The Woofits

The Woofits were a series of childrens books written in the 1980s by the British television and radio personality Michael Parkinson, best known for his TV chat shows.

The stories featured the Woofits a family of anthropomorphic dog-like creatures who lived in the fictional Yorkshire coal mining village of Grimeworth (based on the real life Cudworth where Parkinson was born and nearby village of Grimethorpe).

Books

The four original books published in 1980 were

*The Woofits Day Out
*The Woofits Play Cricket
*The Woofits Play Football
*The Daily Woofit

In addition there were Woofit Annuals for the years 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983.

Television

In 1981 Yorkshire Television made two series of Woofits cartoons to be shown on ITV's lunchtime slot for young children based on the original stories and new stories with Michael Parkinson narrating them.
*Series 1: 6 editions - 30 April 1981 - 04 June 1981
*Series 2: 12 editions -11 February 1982 - 29 April 1982

Characters

The main members of the Woofit family lived in 3 terraced houses along Grimeworth Street, Grimeworth these were -

Number 8
*Grandpa Ironside and Grandma Emily, the heads of the family

Number 10
*Uncle Athelstone, miner who was a member of colliery brass band
*Uncle Gaylord, Athelstone's brother a football pools winner who considered himself .

Number 12
*John Willy Woofit, son of Ironside and coal miner
*Lavina, wife of John Willy
*Elton, son of Lavinia and John Willy, dreamed of being a pop star.
*Angela, sister of Elton who had ambitions to be a TV newsreader

Other characters included Baskerville Woofit (editor of the Daily Woofit) and local policeman Sargeant Cox.