This eccentric series was created by and starred the fourth Goon, Michael Bentine,
    interacting with a seemingly endless parade of puppets, known as "The Pottys".
    Together, they took us through a "potted" history of Britain and the world, peered
    at various myths and legends, and reimagined our literary legacy - from a Potty
    point of view...

    So what is a Potty, exactly? Well, he/she/it is a kind of miniature man whose
    face is hidden by a mop of hair, so that only a bulbous nose can be seen.
    Pottys may or may not have legs, because their appendages are kept out of
    sight beneath a swathe of clothing. These chaps tend to come in pairs (one
    big, one small), and both sizes like nothing more than to gabble in an almost
    helium-like fashion. And it seems they have much to gabble about.

    Each episode, Michael would step out of his drawing room and into the Potty's
    miniature realm. We visited Hadrian's Wall, Treasure Island, Sherwood Forest,
    Frankenstein's Castle, Camelot and beyond. But no matter where we went,
    numerous Potty encounters, contretemps, debates and debacles would ensue,
    ensuring that wrongs were righted, history rewritten, and we left suitably
    reeducated about the world.

    "Potty Time" shared similarities with an earlier Bentine show. "The Bumblies"
    had floated on to our screens in 1954. But here, twenty years on, Michael
    could really let his imagination run riot with the aid of some great set design
    and effects.
     
    The Pottys were, of course, hand puppets who roamed around via carefully
    disguised slots in the sets, which allowed the operators to stalk beneath them.
    Each episode had to be meticulously mapped out in advance, because they
    were recorded live - which meant all those gesticulations, gibberish and
    effects had to be perfectly timed. The Pottys had a penchant for gunfire
    and explosions, and invariably, our host would be forced to duck out of
    the way of a good old-fashioned cannonball, or two...

    As the series progressed, the Pottys seemed to get ever-more absurd. 
    Many folks still have a soft-spot for the Invisible Potty, who roamed the stage
    purportedly out of sight, but caused so much chaos as he traversed the place
    it was difficult to avoid him!

    » The Potty with the clapperboard is clever young Clarence, who introduced
        each episode with great enthusiasm, and a snap of his board..

 

    Potty episodes

    Series 1
    Treasure Island            Sports Round Up
    King Arthur                  Marie Celeste
    Northwest Frontier        Sherlock Holmes
    Movie Monsters            On the Pirate Buses
    Robin Hood                  Marco Polo
    World War One Aces     Hadrian's Wall
    Father Christmas          Potty School
    Foreign Legion             Farmers Vs Moles
    Up the Amazon            The Scarlet Pimpernel
    The Armada                Arabian Nights
    7th Cavalry                 Army Cookery Corps
    The Vikings                 Crown Jewels
    The Mounties              Potty Magic
    
 

      Potty Time on DVD
 
       Michael Bentine's Potty Time - Series 1
                 Region 2 / all 26 episodes / Network / January 2004

 

     created and written by Michael Bentine

     directors:       Leon Thau, Michael Custance
     producer:       Leon Thau
     puppets:        Joan and Stan Griffiths
     models:         Stan Griffiths
     puppeteers:   The Barry Smith Theatre of Puppets
     voices:          Michael Bentine

 

     On the web


      Little Gems
      The Big Knights dig up more lost treasure with these Potty
      Time pages. Several episodes are outlined together with a
      stack of screen grabs, theme WAV and more...
      
      Michael Bentine
      An old - but highgly informative - site, created by Richard Bentine
      and covering all aspects of his father's life and works...

      Classic Comedy
      Richard's recent online venture...


 
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