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Family puppet series of 26 x 11 minute episodes or 13 x 21 minute double episodes.
Best described as The Goon Show meets Wind In The Willows. Very unique live action animatronic puppets feature in this surreal comedy character based sitcom like show. Clever wordplay, visual surprises and unique storytelling add up to 26 non-formulaic distinctive episodes.
Produced in 1993, this was a co-production between Mike’s British company Ultimate Animates Productions and HTV. The series originally aired on HTV and Channel 4.
Mike co-produced all 26 x 11 minute episodes of this off-beat family puppet series. He directed 6 episodes, making camera scripts and live cutting multi cameras in the gallery and directed all the location shoot and opening and closing titles, single camera, film style. He also directed all pre-recordings of the celebrity voices featuring Spike Milligan, Michael Bentine, Barbara Windsor and Stanley Unwin. He performed all the off line editing and supervised all post production foley, FX and mixing.
This series was reacquired by it’s three creators, Mike Quinn, Dave Barclay and Karen Prell and is being made available for distribution. QuinnZone Studios can act as the holding company and make any necessary revisions to the show. One option is to re-release the series as is. Another is to bump it up to HD in 16x9. Another is to re-edit, remix, re-voice, add visual effects and rename the show. This would be subject to any distributor's requirements.
OUTLINE
Grandpa Bong lives life to the fullest, enjoying every magical moment. Often the line seems to blur between performing magic at children’s parties and real life magic. Anything can happen when The Great Bong casts his silly spells and it usually does. Hurricanes blast form cupboards, it rains popcorn and tin cans, giant pancakes fill up the room or the moon gets turned into a kumquat! All this is much to Bong’s delight to which he can be heard frequently proclaiming “Deep Joy!”.
It is during one of these magic spells Bong conjures up Sir Spudwyn and his Squire Ogmore from the 6th century. Adventures abound as Sir Spudwyn is torn between the new love of his life Mabel Rook, the singer and reporter who lives on the floor above Bong and getting back home to the 6th century. His hatred of all things magic is equally matched by Ogmore’s love for it. Little Bong thrives off of stirring them all up and playing as many trick as possible. The interplay between each character is beautifully crafted amidst the chaos and disorder present in each episode. Surprisingly it is usually the wisdom of Bong who brings them all back down to earth in the end.
The Great Bong (Grandpa Bong Badger) voiced by Stanley Unwin
Stanley was a British classic with his own special "Unwinese" gobbledygook way of talking.
Grandpa Bong is a joyful magician who lives in a hollowed out old oak tree, rumored to once have belonged to Merlin himself. He can often be seen riding his colorful “Bong-cycle” through the scenic countryside. None of the crazy events going on around him seem to phase him, especially as quite often he’s the one who causes it! Whenever he performs one of his magic spells and chants the magic words “Abra-ka-Bong!” , a thunderous “BONG” sound is heard and you can guarantee things will never quite be the same again!
Spudley (Sir Spudwyn of Udwyn) voiced by Michael Bentine
Spudley is a bulldog and a magic hating gallant Knight who is stranded in the present, thanks to The Great Bong’s magic. He decides to work undercover as Mr. Spudley and gets a job as a postman to hide from his fiendish enemies. However he discovers he is madly in love with Mabel Rook.
Mabel Rook voiced by Barbara Windsor
Mabel lives in the apartment above Grandpa Bong in the oak tree. She often has to “tolerate” her noisy downstairs neighbour and is not immune to many of his spells and adventures. When not dealing with domestic troubles, she tries to distract herself with her singing career and her job as the local reporter. Unfortunately for her, all roads seem to lead to Bong!
Ogmore Weasel voiced by Spike Milligan
He is Sir Spudwyn’s dim witted squire and scapegoat and got transported to the present day along with him. Unlike Sir Spudwyn, Ogmore is an enthusiastic fan of The Great Bong’s magic and even tries his hand at some himself, much to the annoyance of Sir Spudwyn.
EPISODE LIST
1- Bong to the future
The Great Bong tries a special magic trick to celebrate the visit of his granddaughter Little Bong and accidentally conjures up a knight and his squire from 6th century Camelot.
2- Bong and Breakfast
The Great Bong welcomes Sir Spudwyn and Ogmore to the 20th century by attempting to conjure up some peanut butter and kumquat pancakes.
