| Bob and Margaret | |
|---|---|
| Format | Animated comedy |
| Created by | David Fine and Alison Snowden |
| Starring | Andy Hamilton/Brian George as Bob Fish Alison Snowden as Margaret Fish Steve Coogan as Various |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom, Canada |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 52 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Production company(s) | Global Television Network Philippines Animation Studios Nelvana Limited |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | UK: Channel 4, BBC Two Canada: Global Television Network USA: Showtime, Comedy Central Israel: HOT cable network |
| Original run | June 22, 1998 – December 25, 2001 |
Bob and Margaret is a Canadian/UK animated television series that was also shown in the United States and all over the world. The series was produced by Nelvana, a Toronto animation studio, and created by Canadian David Fine and Brit Alison Snowden. The series was based on the Academy Award winning short film Bob's Birthday, featuring the same main characters, which won the Best Animated Short Film Oscar in 1994.[1] The series is one of the few Canadian TV shows to ever have regular American exposure. In Canada, it was the highest rated Canadian made animation series ever when it aired in prime time on Global Television.
The show revolved around a married English couple named Bob and Margaret Fish, a middle class 40-ish working couple with no children and two dogs named William and Elizabeth. Bob is a dentist and Margaret is a chiropodist. Bob and Margaret struggle with everyday issues and mid life crisis. Stories often revolve around the mundane, but in a way which is eminently relatable. From the trials of shopping to dealing with friends who annoy them, but owe them a dinner.
In the first two seasons, Bob and Margaret lived in England, in the South London community of Balham. For the third and fourth seasons, however, they moved to Toronto, Canada, allowing the writers to explore the humour of culture clash. The move was actually inspired by the realities of funding, with certain Canadian tax benefits dependent on stories actually based in Canada. As such, to keep the series funded, the move was necessary. The creators of the series (real-life husband-and-wife David Fine and Alison Snowden) chose to take an executive role on these latter two seasons, reviewing scripts and consulting, but not involved in the detail they were for the first two seasons. Snowden continued to provide the voice of Margaret, but Bob's voice, originally played by Andy Hamilton, was replaced by Brian George.
The programme was shown in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 and Ftn, in the United States on Comedy Central, and in Germany and France on Arte. Comedy Central only showed the two "London" seasons. The third and fourth "Toronto" seasons were eventually shown (almost 2 years after Comedy Central showed the last second season episode) on the Showtime cable channel; they currently rerun all four seasons on their specialty "Showtime Women" channel.
Bob and Margaret currently airs on Adult Swim Latin America and on Canada's YTV. Cartoon Network Brasil airs its four seasons on the Adult Swim program. The London seasons also get shown in the UK, currently on Channel 4.
The second series can be found on Region 1 NTSC DVDs in Canada and Region 2 PAL DVDs in the UK. Season one can be found on VHS in PAL (at least in the UK) and NTSC (at least in Canada), and the DVD is due for release in Canada in February 2010 as an NTSC Region 1 Set.
Born in South London to Daisy Fish and Cesial Fish, and is the husband of the main character Margaret, Bob has 1 brother named Peter who happens to be a successful world class chef, while his sister Susan is a recent divorcee raising a child alone. Bob is a dentist working alongside with his colleagues. Bob is originally voiced by Andy Hamilton until Brian George replaced him in the third and fourth seasons.
