List of Animals of Farthing Wood episodes
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Episodes of The Animals of Farthing Wood.
Contents |
[edit] Series One (January - March 1993)
| Screenshot | Episode Title | UK Airdate (Approx)[1] | Episode Number | |
| The Wood In Danger | 6 January 1993 | #1 | ||
| Toad returns home to Farthing Wood just as the developers move in... This episode marks the first appearance of Toad, Kestrel, Badger, Weasel, Owl, Fox, Mole, Rabbits, Squirrels, Hares, Hedgehog, Pheasants, Adder, Voles, Shrews, Newts and Fieldmice on the series. |
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| The Journey Begins | 13 January 1993 | #2 | ||
| The animals meet together in order to start their journey to White Deer Park. Unfortunately, Mole refuses to join his fellow animals after hearing Adder call him slow. As the rest of the animals begin the journey, Badger waits behind and is able to persuade Mole that he won’t be a burden, especially as he will be allowed to ride of Badger’s back.
After a whole day of walking, the animals become tired and begin looking for a safe place to rest. Kestrel is able to locate army land on which they can sleep, however, the animals must first cross a main road in order to reach it. Luckily, they are all able to cross and reach the army land, despite the fact that both Adder and Toad (on separate occasions) were close to being been run-over, saved only by Badger and Fox (with the help of Owl), respectively. This episode marks the first appearance of the Baby Newt, and Mrs. Hedgehog. |
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| Through Fire And Through Water | 20 January 1993 | #3 | ||
| The animals awake the next morning, in the army land, to the sound of blasting canons. The baby rabbits, in particular, become very scared and are only just stopped from running out onto the busy road (from the previous episode) by the hissing Adder. Fortunately, after Weasel provoked a hive of wasps, the soldiers began running away from the stinging insects leaving the coast clear for the animals to continue on with their journey.
Still on the army land, the animals eventually have a small break at a nearby marsh in order to drink and find food to eat. At this point, the Newt family decide it’s too challenging to carry on with the other, faster land animals and so they make their decision to stay and live in the marsh. The rest of the group carry on walking and during this time, one of squirrels finds a live bullet which they accidentally throw, exploding it and ruining Pheasant’s tail. He becomes aggravated, claiming that he has been shot at a very many number of times. Subsequently, when a careless smoker drops his cigarette on the side of the road, a massive forest fire sweeps across the army land, which nearly kills the frightened Toad and may well have killed the Newts. The rest of the group, however, manages to escape the flames by swimming onto an island in the middle of a lake, whilst fire-fighters bring an end to the forest fire. As it begins to rain, the animals quickly head towards the fence, planning to leave the army land and reach safe farm land. This episode marks the departure (and possible death) of the Newt family, as well as the first appearance of three more fieldmice and two more shrews. However, as these new additions are not later seen again, one can interpret their addition in the episode as a canonical error. |
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| False Haven | 27 January 1993 | #4 | ||
| The animals have reached the fence by the next morning, but are unable to continue resting due to the slight shower of rain. Toad, however, finds a dry, warm barn for the animals to sleep in and the entire group leaves the army land and enters the nearby farm land. Fox is, at first, worried about their close proximately to humans but Kestrel, Owl and Mr. Pheasant all vow to take turns watching-out for people from a plum tree. However, when Pheasant is too busy sleeping, his wife volunteers to take his job, only to result in her being seen and shot by the Farmer (with his dog, Bruno).
The rest of the animals have now been locked in the barn with the Farmer threatenerning to kill Fox after finishing eating his meal. Luckily, the animals are able to dig a tunnel out of the barn, lead by Mole and Badger, and out into the outside world. The group are able to carry on walking until they reach a small copse in order to rest; all except Adder who is left behind on the farm. This episode marks the death of Mrs. Pheasant. |
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| Snare For The Unwary | 3 February 1993 | #5 | ||
| The usually-cowardly Pheasant volunteers to go back to the farm in order to find Adder. Sadly, he too is shot by the Farmer. Owl then flies on to save Adder and is able to return later the next morning. Meanwhile, after an evening of singing from Weasel, Toad and family of rooks living in the copse, the animals awake to find one of baby rabbits trapped in snare. Luckily, though, she is freed when Owl suggests Mole digs the snare out of the ground. The animals attempt to cross a river. Unfortunately, the rabbits begin to panic and Fox is forced to rescue them. Badger tries to help Fox back out of the river but they are swept away.
