- Bodger & Badger
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Bodger & Badger 
Bodger (Andy Cunningham) and Badger, his mashy mate and a part-time character, China the DogCreated by Andy Cunningham Starring Andy Cunningham Country of origin United Kingdom Language(s) English No. of series 9 No. of episodes 124 Production Running time 15 minutes Broadcast Original channel BBC One Picture format 4:3 Original run 13 September 1989 – 29 March 1999 Bodger and Badger is a BBC children's comedy programme which was first broadcast in 1989. It starred Andy Cunningham as Simon Bodger, who had a badly behaved companion, a talking badger with a love for mashed potatoes.
Contents
Plot
The first series saw Bodger working at Troff's Nosherama, where his badger was unknown to the other characters. The second and third series were set in the Letsby Avenue Junior School (fans generally regard these as the best series); Bodger worked as the caretaker for the school and there was general antagonism between him and the schoolchildren - a large cast of children - and the headteachers Mrs Trout ('Fish-Face') and later Mrs Bogart ('Bogey'). Later series featured Bodger moving to other jobs and began to feature less of Bodger, concentrating more on Badger and his friend Mousey. She was not an overly intelligent mouse, who unsurprisingly had a fondness for cheese.
All 9 series were produced between 1989 and 1999 and 124 episodes were made.
Series
Series 1
Series 1 featured Bodger and Badger working in Troff's Nosherama, a run-down café. Bodger worked in the kitchens as a chef. Both Bodger and Badger made friends with the waitress, Mavis. Troff's Nosherama was run by Mr Troff who was very arrogant. Troff had no idea of Badger's presence until the last episode in the series.
Series 2 and 3
Series 2 and 3 featured Bodger and Badger working at Letsby Avenue junior school; Simon worked as the caretaker, Badger made friends with the school children and crawled around the air vents. Letsby Avenue's headmistress was the overweight and mean Mrs Trout, there was also the friendly and dim-witted deputy head Miss Moon. Later in Series 3 Mrs Trout was fired and Miss Moon became the new temporary headmistress until Mrs Bogart (Mrs Trout's sister) took over as headmistress. All of the school children knew about Badger but Mrs Trout, Mrs Bogart and Miss Moon did not.
Series 4
Series 4 featured Bodger and Badger working at Chessington World of Adventures, a real theme park in Surrey. Bodger was the caretaker there, and Badger made friends with a girl called Holly who frequently visited the theme park. Bodger's boss was Mr Beasley, who was mean and obsessed with rules. Beasley kept trying to catch Badger to try to get Bodger chucked out. Series 4's episodes were cut down to 10 minutes, instead of 15.
Series 5, 6 and 7
Series 5, 6 and 7 featured Bodger and Badger living in a rented bedsit flat. Badger met his friend Mousey in Series 5, a mouse who lived under the floorboards. Badger kept Mousey's presence a secret from Bodger, because Bodger tried to get rid of Mousey in the first episode of Series 5 by setting traps for her. Series 5 mainly featured everyday adventures between Bodger, Badger and Mousey. Series 6 mainly featured the pair having trouble with their new landlady, Mrs Dribelle, and Elton (her sidekick) who did all her dirty work. Mrs Dribelle didn't allow her tenants to keep animals in her properties, so Bodger always had to hide Badger whenever she came to the flat. Series 7 featured more everyday adventures, and over the course of Series 7 various different people moved into the flat upstairs including a slimy trickster called Mr Smart, and Mrs Dribelle's niece, Vicky. Mrs Dribelle herself lived in the upstairs flat temporarily while her house was renovated. Some of the sound effects used are actually ones heard in the Sonic the Hedgehog games.
Series 8 and 9
Series 8 and 9 featured Bodger and Badger running a B&B in the fictional town of Puddleford. Various guests stayed at the hotel over the course of the two series, and again Bodger kept Badger's presence a secret from all of them. Guests included two Spanish flamenco dancers, Miss Peake (a bad-tempered school teacher), Mr Tucknott (a dim-witted bank manager), the bubbly Mrs Bobbins, Miss Piper (a mad old woman) and Mr Wilson (a pathetic trainee bank manager). In Series 8 the characters of Millie the Milkwoman and China the dog were introduced, who featured in the show until the very end. Millie was friends with Bodger and knew about Badger, as he was friends with her dog, China. Series 8 also featured the return of Mr Smart, as he ran the B&B next door to Bodger's. Smart never seemed to have any guests staying at his hotel and was always trying to steal Bodger's. In Series 9 the character of Mrs Melly was introduced, the bossy tourist information officer who stopped people from having fun on the beach outside her office. She hated Bodger and refused to recommend his B&B to tourists.
