Camberwick Green
Here is a box, a musical box, wound up and ready to
play.
But this box can hide a secret inside. Can you guess what is
in it today ?
Camberwick Green burst on to BBC1 on 3rd January 1966
for a run of 13 episodes. Two other series followed; Trumpton
(1967 - also 13 episodes) and Chigley (1969 - again 13
episodes). They were all part of the Watch With Mother
series of children's programs.
Even though there were only 36 episodes made they remain one of
the most popular children's programs ever made by the BBC. This is
not surprising given the excellent scripts, songs, and animation.
All the scripts were written by Gordon Murray (Alison Prince
co-wrote Trumpton) and the songs by Gordon Murray and
Freddie Phillips. The animation was handled by Bob Bura and John
Hardwick.
The other major factor in the success of these series was the
inspired casting of Brian Cant as the narrator. He brought
Trumptonshire to life, in narrating the stories, speaking - or
shouting in the case of Sergeant Major Grout - the words of the
characters, singing the excellent songs, and - in Camberwick
Green and Chigley - talking to the characters directly.
Each of the series had their own particular locations. Camberwick
Green never strayed too far from the village green, Colley's
Mill or Pippin Fort.
Trumpton was firmly based in and around the Market
Square, and Chigley seemed to rely on travelling from
Winkstead Hall via the Chigley Pottery to Treddles Wharf, with
just enough time to get back to the Biscuit Factory for the six
o'clock whistle.
The landmark buildings included a Fishmongers, Bakery, Chemist,
Post Office, a Dairy, Colley's Mill (a Windmill), Farmer Bell's farm and Pippin
Fort. - Camberwick Green has been described as "the posh bit
of Trumpton".
The series (along with Chigley and Trumpton) were
filmed in stop-frame animation (in the same manner as The Magic
Roundabout).
At the start of every episode a musical box would play and out
of the rotating top would pop the "secret" of that
particular episode. It was always a character from Camberwick
Green (and was more often than not, Windy Miller!)
What was the story with Windy Miller? Every time Farmer Bell
couldn't sell his eggs to any of the shops in Trumpton it was
because Windy Miller had undercut him by flogging off his cheap
"home made" ones.
When the dairy smashed all it's milk bottles by accident it
bought cheap milk from (yep you guessed it) Windy bloody Miller .
. . He even had a special arrangement with the army from Pippin
Fort . . . Was Windy Miller the original Del-Boy Trotter?!?
It was never clear in which era Camberwick Green was set,
but Mrs Honeyman, the chemist's wife, had a long skirt with a hint
of a bustle, the soldiers from Pippin Fort wore 'Quality
Street' uniforms and Dr Mopp wore a top hat and drove an old
boneshaker of a car so perhaps the show was meant to be set in the
Edwardian past.
EPISODES
Peter the Postman | Windy Miller | Mr Crockett, the Garage Man |
Dr Mopp | Farmer Jonathan Bell | Captain Snort | Paddy Murphy |
Roger Varley the Sweep | PC McGary | Mr Carraway, the Fishmonger |
Mr Murphy the Baker | Mrs Honeyman and her baby
Dr Mopp's Song
If you want a doctor, get Doctor Mopp,
For he can stop a sneeze or a wheeze,
Or a lump or a bump,
a headache, a sprain,
or rheumatic pain.
So if you're feeling sickly,
please call him quickly.
He can cure all ills,
With his pale pink medicine,
and sugar coated pills
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Windy Miller's Song
Windy Miller, Windy Miller,
sharper than a thorn
Like a mouse he's spry and nimble
when he grinds the corn
And like a bird he'll watch the wind
and listen for the sound...
Which says he has the wind he needs
to make the sails go round |
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