Caper/Brum and the Skateboarding Bride
Brum and the Posh Dog/Brum and the Birthday Cake
Brum and the Pickpocket/Brum and the Golf Buggy
Brum and the Stopwatch Botch/Brum and the Splash and Grab

Brum episodes seen on CBeebies

Brum and the Airport Adventure
Brum and the Naughty Dog
Brum and the Pizzeria
Brum and the Gymnast
Brum and the King of Thieves
Brum and the Skateboarding Bride
Brum and the Chasing Balloons (Brum and the Balloons)
Brum and the Stolen Necklace (Brum and the Necklace)
Brum and the Pantomime Cow (Brum and the Theatrical Thieves)
Brum and the Runaway Train
Brum and the Birthday Cake (Brum and the Cake Gang)
Brum and the Mobile Phone
Brum and the Bushes on the Run (Brum and the Bushes)
Brum and the Diamond Dog (Brum and the Posh Dog)
Brum and the Runaway Statue (Brum and the Statue Rescue)
Brum and the Music Box
Brum and the Snow Thieves
Brum and the Kitten Rescue (Brum and the Kitten)
Brum and the Splash and Grab (Brum and the River Race)
Brum and the Golden Loo
Brum and the Golf Buggy
Brum and the Soccer Hero (Brum and the Football Hero)
Brum and the Rampant Robot
Brum and the Shop Window Dummy (Brum and the Mannequin)
Brum and the Bowling Alley
Brum and the Basketball Star (Brum and the Basketball)
Brum and the Gorilla Caper (Brum and the Gorilal Keeper)
Brum and the Runaway Sofa
Brum and the Kidnapped Garden Gnome (Brum and the Kidnapped Gnome)
Brum and the Runaway Ball
Brum and the Stunt Bike Rescue (Brum and the Stunt Bike)
Brum and the Stopwatch Botch
Brum and the Cream Balloon
Brum and the Pickpocket
Brum and the Daring Gnome Rescue (Brum and the New Gnome)
Brum and the Mischievous Mouse (Brum and the Mouse)
Brum and the Bank Robbers (Brum and the Heavy Safe)
Brum and the Runaway Rickshaw
Brum and the Paint Pandemonium (Brum and the Artist)
Brum and the Crazy Chair Chase

Characters

Museum Owner (Mike Cavanagh) - The owner of the car museum where Brum lives. He is the only human character who appears in every episode, and the only character who appears apparently oblivious to Brum's sentience. Despite the fact he always finds the item(s) in Brum's seats at the end of each episode, he never questioned it and simply take said item(s) away. However, in the episode Brum And The Car Breakers, there are hints that he knows Brum is sentient but pretends that he doesn't notice. Particularly in that episode when he finds Brum at the scrap yard and replaces Brums battery, and laughs at the scrap dealers when they can't find Brum who had escaped after waking up, unaware of his battery being replaced.
- Mike Cavanagh was the actual owner/curator of the museum in real life until he retired after selling the museum to the CSMA Club in 1999.
The Lollipop Lady (Shirley-Anne Bohm) - A lady who guides traffic along through the big town, allowing Brum to cross on pedestrian crossings as and when appropriate.
The Big Town Robber (Andrew Davenport) - A robber who is usually always up to mischief, such as when he stole the trophy for the big race. Brum is usually the one that foils his plans.
Mr and Mrs La-Di-Dah - A posh married couple who were regularly featured in season 2.
Mr and Mrs Doolally (Mark Barnsley + ) - A friendly if slightly absent minded couple who were regularly featured in season 2.
Vicky Spoon - A regular cast member of the second series, Vicky's Brum's special friend.
Micky Mender - a handyman, a regular cast member of the second series.
Granny Slippers (Linda Kerr Scott) — She wears slippers wherever she goes.
Mr Brillo (Rob Thirtle) — He loves gnomes. He lives next door to Granny Slippers and has currently been seen wearing a colourful waistcoat, black circle glasses, a tie and blue shirt. His favourite picture is the Gnoma Lisa. He has loads of gnomes in his garden.
Scruffy - Brum's friend, a dog who loves burying things.
Big Town Manager (John Woodford) — the manager of the town.
Mrs Posh (Iona Kennedy / Carole Davies) - A posh lady who lives in the town.
Traffic Policeman (Mark Powlett) - A 'knock-about' policeman. He owns a horse called Arrow.
Gorgeous Gordon (Enoch White) - A self-centered, full of himself hairdresser.
Bob & Job (Kevin McGreevy & Adam Schumacher) — The two comically clumsy men who wear green dungarees and yellow t-shirts and help the town in a Laurel and Hardy style slapstick way.
Rrenford Junior Fagan - A regular cast member of series 3, playing different characters.
Balloon Boy (Chris Meah)
Rob & Nick (Daniel Lloyd now known professionally as Dan Carey & Jason Segade) a bumbling pair of thieves also known as the big town baddies.
Policewoman (Lisa Allen)
Sally A woman in Big town who got her cake stolen by teenagers.

UK VHS releases

VHS Title	Release Date	Episodes
Brum Rescue and other Stories (VC1219)	14 October 1991	Rescue, Kite, Scrapyard, Opera, Mower
Brum Wheels and other Stories (VC1233)	16 March 1992	Seaside, Little Girl Lost, Wheels, Stilts, Removal Van
Learn With Brum Safari Park and other Stories (LW0004)	5 October 1992	Kite, Robbers, Safari Park
Brum Seaside and 9 other Stories (VC1302)	12 July 1993	Rescue, Kite, Scrapyard, Opera, Mower, Seaside, Little Girl Lost, Wheels, Stilts, Removal Van

UK DVD release

DVD Title	Release Date	Episodes
Brum Series 1 The Complete Collection (2EDVD0924)	3 November 2014	Rescue, Kite, Scrapyard, Opera, Mower, Seaside, Little Girl Lost, Wheels, Stilts, Removal Van, Robbers, Runaway Pram, Safari Park

Episodes

Rescue 26 September 1991
Kite 3 October 1991
Scrapyard 10 October 1991
Opera 17 October 1991
Mower 24 October 1991
Seaside 31 October 1991
Little Girl Lost 7 November 1991
Wheels 14 November 1991
Stilts 21 November 1991
Removal Van 28 November 1991
Robbers 5 December 1991
Runaway Pram 12 December 1991
Safari Park 19 December 1991
Brum and the Helicopter
Brum and the Crane
Brum is an Ice Skating Star
Brum and the Big Chase
Brum and the Wedding
Brum and the Big Town Race
Brum Goes Shopping
Brum and the Very Windy Day
Brum and the Street Party
Brum and the Lost Kitten
Brum and the Marching Band
Brum and the Flood
Brum Goes House Painting

References

^ Hunkin, Tim; Garrod, Rex (1990). "The Secret Life of the Radio". The Secret Life of Machines. Season 2. Episode 11. 10 minutes in. Channel 4. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)

External links

[prototype-1] Hunkin, Tim; Garrod, Rex (1990). "The Secret Life of the Radio". The Secret Life of Machines. Season 2. Episode 11. 10 minutes in. Channel 4. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)

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