Tales of the Riverbank

(Also known as Hammy Hamster or Once Upon a Hamster in North America)

First aired in Britain in 1960 as part of the BBC’s Watch With Mother strand, Tales of the Riverbank quickly became a beloved fixture of children's television. Created in Canada in 1959 by CBC film editors David Ellison and Paul Sutherland and originally narrated by Sutherland, the series was turned down by CBC so Ellison travelled to the BBC in London who promptly commissioned thirteen episodes (later extending that to 39).

The majority were written by David Ellison, Charles Fullman, Paul Sutherland and Cliff Braggins and adapted by BBC staff writer Peggy Miller. Much of the filming (but not all of it) was done on location at Wootton Creek on the Isle of Wight.

The BBC did not want Ellison's Canadian accent for a British audience so the series was re-voiced by Johnny Morris of Animal Magic fame—his gentle, whimsical narration becoming an integral part of the show’s charm.

What set Tales of the Riverbank apart from its contemporaries was its extraordinary use of live animals rather than animation or puppetry. The central characters—Hammy the Hamster, Roderick the Rat, and GP the Guinea Pig—were all real, and filmed by producers Dave Ellison and Ray Billings using high-speed cameras. This footage was then played back at a slower speed, lending the animals a curious deliberateness in their movements that helped convey personality and purpose.

The ingenuity didn’t stop there. The animals inhabited miniature sets resembling human homes and operated tiny vehicles, from boats to cars to aeroplanes. This surreal yet somehow believable world created a sense of wonder, blurring the line between animal reality and human fantasy.

The original series ran until 1971, after which a new series of episodes was filmed. In the 1970s, the programme found a new home on ITV, and later, in 1993, it was revisited on Channel 4 under the title Further Tales of the Riverbank. Its appeal proved enduring; eventually, the series was sold to 34 countries, becoming a quiet international success.

Its simplicity, charm, and innovation continue to resonate with those who grew up with it, and it stands as a testament to the imaginative possibilities of children’s television in an age before CGI and high-tech wizardry.