Emu's TV Series
| Genre | Comedy |
|---|---|
| Created by | Rod Hull |
| Written by | Rod Hull |
| Directed by | Colin Clews (ITV shows) |
| Presented by | Rod Hull |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production company(s) | Central Independent Television, BBC |
| Release | |
Emu was an anarchic British television puppet of Rod Hull, and after successful appearing on a number of Variety shows, he was given his own Television series on the BBC, then on ITV.
BBC
Emu's Broadcasting Company
Emu's Broadcasting Company (1975–1980) was a children's television series featuring Rod Hull and Emu running their own television station, which parodied many BBC series of the time. Supporting Rod Hull and his emu puppet were Billy Dainty who played a James Bond pastiche called Captain Perceval and Barbara New who played the tea lady.
Transmissions
- Series 1: 6 editions from 18 November 1975 – 23 December 1975
- Series 2: 6 editions from 12 November 1976 – 17 December 1976
- Series 3: 6 editions from 10 October 1977 – 14 November 1977
- Series 4: 8 editions from 26 October 1978 – 14 December 1978
- Series 5: 8 editions from 2 December 1979 – 27 January 1980
- Christmas Special: 24 December 1977
BBC Specials
- Emu's Magical Music Show: 27 December 1980 (35 Minutes)
- Emu's Magical Christmas Music Show: 27 December 1981 (35 Minutes)
- Emu's Magical Easter Show: 12 April 1982 (40 Minutes)
Rod And Emu's Saturday Specials BBC)
- Series 1: 6 editions from 1 January 1983 – 5 February 1983
The Rod And Emu Show (BBC)
- Series 1: 6 editions from 28 January 1984 - 10 March 1984[1]
ITV
Emu's World
In 1981, Emu and Rod Hull were offered additional series by the newly awarded ITV franchise Central Independent Television, which also introduced a green witch called Grotbags (played by the singer and comedian Carol Lee Scott), with Rod and emu living in a pink windmill.
The premise of the show was simple: each week Grotbags threatened and tried to steal Hull's aggressive arm length puppet Emu so that once captured (in Carol Lee Scott's own words) she would be able to use its "special powers" to control all the "brats" in the world.
Transmission
- Series 1: 6 editions from 5 January 1982 – 9 February 1982
- Series 2: 6 editions from 27 October 1982 – 24 November 1982
- Series 3: 6 editions from 2 March 1983 – 6 April 1983
- Series 4: 6 editions from 7 September 1983 – 12 October 1983
- Special: Emu's World at Christmas - 21 December 1983
- Series 5: 6 editions from 9 March 1984 – 13 April 1984
- Special: Emu at Easter: 20 April 1984
Emu's All Live Pink Windmill Show
The Series morphed into Pink Windmill Show and carried on from Emu's World, but the format also featured viewer phone-ins, as well as a segment in Grotbags' grotto, based on the format of the "take the money or open the box" segment of Take Your Pick! where selected members of the audience whom Grotbags had "taken prisoner" were offered the chance to either take a selection of prizes or exchange them for either stellar prizes or booby prizes contained in a numbered mini-cauldron which they had selected. Grotbags would react with delight when contestants won a booby prize or rejected a star prize and with fury when the reverse occurred. There was also lots of singing and dancing, and this show achieved enormous popularity during its early years. The show is probably now most fondly remembered for Rod Hull's catchphrase "There's somebody at the door, there's somebody at the door" every time a visitor rang the doorbell (which 'sneezed' loudly when pressed) at the Pink Windmill's entrance.
The series first aired in 1984 and was televised live. A second series which followed in 1985 was also broadcast live. Thereafter, the series was pre-recorded (until it was eventually cancelled in 1988) airing simply as Emu's Pink Windmill Show which was floor managed by Martin Essex. All series were produced and directed by Colin Clews for Central Independent Television and broadcast from the now defunct East Midlands Television Centre in Nottingham. The series was heralded as one of the greatest successes of the so-called "Dream ticket" collaboration between Producer/Director Colin Clews who produced several popular TV hits for Central Independent Television in the 1980s.
Transmission
Emu's All Live Pink Windmill Show
- Series 1: 7 editions from 13 July 1984 – 24 August 1984
- Emu at Christmas - 25 December 1984
- Series 2: 13 editions from 12 April 1985 – 5 July 1985
Emu's Pink Windmill Show
- Series 1: 10 editions from 14 February 1986 – 25 April 1986
- Emu at Easter - 29 March 1986 (repeat of 1984 special)
- Emu at Christmas - 26 December 1986 (repeat of 1984 special)
Emu's Wide World
- Series 1: 9 editions from 3 April 1987 – 5 June 1987
- Series 2: 8 editions from 3 November 1987 – 4 January 1988
Emu's World
- Series 6: 13 editions from 12 May 1988 – 4 August 1988
E.M.U - TV
Rod and Emu did have one more television series with Central Independent Television in 1989 with Emu TV, which broadcast for one series. The Series follows the same format as his BBC series, in which Emu operated his own TV station and broadcast clips of telly programmes which he would produce and broadcast.
The episode 5 of this series features future England football player Emile Heskey.
Transmission
- Series 1: 22 editions from 15 March 1989 – 20 September 1989
Rod 'n' Emu
References
- ↑ Adam Shergold (2012-10-03). "Emile Heskey on the Rod Hull and Emu Show | Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
See also
- British television
- Rod Hull
- Grotbags
- http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/7253
- http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/7256