SARA AND HOPPITY
ROBERTA LEIGH'S
Post-Sara and Hoppity
Despite the lack of publicity, Sara and Hoppity was one of Roberta Leigh's more successful series, with screenings up until the early 1970s. It can be speculated that its success led to these further series:
Space Patrol
A National Interest Picture Production.
© Wonderama 1962
Produced 1962/1963.
39 twenty-five minute episodes.
Roberta Leigh's most ambitious series - a full-blown space opera set in the year 2100.
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Episodes are available on YouTube:
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Click the link to a playlist of all 39 episodes:
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Paul Starr
A National Interest Picture Production. © Wonderama 1964
An attempt to follow up the success of Space Patrol, Roberta Leigh created this colour half-hour pilot, featuring an agent for the Space Bureau of Investigation. At the time, it was described as a kind of futuristic James Bond.
One innovation for the puppets was the use of a moving jaw under a flexible latex face, giving a slightly more realistic mouth movement.
Excerpts are available to view on YouTube: Pilot part 1, Pilot part 2 and Pilot part 3.
Created and devised by Roberta Leigh. Screened as part of Small Time in the Rediffusion London region. Tikki the Toucan would explain two different words per installment:
Boats & Clocks • (30/08/65)
Cats & Baths • (07/09/65)
Flying & the Seaside • (14/09/65)
Beds & Writing • (21/09/65)
Ponds & Pets • (28/09/65)
Dogs & Schools • (04/10/65)
Shoes & Shops • (11/10/65)
Horses & Fish • (18/10/65)
Uniforms & Schools • (25/10/65)
Birds & Toys • (01/11/65)
Hair & Bread • (08/11/65)
Dogs & Hats • (15/11/65)
Cutlery & Chairs • (22/11/65)
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Babies & Zoos • (29/11/65)
Details not known • (06/12/65)
Funfair & Pillow • (13/12/65)
Trains & the Circus • (20/12/65)
Battleships & Water • (27/12/65)
Wool & Farms • (03/01/66)
Singing & Weapons • (10/01/66)
The Year & Crockery • (17/01/66)
Trees & Sport • (24/01/66)
Sweets & Flavour • (31/01/66)
Utensils & Bottles • (07/02/66)
Soldiers & Weather • (14/02/66)
Fruit & Hygiene • (21/02/66)
Picture the Word
Twenty six 15-minute animated episodes. Produced in 1965.
Wonder Boy and Tiger
Puppet animation, 15-minute colour episodes, ©?1966
In the first episode, Wonder Boy and his cat Tiger circle the Earth on their magic mat; they can only land whenever Tiger's magic whiskers sparkle warning that someone somewhere is in trouble. By staring into Tiger's eyes, Wonder Boy can see the person who needs their help. They go to assist a small boy who has lost his ball in the garden of mysterious oriental Dr. Fang. When Wonder Boy tries to retrieve the lost ball he discovers that Doctor Fang is a thief who has trained his talking Persian cat Princess to steal a diamond necklace. Tiger joins forces with Princess but ends up being accused of the robbery himself. Wonder Boy and Tiger escape just in time on their magic mat.
A return to magic and fantasy for Roberta Leigh after two dips into science-fiction. Tiger is a wonderful creation and has the most character but everything else comes over flat and somewhat lifeless. The inability to animate Tiger and the cat Princess successfully make them a little static. One can only assume a limited budget (again) which made it necessary for 'older' puppets from Space Patrol to be reused, which clash a little with the newer rubber faced puppets of the two boys and the policeman.
Production Credits:
Music & Lyrics by Roberta Leigh
Voices by: John Braban, Peter Reeves, Ronnie Stevens, Paddy Turner
Puppeteers: Joan Garrick, Judith Morgan, Shirley Denny
Sets designed by: Roger Blackwell
Costumes by: Shirley Denny
Director of Photography: Arthur Provis
Camera Operator: David Knill
Chief Electrician: Bill Ward
Editor: Norman Cole
Sound Recording: Audio Systems
Produced by National Interest Pictures for Wonderama Productions
Copyright ©Wonderama
Production Notes:
• Peter Reeves (right) recalls working on the series: "I remember doing more than one test recording of scripts for this, but I can't remember which part I played. However it must have been a good part because I remember being disappointed when I heard that the project was not going ahead. Roberta Leigh regarded me as a supplier of eccentric and unusual voices, so it may well have been Tiger!"
• Peter Reeves also commented: "I am an inveterate 'squirrel' and retain old scripts for years, but I cannot recall ever coming across a script of Roberta Leigh's. This may be because, being new projects, she wanted to ensure no word got out about them before she wanted, or because we often changed the wording of her lines at the session (with her agreement) and she would need the revised version for editing."
• Actress Paddy Turner would also provide voices for Send For Dithers (see below), and later ppeared in A Dance To The Music Of Time for BBC Radio in 1980.
