"Rocketing
rotors!"
Budgie the little Bell helicopter takes to
the skies above Harefield Airfield
under the watchful eye of Lionel the Lynx
helicopter. He's joined by pals
Pippa the Piper Warrior plane and Chuck, a
brash American Chinook. Two
regular human mechanics, Ken and Mike, are
close at hand to keep the
gang shipshape. Whilst over in the canteen,
Mrs Kitchen tries to keep her
wayward twins, Lucy and Ben, from getting
up to mischief around the
airfield. Which is rather tricky, because
there's always something dramatic
going on. There are airshows to contend with,
rising flood waters, plane
thieves, runaway trains, blizzards and more.
But plucky young Budgie
and his chums always pull through to save
the day...
Budgie was the brainchild of Sarah Ferguson,
otherwise known as
HRH The Duchess of York. Sarah was a keen
flyer herself back in the
day. She veven dedicates her creation to her flying
tutor (see below).
Her first story starring the cue capped 'copter
was published in
September 1989. The television series arrived four
years later, via
The Sleepy Kid Company and Fred Wolf Films,
who were operating
out of Ireland at the time. Fred Wolf's credits
include such staple American
fare as "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles",
so it's no surprise to find that Budgie's adventures have
that certain
Saturday Morning look to them. Indeed, it's
only when the British
accents cut in that we know for sure we're watching
a UK show.
Budgie himself is a cute little fellow, never
seen without his yellow
cap and his teddy bear, drooped in his side
hatch, though he's not the
first anthropomorphic engine to take to the skies
above our fair isle.
Reverend Awdry brought us Thomas
and friends including Harold the
Helicopter several decades earlier, and of course,
our pal Jimbo, had
been zooming around BBC1 just a few short years
before. What's
more, Britain's favourite airline was using
Dilbert as its motivational
mascot. But Budgie proved to be an equally
popular chap, and three
series were commissioned between 1993 and 1995...
"Dedicated to Kevin Mulhern, who taught
me how to fly my first Budgie..."
- HRH The Duchess of York
Now
pay attention...
»
Guest
aircraft in the series include a fancy French flyer, and a chipper
English fighter
plane - wot, wot...
»
Speaking
of the French, Budgie and Pippa both receive "Le Societe
Aeronautic Francais"
medals for bravery when they foil a pair of plane
thieves in the
episode "Air
Show"...
»
And
those same plane thieves, Len and Terry, pop up again in the
episode "Copters
and Robbers"...
»
The
continuity continues in a two-parter. "All
at Sea" and "Boots,
Boats
and Budgie"
sees Harefield Airfield flooded and Budgie stuck on board
an aircraft
carrier...
Budgie
episodes
Pippa Arrives
The Plane Who Cried Wolf
Chuck Comes Unstuck
Plane Silly
Budgie Takes a Catch
Put Up or Stuck Up
Daydreams and Candyfloss The
Runaway Train
Down on the Farm
Double Trouble
The Air Show
Silent Flight
All At Sea
Writers in the Sky
Boots, Boats and Budgie
Ups and Downs
Copters and Robbers
The Aqueduct
Budgie's
Blizzard
A Tail of Woe
Ice Work Budgie
Boom Boom Budgie
Chuck's Buddy
Budgie
on DVD
Budgie
the Little Helicopter - Pippa Arrives
Region
2 / 5 episodes / 4 Front / April 2006
Budgie
the Little Helicopter - The Air Show
Region
2 / 4 episodes / Col-Tri-Star / July 2004
And the episode "Budgie's
Blizzard" features on this Christmas
compilation:
Children's
Christmas Collection
Region
2 / Universal / November 2005
produced by The Sleepy Kid Company
Fred Wolf Films and HTV
in association with HRH The Duchess
of York
The Sleepy Kid Company Ltd
director: Gary
Blatchford
producer:
Michael Algar
exec producers: Martin
Powell, Vivien Schrager Powell
writer: Brian
Trueman
adapted
from the original stories
by
HRH The Duchess of York
production
assistants: Sue
Van Santen, Greg Taylor
creative
consultant: John
Richardson
Fred Wolf Films
exec producer: Fred
Wolf
general man: Eamonn
Lawless
HTV
exec producer: Dan
Maddicott
art director: Carol
Bradbury
overseas sup: Mike
Reyna
overseas prod
facility: Dai
Won Animation
recording eng: Adrian
Sear
dialogue asst: Sue
Frisby
video post-prod: Screen
Scene
audio post-prod: Tommy
Ellis Studios
designers: Niall
O'Loughlin, Conor Kavanagh,
Sharon
Bridgeman, Ray Claffey
colour stylists: Linda
Bridgeman, Dean Valentine
background
colour keys: MJ
Booth, Owen Rohu
storyboards: Tim
Spillane, Declan O'Connor
sheet timing: Alastair
McIlwain, Tony Power,
Declan
O'Connor , Aidan Walsh,
track reading: Ann
Gielty, Sarah Ryan
main title music:
Paul K Joyce
music: Dennis
C Brown Productions
prod co-ord: Bill
Alford, Kieran Cummins,
Sandy
O'Flaherty
conforming: Brian
Gilmore
voices: Richard
Pearce
Jeremy Nicholas
Ray
Lonnen
Tony
Jackson
Adrian
Hansel
Pippa
Haywood
Abigail
MacVean
Kerry
Shale
Jeff
Rawle
William
Vanderpuye
Zoe
Hodges