Series runs
Series No. of episodes Run 1 8 13 September 1989 – 1 November 1989 2 12 9 January 1991 – 27 March 1991 3 12 1 October 1991 – 17 December 1991 4 9 13 September 1993 – 8 November 1993 5 13 9 January 1995 – 3 April 1995 6 12 15 January 1996 – 27 March 1996 7 28 9 September 1996 - 24 March 1997 8 15 15 December 1997 - 30 March 1998 9 15 14 December 1998 - 29 March 1999 Episodes
Series One (1989)
# Title Original Air Date 1 "Bodger is Chef" 13 September 1989 Simon Bodger must win a cookery contest to get the Chef's job at Troff's Nosherama. 2 "The Badgers Are Coming" 20 September 1989 Badger ends up inside a cake. 3 "The Health Inspector" 27 September 1989 The Health Inspector pays a visit to Troff's Nosherama while the inspector thinks she's seeing badgers. 4 "Portrait of Hector" 4 October 1989 Mr Troff decides the Nosherama needs a new Welcome sign. Mr Troff thinks Mavis is the artist, but in actual fact it is Badger. 5 "Auntie Warnty" 11 October 1989 Mr Troff’s Australian aunt comes to visit the Nosherama. 6 "Adrian Loud Warbler" 18 October 1989 Adrian Loud Warbler invites Mavis to lunch to discuss a singing job. Unfortunately he takes her to the Nosherama! 7 "The Robot" 25 October 1989 Bodger is in danger of being replaced as chef at the Nosherama when a salesman shows Mr Troff a new ‘Shove-a-Chef.' 8 "The Final Episode" 1 November 1989 Bodger and Badger are left in charge of the Nosherama, but things don't quite go according to plan. Mashed potato mayhem ensues. Series Two (1991)
# Title Original Air Date 1 "Letsby Avenue" 9 January 1991 Bodger applies for the handyman's job at Letsby Avenue Junior School, but will he get it? 2 "Abracabadger" 16 January 1991 Will magic be enough when Miss Moon sees Badger? Class Four come to the rescue. 3 "The Bare Mayor" 23 January 1991 Mrs Trout announces that the mayor is coming to visit the school, but Badger gets the wrong end of the stick. 4 "The Skeleton" 30 January 1991 Mrs Trout purchases a skeleton for the school, but at the expense of any school trips. 5 "Mr Woberts The Watcatcher" 6 February 1991 Mrs Trout thinks the school has rats, so she calls in a ratcatcher. 6 "The Hairy Fairy" 13 February 1991 Mrs Trout's birthday cake from the cake shop mysteriously disappears shortly after Badger opens it, so Simon makes a miniature mashed potato statue of the headmistress as a replacement. Miss Moon spots this and thinks the fairies have cast a spell on Mrs Trout. 7 "The Wonky Window" 20 February 1991 Bodger and Badger attempt to repair a wonky window in Mrs Trout's office, without much success. 8 "Mr Crusher and the Ninja Zombies From Mars" 27 February 1991 Class Four are not impressed with Miss Moon's pixie prancing in PE class. However, they soon discover that the new gym teacher is a lot worse. 9 "The Burglar" 6 March 1991 Bodger and Badger mistake Mrs Trout for a burglar when she puts on a costume for the Mayor's Fancy Dress Ball. But it isn't long before a real burglar breaks in to steal the school trophies. 10 "Snowflakes in Hawaii" 13 March 1991 It's Hawaiian Day at Letsby Avenue. But the fun day proves not to be, when Mrs Trout cancels the coal delivery. 11 "Mavis and the Fingerpoppers" 20 March 1991 Mavis from Troff's Nosherama, who is now a pop star, comes to visit Simon at the school.Everyone is excited to have a pop star on the premises, even Mrs Trout. Mavis hypnotises Badger into singing "Old MacDonald". 12 "School's Out" 27 March 1991 As the end of term approaches, Bodger and Badger reminisce about their year at Letsby Avenue. Series Three (1991)
# Title Original Air Date 1 "Mr Valentino and the Rubber Bottom" 1 October 1991 Mr Valentino, the chairman of the school's Governors, has dinner with Mrs Trout who gets a rubber bottom. 2 "William Tell" 8 October 1991 Mrs Trout writes, directs and stars in the school play, "William Tell". But will everything be all right on the night? Not likely with Bodger and Badger about. 3 "The Head's Anniversary" 15 October 1991 Badger decides to enter Mrs Trout's poetry competition. 4 "The Golden Alarm Clock" 22 October 1991 Mr Valentino decides to award Miss Moon a golden alarm clock for not missing a day's school. Mrs Trout is not happy. 5 "The New Moon" 29 October 1991 Miss Moon gets a thump on the head and a new view of life. Badger shows her that mash potato is fun to play with. 6 "Eamon and the New Headmistress" 5 November 1991 As Mrs Trout has been sent back to teacher training college to learn how to read, the new headmistress Mrs Bogart arrives. She brings along her loathsome nephew, Eamon, to replace Bodger as the school handyman, so Badger and the children try to scare him off. 7 "The Mashed Potato Gun" 12 November 1991 A new communcation system is set up in the school and Badger makes a mashed potato gun. 8 "The Difficult Test" 19 November 1991 Mrs Bogart is determined to make Class 4 sit a difficult test. However, with so many interruptions (mostly from Bodger who is trying to have a fire drill), will it ever happen? 9 "The Head's Twin Sister" 26 November 1991 Mrs Bogart will stop at nothing to get hold of Bodger's competition winnings, even posing as her own hard-up identical twin sister! 10 "The Baby" 3 December 1991 Miss Moon has agreed to look after her neighbour's baby for the day. Badger, Rocky and Vicky trick Mrs Bogart into eating laxative chocolate. 11 "The Doubling Box" 10 December 1991 Mrs Bogart is charging for lost property and keeps stealing the children's possessions to top up on takings. Badger does what he can to stop her. 12 "The Class Photo" 17 December 1991 Badger is having a bath because it's time for the class photograph. When the photographer is cancelled, Miss Moon asks Bodger to help out. Series Four (1993)
# Title Original Air Date 1 "The Arrival" 13 September 1993 Bodger starts a new job as handyman at the Chessington World of Adventures park, where no pets are allowed. But Badger is determined to join Bodger, and together the pair meet Holly who hangs about a lot in the park - for free - because her mum works in the kitchens. All seems well until Badger realises that he hasn't seen any mashed potato in the park. 2 "Mr Beasley's Barrow" 20 September 1993 Mr Beasley tries to catch Badger, who is still at the theme park, but is confused as Bodger, Holly and Badger have great fun tricking him. 3 "The Tapirs" 27 September 1993 Badger makes friends with some unusual animals, the tapirs. 