Willo the Wisp

Willo the Wisp

Willo the Wisp Titles (BBC Series)
Genre Children's Animation
Written by Nick Spargo (1981 series)
Bobbie Spargo (2005 series)
Voices of Kenneth Williams (1981 series)
James Dreyfus (2005 series)
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons Two
No. of episodes 52
Production
Running time 5 minutes
Production company(s) Nicholas Cartoon Films (1981 series), Spargo Films & Double:Take (2005 series)
Release
Original network BBC1 (1981 series)
Playhouse Disney (2005 series)
Original release 14 September 1981 – 7 December 2005

Willo the Wisp is a British cartoon series originally produced in 1981 by the BBC and narrated by Kenneth Williams. It became popular with children and adults as it bridged the gap between the end of weekday children's programming and the early evening news.

First series (1981)

The series was written and directed by Nick Spargo and produced by Nicholas Cartoon Films in association with the BBC and Tellytales Enterprises. The character of Willo the Wisp originated in an educational animation created by Spargo for British Gas plc in 1975[1] and the stories were set in Doyley Woods, a small beech wood in Oxfordshire, near the director's home.

Kenneth Williams provided voices for all of the characters. The principal narrator, Willo the Wisp, was a blue floating creature drawn as a caricature of him,[1] while the name refers to the ghostly light will-o'-the-wisp from folklore. The other main characters were Arthur the caterpillar (as a gruff cockney), Mavis Cruet, a plump clumsy fairy with an erratic magic wand, and the principal antagonist Evil Edna, a witch in the form of a walking, talking television set who could zap people with her aerials.

Other characters included Carwash, a snooty bespectacled cat (based on Noël Coward), with the catchphrase, "My eyes are not first-class, you know", The Moog, a supposed "dog" who is unable to think for himself, Twit, a small bird, The Beast, a former prince turned into a hairy shambling creature by Evil Edna, gnomes, the Astrognats (a group of bugs who explore outer space by means of their toadstool rocket), the Bookworm and a regiment of toy soldiers.

Each of the original 26 episodes lasted approximately 5 minutes and were broadcast at 5:35pm on BBC1, continuing a tradition of short cartoons (such as The Magic Roundabout and The Wombles) being shown on weekdays between the end of the main children's programming for that afternoon, and the BBC Evening news at 5:40pm. The series was repeated on satellite channel Galaxy in 1989 and on Channel 4 during the early 1990s.

Episodes

  1. "The Bridegroom"
  2. "Edna's Secret"
  3. "Food For Thought"
  4. "Holidays"
  5. "The Dragon"
  6. "The Wishbone"
  7. "The Chrysalis"
  8. "The Magnet"
  9. "Wugged Wocks"
  10. "The Flight of Mavis"
  11. "The Thoughts of Moog"
  12. "The Joys of Spring"
  13. "Games With Edna"
  14. "The Hot Hot Day"
  15. "Halloween"
  16. "The Gnome"
  17. "Boring Old Edna"
  18. "The 'You Know What'
  19. "The Bean-Stalk"
  20. "Cats and Dogs"
  21. "The Midas Touch"
  22. "The Viqueen"
  23. "The Potion"
  24. "The Beauty Contest"
  25. "Magic Golf"
  26. "Christmas Box"

On the Kult Kidz Gold DVD there was an extra video "Do Not Touch" which featured the last part of "Cats and Dogs", where Evil Edna makes the screen blank.

In January 2008, a promotional DVD containing all 26 episodes from Season 1 was distributed by The Times newspaper.

Credits

Second series (2005)

A second series of 26 episodes (5 minutes each) was produced by Bobbie Spargo in 2005, and voiced by James Dreyfus.[2] Although it maintains the style of the original, alterations include:

The second series aired on Playhouse Disney in the UK.

Episodes

  1. "Moon on a Stick"
  2. "The Toothache"
  3. "The Nature Walk"
  4. "Feed the Birds"
  5. "The Magic Bone"
  6. "The Knotted Handkerchief"
  7. "The Little Cloud"
  8. "The Mind Reader"
  9. "The Fancy Dress Ball"
  10. "Bowling for Carwash"
  11. "The Knee-Knocking Tree"
  12. "The Best Friend"
  13. "The Tiddle Me Wink"
  14. "The Makeover"
  15. "The Miracle"
  16. "The Love Bug"
  17. "The Wobbly Wood"
  18. "The Doyley Hunt"
  19. "The Cocoa Demon"
  20. "The Beauty Spot"
  21. "The Curse of Celebrity"
  22. "The Lost City of Polenta"
  23. "The Woodwind"
  24. "The Vegetable Garden"
  25. "The Art Class"
  26. "Here Comes the Judge"

References

  1. 1 2 Stevens, Christopher (2010). Kenneth Williams: Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams. Hachette UK. p. 399. ISBN 978-1-848-54460-4.
  2. ↑ Wilkinson, Dean (2011). The Classic Children's Television Quiz Book. Andrews UK. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-908-54889-4.
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