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Magic Roundabout, The

They're only making plans for NigelFINEST FRENCH export since Pasteurisation. Roll call: lank-haired sausage dog, Dougal, with penchant for sugar lumps; his mate Florence; perma-nodding snail mate Brian; deranged, be-hatted, flower-chewing, 360-degree-headed cow thing Ermintrude; lazy bastard hippy rabbit Dylan; hurdy-gurdy mastermind and keeper of the titular ’bout Mr. Rusty; terrifying train The Train; demented cyclist Mr McHenry; and of course, spring-loaded Cuban revolutionary and bedtime mentioner Zebedee. All lived on a bit of white paper with primary coloured flowers (monochrome in the 60s episode) and the occasional cuboid lying about. Crowning glory was ERIC THOMPSON’s narration, which he made up on the spot in a BBC cupboard to accompany the entirely mute French visuals. Whole country, apparently, would stop to watch at teatime, including Mr Wilson.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Pingback: “Petty” » Marber’s ‘The Ice Cream Man’

  2. Applemask

    September 26, 2009 at 10:32 pm

    Recieved wisdom disparages the 1991 episodes narrated by Nigel Planer (from a bunch of old tapes Thompson never did and was by now too dead to come back for) as entirely worthless, but only because it has to or it’ll lose its “cynical recieved wisdom” licence. In reality they were pretty good, though obviously not a patch on the original Thompsonalia.

  3. Paul

    September 28, 2009 at 10:25 am

    What a wacky TV world we had in those days, eh? Especially compared to today’s over-hyped, hermetically-sealed garbage. Magic Roundabout, Banana Splits, Crystal Tips and Alistair, Mr Benn. Who needed drugs????

  4. Joanne Gray

    February 19, 2017 at 4:56 pm

    Surely the hilarious B side to Jasper Carrott’s Funky Moped deserves a wee mention?

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