4 "The Elephant's Trunk" 4 October 1993 Bodger fixes the elephant's trunk and Badger tries to hit Mr Beasley with mashed potato. 5 "A Hard Day's Knight" 11 October 1993 Bodger dresses up as a knight, while Badger tries his paw at flying and Holly rescues him. 6 "The New Clothes" 18 October 1993 Mr Beasley is issued with a new uniform, but Bodger manages to ruin most of it with the help of Badger and some mashed potato. 7 "The Dragon" 25 October 1993 Holly wins a watch at Bodger and Badger's unconventional ball tossing stall, but Mr Beasley takes it from her. Badger thinks of a novel way of getting it back. 8 "Wet Paint" 1 November 1993 Mr Beasley sits on a painted bench and tries to reprimand Bodger for not following orders. Instead, Head Office allow Bodger to run the ice-cream cart. 9 "Catapult" 8 November 1993 Mr Beasley has finally mastered a plan to catch Badger using a catapult. Series Five (1995)
# Title Original Air Date 1 "A Mouse in the House" 9 January 1995 Bodger and Badger are living in a new flat. They think they're alone until Badger makes friends with a mouse who lives under the floorboards. 2 "Under The Floorboards" 16 January 1995 Badger finds it hard to visit Mousey under the floorboards, so he thinks of a plan to get under. 3 "Washday" 23 January 1995 After their new washing machine blows up, Bodger and Badger have to go to the laundrette. Badger causes chaos as usual and the pair accidentally leave Bodger's washing in the laundrette. 4 "Mr Selby's Pictures" 30 January 1995 When Bodger accidentally paints a shop sign back to front, Badger finds a quick solution with an electric saw. 5 "Ancient Egyptian Mashed Potato" 6 February 1995 Bodger has trouble with two burglars, "Boss" and Courtney, who try to steal a valuable Ancient Egyptian statue which belongs to Bodger's aunt. Badger decides to scare the burglars off by being the ghost of the Egyptian statue. 6 "Rent Money" 13 February 1995 When the rent money goes missing, Bodger and Badger are told to move out. Nothing can help them get their flat back - except Mousey. 7 "Here Comes Raymond" 20 February 1995 Bodger's old school friend - the greedy Raymond Tompkins - comes to stay, and Badger declares war to scare and get rid him. 8 "Twin Brother" 27 February 1995 Bodger rations the mash potato, so Badger invents a twin brother in order to get double his portion. 9 "Mashy Mouse" 6 March 1995 When Bodger decides to borrow a cat to get rid of the mouse in the house, Badger and Mousey have to find a way of showing him he was imagining things. 10 "Seaside" 13 March 1995 Badger wants to go to the seaside but the weather forecast is bad, so he decides to make his own seaside - in the bathroom. 11 "Cosmic Potatoes" 20 March 1995 Badger and Mousey trick Bodger into believing that martians are under the floorboards. 12 "One of Those Days" 27 March 1995 Badger makes a huge amount of mashed potato and then has to find places to store it, then Bodger's computer goes wrong after Badger and Mousey have a go on it. 13 "Mad Mash Bash" 3 April 1995 During a race with Mousey, Badger bangs his head and loses his memory. Mousey helps him to remember by reminding him of all of the adventures they have had. Series Six (1996)
# Title Original Air Date 1 "Mrs Dribelle!" 15 January 1996 Bodger and Badger come face-to-face with their new landlady, the fearsome Mrs Dribelle, whose main objective is to get Bodger out of the flat. 2 "Badger in the Box" 22 January 1996 Mrs Dribelle sends her nasty assistant, Elton, to intimidate Bodger into leaving the flat. After Badger hits him on the head with a frying pan, Elton is determined to catch him and get Bodger thrown out for breaking the rule of "No animals allowed." 3 "Potty" 29 January 1996 Badger finds Bodger's cactus very amusing as it has been planted in a potty. After an unexpected bump on the head, Badger drives Bodger mad by thinking he's Super Badger. 4 "Lottery Lunacy" 5 February 1996 Bodger thinks he has won the lottery, after leaving Badger in charge of writing down the numbers. He later regrets a rude phone call to Mrs Dribelle when he discovers he hasn't won the lottery after all. 5 "Mrs Dribelle's Mother" 12 February 1996 In an attempt to get Bodger out of her house, Mrs Dribelle pretends to have a sick mother (Elton in drag) who needs his room! 6 "Pussy Cake, Pussy Cake" 19 February 1996 Fluffykins (Mrs Dribelle's cat)' birthday cake is delivered to Bodger and Badger's address. Badger is determined to prove to Mousey that the cake is not a real cat, and ends up destroying it. They then create a substitute cake out of mashed potato and baked beans. 7 "Diet" 26 February 1996 When Badger gets stuck in his badger flap, Bodger decides it's high time he went on a mash-free diet with a healthy dose of exercise, much to Badger's displeasure. 8 "Badger's Bed" 4 March 1996 After finding more of Badger's mash potato in his clothes drawer, Bodger buys Badger a new bed that turns out to be a baby's cot. Meanwhile, Elton is still determined to catch Badger and show him to Mrs Dribelle. 9 "The Countess of Skegness" 11 March 1996 Bodger loses his rent money and tries to make amends by washing Mrs Dribelle's car, but unintentionally covers it in mash potato after getting the water buckets mixed up. Later on, Mrs Dribelle's attempt to welcome the Countess of Skegness gets ruined thanks to Badger. 10 "Overdue" 18 March 1996 Bodger receives a letter from the library saying that he has an overdue book and now must return it. Unfortunately, Badger lent it to Mousey who converted it into a mattress. 