Pipkins

Infobox British television
show_name = Inigo Pipkin/Pipkins
format =Live-action/puppet TV series
picture_format = 4:3
runtime = 15 minutes per episode
creator = Michael Jeans
starring = George Woodbridge
Wayne Laryea
Jonathan Kydd
Nigel Plaskitt
Heather Tobias
Lorain Bertorelli
Elizabeth Lindsay
Anne Rutter
Alex Knight
Diana Eden
Paddy O'Hagan
Jumoke Debayo
Royce Mills
Charles McKeown
Preston Lockwood
Billy Hamon
Sue Nicholls
Janet Dale
country = UK
language = English
channel = ITV
first_aired = 1 January 1973
last_aired = 29 December 1981
num_series = 10
num_episodes = 313
producer = ATV
imdb_id = 0275147
tv_com_id =15016

"Pipkins" (originally "Inigo Pipkin") was a British children's TV programme. Hartley Hare, Pig, Topov and the gang were the stars of ATV's legendary pre-school series which ran from January 1973 to 29 December 1981.

Pipkins was one of the first children's programmes on British TV where the characters had regional accents (Pig had a Black Country accent while Topov the monkey was a Cockney).

Origins

In 1972, the ITV network expanded its daytime broadcasting hours and the Independent Broadcasting Authority commissioned four of the main ITV companies to each provide a series of interest to pre-schoolers, as an alternative to the successful US import Sesame Street. From this commission Thames Television came up with Rainbow, Yorkshire Mister Trimble, Hickory House from Granada Television and ATV’s contribution would be Inigo Pipkin.

Inigo Pipkin was first shown on New Year's Day 1973. When the show started, the main character was an elderly puppet maker called Inigo Pipkin (hence the original title), played by actor George Woodbridge. The puppets were his creations, and over the course of the first series, viewers saw Mr. Pipkin bring to life Topov the monkey and Octavia the ostrich.

However, Woodbridge died in March 1973, during the recording of the second series. In 1974, in a first for children's television, Inigo's death was worked into the programme, predating the Mr. Hooper episode on "Sesame Street" by nine years. From this episode onwards the show was renamed "Pipkins", and Inigo's assistant, Johnny (Wayne Laryea), took over. The direction of the programme had to change; from hereon in the show ceased to centre around a puppet workshop and the characters became "The Help People", helping anyone in need of a hand.

Johnny left Pipkins around 1978, to be replaced by Tom (Jonathan Kydd), who moved on in 1980, his place taken by Peter Potter (Paddy O'Hagan). In later years Sue Nicholls made regular appearances as the Pipkins' neighbour, Mrs Muddle. The name was somewhat ironic as she was always a calming, self-assured presence around the puppets.

The familiar workshop set was replaced in 1979 (in the story "Moving Out") with new interiors based around a kitchen and backyard. The new set was built up from ground level to enable puppeteers to work standing up and to move around more freely, modelled on the methods used by The Muppet Show which was also filmed at ATV's Elstree studios.

Cancellation

The programme ended when ATV became Central Independent Television, and was replaced by "Let's Pretend". In common with other 1970s shows, a lot of Pipkins episodes, including the first "Inigo Pipkin", are missing from the archives. However, Nigel Plaskitt who played Hartley, made off-air recordings of many episodes and some of these have been released on DVD in the UK.

The series was made at ATV's Elstree studios with occasional filming on location. For the "Inigo Pipkin" episodes, the opening and closing titles were sung by Jackie Lee who had earlier sung the themes to children's programmes "The Adventures of Rupert Bear" and "White Horses".

Writers included - Susan Pleat, Gail Renard, Billy Hamon, Steve James (aka Nigel Plaskitt), Denis Bond, Vicky Ireland, David Cregan, Johnny & Sandy Byrne, Samuel Sevlon and Michael Jeans.

Music was by Chris Hazell

Directors included Michael Jeans, Chris Tookey, Glyn Edwards, Pembroke Duttson & Dorothy Denham

Produced and Devised by Michael Jeans

Cast

References

Simon Sheridan "The A to Z of Classic Children's Television" (Reynolds & Hearn books, 2004, reprinted 2007) ISBN 1-903111-27-7. Features a chapter on the making of the series and an interview with Nigel Plaskitt.

External links

* [http://pipkins.net Official "Pipkins" website]
* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/1032752/index.html British Film Institute Screen Online]
*imdb title|id=0275147|title=Pipkins