| Jimbo and the Jet Set | |
|---|---|
Jimbo |
|
| Format | Animated series |
| Created by | Peter Maddocks |
| Voices of | Peter Hawkins Susan Sheridan |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 25 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Maddocks Cartoon Productions |
| Running time | 5 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC1 |
| Original run | January 6, 1986 – February 6, 1987 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | |
Jimbo and the Jet Set (often shortened to simply Jimbo) is a British animated cartoon series broadcast in the 1980s, featuring the adventures of the eponymous Jimbo, a talking aeroplane. Created by Maddocks Cartoon Productions, it originally ran for 25 episodes between 1985 and 1986.
The premise of the cartoon is that Jimbo was originally intended to be a Jumbo Jet, but his designer could not tell the difference between inches and centimetres, resulting in his diminutive size.
The television series features various talking airport-type ground vehicles: Tommy Tow-Truck, Claude Catering, Amanda Baggage, Phil the Fuel Truck, Sammy Steps and Harry Helicopter. Other plane characters appear from time to time, such as Old Timer, a Vickers Wellington bomber who gets into the story while flying to or from an airshow. The story is based at a fictional "London Airport", under the command of an irate controller who frequently ends episodes screaming "I want words with you, Jimbo!".
Some printed material and toy merchandise featured Gloria Gatwick, a female counterpart to Jimbo, but she did not appear in a speaking role within the TV episodes, except one brief appearance in one episode, where she can be clearly seen from a top-viewed angle.
Contents |
| Title | Air Date | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| (1) The Little Big Problem | 6th January 1986 | The origin of how Jimbo came to be starts out at the Aircraft Factory, where the technicians use centimetres instead of inches, resulting in "half a Jumbo"! * NOTE: The first appearances of Jimbo, the Chief, Tommy Towtruck, and Amanda Baggage. |
| (2) Trouble at Sea | 7th January 1986 | Out at sea, Jimbo comes across a ship in distress and frantically does all he can to gather help to save it. |
| (3) First Time Flyers | 8th January 1986 | Jimbo is to take a class of children on their first ever flight. Despite the Chief's warnings to behave, Jimbo gives the kids a ride they'll never forget - much to their poor teacher's displeasure! * NOTE: The first appearance of Sammy Steps. |
| (4) The UFO | 13th January 1986 | One stormy night, Jimbo claims to have seen a flying saucer hovering above London Airport. The Chief thinks he is playing another joke until he experiences a Close Encounter... |
| (5) April Fool's Day | 14th January 1986 | Today is the Chief's birthday which, ironically, is on April Fools Day. He has a bit of fun with Jimbo whilst testing out fire safety with Captain Squirt of the Fire Department, but Jimbo gets the last laugh. * NOTE: This is Freddy Firetruck's first debut episode. |
| (6) The Old Timer | 15th January 1986 | One misty day, Jimbo comes across a Wellington bomber plane (the Old Timer) who has lost his way in the fog. Jimbo offers to guide him home but weather (rain, snow, fog) constantly causes the pair to be diverted to one airfield after another. * NOTES: 1. The first appearance of The Old Timer. This episode seems to be played out of order as the Old Timer seems to remember Jimbo long before "The Bermuda Triangle". 2. The Scottish Chief looks remarkably like McToot from The Family Ness, also created by Peter Maddocks. |
| (7) The Royal Visitors | 20th January 1986 | The Chief flies everyone in a blind panic when he hears word that royal visitors are due to arrive at the airfield. Unfortunately for him, the visitors (who turn out be 'DOGS!') aren't as royal as he was expecting... |
| (8) Jet Lag | 21st January 1986 | Poor Jimbo suffers jet lag after an uncomfortable flight. The Flying Doctor has to get Jimbo to gain his confidence in order to fly again; but when all his methods fail, Tommy Towtruck suggests a bold solution... NOTE: The first appearance of the Flying Doctor. |
| (9) Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud | 22nd January 1986 | Jimbo is low on fuel and wants to get home but finds himself in a "queue" with other planes waiting to land. With help from a large cloud, Jimbo pretends to be Concorde in order to slip in quietly, which causes great confusion on terra firma... |
| (10) Holiday Weather | 27th January 1986 | Fed up with the cold and wet in Britain, Jimbo flies to Hawaii for his holiday for some fun in the sun. All is well until a volcano really heats things up! * NOTE: This marks the only appearance of Gloria Gatwick. Although she only appears in this episode, she was merchandised with many other Jimbo memorabilia. |
| (11) Winter Wonderland | 28th January 1986 | Jimbo is sent to take champion skiers to Switzerland for an important championship and even shows off a few of his own winter sports! |
| (12) Jimbo Down Under | 29th January 1986 | Jimbo, tired and weary after a long flight, accidentally lands in the middle of the Australian outback. However, he is rescued by a fellow Australian and a herd of kangaroos. * NOTE: The Australian that helps Jimbo is obviously characterised to look and sound like Rolf Harris. |