Raised by Tony and Mureen Helsop, Margaret is portrayed as caring chiropodist working in South London, in many, lots of people take advantage of, she was once accidentally classified as a terrorist in Season 2 of episode 1 "Bob Gets Wired". Margaret eventually learns to stand up for herself to a lot of people in the third and fourth season, People like the group of furniture movers in the fourth season as well defend Bob's cousin when one of Bob's idols from the Canadian dental association, insult and mocks Cookie and Melvin for their class status. She is married to Bob Fish. Her character is portrayed as a loving caring wife who has issues with her parents Tony and Maureen Heslop. Margaret is voiced by Alison Snowden
Cookie and Melvin Fish are Bob's friendly Canadian cousins from Toronto, they both have carefree attitudes and always have a positive and humorous view of life, the TV series depict them as being proud Canadians and always compare Toronto as being a better city than New York (season 3 episodes 1 "Stranded in Toronto" ), however as much as they love and adore Bob and Margaret they certainly and unknowingly annoy them at numerous times. evidence is shown when they play their vacation videos, illustrating their time in London visiting them and all the hilarious and humiliating moments of them taping Bob and Margaret at their worst time.the couple have two cats named Bailey and Buster whom act violently towards the dogs "William and Elizabeth" the voice of Melvin is portrayed by Wayne Robson while Cookie is voiced by Jayne Eastwood. Their first appearance was in season 1 of episode 11 "the Discomfort of strangers"
After the arrest of Bob's fromer secretary Dorothy for charges in acomplicing patient molestations, Penny becomes Bob's secretary as she first appeared in the pilot episode " A Tale fo Two Dentist " . Penny is Bob's former secretary at his fromer dental office back in London, she is characterized as a lazy, irresponsible and negeletful employee of Bob who seem to have a comedic attitude problem and is the main cause of Bob and Margaret's evictions from London due to a horrendous and violence protesting associated with protestors who theretened death thereats if the couple were ever to return to London for improper care of their dogs,when actually it was Penny's fault. Heather in Bob's other secretary working in his dental office in Toronto, she's somewhat kind and less judgemental with a carefree attitude.
Ed and Patel are Bob's dental hygenists working in his Toronto dental clinic, Ed is defined as a Canadian woodman while his friend Patel is an Indian hygenist who encourages Bob to take on challenges for success. In one episode both Ed and Patel fight when all three of them including Bob head out on a camping adventure.
Eden or Edie is Margaret's former secretary at her former chiropody clinic back in London while Guinvere (voiced by Tracey Hoyt) is Margaret's other secretary working at the women clinic in Toronto, she is seen as calm and friendly to Margaret. In one episode "Gone to Seed" she decided to have a baby from the sperm donor clinic and ended up in panic, when she find outs that the donation sperm was going to come from Margaret's husband Bob
Tevor and Joyce are Bob and Margaret next door neighbour in Toronto, Trevor (voiced by Dwayne Hill) is seen as lazy, couch potato, while his wife Joyce is working, the couple is mostly seen fighting all the time except when Bob and Margaret are there visiting
the parent of Bob, Peter and Suasan Fish Cesial is variously seen in Bob's past flashback although the show portarys him as being uncaring father to Bob. Daisy reveals that Bob was Cesial favourite son while Peter becomes Daisy favourite which is not a surprise since Bob reveals how horrible his mother Daisy been to him in such giving him bad advice and always putting him down. Daisy is seen as meanspirited to Bob while being blind sided to Peter and Susan schemes of trying to profit her at her expense
Peter and Susan Fish are Bob's sibling back in London, Peter is a world class chef while Susan is a stay at home mom,however both are charcaterized as selfish offsprings who try gained money at the expense of their mother.
Tony and Mureen are Margaret's two parent, who is alway seen to putting her down at many times, however they greatly respect, Bob for marrying their daughter Margaret, thinking that no one else would marry their daughter due to physical characteristics, who they seem to characterize Margaret as a "menatlly ill moneky" which was shown at the series finale of Bob and Margaret "A very Fishy Christmas"
Cathy and ken are an overbearing couple who were recently friends with Margaret back in London and whom Bob despises, the couple is seen as having complicated relations when Cathy is annoyed by Ken's antics and end up regreting, when something bad happens to ken. Cathy is voiced by Sarah Harland while Ken is voiced by Victor Heathrow Lu
Constable Caroline Pines and Garrett Chip are very corrupt and lazy officers who are seen many times in the London-based episodes. Both characters are characterized to have breached and violated their protocols and mandates in humorous ways however the writer created the flow by making the whole London police base force as being corruptive and less bright.
"The Globe and Mail" raves that "Bob and Margaret" is the bestly and creatively written animated Series, The Huffinton Post also agreed that the TV series succeeded beyond expectations, in an animated comedy series. Editor Victor Javason of the "Toronto Star" calls the show a "genus" for its brilliant actions of moving the show's setting from London to Toronto,the editior states "an excelelent way to clash humour and culture with members of the commonwealth"