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Jamie and the Magic Torch

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Jamie and the Magic Torch
GenreAnimated series
Written byBrian Trueman
Narrated byBrian Trueman
Theme music composerJoe Griffiths; sung by Tony Steven
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series3
No. of episodes39
Production
Executive producerJohn Hambley
Running time10 minutes
Production companyCosgrove Hall Productions
Original release
NetworkITV
Release28 March 1977 (1977-03-28) –
1979 (1979)

Jamie and the Magic Torch is a British children's animated television series made by Cosgrove Hall Productions for Thames Television and shown on the ITV network, running from 1977 to 1979.[1][2]

The series was written and narrated by Brian Trueman, who later wrote shows such as Danger Mouse and Count Duckula for Cosgrove Hall.

Premise

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The programme is based around the young boy of the title and his torch. When shone on the floor, the torch opens up a hole into a fun fantasy world called Cuckoo Land.[3]

The beginning of each episode has Jamie's mother tucking him into bed at night and saying, "Sleep well, Jamie." Then from under his bed, his pet Old English Sheepdog, Wordsworth, appears, holding the torch in his mouth. Jamie takes the torch and shines it on the floor, opening up a portal to Cuckoo Land (in which Wordsworth always gets stuck). The portal manifests itself as a helter skelter.

When they reach the end of the slide, they fly out into Cuckoo Land from the bottom of a tree trunk, and land on a trampoline. All of this is accompanied by a song, written by Joe Griffiths. Once in Cuckoo Land, the fun begins.

Characters in Cuckoo Land

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  • Mr. Boo, who flies around in his 'submachine', obsessed with counting things.
  • Officer Gotcha, who rides a unicycle and eats truncheons.
  • Strumpers Plunkett, who plays melodies on his trumpet nose.
  • Wellibob the cat, who does everything backwards and speaks with a Glaswegian accent.
  • Jo-Jo Help the unhelpful handyman.
  • Nutmeg the ragdoll, whose magical pocket can produce all kinds of items.
  • The Yoo-hoo Bird, who plays tricks on and runs from Officer Gotcha.
  • Bullybundy, the show business rabbit with oversized feet.
  • Arthur, a robot (series 3 only).

VHS releases

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VHS Title Release Date Episodes
Chorlton and Jamie's Magic Box (TV9937) 3 November 1986 (Compilation VHS with Chorlton and the Wheelies)
Bedtime Stories: Toad and Friends (TV8078) 6 November 1989 "The Flying Rabbit", "The House of Wellibob" (compilation VHS with The Wind in the Willows and Cockleshell Bay)
Cult Kids Classics 2001 "The Flying Rabbit" (compilation VHS with Chorlton and the Wheelies, Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, Rainbow and Button Moon)
Cult Kids Classics 2 5 March 2001 "A Narrow Escape", "The Ghost of Spiny Mountain" (compilation VHS with Danger Mouse, Chorlton and the Wheelies, Rainbow, Count Duckula and The Sooty Show)
I Love Cult Kids 2002 "Yoo Hoo Yeti" (compilation VHS with Danger Mouse, Chorlton and the Wheelies, Count Duckula, Rainbow, Cockleshell Bay and Button Moon)
Classic Kids Collection 2002 "The Hair Stack" (compilation VHS with Count Duckula, Chorlton and the Wheelies, Button Moon, Danger Mouse and Rainbow - exclusive to Marks & Spencer)

The first two series have also been released on DVD, In 2024, all 3 series of the show were finally released on DVD & Blu-Ray. In July 2024, all 3 series were made available via a premium subscription to the ITVX streaming service.

References

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  1. ^ The Stage: Thursday 23 September 1976 : P13. TELEVISION TODAY: New Thames subsidiary
  2. ^ The Stage: Thursday 25 November 1976 : P14. ITV keeps accent on drama serials for children
  3. ^ Sheridan, Simon (2004). The A-Z of Classic Children's Television: From Alberto Frog to Zebedee. Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. pp. 142–144. ISBN 1903111277.
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