11 "Badger's Party" 25 March 1996 Mrs Dribelle tries tricking Bodger with a document to get him out of the flat. Fortunately, thanks to Badger, Bodger signs the other side of the document saying that he can stay in the flat for as long as he wants. Now Badger has to stop Elton from getting it back. 12 "Around the World with Badger and Mousey" 27 March 1996 Before Badger and Mousey set off on their round-the-world trip, they take a look back at some of the adventures they have had that year. Series Seven (1996-1997)
# Title Original Air Date 1 "Jungle Fever" 9 September 1996 Bodger has become Mrs Dribelle's handyman, and she gives him the task of looking after her plants and doing plant removing. Meanwhile, Badger causes chaos by turning the house into a jungle and the garden into a desert. 2 "Catnapped" 16 September 1996 Someone threatens to kidnap Mrs Dribelle's cat Fluffykins. Bodger agrees to look after the cat while she finds a detective, so Mousey leaves home in protest. 3 "Here Comes Smarty Pants!" 23 September 1996 Mrs Dribelle has a sneaky new tenant, Alec Smart, who always has plenty of dishonest money-making schemes. When he notices Bodger's expensive camera, Mr Smart tricks him into swapping it for some false stain remover. Badger then comes up with a clever idea to get it back. 4 "Funny Money" 30 September 1996 Mr Smart starts forging money by simply photocopying £50 notes, which he intends to use by buying the house off Mrs Dribelle. Badger tries to cheer Simon up with practical jokes. 5 "Wet Paint!" 7 October 1996 Mr Smart comes up with another devious scheme in selling Mrs Dribelle a painting, which turns out to be more of Badger's doing with mash potato. 6 "Gnome From Gnome" 14 October 1996 Mrs Dribelle's garden gnomes are going missing. The culprit, of course, is Mr Smart who is stealing all the gnomes in the area hoping to make a profit. Badger and Mousey make a mashed potato satellite. 7 "Mrs Dribelle's Big Day" 21 October 1996 Mr Smart pretends to be the wealthy "Baron of Billericay" and proposes to Mrs Dribelle with a fake ring. Now Bodger must stop her from making a big mistake. 8 "World Badger Day" 28 October 1996 Badger is bored so he decides to make a holiday of his own called "World Badger Day" - a time when everyone has to be nice to all badgers (and mice). 9 "Mrs Dribelle and The Queen" 4 November 1996 Mrs Dribelle is going to a pageant dressed as the Queen and Bodger gets roped into being her servant for the day. Mousey thinks she'll be going off to live in Buckingham Palace. 10 "Wotcha Vicky!" 11 November 1996 Badger makes a new friend when Mrs Dribelle's niece, Vicky, moves in upstairs. She is a drummer and she loves mash potato, but Mrs Dribelle is constantly making her miserable. 11 "Radio Competition" 18 November 1996 Bodger and Badger help Vicky write a song for the radio, but the words don't come out as expected as Mrs Dribelle ends up winning. 12 "Monkey Trouble" 25 November 1996 Vicky goes to the market and gets a drumming job, where she has to dress up as a gorilla. So Bodger and Badger go to the market, but the gorilla outfit annoys Mrs Dribelle. 13 "Say Cheese!" 2 December 1996 When Mousey chews through Mrs Dribelle's best dress, there's trouble ahead. 14 "Vicky is a Hit" 9 December 1996 Vicky applies for a job as a drummer and prepares to go for an interview. But she needs Bodger and Badger's help to make sure Mrs Dribelle doesn't know. 15 "Mashy Christmas Everybody" 16 December 1996 Badger and Mousey celebrate Christmas and remember some of their adventures that year. 16 "Mashy Music" 1 January 1997 Vicky doesn't get the drumming job, so she sells her drum kit. Badger and Mousey buy it and try to cheer her up by forming a band, but they need a drummer. 17 "Good Luck Vicky" 6 January 1997 Mrs Dribelle tries to make Vicky work on her last afternoon, but Vicky has other plans. 18 "Too Close For Comfort" 13 January 1997 Mrs Dribelle moves into the flat upstairs and Bodger sticks her wallpaper on with mashed potato by mistake. Then Badger and Mousey pretend to be ghosts to frighten her. 19 "The Mashy Mushtake" 20 January 1997 Badger and Mousey get things mixed up, including Mrs Dribelle's beauty cream and some mashed potato. 20 "While The Cat's Away" 27 January 1997 Badger and Mousey try to trap a cat burglar that has broken into the flat. 21 "Mrs Dribelle's Dancing Partner" 3 February 1997 Mrs Dribelle is learning to dance so her friend Hubert can take her to a ball. In desperate need of practice, she forces Bodger to help her out. Meanwhile, Bodger's shower isn't working, so he has to use Mrs Dribelle's while she's out. 22 "Vote For Me - Or Else!" 10 February 1997 Mrs Dribelle stands for the town council election - but will anyone vote for her? 23 "Cuckoo" 17 February 1997 After Bodger inherits a grandfather clock, Badger and Mousey decide to turn it into a cuckoo clock. 24 "The Mash Baaa-sh" 24 February 1997 When Badger can't sleep, Mousey suggests that he count sheep. 25 "On The Blink" 3 March 1997 Bodger gets a letter telling him the video he sent of himself reading poems is going to be on the programme 'Say Cheese', but he runs into problems trying to watch it on TV. 26 "Pasta Masha" 10 March 1997 Badger has a visit from his Italian friend Luigi, a fellow badger who enjoys hurling spaghetti. 27 "Clay Days" 17 March 1997 Bodger enters a pottery competition, but he doesn't expect Mousey to be in the pot. 28 "The Time Masheen" 24 March 1997 Badger and Mousey travel back in time to relive some of their favourite adventures. Series Eight (1997-1998)
# Title Original Air Date 1 "A Smart Start" 15 December 1997 Bodger, Badger and Mousey arrive in Puddleford to run the Seagull's Rest Bed and Breakfast. But they hadn't counted on the sneaky Alec Smart running the hotel next door to theirs. 2 "Well Spotted" 22 December 1997 Mr Smart is trying to steal all of Bodger's hotel guests, but Badger and Mousey have other plans and use spots of red paint to get them back. 3 "Peace and Quiet" 5 January 1998 An unpleasant guest named Miss Peake comes to Seagull's Rest for a nice quiet holiday, but Badger's antics make it impossible. 4 "The Extra-Terrestrial Toothbrush" 12 January 1998 After a horrid stay from the night before, Miss Peake decides to leave Seagull's Rest and go somewhere else. Mr Smart immediately pounces on her and tries to persuade her to stay at his hotel. Bodger decides to make a trifle to make it up to her. When the trifle starts jumping around the kitchen, Bodger and Miss Peake think it has been taken over by aliens - but Badger knows better. 