The
Blunders (1984) producers:
FilmFair / S.W.P.A. animation: cel animation episodes:
30 x 5mins
"How
they make those blunders
is
what everybody wonders..."
Ooh
missus! - What a blunder! - Welcome to Villa Shambles, home to the bluffing,
botching, blundering Blunders. That's Ma and
Pa Blunder, young Bobby Blunder
and Baby Blunder, Zebra the striped cat, Trouble
the dog, and Patch the bird.
As one would expect, everything the Blunders
put their hands to go awry and
every little occurrence or event botched and
bluffed. They stuff up the new central
heating, fall foul of a UFO warning, slip up
when washing the dog and even try
to help him learn to fly. They're bloomin' ridiculous,
we're told.
This a knockabout series, narrated with enthusiasm
by the late Frankie Howerd.
The energy he injects in to each tale just about
papers over the gaps in the budget.
Yes it's a cheap production - as cheap as chips,
in fact - but its' heart is in the
right place, and there's a 'blunderful' title
song which Frankie sings over the
opening and closing credits. The series reminds
one a little of 'The Ratties',
which came out a couple of years after this. That
one had Spike Milligan
raving through the silly stories and title song in
a similar fashion.
'The Blunders' was written and directed by Ian
Sachs, whose other credits
include 'Portland Bill' and 'Willo
The Wisp'. He's still animating today, with Shutterbug
Studios. Three series were produced for FilmFair, proving that
these blundering buffoons had a bit of mileage
to them.
Trivia Hounds will spy some 'famous' cameos
in this show. In the episode
'At The Circus' the ringmaster is a Groucho
Marx lookalike. In 'The Blunder
House Of Horror' we meet a Lugosi-style Dracula,
Frankenstein, Igor and
The Mummy. And in 'UFO Spotting' the olde worlde
radio broadcast on the
Blunders' wireless suggests a bit of 'War Of
The Worlds' type foolery, just
like Orson Welles' famous radio broadcast...
Blunders episodes
At The Circus Ye
Blunder And Ye Dragon
Looking After Doris UFO
Spotting
Central Heating The
Trouble With Trouble
Dog Bath A
Blunder At The Manor
The Blunder House Of Horror
Dogs Don't Migrate
written and directed by Ian Sachs
original characters created by
Colin Voisey and Haydn Morgan
producer: Barrie
Edwards assoc prods:
Mike Wagen, Peter Fulwood exec prod: Graham
Clutterbuck music & lyrics:
Chris Stuart, Robin Lyons
animation:
Geoff Loynes artists: Alison
Johnston, Theresa Whatley,
Deborah
Johnson
sound: editor:
Rob Dunbar assisted by: Sharon
Johnston, Mark Woodroffe prod manager: Peter
Ibberson camera: Mark
Taylor
as told by: Frankie
Howerd