Toonhound - Count Duckula (1988-1993)

   "In the heart of Transylvania,
     In the Vampire Hall of Fame - yeah!
     There's not a vampire zanier than Duckula..."

     This quacked-up Count was a spin-off character first seen in Cosgrove Hall's
     mega-successful DangerMouse series. In the episode titled "The Four Tasks of
     DangerMouse" one of the items our super rodent had to retrieve was a feather
     from a vampire duck...

     That's the original Duckula, above. Originally, he was simply a lisping foppish
     thespian with grand designs for the stage and screen, but thankfully, he had
     a thorough makeover before he got his own series. He was given a snappier
     design with a daffy bill and an angular haircut, and actor David Jason
     lost the rasping edge from his lisp. To flesh out the concept, he was
     given a splendidly-gloomy manservant called Igor and an ever-bumbling,
     sling-wearing, means-well-honest housekeeper called Nanny. These three
     now dwelled together in the Count's teleporting abode, Castle Duckula.
     The teleporting mechanism was contained within an ancient cuckoo
     clock, that also played host to two wisecracking clockwork bats called
     Dmitri and Sviatoslav. Oh, and stalking around in the background was
     mad Doctor Von Goosewing, a famous vampire duck hunter (not at all
     related to Van Helsing, of course...)

       There's not a vampire zanier than Duckula!

     The thing was, the Count was actually a Vegetarian Vampire, born from a
     mix-up during reincarnation in which Nanny and Igor used ketchup instead of
     blood. Honest. The opening narration explained it all:

    "Castle Duckula, home for many centuries to a dreadful dynasty
     of vicious vampire ducks - The Counts of Duckula. Legend has it
     that these 'fowl' beings can be destroyed by a stake through the
     heart or exposure to sunlight. This does not suffice however, for
     they may be brought back to life by means of a secret rite that
     can be performed once a century, when the moon is in the
     Eighth House of Aquarius... The latest reincarnation did not run
     according to plan...."

    The Count's quacked-up adventures took him around the world, to Egypt, the fair,
    the Highlands, in to space and beyond. But however far he went, Igor was always
    there to bring him down to earth with a doom-laden thump, and Nanny was
    guaranteed to put her foot in it, or arm, or her whole bloomin' person!

Droll, dry and off-the-wall, Duckula was another top-drawer creation from
    Cosgrove Hall and he still inspires a loyal fanbase today...

'Mystic Saxophone' book cover 'No Sax Please' book cover Von Goosewing up to no good...

    » Trivia Hounds will note that the first episode of season one was entitled
        "No Sax Please, We're Egyptian", but this title was obviously considered too
        racy for kids. Why else would the book publishers, Carnival, change their tie-in
        title to "The Mystic Saxophone" when they reprinted it in 1989...?

    » In that great Cyclical Way of Things, Count Duckula actually went on to
       spawn its own spin-off series. Series irregulars Gaston and Pierre were two
       sneaky French crooks who were reinvented, reincarnated and relaunched
       as bumbling Victor and Hugo....

Collector's corner

Duckula artwork from DangerMouseOriginals!

     Original art and prints
     If you love this quacked-up Count, you'd best transport over to
     DangerMouseOriginals. This new site is operated by Jennie Cosgrove.
     She's Brian Cosgrove's daughter, and she's got original Duckula
     drawings and production artwork for sale, and more goodies,
     straight from the Cosgrove Hall vaults!....

     Duckula episodes

     Series One
    No Sax Please, We're Egyptian
    Vampire Vacation
    One Stormy Night
    Transylvanian Homesick Blues
    Restoration Comedy
    Mutinous Penguins
    Dr. Von Goosewings Invisible Ray
    Down Under Duckula
    All in a Fog
    Castle Duckula: Open to the Public
    Ghost of McCastle McDuckula
    Igor's Busy Day
    Autoduck
    The Vampire Strikes Back
    Hardluck Hotel
    The Hunchbudgie of Notre Dame
    Dear Diary
    Rent a Butler
    Jungle Duck
    Mobile Home
    A Fright at the Opera
    Dr. Goosewing and Mr. Duck
    Town Hall Terrors
    Sawdust Ring
    Duck and the Broccoli Stalk
    Family Reunion

     Series Two
    Ghostly Gold
    Ducknapped
    The Lost Valley
    Hi-Duck
    The Incredible Shrinking Duck
    Prime-Time Duck
    Bloodsucking Fruitbats of the Lower Amazon
  The Count and the Pauper (I Don't Wanna Work
    on Maggots Farm No More)
    In Arctic Circles
    Transylvanian Take-Away
    Who Dunnit?
    No Yaks Please, We're Tibetan
    Beau Duckula
    Mississippi Duck
    Amnesiac Duck
    Mysteries of the Wax Museum
    Return of the Curse of the Secret of the Mummy's
    Tomb Meets Franken Duckula's Monster
    The Lost City of Atlantis
    Bad Luck Duck

