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Tugs
(1988)
producers: TUGS Ltd for Clearwater
Features
and
TVS Television
animation: radio-controlled models
episodes: 13 episodes
9 x 15mins / 4 x 20mins
In Bigg City Port there are two rival tug companies.
The Star Tugs are a fleet of
seven chuffing tugs owned by Captain Star They
include Ten Cents, Big Mac, O.J.,
Top Hat, Warrior, Hercules and Sunshine. Then
there are the Z Stacks, owned by
Captain Zero. This moody, black-hulled band
includes Zorran, Zebedee, Zak, Zug,
and Zip. The two companies are constantly competing
for work, with the malcontented
Z Stacks regularly using underhand tactics to
secure a job...
In and around the two tug teams are various
naval, harbour and river vessels too,
like Lillie Lightship, a midget submarine called
Grampus, and Billy Shoepack the
alligator tug.
This splendid production came from the same
creative team who brought us
Thomas the
Tank Engine and the series utilizes the same techniques of bringing
radio-controlled and hand-manipulated models
into life. The show was filmed at
Shepperton studios with an array of handsome
model boats and the production
quality is top-notch: a step up from Thomas,
indeed. It's just a shame that the
series never made it beyond its initial run
of thirteen episodes...
Series producer, Robert D Cardona already had
extensive live-action films and
series credits to his name prior to both "Thomas"
and "Tugs", these included
the 1969 series "The Flaxton Boys"
and the actually-rather-good remake of
"The Four Feathers" from 1977. He
returned to port late in the 1990's with
"Theodore Tugboat", which has proven
very popular in America....
Stacks
of Tugs...
Star Tugs Z
Stacks
Ten Cents Zorran
Stack No.1 - Harbour Switcher Stack
No.1 - Harbour Tug
Big Mac Zebedee
Stack No.2 - Harbour Tug Stack
No.2 - Harbour Tug
O.J. Zak
Stack No.3 - Paddle-wheel Stack
No.3 - Harbour Tug
Harbour Tug
Zug
Top Hat Stack
No.4 - Harbour Switcher
Stack No.4 - Railway Tug
Zip
Warrior Stack
No.5 - Harbour Switcher
Stack No.5 - Harbour Tug
Hercules
Stack No.6 - Harbour Switcher
Tugs
episodes
Sunshine Up
River
Pirate High
Tide
Trapped Warrior
Ghosts Bigg
Freeze
High Winds Munitions
Jinxed Regatta
Quarantine
created by Robert D Cardona and David
Mitton
directors: David
Mitton, Chris Tulloch
producer: Robert
D Cardona
exec prod: Nigel
Pickard
exec prod
in charge: Dicki
Bramber
writers: David
Mitton, Robert D Cardona, Chris Tulloch,
Tarquin Cardona, Gloria Tors, Roy Russell
music: Junior
Campbell, Mike O'Donnell
d.o.p: Terry
Permane
art director: Chris
Tulloch
set design: Robert
Gauld-Galleries
spfx: Ross
King, David Eves
sup editor: Phil
Sanderson
sound ed: Pete
Best
sound rec: Brian
Saunders
story
co-ord: Neil Cracker
drama
consultant: Roy
Russel
asst eds: Adam
Masters, David Hitchcock
model crew: David Relfe,
Graham Riddell, Mark Dorsett,
Jeremy
King, David Greaves
gaffer: Mickey
Flynn
camera crew
& focus: John
Attwell, David Watkins, Paul Cave
assistants: Giles
Christopher, Nigel Permane
prod
accountant: Stan
Burridge
continuity: Howard
Winter
spec camera
& lenses: Clearwater
Periscope System
lighting: Lee
Lighting
Tugs design: D.P.B.
Models & Effects
voices: Patrick
Allen (Captain Star)
Chris
Tulloch (Zorran)
On
the web
Bigg
City Port
http://biggcity.tripod.com
An excellent fan site full of info on the series, details of merchandise
and tie-ins accompanying the
show, a "Tugs on DVD" campaign and a
little chat with Chris Tulloch
too - all this and a "Tugs" forum too...
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