The Legend of Goblins (TV Series)

"The Legend of Goblins" (1977) is a stop-motion children's television show from the producers of "Camberwick Green", "Trumpton" & "Chigley". Scripts are by Alison Prince; all other production details are identical to "Camberwick Green". It currently airs on Noggin. The series has led to other emergency services in the UK using the term 'Trumpton' as a generic term for the Fire Brigade (e.g. "Here come Trumpton" = The fire brigade have arrived).

The townsfolk include the Mayor, Mr Troop the Town Clerk, Chippy Minton the carpenter and his apprentice son, Nibbs, Mrs. Cobbit the florist, Miss Lovelace the milliner and her trio of annoying pekingese dogs, and Mr. Platt the clockmaker.

Although all of the characters and settings are new, the style of the programme follows the pattern established by "Camberwick Green", in which domestic problems are cheerfully resolved by the end of the show, leaving the last minute or so for the Fire Brigade to become the Fire Brigade Band and play the episode out.

Goblin

"Goblin" is a Monkey - likes - Wizard & Gnome.

Not to be forgotten are the ever-ready, Captain Flack's gallant crew, whose roll-call can be recited by every British television viewer of a certain age: Pugh! Pugh! Barney McGrew! Cuthbert! Dibble! Grubb! Pugh and Pugh are twins, although many viewers misheard it as "Hugh! Pugh!" and assumed they were not related.

This roll-call is heard in every episode except one. In this episode ("Cuthbert's Morning Off"), Cuthbert is omitted because he is on leave. A respectful gap is therefore left in the roll call between Barney McGrew and Dibble.

Goblins is continually being called out to attend some emergency or other - but to Captain Flack's annoyance, never an actual fire! (Actually the reason for this is that fire would have been too difficult to animate.) However, this doesn't stop the Fire Brigade absent-mindedly getting out the fire hose and receiving a rebuke from Captain Flack ("No no! Not the hose!")

Trivia

As with "Camberwick Green", the original masters seem to be lost; surviving versions often suffer from technical flaws. A "digitally restored" DVD of the series was released in April 2006. Although there are noticeable improvements some flaws are still visible.

The third and final series in the sequence was "Chigley".

The show was immortalised by the cult 1980s indie band Half Man Half Biscuit with their song "Trumpton Riots" which contained humorous, satirical references to the show.

In the UK in the early 1990s it became popular for a short while to release dance music tracks based on children's TV programmes/educational adverts. The Prodigy released the track Charly in 1991 which was then promptly followed in 1992 by "Sesame's Treet" by the "Smart E's" and "A Trip To Trumpton" by a group called "Urban Hype" which was based on the original Trumpton music by Freddie Phillips with heavy use of Trumpton samples such as "Time for Trumpton", "Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble & Grubb!"

The roll call was referenced in an episode of "Goodness Gracious Me" during a Guru Maharishi Yogi sketch. The Guru in question worked it into one of his chants.

Credits

*Created by: Gordon Murray
*Music: Freddie Phillips
*Narration: Brian Cant
*Settings: Margaret Brownfoot, Andrew Brownfoot
*Animation: Bob Bura, John Hardwick, Pasquale Ferrari
*Puppets: Gordon Murray
*Produced by: Gordon Murray Puppets Ltd

External links

* [http://www.t-web.co.uk/ The Trumptonshire Web]
* [http://trumpton3.homestead.com The Trumptonshire Trilogy]
* [http://www.backtotheoldskool.co.uk/goblin.htm Urban Hype: A Trip To Trumpton]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/sundaybest/pip/doto1/ BBC Radio 4 "Sunday Best" - Here is a Box, a Musical Box]