This episode marks the death of Mr. Pheasant. |
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| Who Shall Wear The Crown? | 10 February 1993 | #6 | ||
| Far down the river, Badger is spotted tangled in some reeds and Toad, Hare and Weasel rescue him. Kestrel attempts to find Fox but loses sight of him under a bridge. Badger is elected to be the new leader and they decide to press on. However, Toad loses his sense of direction.
This episode marks the first appearance of the Baby Fieldmice. |
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| New Friends, Old Enemies | 17 February 1993 | #7 | ||
| It is revealed that while under the bridge in the previous episode, Fox managed to climb on board a boat, which sailed into a local town. Fox takes refuge in an alleyway. There, he meets a cat named Tom and agrees to hunt for mice in his place in return for shelter. After hunting, Fox rests in a box which is loaded onto a truck and taken to the countryside where he escapes. Fox discovers a Fox's den and rests inside. Soon, a female fox called Vixen returns and allows Fox to stay for a period of time. Meanwhile with the other animals, the Baby Fieldmice are killed by a Butcher Bird.
This episode marks the introduction of Vixen, and the death of the Baby Fieldmice. |
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| Friends In Need | 24 February 1993 | #8 | ||
| Fox, with Vixen, is seemingly closer to being reunited with his friends, of which Mole, unbeknownst to Badger, has 'lost his transport' as the Farthing Wood animals climb a steep hill just out of the woodland. Meanwhile, Vixen is in danger when a fox hunt picks up her scent, and Fox, hearing the hunt, bravely makes attempts to rescue her. Vixen nearly meets her end, until Adder strikes out at the Master's horse, and the hunt is called off. Grateful for his attempts to rescue her, Vixen is honoured to be Fox's mate, and the Farthing Wood animals make a new friend. | ||||
| Whistler's Quarry | 3 March 1993 | #9 | ||
| After escaping the Hunt for now the animals come across a large quarry. It is here that they meet Whistler, a great blue heron. A name he received because of the wind whistling through a bullet hole in his wing when he flies. Whistler saves Toad's life when a carp fish catches Toad in it's mouth, when Toad tries to compete against Whistler's fishing. Whistler fetches the carp from the water and returns Toad to the other animals. Whistler then joins the animals on their journey.
This episode marks the introduction of Whistler, and the death of one of the Baby Rabbits. |
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| Between Two Evils | 10 March 1993 | #10 | ||
| A busy motorway lies ahead of the animals. All of the animals are hesitant to cross it because of the dangers involved. Most want to find another way around but the sound of the Hunting horn can be heard in the distance. They have to cross the motorway. They split into groups and take it in turns to cross. The larger animals like Fox and Badger help the smaller animals along and Whistler carries the fieldmice, the voles and the shrews to the other side in his beak. It is only the prickly hedgehogs who can not be carried over. The hedgehogs try to cross the road but their instincts get the better of them and they curl up when they see a car heading towards them and they unfortunately die.
This episode marks the deaths of Mr. & Mrs. Hedgehog. |
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| A Deathly Calm | 17 March 1993 | #11 | ||
| Still shaken and grieving for the death of the hedgehogs the animals find themselves in a large field filled with vegetables. The grass-eating animals are overjoyed with the abundance of food for them until Fox notices something is wrong. He believes the field may be poisonous. When a tractor spraying a liquid substance heads their way the animals make a run for it. However Mr Rabbit is too slow and is coated in the substance. As the Rabbits panic Fox discovers that the poisonous chemical is in fact only harmful to insects like caterpillars and butterflies. Mr Rabbit is not going to die much to Mrs Rabbit's relief. | ||||
| Pandemonium | 24 March 1993 | #12 | ||
| During a storm the Farthing animals head into a town and when they find that they cannot travel any further in such conditions they come across a church. Mole finds an entrance into the building through some loose bricks in a wall. The animals safe from the elements settle down for the night. However in the morning humans entering the church awake them. Frightening each other chaos ensues and the animals cause further mayhem in their desperation to escape. While most of the animals try to regroup they notice that some of their friends are missing. | ||||
| So Near And Yet So Far | 31 March 1993 | #13 | ||
| When escaping the church some of the animals took the wrong turn and ended up in the opposite direction to the rest of the group. However this also happens to be further into the town. Badger and Weasel in a rush to hide, end up in a wine cellar. Weasel is thirsty and drinks from one of the barrels and becomes quite drunk. Badger has to carry her on his back so that he can try and find the others, luckily Owl spots them and leads him back to them. The Rabbits are the last to be found and are discovered in a building site, stuck down a pit with steep sides. Whistler spots them and tries to help them out but they are too heavy. Fox eventually rescues them. Once all the animals are reunited they make the last part of the journey to White Deer Park. All the animals agree that Toad, their guide through the entire journey should be the first to enter the park. They are all greeted by the Great White Stag, who welcomes them to their new home.