3- Keeping Posted
The Great Bong and Ogmore go undercover as a Mardi Bong parade in order to post a letter for Mabel. Sir Spudwyn goes undercover as postman Mr. Spudley to hide from his fiendish enemies.
4- Bong With The Wind
The Great Bong goes camping with Little Bong, who wants to avoid looking at Mabel’s holiday photos when a sudden wind storm forces them to spend the night indoors with Mabel’s photos..... and an illuminated cabbage!
5- Bong Around Athlete
The Great Bong conjures up a motorized jogging suit to help Mr. Spudley try some 20th century sports as Ogmore offers his athletic support by cheerleading with Mabel’s wig.
6- Bong On Wheels
The Great Bong uses his magic to go on a wild skateboard ride with Little Bong but his trusty Bongcycle gets jealous.
7- The Bonger’s Apprentice
The Great Bong undergoes some strange transformations while teaching his new apprentice Ogmore the secret of becoming a magician.
8- A Star Is Bonged
The Great Bong helps Mr. Spudley rescue damsels in distress while Little Bong tries to win a contest by shooting a home video starring Mabel.
9- Bong distance Call
The Great Bong is reluctant to have his own telephone installed because he’s afraid of “techno-bominable gadgets” and keeps borrowing Mabel’s phone to talk to Little Bong.
10- Pearls Before Bongs
The Great bong and Mr. Spudley try using muscles and magic to help Mabel get into a heavy Pearly Queen dress for a concert.
11- Spudley’s Medal
The Great Bong chases a runaway ingredient for a celebrational meal while Little Bong plays a trick on Mr. Spudley by dipping his precious running medal in some itching powder.
12- Movie Magic and Miss Direction
The Great Bong is so amazed when the disappearing magic he performs for Little Bong’s school video actually works that he doesn’t notice that the magic keeps making Little Bong disappear.
13- Night Of The Sleep Bonger
The Great Bong conjures up raining popcorn and a menacing sofa when he wanders about “Bonging” in his sleep and everybody tries to wake him before he conjures up a real catastrophe.
14- Love Is A Many Splendoured Bong
The Great Bong helps Little Bong celebrate the memory of the late, practical joke loving Grandma Bong by playing her favourite trick on lovesick Mr. Spudley.
15- The Good, The Bad And The Spudley
The Great Bong comes down with Spring Fever and Mr. Spudley must do a good deed for him to prove to Mabel that he is a true knight of the Round Table
16- Lights, Cameras, Bong
The Great Bong conjures up wind, waves and Hawaiian music when Little Bong directs a high seas video starring her newly wealthy investor, Ogmore.
17- To Bong Or Not To Bong
The Great Bong loses his “Bong!” sound when he tries to avoid disturbing Mabel’s song writing by silencing his noisy magic.
18- Into The Wild Bong Yonder
The Great Bong tries a levitating potion made from Dragon’s breath and causes Mr. Spudley to need emergency flying lessons from Mabel.
19- Happy Bongday
The Great Bong has a surprising surprise birthday party for Little Bong when Mr. Spudley delivers a booby-trapped birthday present.
20- Bong Versus Brawn
The Great Bong acts as referee and janitor when Little Bong challenges Mr. Spudley to a “no holds barred” duel of practical jokes using banana skins, rubber chickens and whoopee cushions.
21- The Ol’ Bong and Swap
The Great Bong shows Ogmore how to perform The Ol’ Bong and Swap” trick and Mabel and Ogmore end up swapping bodies, much to Mr. Spudley’s confusion.
22- Unidentified Flying Bong
The Great Bong prepares floating sandwiches and ukelele music to greet visitors from outer space and Little bong disguises herself as a UFO to get Mabel to take her photo for the newspaper.
23- Truth Or Bong
The Great Bong finds the long lost mirror of secrets, which reveals the surprising secret personalities of Spudley, Mabel and Ogmore when they look into it.
24- Bong Cleaning
The Great Bong turns a vacuum cleaner into a ravenous monster when he helps Little Bong clean up Mabel’s apartment so it can be photographed for the village newspaper.
25- Bong And Found
The Great Bong wonders where all the lost socks go and Ogmore finds them in a strange musical limbo, where he must outwit a rampaging limbo pole.
26- The Bong Goodbye
The Great Bong finally finds a time travel spell that will return Mr. Spudley and Ogmore to 6th century Camelot but they must be ready to leave in only one hour.
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