"If you go down to Cloppa Castle,
     be prepared to stay awhile..."
 

     In this splendid series, Cloppa Castle is a medieval fort under permanent siege
     from a band of angry rebels, bent upon usurping the throne and laying claim to
     the oil resources found beneath the castle grounds - that's unless it's tea time,
     then this friendly enemy will partake of a cuppa with their opposite number....

          

     The Bygones

     Cloppa Castle is the stronghold of the Bygones, a mixed bunch of crazy courtiers
     headed by a matronly battleaxe called Queen Ethelbruda. She's often seen
     driving around the castle grounds on her Brudabanga - a kind of wooden horse
     and chariot combination with caterpillar tracks of wooden posts to drive it
     along instead of wheels. At Ethelbruda's side, or more likely quaking behind
     the throne is her lackluster husband King Woebegone. They have a sap of a son,
     Prince Idlebone and a fizzy-headed daughter Princess Tizzibel (Tizzy, for short).
     There's a befuddled Royal Sorceror called Mudlin, a cheesy jester called Jest A Minit,
     an inventor boffin called Cue-Ee-Dee and a bright young page called Albrite. Royal
     security is managed by an oaf called Elbow, who spends much of his time harassing
     an unfortunate subordinate, the lovable, luckless Osmosis. There's also Useless,
     a woad-encrusted Celtic warrior who's as hopeless as her name, and a lippy
     moping guard called Gippo. Last, but by no means least, is the oversize
     dinosaur Dippy. Hatched from an egg this Diplodocus quickly out-grew the
     castle and departed for the country, but he still returns from time to time
     to assist his Bygone friends...

     

     The Hasbeenes

     Besieging Cloppa Castle are Beosweyne and his army. Beosweyne is a growling,
     graveled leader who roars like a tiger but is as harmless as a pussycat. Looks
     a little bit like Zak Dingle from "Emmerdale", doesn't he? - Anyway, he's most
     commonly assisted by Hench, a gloomy sidekick with little hunger for battle and
     a thick lip of despair beneath his helmet. Hench, Beosweyne and the rest of the
     Hasbeene soldiers regularly fall foul of their own plots and schemes, which almost
     always backfire. And if the Bygones are enjoying a laugh or joke, it's almost always
     at the Hasbeenes expense...   

          

     "Cloppa Castle" was brought to us by Mary Turner and John Read, veterans of
     Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation crew. Indeed John was there at the very
     beginning. In 1956 Gerry co-founded AP Films with Arthur Provis, Sylvia
     Thamm (later, Sylvia Anderson), Reg Hill and himself. He had previously been
     employed as special effects supervisor on films like "The DamBusters". At AP
     John was director of photography, cameraman and engineer on Supercar,
     Stingray and Thunderbirds. Mary, meanwhile, was employed as puppetmaker,
     sculptor, and operator alongside Christine Glanville. She sculpted the beautiful
     heads for Stingray's Troy Tempest and Marina, and Thunderbirds' Lady Penelope
     whom she actually modelled on Sylvia Anderson. Mary and Christine often
     shared operational duties on the productions - it was very much a 'hands on'
     affair, working on an Anderson series. Mary helped develop the 'stringless
     puppet' techniques employed on the later series, and John contributed to
     the miniaturization of the voice boxes used on the puppets so that they could
     be fitted in the chest, rather than the head, and thus reduce the over-proportioned
     features of the marionettes. On Captain Scarlet, Mary was credited as Puppetry
     Co-ordinator, whilst John's role evolved into Associate Producer. It was only a
     matter of time before they stepped out on their own...

     And when they eventually did, Mary and John struck tv gold with their very
     first series, "The Adventures of Rupert Bear". This beautiful - and in The Hound's
     eyes, definitive - tv adaptation brought the little bear, Raggety, Bill and the rest into
     glorious puppet life. An equally-successful adaptation of Mumfie the Elephant
     followed. "Cloppa Castle" was their third commission, and afterwards came "The
     Munch Bunch", a tossed salad of delights starring a multitude of walking, talking
     fruit and vegetables.  

          

     The Cloppa series were filmed in a converted church in Southwark Park Road,
     in London. At its peak, "Cloppa Castle" was the top-performing kids TV show in
     its lunchtime slot. And now I've a confession to make. "Cloppa Castle" is
     The Hound's most favourite ever television series. Beautiful puppets, brilliant
     banter, a marvellous theme tune and a fast pace that keeps it fresh and funny
     and bright throughout. Indeed, even now, twenty-plus years on from its first
     broadcast it remains a hoot....

 

     Be prepared to stay a while...

                                        
       The Cloppa Files - 1        The Cloppa Files - 2
       Dialogue Coordinator              Puppeteer Sue Dacre
       Richard Dacre talks about       recalls those Bygone days
       his role on the production...     of the Cloppa shoot...

 

    Cloppa Castle episodes

    Spring is Sprung                        The Blues
    It's a Gift                                 When You Gotta Grow, You Gotta Grow
    The Bruda Banger                      Squatters Wrongs!
    A Champion for Tizzibel               Water on the Brain
    Caught in a Jam                        It's a Monster!
    A State of Emergency                A Fatal Attack of the Lovee Doves
    Off Duty                                  Folkbangas For All
    Besieged Bothered& Bewildered    Blow Your Own Trumpet
    A Cold to Catch a Thief              A Big Heart Beats in a Small Frame
    No Laughing Matter                   To the Victor the Spoils
    Red Herring Chase                     The Call of the Cloppa Clarion
    The Good Ship Ethelbruda           A Chain is as Good as a Rest         
    Mudlin Muddles Through             The Crusade That Never Was
    You're Fired Cue-ee-dee             Go to Blazes!
    Bees in their Bonnets                  Doughnuts
    The Frog Prince Caper                The Pied Piper of Cloppa Castle
    White Elephant                          A Vulture for Culture
    Ups and Downs                         Operation Face-lift
    The Celebration                         The Friendly Enemy
    Spell-bound                              Young at Heart
    Idelsbone's Idleness Pays Off       Taters in the Mould                       
    It's the Real Thing                      Clothes Maketh the Man
    Sent to Coventry                       Oil for One and One for Oil
    A Cuckoo Clock                         What Goes Up Must Come Down
    Sheik Charade                           Low Treason
    Time for a Change                     A Complete Washout!

 

     Cloppa Castle on DVD

        Cloppa Castle - The Complete Series
                  Region 2 / Network / May 2005

        Cloppa Castle - Complete Series 1
                  Region 2 / Network / July 2004

        Cloppa Castle - Complete Series 2
                  Region 2 / Network / Jan 2005

 

       series created by Mary Turner and John Read
       from ITC Entertainment

       director:              Mary Turner
       photography:      John Read
       writers:               Anna Standon, John Kane
       puppetry:            Sue Dacre, Ann Brandon,
                                 Joyce Wren, Chris Covington,
                                 Judy Shutt
       costumes:           'Tricia Brummer
       sets:                   John Jelly
       assistant:            Bogus Machnik
       camera op:          Paul Marwaha
       sound:                Clive Coker, David Holmes
       CC theme:           Frank Weston, Patrick Campbell-Lyons
                                 sung by Rainbow Cottage
       incidental mus:    Norman Warren
       dialogue
         co-ordinator:        Richard Dacre
       voices:                Judy Bennett
                                 Charles Collingwood

 

     On the web


       Jedi's Paradise
       Jediman has pics of the actual puppets taken at a "Watch With Mother"
       kids tv exhibition held in Dudley in 1998, plus a fab little interview with
       Mary and John, an episode guide and lots of on-set photos to
       accompany their chat...

 
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