Captain Pugwash

Captain Pugwash

1957 - United Kingdom

Classic but crudely animated children's series from John Ryan relating the tales of Captain Horatio Pugwash, podgy skipper of The Black Pig. The stories were told over several or more five minute episodes, most of the time Pugwash and his crew were pitted against the notorious, black bearded pirate, Cut Throat Jack. Ryan was later accused of including deliberate sexual innuendo in the scripts, a charge that he strenuously denied. There seems to be something of an urban myth about dubiously named characters such as Master Bate, but closer scrutiny does not bear this out (the character was actually called Master Mate). 

Peter Hawkins supplied the voices for this and several other BBC shows, including Bill and Ben the Flowerpot Men, and perhaps more famously, the Daleks in Doctor Who. Such was the success of Pugwash that a regular cartoon strip appeared in the Radio Times, the original series was colourised and a new set of 26 episodes were created in 1999 at a cost of £1.5 million! 

Published on December 3rd, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.

Read Next...

The Gay Cavalier

Swashbuckling adventure as yet another historical rogue is turned into a hero for 1950s British television.

Also released in 1957

Noggin the Nog

"Listen to me and I will tell you the story of Noggin the Nog, as it was told in the days of old"

Also tagged Childrens Cartoon

Casey Jones

Popular Western series for kids that was made along similar lines to The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid and other successfully syndicated US shows of the late 1950's.

Also released in 1957

The Adventures of Long John Silver

Australian series filmed in colour but only available to the UK viewing public of 1957 in black and white, The Adventures of Long John Silver was based very loosely on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island.

Also released in 1957

Potty Time

Created, written and presented by the multi-talented Michael Bentine, Potty Time was a marvellously madcap puppet series for pre-school children that re-enacted some of the world's greatest historical events and shed new light on mysteries ancient and modern all with a unique Potty slant. Adults loved it too.

Also tagged Pre School

Whirligig

"The first Children's Variety Magazine Programme."

Also tagged Pre School

Pokémon

Television Heaven recalls an old review from 2000, shortly after the Pokémon craze had hit the UK, we surmised, "Whether the animated Pokémon will ultimately earn a fondly remembered place amongst the ranks of other, much-loved cartoon series will be a question for a future generation to decide..."

Also tagged Childrens Animation