    Series Three
    Private Beak
    Astro Duck
    Unreal Estate
    Bombay Duck
    There are Werewolves at the Bottom of my Garden
    Duck Ahoy
    The Great Ducktective
    Deadeye Duck
    The Show Must Go On
    A Christmas Quacker
    The Rest is History
    00 Duck
    Mystery Cruise
    Around the World in a Total Daze
    Manhattan Duck
    Alps-a-Daisy
    Prince Duckula
    Venice a Duck Not a Duck
    A Mountie Always Gets His Duck
    The Zombie Awakes

     Duckula on DVD





      Count Duckula - The Complete Collection
      Region 2 / seven-disc set / Fremantle / October 2008

      Count Duckula: The Complete First Series
      Region 2 / three-disc set / Fremantle / July 2006

      Count Duckula: The Complete Second Series
      Region 2 / two-disc set / Fremantle / March 2007

      Count Duckula: The Complete Third Series
      Region 2 / two-disc set / Fremantle / Sept 2007

   Count Duckula: Vampire Vacation
      Region 2 / 6 episodes / Pearson Ent. / October 2002



     Count Duckula: The Complete First Season
      Region 1 / Capital Ent. / September 2005

      producers:         Brian Cosgrove, Mark Hall
      exec prod:         John Hambley
      assoc prod:        Chris Randall
      director:            Chris Randall
      writers:              Brian Trueman, Jimmy Hibbert,
                             Peter Richard Reeves,
                             Jan Needle, John Sayle
      music:                  Mike Harding
      vocals:              Doreen Edwards, Mike Harding
      storyboard:        Ben Turner
      animation dir:    Carlos Alfonso, Juan R Pina
      design:              Chris Randall, Dan Whitworth,
                             Margaret Riley, Paul Salmon,
                             Vincent James, Edmund Williams
      editor:                  Zyggy Markiewicz
      assistant:            Hilary Wyatt
      voices:              David Jason (Duckula)
                             Barry Clayton (Narrator)
                             Jack May (Igor)
                             Brian Trueman (Nanny)
                             Jimmy Hibbert (Von Goosewing)
                             Ruby Wax (additional voices)

