Rag, Tag and Bobtail
| Rag, Tag and Bobtail | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Freda Lingstrom David Boisseau |
| No. of episodes | 26 (2 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Producer | BBC |
| Running time | 12 minutes[1] |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Television Service |
| Release | 10 September 1953 – 18 February 1954[2] |
Rag, Tag and Bobtail is a BBC children's television programme that ran from 1953 to 1965 as the Thursday programme in the weekly cycle of Watch With Mother. The scripts were written by Louise Cochrane,[3] and the series was produced by Freda Lingstrom and David Boisseau. Narration was by Charles E. Stidwell, David Enders, and James Urquhart.[1]
The three main characters are Rag, a hedgehog; Tag, a mouse; and Bobtail, a rabbit; five baby rabbits also appeared occasionally. All the characters are glove puppets, created and operated by Sam and Elizabeth Williams. The stories were simple and there were no catch-phrases as there were in other programmes in the cycle, but the series is still remembered with affection. Twenty-six 12-minute episodes were made, two of which were never broadcast,[1] each shot in a single take.
The repeat showings came to an end in December 1965, replaced by Tales of the Riverbank (moved from its normal Monday slot by Camberwick Green).
In 1987, a Watch With Mother video was released by the BBC. The episode of Rag, Tag and Bobtail featured a scene in which Bobtail discovered that the baby rabbits had been playing in a muddy pool and had turned black. He was unable to clean them, but in the end the mud was washed off.
References[edit]
Notes
- ^ a b c Rag, Tag and Bobtail (1953–54), BFI Screenonline, retrieved 29 June 2012
- ^ Feeney 2009, p. 146.
- ^ Steven, Alasdair (9 March 2012), "Louise Cochrane", The Herald, archived from the original on 17 November 2018, retrieved 1 June 2012
Bibliography
- Feeney, Paul (2009), A 1950s Childhood: From Tin Baths to Bread and Dripping, the History Press, ISBN 978-0-7524-5011-7
External links[edit]
- 1950s British children's television series
- 1960s British children's television series
- 1953 British television series debuts
- 1965 British television series endings
- British television shows featuring puppetry
- BBC children's television shows
- Fictional trios
- Television series about hedgehogs
- Television series about mice and rats
- Television series about rabbits and hares