5 "Hat Ahoy!" 19 January 1998 Miss Peake's sun hat goes missing, so Bodger and Badger have to get it back. 6 "Seaweed Bay" 26 January 1998 Badger and Mousey lead Miss Peake and Mr Smart on a wild goose chase as they hunt for the legendary "Pirate treasure of Puddleford." 7 "Fancy That" 2 February 1998 Bodger and Millie persuade Miss Peake to enter the fancy dress competition on the last day of her holiday at Seagull's Rest. 8 "Water Laugh" 9 February 1998 Bodger and Badger try to compete with Mr Smart's amazing garden decorations for the upcoming gardening competition. 9 "The Potato Patch" 16 February 1998 Badger has his eye on Mr Smart's potatoes - and when Smart cheats Bodger out of 20 pounds, Badger puts more than his eye on the potatoes. 10 "Doggone" 23 February 1998 Badger finds a lost dog called China, so he, Bodger and Millie decide to return him to his owner. However, after hearing about the reward for finding the dog, Mr Smart tries to steal China for himself. 11 "Automashic" 2 March 1998 New guests Mr Tucknott and Mrs Bobbins arrive at Seagull's Rest which is being taken over by robots who sound uncannily like Badger and Mousey. 12 "Mashy Record Breakers" 9 March 1998 Who do you think holds the record for making the biggest mess with mashed potato? 13 "Big Bear" 16 March 1998 Is Mrs Bobbins' toy bear really a toy bear - or is it Badger in disguise? 14 "Mash Cash" 23 March 1998 Badger and Mousey cause chaos when they think Mr Tucknott has stolen Mrs Bobbins' money, but he is only trying to help. 15 "Splosh!" 30 March 1998 Badger and Mousey form their own fire brigade and rig up fire extinguishers (full of mash potato) in the hotel. Series Nine (1998-1999)
# Title Original Air Date 1 "Hello Mrs Melly" 14 December 1998 The mean-minded Mrs S. Melly is the new Tourist Information Officer in Puddleford, and immediately takes a dislike to Bodger. To make matters worse, Badger has left the hotel in a mess when she comes round for an inspection. 2 "Poster Potatoes" 21 December 1998 After Mrs Melly refuses to add Seagull's Rest to her Good Hotel Guide, Bodger and Badger decide to do some advertising of their own. 3 "A Twitch In Time" 4 January 1999 Miss Piper, an elderly birdwatcher, comes to stay at Seagull's Rest hoping to spot a rare bird. Unfortunately, she reveals this to Mrs Melly, who has an idea to catch the rare bird so she can charge people to see it. 4 "A Whale of a Time" 11 January 1999 Bodger decides to make a video advertising Seagull's Rest. But it all goes wrong with Badger about, and Mousey wants to make a film. 5 "The Great Escape" 18 January 1999 Trainee Bank Manager Mr Wilson comes to stay at Seagull's Rest. Unfortunately, he gets locked in the bathroom when he has serious interview to go to, thanks to Mousey. 6 "Hundreds and Thousands" 25 January 1999 Mrs Melly mistakes Bodger's telephone conversation for winning the lottery and starts being nice to him, thinking he's won hundreds and thousands of pounds. 7 "Mr Wilson's Bathing Trunks" 1 February 1999 Mr Wilson has a job interview to attend, but beforehand he decides to go for a swim. Things go awry when Mrs Melly takes his clothes away whilst he's swimming and refuses to give them back. 8 "Green Potatoes" 8 February 1999 Bodger's new green towel gets ruined thanks to Mousey, so Badger makes another one by covering a white one with green paint, but they hadn't counted on Mrs Melly using it. 9 "A Mashy Romance" 15 February 1999 P.E teacher Mr Gripper arrives to stay at Seagull's Rest. He comes across Mrs Melly and immediately falls in love with her. Meanwhile, Badger and Mousey bottle mashed potato soup, some of which ends up in a sun tan lotion bottle. 10 "China Comes To Stay" 22 February 1999 Millie leaves China with Bodger and Badger to look after him for a day. 11 "Pop" 1 March 1999 While watching a film on the TV, Bodger receives a Sodastream fizzy pop machine in the post and sets about making fizzy pop, but Badger and Mousey decide to make fizzy mash with Millie's empty milk bottles. When the corks shoot off the bottles, Bodger and Mr Wilson believe it's gunshots and that the hotel is being raided by bank robbers. 12 "Ready, Steady, Go" 8 March 1999 Mr Gripper challenges Mr Wilson to a running race around the sea front, but when Badger and Mousey see him cheating, they decide to stop him from winning. 13 "Mrs Melly Investigates" 15 March 1999 After finding rabbits in another hotel in Puddleford, Mrs Melly decides to find out once and for all what is happening at Bodger's hotel. Badger thinks Mrs Melly is a burglar and sets all the anti-burglar devices off. 14 "Puddleford Day" 22 March 1999 It's a special day of dressing up in Puddleford, as it's the day when Queen Elizabeth I visited their town, only Badger has other plans for this day including ruining Mrs Melly's poem. 15 "Mashy Museum" 29 March 1999 Badger, Mousey and China show a various amount of items that remind them, of memories from the previous episodes, of how much fun they had. Characters
Main Characters
- Simon Bodger (Andy Cunningham) - Simon Bodger is an odd-job man who has had various jobs throughout the series, probably because Badger's antics keep on getting him sacked. In the first series he was working as a cook for Troff's Nosherama. In the second and third series he was a caretaker at a junior school. In the fourth series he was a handyman and zookeeper at Chessington World of Adventures. In the fifth, sixth and seventh series he was seemingly unemployed and renting a flat, occasionally working as a casual odd-job man to his landlady, Mrs Dribelle. In the eighth and ninth series he was manager of his own Bed and Breakfast. Badger is his talking pet and best friend, although all the trouble that Bodger ends up in is usually down to Badger. Regular gags usually involve Badger covering Bodger in mashed potato or some other messy substance, either intentionally or accidentally.
