Emu (puppet)
| Emu | |
|---|---|
 The logo for the new series of Emu. | |
| Created by | Rod Hull |
| Portrayed by | Rod Hull (1960s–1999) Toby Hull (2003–present) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Emu |
| Gender | Male |
Emu is a puppet emu which was given to British entertainer Rod Hull in the 1960s while he was presenting a children's breakfast television programme in Australia. Hull adopted the mute puppet for his cabaret act, and took it with him to the United Kingdom when he returned in 1970.[1] The character was given a mischievous and sometimes aggressive onstage persona, attacking celebrity guests (and Hull himself) for comic effect. Hull and Emu also appeared on several episodes of The Hudson Brothers' comedy show in the United States.[citation needed]
Emu's new series
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2018) |
The first episode of Emu's new series, simply called Emu, was broadcast on 8 October 2007. The first series was filmed in Belfast with shots at Queens Street Flats. The plot centres around Emu and his owner, Toby (Toby Hull), a computer games designer. Toby has to keep Emu a secret from Ken Cole, a grumpy security guard. Toby's neighbours, children Charlie and Dani, help him to keep Emu a secret. Toby's other neighbour, Sophie, is the villainess of the show: an air hostess who becomes obsessed with making money off of Emu, but her plans always backfire on her. At the end of the first series, Emu and Toby moved back to Australia.
In June 2009, it was announced that a second series of the show with 26 episodes would be produced by the Gibson Group, a New Zealand film and broadcast company. Most of the cast were New Zealand actors. The plot in the second series revolves around Toby's job in a kids' cafe. He meets Kelly (Bryony Skillington), the cafe manager, who is allergic to birds (especially Emu), although she still adores Emu. Cafe kids Sam and Georgia live upstairs above the cafe. They are good friends with Emu. They all must watch out for Leo Leach (Toby Leach), the town inspector who is strict with pest control; he will close the cafe down if an animal is found.
The first episode of the second series was broadcast on 13 September 2009 on ITV1 at 9.45am. The second series puppeteer was Nick Blake and the director was Danny Mulheron the same director of Paradise Café made by the same company. The second episode was also broadcast on the same day.
It was shown on CITV with repeats until April 2014.
List of episodes
Series 1 2007-2008
| No. overall | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not So Secret Emu | 8 October 2007 |
| 2 | Attack Of The Spacebird | 8 October 2007 |
| 3 | A Date With Dusterny | 8 October 2007 |
| 4 | Double The Fun | 8 October 2007 |
| 5 | A Sweet Business | 9 October 2007 |
| 6 | Ticket To Ride | 9 October 2007 |
| 7 | Plumbing New Depths | 9 October 2007 |
| 8 | Emu's Got To Go | 9 October 2007 |
| 9 | The Birthday Cake | 11 October 2007 |
| 10 | Endangered Species | 12 October 2007 |
| 11 | Locked Out | 12 October 2007 |
| 12 | Cuckoo In The Nest | 12 October 2007 |
| 13 | Nurse Emu | 12 October 2007 |
| 14 | Emu's Party | 22 October 2007 |
| 15 | Scratching For Oil | 22 October 2007 |
| 16 | Ken Sees Emu | 23 October 2007 |
| 17 | Decorating | 23 October 2007 |
| 18 | Emu Cleans Up | 24 October 2007 |
| 19 | Rubbish Day | 24 October 2007 |
| 20 | Bathtime For Emu | 25 October 2007 |
| 21 | Ken Comes To Stay | 22 March 2008 |
| 22 | Emu Sleepwalks | 23 March 2008 |
| 23 | DJ Emu | 29 March 2008 |
| 24 | Dreams Of Ice Cream | 30 March 2008 |
| 25 | Sophie’s New Leaf | 5 April 2008 |
| 26 | Homebird | 6 April 2008 |
Series 2 2009
| No. overall | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apricot Antics | 13 September 2009 |
| 2 | Run Emu Run | 13 September 2009 |
| 3 | Secret Birthday Cake | 20 September 2009 |
| 4 | Emu Pox | 20 September 2009 |
| 5 | Mousetrap | 27 September 2009 |
| 6 | Hide 'n Shriek | 27 September 2009 |
| 7 | Nits To The Rescue | 4 October 2009 |
| 8 | Bubble Trouble | 4 October 2009 |
| 9 | Non-Imaginary Friend | 11 October 2009 |
| 10 | To Catch An Emu | 11 October 2009 |
| 11 | New Improved Emu | 19 October 2009 |
| 12 | Hocus Pocus | 19 October 2009 |
| 13 | Pulling Teeth | 20 October 2009 |
| 14 | Waiter There’s An Emu In My Soup | 20 October 2009 |
| 15 | Full Moon Blues | 21 October 2009 |
| 16 | Double Vision | 21 October 2009 |
| 17 | Party Games | 22 October 2009 |
| 18 | Leo Cadges A Meal | 22 October 2009 |
| 19 | The Fancy Dress Party | 23 October 2009 |
| 20 | Emus Can Fly | 23 October 2009 |
| 21 | Loose Goose | 26 October 2009 |
| 22 | Best Friends | 26 October 2009 |
| 23 | A Smashing Day | 27 October 2009 |
| 24 | Surprise | 27 October 2009 |
| 25 | Emu On The Loose | 28 October 2009 |
| 26 | Finale | 28 October 2009 |
UK television career 1975-1989
During the 1970s, Hull and Emu achieved national fame in the UK with their BBC series Emu's Broadcasting Company. The duo subsequently moved to ITV where a succession of shows were produced in the 1980s centring around their ongoing war with Grotbags, a witch played by Carol Lee Scott.
References
- ^ "Emu set for television comeback". BBC News. 8 June 2006. Retrieved 8 June 2006.