This episode marks the first appearance of the Great White Stag. |
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[edit] Series Two (January - March 1994)
| Screenshot | Episode Title | UK Airdate (Approx) [2] | Episode # | |
| A Hero's Welcome | 7 January 1994 | #14 | ||
| The Farthing animals have finally completed their long journey to White Deer Park. While they are welcomed by many of the animals some are not so pleased to see them. The blue fox Scarface does not want the new arrivals to be in the park and feels that they are trespassing on his territory. With the journey over the Oath is no longer needed. However the Farthing animals find it difficult to revert back to their old ways before they took the Oath and so continue to uphold it and remain friends. Fox speaks to the Great Stag and together they suggest an area of the park to be allocated for the Farthing creatures to live together how they wish.
This episode marked the introduction of the White Deer Park inhabitants Speedy, Scarface, Lady Blue, Measly and the Edible Frogs and the only appearance of the Red Squirrels, as well as the death of Mrs. Fieldmouse. |
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| Winter | 14 February 1994 | #15 | ||
| A harsh winter arrives and the Farthing animals are finding food scarce, especially because their recent arrival left them unable to stock food. Whistler and Speedy spare some of their fish for the meat-eaters, but the animals soon become sick of the same diet. While out hunting Fox and Vixen meet Scarface and his mate Lady Blue. Vixen tries to start a conversation with them but Scarface warns her to stay on her own land. Meanwhile Badger slips in the heavy snow while out walking and is injured. The Park Warden finds him and takes him back to his home to treat him. The other animals worry for their missing friend. Badger manages to persuade the Warden's cat to inform the others that he is safe. While the cat is telling Mole about Badger being with him at his cottage, Kestrel spots them and thinks Mole is in danger. She dives on the cat, injuring him and causing him to fall to the ground in pain.
This episode marks the first appearance of the Warden and his Cat. |
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| Survival | 21 January 1994 | #16 | ||
| With food scarce the animals are hungry and the meat eaters of the group are having difficulty hunting because they fear accidentally hunting one of their friends. While the smaller animals blame Fox for the recent death of Mrs Vole, Badger is released from the Warden's cottage.
This episode marks the death of Mrs. Vole. |
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| New Enemies | 28 January 1994 | #17 | ||
| Poachers enter the Park and kill some of the Deer. The Farthing Wood animals do what they can to help and set up a watch to act as an early warning system. Fox hatches a plan to rid the Park of the hunters but Scarface plots to turn his plan against him.
This episode marks the first appearance of Mateless. |
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| A Joke Backfires | 4 February 1994 | #18 | ||
| Its spring and Vixen finally gives birth to her cubs. The animals all gather to congratulate the new parents and to help decide on names for the four cubs. The poachers still plague all the animals in the park but when the warden returns they believe their troubles to be over. However the poachers continue to hunt in the park while the warden remains ignorant to their nightly activities. Fox sets into motion a plan to get rid of the poachers by bringing them to the attention of the warden. Wandering round in the open and calling out they finally spot him and give chase - straight to the warden's cottage. Hearing gunshots the warden runs out and catches the poachers in the act, putting a stop to their hunting for good.