- Badger (voiced by Andy Cunningham) - Badger is named after the type of animal that he is - a badger. He has the ability to talk and wears smaller versions of human clothes (including his trademark beret) and has a fondness for mashed potato, which he likes to play with as well as eat. It is not known how Bodger originally met Badger. There were several different Badger puppets used throughout the series - all looked very similar bar their clothes.
- Mousey (voiced by Jane Bassett) - Mousey is a talking mouse who lives under the floorboards of the flat that Bodger rents from Series 5-7. She and Badger are great friends, both constantly getting up to mischief. Mousey's presence is only known by Bodger in the first episode of Series 5 when he sets traps to try and catch her. After Badger makes friends with Mousey, he tricks Simon into believing Mousey has gone from the house. When Bodger and Badger move to Puddleford to run their hotel in Series 8, Mousey goes with them and moves into the airing cupboard rather than under the floorboards. Even though Badger is known to several of the human characters, Mousey is kept a secret from everyone, although Mrs Dribelle spots her on two occasions in Bodger's flat.
Series 1
- Mr Hector Troff (Roger Walker) - The arrogant owner of the restaurant in Series 1. He has no knowledge of Badger's presence until the final episode of the first series.
- Mavis (Joanne Campbell) - Worked as a waitress at the restaurant with Bodger, and was friendly with both Bodger and Badger. She was also a singer, and returned for one episode during Series 2 when she visited Bodger and Badger at Letsby Avenue Junior School.
Series 2 and 3
- Mrs Daphne Trout (Lila Kaye) - The cruel and overweight Headmistress of Letsby Avenue Junior School, where Bodger worked in Series 2 and 3. She was referred to as 'Fish-face' by Badger and the school children. She liked insulting Bodger and Miss Moon, being nasty to the children and going down the cake shop. She was sent back to Teacher Training College by Mr Valentino after she tried to get Miss Moon sacked halfway through the third series. It is revealed in the episode following her departure that she became the new Chair of the School Governors. She appeared briefly in the final episode of Series 3 in a flashback to when she was still Headmistress, when she messed up the class photograph as her weight caused the bench to collapse.
- Miss Geraldine Moon (Selina Cadell) - The warm-hearted but dim-witted Deputy Head of Letsby Avenue Junior School throughout Series 2 and 3. She was friendly with Bodger, but not enough for him to let her know about Badger. She was briefly the acting Headmistress after Mrs Trout was sent back to Teacher Training, but returned to her old post when Mrs Bogart took over as Headmistress. As a teacher she was useless - she never made the children do any work and just let them play games all day when she was acting Headmistress.
- Mr Valentino (Rudolph Walker) - Chairman of the Governors of Letsby Avenue Junior School, who appeared in two episodes in Series 3. He sends Mrs Trout away to re-train as a teacher after he realises she is a useless Headmistress.
- Mrs Prunella Bogart (Richenda Carey) - The elegantly-dressed, nasty-tempered Headmistress who replaced Mrs Trout halfway through Series 3. She is Mrs Trout's sister, and brought along her spoiled nephew, Eamon, who wanted to replace Bodger as the school handyman. She never seems to do any work, despite the fact that she is the Headmistress, and spends most of her time in her office eating chocolate, confiscating the children's chocolate, or at the chocolate shop. She is nicknamed 'Mrs Bogey' by Badger and is always looking for ways to make quick money.
- Eamon Trout (Philip Herbert) - Mrs Trout's spoiled son, and Mrs Bogart's nephew. He wanted Mrs Bogart to fire Bodger so he could be the school handyman, but he was quickly scared away by Badger and the children.
Series 4
- Mr Lionel Beasley (Jon Glover) - Bodger's superior at Chessington World of Adventures in Series 4. He tries to imply he is an educated professional, and excellent at his job. He knows of Badger's presence at the park and is constantly trying to catch him, although he doesn't know he is Bodger's pet.
- Holly (Sophie Worters) - A friendly girl who spends a lot of time at Chessington in Series 4. She is good friends with both Bodger and Badger and dislikes Mr Beasley just as much as they do.