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			Count Duckula (1988 - 1993) producers: Cosgrove Hall Productions for Thames Television animation: cel animation episodes: 65 x 20mins
		"In the heart of Transylvania, In the Vampire Hall of Fame - yeah! There's not a vampire zanier than Duckula..." This quacked-up Count was a spin-off character first seen in Cosgrove Hall's mega-successful DangerMouse series. In the episode titled "The Four Tasks of DangerMouse" one of the items our super rodent had to retrieve was a feather from a vampire duck... That's the original Duckula, above. Originally, he was simply a lisping foppish thespian with grand designs for the stage and screen, but thankfully, he had a thorough makeover before he got his own series. He was given a snappier design with a daffy bill and an angular haircut, and actor David Jason lost the rasping edge from his lisp. To flesh out the concept, he was given a splendidly-gloomy manservant called Igor and an ever-bumbling, sling-wearing, means-well-honest housekeeper called Nanny. These three now dwelled together in the Count's teleporting abode, Castle Duckula. The teleporting mechanism was contained within an ancient cuckoo clock, that also played host to two wisecracking clockwork bats called Dmitri and Sviatoslav. Oh, and stalking around in the background was mad Doctor Von Goosewing, a famous vampire duck hunter (not at all related to Van Helsing, of course...) The thing was, the Count was actually a Vegetarian Vampire, born from a mix-up during reincarnation in which Nanny and Igor used ketchup instead of blood. Honest. The opening narration explained it all: "Castle Duckula, home for many centuries to a dreadful dynasty of vicious vampire ducks - The Counts of Duckula. Legend has it that these 'fowl' beings can be destroyed by a stake through the heart or exposure to sunlight. This does not suffice however, for they may be brought back to life by means of a secret rite that can be performed once a century, when the moon is in the Eighth House of Aquarius... The latest reincarnation did not run according to plan...." The Count's quacked-up adventures took him around the world, to Egypt, the fair, the Highlands, in to space and beyond. But however far he went, Igor was always there to bring him down to earth with a doom-laden thump, and Nanny was guaranteed to put her foot in it, or arm, or her whole bloomin' person! Droll, dry and off-the-wall, Duckula was another top-drawer creation from Cosgrove Hall and he still inspires a loyal fanbase today... » Trivia Hounds will note that the first episode of season one was entitled "No Sax Please, We're Egyptian", but this title was obviously considered too racy for kids. Why else would the book publishers, Carnival, change their tie-in title to "The Mystic Saxophone" when they reprinted it in 1989...? » In that great Cyclical Way of Things, Count Duckula actually went on to spawn its own spin-off series. Series irregulars Gaston and Pierre were two sneaky French crooks who were reinvented, reincarnated and relaunched as bumbling Victor and Hugo.... Collector's corner Original art and prints If you love this quacked-up Count, you'd best transport over to DangerMouseOriginals. This new site is operated by Jennie Cosgrove. She's Brian Cosgrove's daughter, and she's got original Duckula drawings and production artwork for sale, and more goodies, straight from the Cosgrove Hall vaults!.... Duckula episodes Series One No Sax Please, We're Egyptian Vampire Vacation One Stormy Night Transylvanian Homesick Blues Restoration Comedy Mutinous Penguins Dr. Von Goosewings Invisible Ray Down Under Duckula All in a Fog Castle Duckula: Open to the Public Ghost of McCastle McDuckula Igor's Busy Day Autoduck The Vampire Strikes Back Hardluck Hotel The Hunchbudgie of Notre Dame Dear Diary Rent a Butler Jungle Duck Mobile Home A Fright at the Opera Dr. Goosewing and Mr. Duck Town Hall Terrors Sawdust Ring Duck and the Broccoli Stalk Family Reunion Series Two Ghostly Gold Ducknapped The Lost Valley Hi-Duck The Incredible Shrinking Duck Prime-Time Duck Bloodsucking Fruitbats of the Lower Amazon The Count and the Pauper (I Don't Wanna Work on Maggots Farm No More) In Arctic Circles Transylvanian Take-Away Who Dunnit? No Yaks Please, We're Tibetan Beau Duckula Mississippi Duck Amnesiac Duck Mysteries of the Wax Museum Return of the Curse of the Secret of the Mummy's Tomb Meets Franken Duckula's Monster The Lost City of Atlantis Bad Luck Duck Series Three Private Beak Astro Duck Unreal Estate Bombay Duck There are Werewolves at the Bottom of my Garden Duck Ahoy The Great Ducktective Deadeye Duck The Show Must Go On A Christmas Quacker The Rest is History 00 Duck Mystery Cruise Around the World in a Total Daze Manhattan Duck Alps-a-Daisy Prince Duckula Venice a Duck Not a Duck A Mountie Always Gets His Duck The Zombie Awakes Duckula on DVD Count Duckula - The Complete Collection Region 2 / seven-disc set / Fremantle / October 2008 Count Duckula: The Complete First Series Region 2 / three-disc set / Fremantle / July 2006 Count Duckula: The Complete Second Series Region 2 / two-disc set / Fremantle / March 2007 Count Duckula: The Complete Third Series Region 2 / two-disc set / Fremantle / Sept 2007 Count Duckula: Vampire Vacation Region 2 / 6 episodes / Pearson Ent. / October 2002 Count Duckula: The Complete First Season Region 1 / Capital Ent. / September 2005 producers: Brian Cosgrove, Mark Hall exec prod: John Hambley assoc prod: Chris Randall director: Chris Randall writers: Brian Trueman, Jimmy Hibbert, Peter Richard Reeves, Jan Needle, John Sayle music: Mike Harding vocals: Doreen Edwards, Mike Harding storyboard: Ben Turner animation dir: Carlos Alfonso, Juan R Pina design: Chris Randall, Dan Whitworth, Margaret Riley, Paul Salmon, Vincent James, Edmund Williams editor: Zyggy Markiewicz assistant: Hilary Wyatt voices: David Jason (Duckula) Barry Clayton (Narrator) Jack May (Igor) Brian Trueman (Nanny) Jimmy Hibbert (Von Goosewing) Ruby Wax (additional voices) On the web Duckula Online An info stuffed, well-presented Duckula fansite with show details, episode info and pictures, and - well - all that a Duckula fan could possibly need or want... Except that it isn't in English. But continental visitors will be delighted, and even us language-lazy Brits can get a stack out of the place. What's more, it's about to be translated into a new international format... Memoires of a Vampire Duck A Duckula blog here, from a keen series fan, intemittently updated with some very handy info and chatter... . Cosgrove Hall Ate My Brain Nyanko's energetic, attractive fan site which coivers all-things Cosgrove Hall related... Epguides Hooray for epguides! - Here's Alan Morton's transmission and episode guide... index » previous » next »
© Cosgrove-Hall / Pearson Television / F2010