Crapston Villas

Crapston Villas
Format	Animated comedy
Created by	Sarah Ann Kennedy
Starring	Voice cast: Morwenna Banks Felix Dexter Jane Horrocks Claire Jennings Polly Kemp Alistair McGowan Etela Pardo Lesley-Anne Sharpe Liz Smith Alison Steadman Steve Steen John Thomson
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	20 (over 2 series)
Production
Running time	10 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel	Channel 4
Original run	1995 – 1997

Crapston Villas is a British animated television series, in which the characters are made from plasticine and filmed with stop motion clay animation.

It was made by the Spitting Image Productions company and was originally broadcast on the UK's Channel 4 from 1995 to 1997. It was written by Sarah Ann Kennedy, who was also director (series 1) along with Peter Boyd Maclean (series 2).

Voices were provided by a host of British acting and comedy talent, including Jane Horrocks, John Thomson, Alistair McGowan, Morwenna Banks, Felix Dexter, Lesley-Anne Sharpe, Liz Smith and Alison Steadman.

Crapston Villas is a comedy satire on inner-city London life, directed at a mature audience. It features a set of characters, living in a grim apartment building in the fictional postcode of SE69, who are plagued by all sorts of modern society dilemmas. Foul language, sex and violence are present.

Each series comprised ten episodes. Series 1 was subsequently issued on video, edited together as a single 100 minute piece ("Crapston Villas – City of Slummington"), while Series 2 was similarly released, but on two videos ("Health Hazard" and "Culture Shock"). In the USA five episodes from Series 1 were released on DVD, but so far no DVD releases from either series have occurred in the UK.

Described by the Daily Star as ‘vile, vulgar and hilariously funny’, and by The Guardian as ‘of dubious taste’, the show was cancelled after its second series by the incoming new head of Channel 4 Television, Michael Jackson, who then bought less obviously vulgar US import South Park to fill the late Friday night slot vacated by Crapston Villas.

Awards

• 1996 Broadcast Awards: Best New Program

External links

• Crapston Villas at the Internet Movie Database