This episode saw the birth of Fox and Vixen's cubs - Bold, Dreamer, Charmer, and Friendly; and Scarface and Lady Blue's cubs including Ranger and Bounder, and the Rabbit's offspring. |
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| Home Is Where The Heart Is | 11 February 1994 | #19 | ||
| The cubs Bold, Charmer, Dreamer and Friendly are being taught the ways of the world by their parents Fox and Vixen. However while Fox is away Scarface spies on the cubs while Vixen is teaching them to hunt. Weasel spots him and bravely informs Vixen, scaring him off by singing. However Vixen doesn't believe her and upsets Weasel. Fox later sniffs the area and believes Weasel may have been telling the truth. Back at his den Scarface's jealously tells Lady Blue that Vixen's cubs are better than hers. After this Lady Blue decides to see the cubs for herself and is confronted by Vixen. Meanwhile Toad has awoken from hibernation confused and his homing instincts drawing him back to Farthing Wood. However he is caught by a young boy and put into a jar. He becomes fascinated with a female Toad also trapped in a jar and so comes out of his trance. Luckily for them Whistler catches the two occupied jars, dropping one and freeing the female Toad and taking Toad to the warden's cottage to be freed. Toad and the female Toad, Paddock become mates, this new instinct over-riding the homing instinct. The fear that Mole may be dead are confirmed when his mate and two babies meet the animals.
During this episode we learn of Mole's death, and see the first appearance of his son Mossy, the only appearance of his female sibling, and also the first appearance of Toad's mate Paddock. |
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| The Feud Begins | 18 February 1994 | #20 | ||
| The animals grieve when Dreamer, Fox and Vixen's cub is found dead. Although it cannot be certain as to the cause of death, Fox believes that Scarface is to blame. The impulsive Bold slips away and wanders into Scarface's land, where he meets Ranger, Scarface's son and tries to become friends. Scarface spots them and imprisons Bold in his earth. Fox and Friendly enter Scarface's land in an attempt to rescue Bold, but soon become surrounded by blue foxes. Fox manages to convince Scarface to allow Friendly to return home. Meanwhile Bold was able to cunningly escape just as his father and brother trespassed onto the blue foxes' territory. Weasel informs the White Stag about the situation and he steps in to prevent any feuding. Fox is allowed to return to Farthing land, only to find Bold was already there. Fox is infuriated with him and tells him that he will remain where Fox can watch him at all times and is not to wander off. Bold can not take it and feels the park isn't big enough for both him and his father. Vixen pleads with Bold to stay, however he leaves vowing to never return.
The death of Dreamer occurs just prior to the start of this episode. The Baby Hares: Dash and Leveret also make their first appearance. |
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| Like Father, Like Son | 25 February 1994 | #21 | ||
| Bold has left White Deer Park and is enjoying his new independent life. He first meets Crow then a friendly female Badger called Shadow when he unintentionally enters her den. He catches a pheasant for her and they become friends. She warns him about the gamekeeper, which explains the abundance of pheasants and a lack of foxes. Shadow gets caught in a trap meant for him and stays to release her when the human is on his way. However as he chews through the wire it springs back, releasing her but catches him in the eye. Later when hunting for pheasants, unable to see out of his injured eye he does not notice the farmer until it is too late and Bold is shot. Meanwhile back in White Deer Park, Charmer the remaining female cub of Fox and Vixen meets and befriends Ranger, Scarface's son. Scarface kills Mrs Hare and so Mr Hare moves his family back onto Farthing land. The animals plot to kill Scarface by stealth the way he probably did to kill Dreamer. They elect Adder but make the mistake of sending the Weasels to send the message to her. Adder ends up killing Bounder, Scarface's elder son instead of Scarface himself, leaving the animals of Farthing Wood waiting for the Blue fox's revenge.
