Edward and Friends
Runtime5 minutes
DirectorJeff Newitt
Jo Pullen
Martin Pullen
WriterMichael Cole
StarringBernard Cribbins
Royce Mills
Bill Pertwee
Sheila Steafel
Open themeMike Batt
CountryUnited Kingdom
CompanyFilmFair London
The Lego Group
NetworkBBC2
First aired19 June 1987
Last aired18 December 1987
Num episodes28

Edward and Friends is a children's TV series in claymation from FilmFair that aired on British, New Zealand and Canadian television in 1987–1989. Each episode was 5-minutes in length and was based on the 1980s Lego Fabuland theme. 28 episodes were produced.[1] It was the Lego Group's first foray into animation and television in general. Bernard Cribbins provided the voice-over for the show, written by Michael Cole with music by Mike Batt.[citation needed]

List of characters

  • Edward Elephant
  • Bonnie Bunny
  • Max Mouse
  • Clive Crocodile
  • Lionel Lion
  • Hannah Hippopotamus
  • Billy Bear
  • Bertie Bulldog
  • Boris Bulldog
  • Catherine Cat
  • Joe Crow
  • Freddy Fox
  • Mike Monkey
  • Wilfred Walrus
  • Lucy Lamb (books only)

Video releases

Two VHS videocassettes of Edward and Friends were published by Screen Legends/Pickwick Video, which together comprised eighteen episodes. Between the episodes on VHS and back-to-back TV episodes, short segments were placed featuring Edward Elephant performing different tricks and one or two of his friends pushing apart the black screen. Volume 1:

  1. Edward Gets the Hiccups
  2. Lionel's Party
  3. Boris Gets a Scooter
  4. Clive's Kite
  5. Bertie's First Case
  6. Edward and the Camera
  7. Edward Joins the Band
  8. Edward Goes Jogging
  9. Wilfred's Treasure

Volume 2:

  1. Edward to the Rescue
  2. The Play
  3. A Day for Skating
  4. Bonnie and the Mole
  5. Max and the Rainbow
  6. Wilfred's Rocking Chair
  7. Edward Tries to Help
  8. Lionel's Car
  9. A Robot for Max

A significant number of episodes were not released on VHS, including "Christmas in Fabuland", "Edward and the Big Balloon", "Catherine's Cake", "The Great Race", "The Snowfall", "The Clock Tower", "Clive is Taller", "Edward and the Statue", "The Expedition", and the Earth Day special "A Trust to Nature".

Books

In addition, there were also a series of seven books published by Ladybird Books Inc. The books have the same title as the TV series episodes and used still photos from the TV show. Each book contains 2 stories except Christmas in Fabuland, which, however, contains storylines from two episodes. The list of books available were:

  • Lionel's Party/Edward and the Camera ISBN 0-7214-1063-4,
  • Edward gets the Hiccups/Wilfred's Treasure ISBN 0-7214-1064-2,
  • Edward joins the band/Clive's Kite ISBN 0-7214-1083-9,
  • Lionel's Car/Edward to the rescue ISBN 0-7214-1084-7,
  • Edward tries to help/Boris gets a scooter ISBN 0-7214-1200-9,
  • Edward and the big balloon/A robot for Max ISBN 0-7214-1201-7,
  • Christmas in Fabuland ISBN 0-7214-1191-6.

Credits

  • Voices: Bernard Cribbins, Royce Mills, Bill Pertwee, Sheila Steafel
  • Written by: Michael Cole
  • Music by: Mike Batt
  • Technical design: Gordon Tait
  • Models: Heather Boucher, Pauline London, Dave Witts
  • Edited by: Rob Dunbar
  • Executive producer: Graham Clutterbuck
  • Produced by: Barrie Edwards
  • Animated & directed by: Jo Pullen, Martin Pullen, Jeff Newitt

References

  1. ^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 57. ISBN 9781476672939.