The Woofits

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The Woofits were a series of childrens books written in the 1980s by the British television and radio personality Michael Parkinson, best known for his TV chat shows.

The stories featured the Woofits a family of anthropomorphic dog-like creatures who lived in the fictional Yorkshire coal mining village of Grimeworth (based on the real life Cudworth where Parkinson was born and nearby village of Grimethorpe).

[edit] Books

The four original books published in 1980 were

• The Woofits Day Out
• The Woofits Play Cricket
• The Woofits Play Football
• The Daily Woofit

In addition there were Woofit Annuals for the years 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983.

[edit] Television

In 1981 Yorkshire Television made a series of Woofits cartoons to be shown on ITV's lunchtime slot for young children based on the original stories and new stories with Michael Parkinson narrating them.

[edit] Characters

The main members of the Woofit family lived in 3 terraced houses along Grimeworth Street, Grimeworth these were -

Number 8

• Grandpa Ironside and Grandma Emily, the heads of the family

Number 10

• Uncle Athelstone, miner who was a member of colliery brass band
• Uncle Gaylord, Athelstone's brother a football pools winner who considered himself posh.

Number 12

• John Willy Woofit, son of Ironside and coal miner
• Lavina, wife of John Willy
• Elton, son of Lavinia and John Willy, dreamed of being a pop star.
• Angela, sister of Elton who had ambitions to be a TV newsreader

Other characters included Baskerville Woofit (editor of the Daily Woofit) and local policeman Sargeant Cox.