This episode marks the first appearances of Crow and Shadow, and the death of Mrs. Hare and Bounder. |
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| Narrow Escapes | 4 March 1994 | #22 | ||
| Bold is helpless and starving due to his gunshot wound but luckily for him Crow agrees to help him and fetches Shadow. She tends to him and stays with him until he feels stronger. But while she goes out hunting he slips away not wanting to be dependent on anyone. He heads towards a farmhouse where Shadow catches up to him. She understands his need to be independent and live his own life and tells him to be careful. He catches a chicken but alerts the farmer and his dog who give chase. Bold dashes down a nearby hole but the farmer tries to dig him out. Falling debris lands on Bold and knocks him unconscious, making the farmer believe that he is dead. Crow tells him that he is extremely lucky and suggests that if he still wants to feed off humans to try the town. The rest of the Farthing Animals are still worried about Scarface. Adder gets cornered by him and hides down a hole but not before he tears her tail. The animals decide to punish the Weasels and hold a trial for them. Fox sets up a watch to look out for any trouble. | ||||
| Shadows | 11 March 1994 | #23 | ||
| Bold arrives in the town with Crow and they continue to keep their bargain of feeding one another. While wandering the town for food Bold comes across a female fox but she doesn't seem interested. The following night he sees her again and they hunt together and she, Whisper invites him back to her earth. However he can't break his agreement with Crow so goes back to him. Crow frees him from his agreement so that Bold can be free to see Whisper and says that if they need each other, to leave food under the bush. Bold goes back with Whisper to her earth in the Church grounds and tells her his story when she thinks that he is old. She is honoured to know him, the son of the famous, heroic Farthing fox. Meanwhile Friendly finds out that his sister Charmer is seeing Ranger and informs his parents. Fox is not happy about it and agrees to meet him. Ranger says that in a fight between the Blue foxes and the Farthing Wood animals he won't fight for any side. A sad event leaves the animals grieving when Badger passes away. Fox is able to apologise to Badger before he dies, surrounded by all of his friends.
This episode marked the death of Badger, as well as the first appearance of Whisper. |
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| A Time Of Reckoning | 18 March 1994 | #24 | ||
| Now sharing a den, Bold and Whisper continue to grow closer. With the help of Whisper, Crow - and a St. Bernards dog Rollo whom he befriends, Bold is now finding the struggle for survival less and less of a challenge. But his pride has taken a blow - he can't stand having to rely on others all the time, and when Whisper reveals that she is with cub, and wants him to guide her back to White Deer Park, Bold's self-confidence takes another blow: she only chose him for a mate due to his lineage. Whisper denies this, but the journey takes its toll on Bold and he grows steadily weaker. Meanwhile, back in White Deer Park, the feud comes to a head when Vixen and Lady Blue become involved in a vicious fight.
This episode featured the first appearance of Rollo. |
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| Blood Is Thicker Than Water | 25 March 1994 | #25 | ||
| Infuriated by Lady Blue's wounds following her fight with Vixen, Scarface leads an attack on the Farthing Wood animals. Fortunately, Hare manages to warn Fox and gather the animals in time. Ranger meanwhile attempts to aid the Farthing Wood animals but, in doing so unintentionally leads Scarface to their whereabouts. The attack culminates in a huge battle between Fox and Scarface which is ended when the Warden turns up, but not before Scarface is severely injured. Elsewhere, Adder decides its time to exact her plan of vengeance upon Scarface. | ||||
| Reconciliation | 30 March 1994 | #26 | ||
| The Farthing Wood animals celebrate in the lieu of Fox's defeat of Scarface - but Scarface makes a shocking return and, as retribution kills Mrs Rabbit. On his way home however, Adder finally puts an end to the tyrant, biting him as he drinks from the stream. Scarface's death marks an end of the feud - but Fox and his family have no time for celebration. Whisper has arrived at White Deer Park - but without Bold, Bold having hidden himself away, his pride refusing to let him return to the park. Fox and Vixen manage to find their son just in time to say one last goodbye before he dies, Bold at last content with his father's approval. Bold's death triggering an epiphany, Fox at last gives his blessing to Ranger and Charmer's union.
This episode marked the deaths of Scarface, Bold, and Mrs. Rabbit. Lady Blue, Crow and Kestrel also make their last appearances. |
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[edit] Series Three (September - December 1995)
| Screenshot | Episode Title | UK Airdate (Approx) [3] | Episode # | |
| Comings And Goings | 28 September 1995 | #27 | ||
| While some of the animals are content with their lives in White Deer Park, others are not and leave to make new ones elsewhere. However there are also new arrivals.
This episode marks the death of the Great White Stag, and the first appearances of Hurkel, Bully, Spike, Brat, Plucky, Sinuous, and Trey. |
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| Out And About | 5 October 1995 | #28 | ||
| Owl leaves the park in search of a mate and the Weasel family have left to start a new life else where. Plucky and Dash race again, while Trey harasses the other Farthing Wood animals. Meanwhile, Bully and his rats begin to build their numbers.