• John Braban also provided voices for Send For Dithers, and worked as a continuity announcer for ABC Television and ATV Midlands, before moving on to the BBC in 1969. He continued to work for them until 1990.
• Ronnie Stevens, while credited, has no recollection of the series at all!
• Roberta Leigh later used the Wonder Boy & Tiger characters in a comic called Wonder Weekly (see above), which she edited and was available only through Esso Petrol stations in 1968/69.
• The series utilises the rubber faced puppets with flexible jaws that made their debut on Paul Starr.
• Several episodes feature puppets from Space Patrol, notably Gallia who becomes Doctor Fang, Gabbler (who is pink), Marla (with black hair), Slim and Husky appear, largely unchanged save for wigs and costumes.
• This series was apparently only aired by Southern. Air dates are unknown.
• The first episode of Wonder Boy and Tiger is now available as an extra on the Space Patrol DVD box set.
Production Notes:
• At least thirteen complete episodes exist. This appears to be the entire series.
• The combination of puppets, live action inserts and animation give the show a kind of early Sesame Street feel, albeit aimed at the very young.
• The BFI listing for this series indicates it was filmed in 1966, while the copyright given on the Network DVD release states 1969.
• This series also utilises the flexible puppet faces that debuted in Paul Starr.
• Brian Jackson appeared in several television series such as The Avengers, and The Persuaders, and still works as a model, actor and voice-over specialist.
• This series was apparently aired as part of Tinker and Taylor in the west country of the UK, was shown by Westward, and was later screened by Southern in the summer of 1972.
• The first episode of Send For Dithers was available as an extra on the Space Patrol DVD box set.
Send for Dithers
Puppet animation, 15-minute colour episodes. Produced in 1966?
In the first episode, Dithers of the 'Let Me Help You' agency is asked by supermarket owner Mr Biggs to deliver a large surprise package to Johnny Barker. But getting his scarf stuck in the gate, Dithers trips and the talking 'surprise' is revealed to be a king penguin, Mr Perkins. After several mishaps, Mr Perkins is given to Dithers by Mr Biggs, to assist him on his safety-orientated adventures.
Obviously aimed at the very young, the awfully twee story and characterisation is balanced by nicely detailed sets and some nice puppetry.
Iain Petrie has created this enhanced and upscaled-to-HD episode of Send For Dithers.
Production Credits:
Created by Roberta Leigh
Produced by Roberta Leigh & Arthur Provis
Sets designed and made by Modelive
Directed by Frank Goulding
Screenplay, Music & Songs by Roberta Leigh
Associate Producer: John Chittock
Voices by: John Braban, Brian Jackson, Paddy Turner
Puppeteers: Joan Garrick, Jane Tyson
Puppets by: Jock Speirs
Costumes by: Shirley Denny
Photography: Arthur Provis
Camera Operator: David Knill
Chief Electrician: Bill Ward
Editor: Denis Skelton
Sound Recording by Audio Systems
Produced by National Interest Pictures for Wonderama Productions
Copyright ©Wonderama
Stylised and abstracted drawn animation, in basic colours with line drawn figures and backgrounds, and based on the first of two books by Roberta Leigh. The animation follows the style of illustrator Harry Hess, who also directed the pilot, which is bold, child-like and colourful in a way that verges on the psychodelic.
The Adventures of Mr Hero
Animated pilot film, ©1966. Running time approx 7 minutes
After a disagreement, the shadow of Nicky separates from him and drifts out to the sea. The shadow names himself 'Mr. Hero', befriends Tottie the Turtle and Blinka the Starfish, and dresses himself in fancy clothes from a sunken Spanish galleon. While he becomes a person under the sea, on returning to the land he becomes just a shadow again.
Production Credits:
Produced by Roberta Leigh
Story, Music & Lyrics by Roberta Leigh
Designed and Directed by Harry Hess
Made by TV Cartoons Ltd
Production Notes:
• In the original book, Mr Hero was the good shadow of naughty boy Nicky, but Nicky doesn't like being told to be good so he cuts his shadow off into the sea. The starfish is called Blinka the Winka, as he can 'switch' on and off very quickly.
• The second book is called Mr Hero and the Raggler Children (right), published in 1961.
• This pilot film is available as an extra on the Space Patrol DVD box set.
An attempt to do a live action variation of Space Patrol, starring John Garfield and Derek Fowlds, which made it incredibly ambitious for its time. Unfortunately, like Paul Starr, it failed to sell but is also available as an extra on the Space Patrol Complete Series DVD Box Set.
The Solarnauts
©1967
IainP has created an enhanced and upscaled-to-HD version of the pilot episode.
Timothy Travel
Around 1967. Puppet animation.
This unsold 30-minute pilot is the work of Arthur Provis, and comprises of a number of short episodic adventures. The eponymous character Timothy is a time traveller who ends up in the Middle Ages and gets involved with a knight in armour, and a talking dragon. The production is apparently very polished. Further details are unknown.