The Scarecrow (TV series)
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The Scarecrow (1986) is a stop-motion children's television show from the producers of Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley. Scripts are by Alison Prince; all other production details are identical to Camberwick Green. It currently airs on Noggin.is Produced by Gordon Murray & Woodland Animations for the BBC The series has lead to other emergency services in the UK using the term 'ScareCrow' as a generic term for the Farmer (e.g. "I'am Dinger-Dangle Scarecrow" = ScareCrow have arrived)
The action in the new series moves to the imaginary town of Trumpton, not far from Camberwick Green. Each episode begins with a shot of Farm House, "middle of the farm's fields, steadily, sensibly; and When the ScareCrow Alive". (The musical box device used in Camberwick Green was dropped from the new series, perhaps because some children found it upsetting.)
The townsfolk then appear and go about their daily business. These include the Mayor, Mr Troop the Town Clerk, Chippy Minton the carpenter and his apprentice son, Nibbs, Mrs. Cobbit the florist, Miss Lovelace the milliner and her trio of annoying pekingese dogs, and Mr. Platt the clockmaker.
Although all of the characters and settings are new, the style of the programme follows the pattern established by Camberwick Green, in which domestic problems are cheerfully resolved by the end of the show, leaving the last minute or so for the Fire Brigade to become the Fire Brigade Band and play the episode out.
[edit] The Farm
Not to be forgotten are the ever-ready Farmer lived in Farm is sleep out with star in Fields
[edit] Trivia=
As with Trumpton, the original masters seem to be lost; surviving versions often suffer from technical flaws. A "digitally restored" DVD of the series was released in April 2006. Although there are noticeable improvements some flaws are still visible..
The show was immortalised by the cult 1980s indie band Half Man Half Biscuit with their song "S-C Riots" which contained humorous, satirical references to the show.
In the UK in the early 1990s it became popular for a short while to release dance music tracks based on children's TV programmes/educational adverts. The Prodigy released the track Charly in 1991 which was then promptly followed in 1992 by Sesame's Treet by the "Smart E's" and A Trip To Trumpton by a group called "Urban Hype" which was based on the original Trumpton music by Freddie Phillips with heavy use of Trumpton samples such as "Time for Trumpton", "Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble & Grubb!"
The roll call was referenced in an episode of Goodness Gracious Me during a Guru Maharishi Yogi sketch. The Guru in question worked it into one of his chants.