Series 5, 6 and 7
- Burglars (Penelope Nice and Ashley Artus) - Two villainous thieves who attempt to burgle Bodger's flat in Series 5. Posing as two council officers upgrading home security, they try to steal a valuable Ancient Egyptian statue which belongs to Bodger's aunt. They fail, thanks to Badger who tricks the dim-witted male burglar into believing that it is a cursed statue that throws 'Ancient Eygptian mashed potato' if tampered with.
- Mrs Cecilia Dribelle (Carol MacReady) - The extravagantly-dressed businesswoman from whom Bodger rents his flat in Series 6 and 7. She has a distinct dislike for animals (apart from cats) and forbids her tenants from keeping pets, resulting in Bodger having to constantly hide Badger whenever she visits. She dislikes Bodger intensly and tries everything she can think of to evict him. She is fond of cakes and biscuits, and likes to make lots of money from silly ideas. She is nicknamed 'Mrs Dribble' and 'Dribbly Bibbly' by Badger. She drives around in a car with the registration plate 'DRIB 1' and has a cat called Fluffykins. In her early episodes she is made aware of Badger's presence by her sidekick, Elton, but never actually sees him as Elton's plans to catch Badger always fail. She eventually decides that Elton is imagining Badger. After spending the majority of Series 6 trying to find ways to evict Bodger, Mrs Dribelle later employs him as her odd-job man. In Series 7 she allowed her niece, Vicky, to stay in the first floor flat above Bodger's after she evicted Alec Smart. After Vicky left to go touring with a band, Mrs Dribelle temporarily moved into the vacant flat while her house was being decorated.
- Elton (Joe Cashlew) - Mrs Dribelle's sidekick. He is a hardman who always wears a wooly hat and denim jacket. He knows that Bodger has a badger in the flat after Badger hits him on the head with a frying pan. He is incredibly stupid and is always trying to prove to Mrs Dribelle that there is a badger in the flat by all means possible, but he never succeeds. Even though Mrs Dribelle features in Series 7, Elton didn't feature after Series 6. He was last seen in the episode 'Badger's Party' where he was attacked by children who were St John Badger Scouts.
- Alec Smart (Ricky Diamond) - The sly and untrustworthy tenant who moves into the flat above Bodger's in Series 7. He was always thinking up schemes to make money, often tricking Mrs Dribelle and Bodger in the process. He sucks up to Mrs Dribelle while secretly trying to scam her. In the episode 'Mrs Dribelle's Big Day' he asks her to marry him, with the intention of getting his hands on her money. After Mrs Dribelle discovers his plan, she throws him out the flat. A year later when Bodger and Badger move to Puddleford at the beginning of Series 8 to run a hotel, they are horrified to discover that Mr Smart is their next door neighbour once again. He is also running a hotel, but never seems to have any guests and is always trying to steal Bodger's. He was last seen in the episode 'Doggone' when he kidnapped China the dog in order to obtain a reward for finding him. Although he is not seen or mentioned again, it is assumed he still lives next door to Bodger throughout Series 9.
- Vicky (Sally Ann Marsh) - Mrs Dribelle's niece. She was supposed to have been an accountant, but Vicky had dreams of being part of a band. She moves into the upstairs flat in Series 7 after Alec Smart is thrown out. She is supposed to work for her auntie, but she is always secretly auditioning for jobs as a drummer. She hides her drum kit in the bath when Mrs Dribelle visits as she disapproves of it. Vicky and Badger got on very well as they both love mashed potato. She ended up going on tour with a travelling band as a drummer. Vicky only appeared in Series 7.
- Luigi - An Italian badger who travelled from Italy and stayed at Bodger and Badger's flat during Series 7 (the puppet design for this was very similar to Badger's). He had several arguments with Badger over which was the better food - spaghetti or mashed potato. At first Bodger did not know about Luigi's presence. After he found out about Luigi, Bodger allowed him to stay at the flat a while. Luigi only appeared in one episode.
Series 8 and 9
- Millie (Jane Bassett) - A milkwoman in Puddleford who is a friend of Bodger and Badger in Series 8 and 9. She helps out Bodger and Badger on numerous occasions, mainly allowing use of her milk float to carry customers around, such as picking Mr Wilson up from the station. She shares their dislike of Mr Smart and Mrs Melly. She owns a dog named China, who is friends with Badger and Mousey.
- China - A dog originally owned by the Hutchins family in Series 8 but later belongs to Millie in Series 9. It is unknown how he became Millie's pet or why he is no longer with the Hutchins. He worked with Badger and Mousey to cause chaos with mashed potato around Puddleford. He likes annoying Mrs Melly by barking loudly outside her office.
- Miss Prunella Peake (Valerie Minifie) - One of Bodger's first hotel guests in Series 8. She was bad-tempered and miserable and was rather rude and quite threatening to Bodger. She leaves his hotel in disgust after finding mashed potato in her bed and is immediately pounced on by Mr Smart, who tries to seduce her into staying at his hotel instead. She soon sees through him, however, and returns to Bodger's hotel. She later becomes obsessed with the legend of the lost pirate treasure, and along with Mr Smart, ends up digging up half of Puddleford beach trying to find it.
- Mr Tucknott (Bill Thomas) - A bank manager who stayed in Bodger's hotel in Series 8. He is quite cheerful but appears to be long-suffering and quite nervous about his job, and gets particularly worried when trying to write a speech in the episode 'Mashy Record Breakers'.
- Mrs Bobbins (Jo Warne) - Stayed in Bodger's hotel in Series 8 at the same time as Mr Tucknott. She is very bubbly and appears to like Bodger, but is not aware of Badger's presence, even in the episode 'Big Bear' when Badger poses as a large teddy bear which she bought for her grand-daughter and she tries to wrap him up in wrapping paper.