| (13) Jimbo and the Astronaut | 3rd February 1986 | Flying a little too high, Jimbo finds himself out in far space where he helps a stranded astronaut back to Earth. * NOTE: The final appearance of Freddy Firetruck, who, unusually, is not properly introduced since "April Fools Day". |
| (14) Jungle Jimbo | 4th February 1986 | The African airfields begin using computer technology to keep their airport running. Jimbo realises how useful computers and elephants are when he helps to put out a forest fire. |
| (15) Jimbo and the Whale | 5th February 1986 | Jimbo's engines are acting up as he flies over the North Pole, causing him to become stranded. But he gets airborne again with help from a whale. * NOTE: The last appearance of the Flying Doctor. |
| (16) The Bermuda Triangle | 10th February 1986 | Jimbo is to escort the Old Timer to a wartime convention in Miami, Florida, USA. but ends up becoming trapped in the mysterious Bermuda Triangle. |
| (17) The Chief Gets a Rocket | 11th January 1986 | Jimbo is sent on a Top Secret mission to help with the launching of a rocket. The Chief, Control Tower and all, are also sent to launch it, but they end up launching the Control Tower by mistake! NOTE: The final appearance of Sammy Steps. |
| (18) The Controller's Apprentice | 12th February 1986 | The Chief brings along his nephew to teach him how to be a proper airfield chief, much to Jimbo's dismay. but the apprentice's cockiness becomes his downfall... |
| (19) Chinese Panda-monium | 17th February 1986 | Jimbo is sent, along with an animal trainer, to try and capture a rare panda from China. Much to his embarrassment he is disguised as a panda as camouflage, but the Chief ends up laughing on the other side of his face when Jimbo returns with a live Chinese dragon... |
| (20) The Penn and Inca Story | 18th February 1986 | Jimbo sets off with a tropical explorer to find an ancient ink well that writes with pure gold. However, the result isn't entirely successful... |
| (21) Quiet Please | 24th February 1986 | A little old lady who lives near the runways is complaining about the noise, which means that Jimbo's engines are constantly muffled. However, the Chief realises his mistake when he does some investigating: the noise nuisance came from a radio-controlled model plane. |
| (22) Jinglebells Jimbo | 23rd December 1986 | When Father Christmas's sleigh is stolen, Jimbo is sent to help deliver presents all over the world in time for Christmas. |
| (23) The Great Air Race | 17th January 1987 | A round-the-world air race is set and Jimbo wishes he could take part. He gets his chance when he has to hurry the race judge to the finishing line when he arrives at the start by mistake! Low on fuel, Jimbo relies on rocket power to get to the finish in time. * NOTE: The only appearance of Sidney Shuttle. |
| (24) The Little Red Devil | 23rd January 1987 | A special display of Red Devil Planes are prepared for a retiring Admiral, but when one of them is unavailable, Tommy Towtruck tries to masquerade Jimbo to look like one of them. However, the paint is not entirely waterproof when a storm breaks... * NOTE: The final appearance of Amanda Baggage. |
| (25) The Computer Clanger | 6th February 1987 | The Airfield Administration decide to build another "Jimbo" for their fleet. To avert another mishap, the Aircraft Factory decide to build the new plane using computers - only this time, they mistake centimetres for yards! * NOTE: The last ever episode of the series and the last ever appearances of Jimbo, the Chief and Tommy Towtruck. |
In 1986 after its debut on the BBC, 12 episodes were released on BBC Video then Re-Released by 'Paradox Films' distributed Total Home Entertainment under licence from BBC Worldwide Ltd (Cat. No. THE 20003) in 1995
| VHS video title | Year of release | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Jimbo and the Jet Set 1 (BBCV 4074) | 1986 | The Little Big Problem, Trouble at Sea, First Time Flyers, April Fools Day, The Old Timer, Jimbo Down Under, Jungle Jimbo, Jimbo and the Whale, The Chief Gets A Rocket, Chinese Panda-Monium, Quiet Please, Jingle-Bell Jimbo. |
and in 1999 Castle Home Video released all 25 episodes on two separate videos but re-released on DVD by Rights Entertainment in 2004 since the VHS versions got deleted in 2002.
| VHS video title | Year of release / Cat.No (VHS) | Year of release / Cat.No (DVD) | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jimbo and the Jet Set: The Little Big Problem | 1999 (CHV 2016) | 2004 (8223728) | The Little Big Problem, The Bermuda Triangle,Jimbo and the Whale, Jungle Jimbo, Jimbo and the Astronaut, Jimbo Down Under, Quiet Please, The Chief Gets A Rocket, The Controllers Apprentice, Jingle-bells Jimbo, The Penn and Inca Story, The Great Air Race, The Little Red Devil, Chinese Pandemonium, The Computer Clanger. |
| Jimbo and the Jet Set: The Royal Visitors | 1999 (CHV | 2004 (8228105) | The Royal Visitors, First Time Flyers, Holiday Weather, Every Silver Lining Has A Cloud, Trouble at Sea, The Old Timer, Winter Wonderland, April Fools Day, The UFO. |