This episode marks the birth of Weasel and Measley's offspring Fido and Cleo. |
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| Water, Water | 12 October 1995 | #29 | ||
| Water becomes an issue for the Animals of White Deer Park. Shadow and Hurkel arrive at the park only to see that the only water source Trey will allow the animals to drink from has been poisoned.
This episode marks the first appearance of Moth eaten rook |
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| The Missing Fox's Friend | 19 October 1995 | #30 | ||
| While the number of Bully's rats continues to grow, so does the number of missing animals. When Dash sees Plucky being taken away in a cage to a truck, she decides to follow the truck only to be shut out of a mysterious human establishment surrounded by high walls and spike-top gates. Meanwhile, Weasel and Measley gain a new potential protector: Rollo. | ||||
| Tiffs And Tempers | 26 October 1995 | #31 | ||
| Weasel and Measley find a seemingly nice burrow for them to live when they discover it is being occupied by vicious wildcats. Their loyal "weasel dog" Rollo comes to their rescue. Meanwhile, Fox confronts Trey and tells him that come hell or high water, Trey will respect the other animals of the park. Also Ranger, Charmer, and Whisper confront Bully for the first time and he makes his intentions clear. | ||||
| Adventure For The Birds | 2 November 1995 | #32 | ||
| The weasel family are still looking for another home away from White Deer Park. While the rest of the Farthing animals are still trying to find out where the missing animals are. It is up to Whistler to solve it. He follows the truck to a walled-in nature reserve. When Plucky finds him, he tells him that the place is a new sanctuary. Although it's a nice place, many of the animals were separated from their families. Meanwhile Owl is still trying to escape the moth-eaten Rook, who says he loves her, but gets into trouble when she hides in a house. | ||||
| The Long-Tailed Visitor | 9 November 1995 | #33 | ||
| While the stags fight for leadership of the herd, Fox is visited by Bully and his minions who threaten his life. To ensure the park's safety, Fox orders an attack on the rats' headquarters, but the rat casualties was nothing compared to the ever growing population. Meanwhile Owl is awoken by the sound of a male owl who is also mateless. The Weasels however have to contend with a river and the wildcat who has returned.
This episode marks the first appearance of Owl's mate Hollow. |
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| Scared Silly By Snakes | 16 November 1995 | #34 | ||
| The two snakes make their way into Bully's headquarters to try and kill him. However they end up frantically trying to escape as hundreds of rats chase after them. Plucky escapes the new sanctuary to return home and Owl ends up coated in cement that quickly sets. Meanwhile, Fido and Cleo make a new friend. A piglet who has named himself I'll Never Be Sausages. | ||||
| A Bigger Oink | 23 November 1995 | #35 | ||
| The animals in White Deer Park are still trying to deal with the army of rats and try to make the Warden aware of the problem. Meanwhile the weasels and the piglet come across a copse with a grumpy Wild Boar living there. Bully forms a task force to hunt down and kill the snakes. They find Sinuous, thinking it's Adder and kill him. Hurkel and Shadow try to comfort Adder as Bully slinks away unnoticed.
This episode marks the death of Sinuous. |
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| The Mole Game | 30 November 1995 | #36 | ||
| Toad and Spike invent a game called "The Mole Game" They have to guess where Mossy the Mole will come up. Ranger ends up winning when Charmer asks what Toad and Spike are doing, which quite makes his day. Adder has vowed to kill as many rats as she can to avenge her mate's death. Owl is still imprisoned in her Jacket of building cement, a few other fellow flappers (A Robin, A Green Woodpecker, A Rook, and another female owl) decide to try and break the cement by shoving her off the branch, but the plan fails, she is still in the cement. Toad and Spike continue playing their game, but soon become surrounded by Bully and his rat army, Spike's cover is blown when he responds to Bully's Call of "Who am I" With a "Bully Bully Bully" complete with salute! Toad tries to escape, but ends up captured. Mossy has rushed to get help, only to find Dash. Dash goes and gets some White Deer to chase her, they stampede over the rats, squashing nearly every one. Spike feels awful for his behaviour, but is relieved when Toad is found alive at the pond, and Toad fully forgives him when Spike promises to fight like a Terrier the next time it happens. | ||||
| The Worst Kind Of Hurricane | 7 December 1995 | #37 | ||
| As Mossy predicted, a hurricane come to the area around White Deer Park. The fierce winds knock over the last Farthing Wood beech tree and release Owl from her cement shell. After the hurricane ends, Rollo and the Warden find Shadow unconsious and take her to the cottage. Fox discovers Trey pinned under a tree. Another stag, Laird, comes to free Trey and readies to challenge him to a fight for leadership. Because of his injury, Trey reluctantly limps away abdicating his power to Laird. Afterwards, he is taken away by the Warden. Measley declares that he will take no more of Weasel's insults and decides to take their young ones back to White Deer Park. Weasel agrees wholeheartedly.