- Mrs Sharona Melly (Carole Boyd) - The bossy, bad-tempered Tourist Information officer from Series 9. She was also nicknamed 'Mrs Smelly' and 'Smelly Melly', due to her forename beginning with 'S', and appearing as 'Mrs S Melly'. She is highly suspicious of Bodger and believes that he is hiding something in his hotel, although she never actually finds out about Badger. She refuses to recommend Bodger's hotel to tourists because he accidentally covered her in mashed potato when she visited his B & B. She dislikes people having fun on the beach outside her office and will do anything to prevent it. She has a lot of trouble with China the dog, who is always hanging around her office. She often looks for quick ways to make money, such as when she attempts to catch a valuable bird and charge people to see it, and when she believes Bodger has won the lottery she buys him lunch and starts being nice to him in the hope that he will share some of his winnings with her.
- Miss Piper (Hilda Braid) - A short-sighted birdwatcher who featured in only one episode. She stayed in Bodger's hotel in Series 9 while trying to spot a rare and valuable bird on the cliffs above Puddleford. However, she makes the mistake of telling Mrs Melly about it, who tries to catch it to make some quick money. She is played by the same actress who played Nana Moon in EastEnders.
- Mr Malcolm Wilson (Matthew Woolcott) - A trainee bank manager who stayed in Bodger's hotel in Series 9. Like most of the characters, he too despises mashed potato as he is involved in an unfortunately large amount incidents where he ends up covered in it. In one episode he even accidentally tasted it in his cereal. He's a bit of a cry-baby, who gets upset over the slightest things, one of the most notable being when he is late for a job interview after Mrs Melly confiscates his clothes while he is swimming in the sea.
- Mr Bill Gripper (Roger Liddle) - Another hotel guest from two episodes in Series 9. A school P.E. teacher who had a crush on Mrs Melly and challenged Mr Wilson to a running race along the sea front, which he lost (thanks to Badger).
Popularity
A performance at a 'Mashed Potato Night', 2006.
Bodger and Badger has enjoyed something of a cult status, particularly among teenagers and those in their twenties who grew up with the programme. It has also found popularity amongst students, tuning into daytime re-runs. As such, it has led to a popular tour of UK universities; 'Mashed Potato Theme Nights' have been seen at Hull, Aston, Warwick, Bath and Buckinghamshire New and will be also seen soon at Aberystwyth. A DVD, 'Bodger and Badger: Live', was released on the 6 November 2006.
Cast
- Andy Cunningham - Simon Bodger / Badger (Series 1-9)
- Roger Walker - Mr Hector Troff (Series 1)
- Joanne Campbell - Mavis (Series 1 and 2)
- Peter Leabourne - Baddie (Series 1)
- Stephen Lewis - Marcel the Chef (Series 1)
- Maggie Henderson - Health Inspector (Series 1)
- Robin Sneller - Rodney (Series 1)
- Jim Bywater - Shorty (Series 1)
- Lila Kaye - Mrs Daphne Trout (Series 2 & 3)
- Selina Cadell - Miss Geraldine Moon (Series 2 & 3)
- Andrew Fraser - Brains (Series 2)
- Neil Kattenhorn - Danny (Series 2)
- Nicholas Parsons - Mayor (Series 2)
- Shaun Prendergast - Mr Crusher (Series 2)
- Andre Vincent - Sidney Fudgepocket (Series 2)
- Rudolph Walker - Mr Valentino (Series 3)
- Victoria Avery - Vicky (Series 3)
- Rocky Samari - Rocky (Series 3)
- Richenda Carey - Mrs Prunella Bogart (Series 3)
- Jon Glover - Mr Lionel Beasley (Series 4)
- Sophie Worthers - Holly (Series 4)
- Jane Bassett - Mousey (Series 5-9) / Millie (Series 8 & 9) / Countess of Skegness (Series 6) / Cat Burglar (Series 7) / Daphne (Series 7)
- Richard Braine - Raymond (Series 5)
- Ashley Artus - Burglar 1 (Series 5)
- Penelope Nice - Burglar 2 (Series 5)
- Carol Macready - Mrs Cecilia Dribelle (Series 6 & 7)
- Joe Cashlew - Elton (Series 6)
- Mike Harvey - Wrestler (Series 7)
- Wayne Jackman - Radio presenter (voice) (Series 7)
- Duncan Galloway - Policeman (Series 7)
- Ricky Diamond - Alec Smart (Series 7 & 8)
- Sally Ann Marsh - Vicky (Series 7)
- Valerie Minifie - Miss Prunella Peake (Series 8)
- Jo Warne - Mrs Bobbins (Series 8)
- Bill Thomas - Mr Tucknott (Series 8) / Mr. Roberts (Series 2) / Bearded workman (Series 5)
- Carole Boyd - Mrs Sharona Melly (Series 9)
- Hilda Braid - Miss Piper (Series 9)
- Matthew Woolcott - Mr Malcolm Wilson (Series 9)
- Alan Towner - Lord Mayor (Series 9)
- Roger Liddle - Mr Bill Gripper (Series 9)
The theme tune was sung by Tim Whalley, Simon Cross-Fancy and two other children.
Crew
- Andy Cunningham - Creator / Writer of most of the episodes.
- Wayne Jackman - Other Writer
- Jane Bassett - Other Writer of most of the episodes.
- Pierre Hollins - Other Writer
- Claire Winyard - Director (series 2 & 3)
- Judy Whitfield - Executive Producer, Producer (series 1)
- Greg Childs - Producer (series 2)
- Christine Hewitt - Producer (series 6-8)
- Sue Morgan - Producer (series 9)
External links
Categories:- BBC children's television programmes
- Television programs featuring puppetry
- 1989 British television programme debuts
- 1999 British television programme endings
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