999.
Title: Camberwick Green
Genre: Children’s; stop-motion animation
Year(s): 1966
Basic premise: Follows a different character each episode in the village of Camberwick Green; is reasonably educational, telling kids what a milkman, policeman, fireman etc do and showing them at work, also working in little stories around their job.
Starring: Brian Cant
Seasons: 1
Written/created by: Gordon Murray
Nationality: English
Best episode(s): “Windy Miller” (I believe he gets drunk)
Worst episode(s): Can’t remember but I don’t think there were any
Staus: Finished
What does or did this show mean to me? It’s a nice lookback to my childhood
One good quote: Nah, too long ago. Can’t remember.
I suppose you’d say this comes from a simpler time, perhaps when kids were most easily satisfied.
Camberwick Green was one of a trilogy, loosely called the
Trumptonshire Trilogy, which was succeeded by
Trumpton and then
Chigley, three linked series for young kids that ran originally from 1966 to 1969. The brainchild of Gordon Murray, the programme featured what I at the time thought, and still do, is one the greatest hooks for any show, kids’ or otherwise. The voice of the narrator, Brian Cant, would declare “Here is a music box, wound up and ready to go.” And so there would be. The screen would show an old-fashioned windup toy, looking something like an small accordion standing on its end. Music would come from this as it turned around, and the top would begin to open. Cant would go on: “But this box can hide a secret inside. Can you guess what is in it today?”
As the music progressed (typical music box music, you know the sort; old classical tune played on a toy piano or something. Your sister no doubt had one she used as a jewellery box, or maybe you bought one for your daughter or niece) the top would begin to open and a figure would emerge on a pedestal. That figure could be a fireman, a policeman, a chemist, a doctor or whoever, and the story would then be about that person. Cant would say “Oh look, it’s [fill in character here: let’s say PC McGarry]" and then ask the figure some questions, such as what he was going to do today, how he was etc. None of the puppets had any mouths, so they would respond by nodding or shaking their head or waving.
It was a simple show, but there was usually a moral in it for us kids. Something like maybe someone's dog gets loose and causes havoc in the market, moral being always keep your dog on a leash. That kind of thing. It was all friendly and lovely, and people seldom got into rows, though there were the odd brushes with the law and I think a punch-up or two, but everything was always settled by the time the show ended. The anticipation, though, as we watched the musical box open! Who would it be today? As the figure rose up you could get an idea: maybe the tip of a bayonet might indicate a soldier, or a red hat show you that the story would be about a fireman. All great for kids at the time.
There was always a song, sometimes two or three, all played and sung by Brian Cant, usually accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, and usually about the character - “The fireman goes to put out the fire” etc. The animation was basic but still decent for its time, and at the end, the figure would go back into the musical box, being wished goodbye by Cant and wave to us as he descended. I think it was the first show to have a human directly address one of the characters, and have them respond. Made you feel quite attached to them, as if you knew them. Ah, takes me back, it does.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T5TQpi6AEA&t=5s