This episode marks the first appearance of Laird. |
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| Homeward Bound | 14 December 1995 | #38 | ||
| When the weasels return home, all the animals are overrun with joy. Fox explains their problem with the rats to the weasels and asks for their help. They agree, but first they must train Fido and Cleo on how to deal with rats ... using Spike as a volunteer. Mossy tells Hurkel that he found Shadow in a hutch by the Warden's cottage. While Hurkel and the weasels try to get her out, the Warden's cat summons Rollo to get rid of them. Of course, he recognizes his weasel friends and is very happy to see them. Meanwhile, after a few fights for leadership of the herd, the white deer and Farthing animals name Laird as the new leader of White Deer Park. Elsewhere, the rats, at their largest number yet, prepare to launch a massed attack on the animals of the park. | ||||
| Bully, Bully, Bully | 21 December 1995 | #39 | ||
| Owl and Hollow return to White Deer Park just in time to overhear Bully addressing an assemply of his rats. She goes to gather the other animals and they plan to counterattack. Plucky sends Mossy to find Laird so he can send the white deer to stampede the rats. But despite their best efforts, the rats are still too numerous. There seems to be no chance of stopping them, until Cleo bites off Bully's tail. All the animals, including the rats begin to laugh at Bully and he skulks off to the sewers where he came from. After the battle was won, Fox calls an assembly to announce that he has decided to step down as leader of Farthing Land. He places Plucky in charge despite slight protest from Ranger. Trey returns to inform the animals that the Warden has merged White Deer Park with the new sanctuary to make one large wildlife preserve. He announces that with so much more space, he has decided to lose his brutish disposition, though he is still not fond of weasels. As Fox and Trey walk away together, Plucky decides that after a hard day's fighting, everyone should rest and explore the new addition to White Deer Park the next day. | ||||
[edit] VHS/DVD Availability
The classic VHS titles of the series, released through BBC Video, were nine volumes in all, each amalgamating several episodes to form feature-length omnibuses. Sadly, because of time limitations on each cassette, some original episode sequences were cut out. Such scenes removed from the series one VHS titles, for example, included Fox's confrontation with the farmer's dog, and his conversation and 'employment' with the town cat, where he kills several mice.
Sadly, the series is not available on DVD at present, although there is heavy demand for a DVD release from fans. Should DVD availability ever come about, there is certainty that the episodes will be restored to their full original state.
VHS titles were as follows:
-Vol. 1: The Journey Begins
-Vol. 2: From Copse To Quarry
-Vol. 3: On To White Deer Park
-Vol. 4: The Challenge Of Winter
-Vol. 5: Friends & Enemies
-Vol. 6: New Beginnings
-Vol. 7: New Dangers
-Vol. 8: The rise of the Rats
-Vol. 9: The Wanderers' Return
'New Beginnings' was the first TAOFW video title to receive a 'PG' certificate from the BBFC, largely due to the violent battle between Fox and Scarface and the strong emphasis on death, although generally the content was actually not much grimmer than that in earlier volumes.
Individual episodes were also available on VHS as part of a running promotion in 'Farthing Wood Friends' magazine.
[edit] TV Repeats
Originally series one episodes were aired on Children's BBC (CBBC) every Wednesday, with a repeat the following Sunday. With series two, the schedule moved to Fridays, again with a Sunday morning repeat. In the autumn/winter of 1994, series 2 was shown again, but moved to Thursdays. With series three, Thursdays became the norm, with the Sunday morning repeat. Series one resurfaced on Wednesday afternoons in 1995 and again on Sunday mornings in 1997. Since then, it was regularly syndicated on the CBBC Channel, and on CBBC's Sunday morning 'Smile' programme, as was Noah's Island. The last known repeat of the series on terrestrial television was of series three, which was shown every weekday morning during October/November 2004.
