They Loved him to Bits

Frankenstein’s Cat, which I story edited and helped to develop, has now completed it’s initial runs on CBBC and BBC1 in the UK and the viewing figures have been really good – doubling over the run and out performing the usual audience figure for the slot. Also we’ve picked up a major award.

My episode ‘Tale Of Tails’ won the cat Best Cartoon Series at the prestigious Cartoons On The Bay international children’s TV festival in italy. The judges said it was …

 "A  unique and gloriously quirky fast-paced, funny tale”

…so that goes straight on the C.V. and the sample scripts page!

 If you want to see the dead cat in action there’s a rather nice BBC trailer currently posted on Youtube.

Go to

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lNT7N656vXE


Lottie and Nine meet Alan's ego.


You Tube. I tube. Everybody tubes…

...and because of that lots of other things I’ve worked on are also turning up online, including some of the sketches I did with my animator friend Kate for BBC2’s satire show Deadringers.

You see can U.K. cartoon characters trying to fill in for the Simpsons, Jeremy Clarkson guesting on Wacky Races and other sketches by going there and searching for 'Kate Sullivan animation.'

There’s also a lot of stuff from the Mr Hell Show too. My True Disney Adventure lurks at...

 http://youtube.com/watch?v=oIWffDOpGUE

 And there’s a public service announcement at..

 http://youtube.com/watch?v=aHmTCJV7QfI

 There’s also my version of Scooby Doo ( one of the first things written for the show over a decade ago ) at…

 http://youtube.com/watch?v=pA61IpwMyHE

 Plus loads more if you look.

Finally, if you’re really desperate, for something to kill time there’s footage of me and Professor Paul Wells, senior lecturer in animation studies at the University Of Loughborough ( really ) thanking the sponsors at the 2008 British Animation Awards.. to the tune of Mac The Knife.

Go to…

 http://youtube.com/watch?v=hvzVZEiTjsM

A quick search also reveals a full episode of Bounty Hamster is on there too – plus the original pilot of Foxbusters - with the wrong voices and an early version of the character designs, plus dead chickens on screen!

OLDER NEWS

Pinky and Perky arrives on CBBC in November.


I've been out and about a bit, running workshops at Animated Exeter and the Animex Festival in Middlesbrough. This was massive and has top drawer speakers from companies like Dreamworks and Pixar, as well as the UK industry. There was also a talk on the development of Frankenstein's Cat, which looked like this...


..if you viewed it through a smudgy cameraphone.

The new Pinky and Perky Show also made the papers, with fears expressed that this would not be the Pinky and Perky Time’s readers remembered from their childhood. That’s true to be honest. The new Pinky and Perky will be quite a radical reinvention of the piglets albeit, we hope, a classy one.

Do they sing? Not so much. Do they still have helium voices? Well, they’re not the best vehicle for our verbal comedy. But if you remember how they first appeared on the BBC then there’s quite a few links to their past - and Perky still wears a beret!

Also the original creators of the pigs, legendary czech puppeteers Jan and Vlasta Dalibr have read some of the scripts and gracioulsy expressed their enthusiasm.

TALKING OF COMPETITIONS..

 I’ve just been a judge for this year Bafta’s, in the pre-school animation category, and what a good year it was. Charlie and Lola, Pocoyo. Little Princess and Peppa Pig make up a really strong shortlist. STOP PRESS - Charlie and Lola deservedly won. 


OLD NEWS 

 

THE DEVIL HAS ALL THE BEST TOONS

 

After many years of acclaimed obscurity AAAGH, IT’S THE MR HELL SHOW has finally made it onto DVD. Thirteen episodes of satanic sketches, gratuitous violence and intelligent stupid satire now await you, plus out takes, pre-production fun and a commentary from me and co-creator Dave Freedman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr Hell was a bit ahead of it’s time really and though it won awards ( the Canadian equivalent of a Bafta ) and was well received in Australia the BBC were never comfortable with what they’d gone and paid for. As a result it’s never been repeated in the UK, in spite of it being one of the very last shows featuring British comedy legend Bob Monkhouse, the voice of Mr Hell.

 

Want to see a psychopathic harp seal, a man who keeps reincarnating,  Thomas The Tank or the photocopy of Dorien Gray’s arse? Then this is the DVD set for you! There’s about three hundred cartoon sketches on these two thin discs, so if you don’t like one there’s always another one along in a minute.  Right enough hard sell ( I don’t see a penny from this! ) but I am chuffed people will be able to see the show once more. It’ll be in branches of HMV and Virgin very soon for just over twenty quid, but if you Google around you’ll find there’s some great deals out there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HARRY AND HIS BUCKET OF DINOSAURS 


..has also just released a second DVD compilation and that’s my episode on the cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AND FINALLY...

  





  

 

MY RECENT SCRIPTING WORK INCLUDES;

NEW PROJECTS FOR MILLIMAGES.

PINKY AND PERKY - The Picture Production Company/Lupus Films. Development work, bible, pilot scripts and head writer for a C.G.I. revival of these classic 1960’s characters.

FRANKENSTEIN'S CAT - MacKinnon and Saunders. Development consultant, scripts and head writer.

 

MR BENN  – King Rollo Films. Pilot scripts for new internet and mobile phone content.

 

CBBC. Contributor/script editor on two new children's entertainmentt pilots.

 

TV LOONLAND. Development work and show bible for a new comedy adventure show.

 

GEORGE AND ALFRED – Kayenta Production/Canal+. Show bible and pilot script for a new series of seven minute comedy shorts in a classic cartoon style.

 

DEADRINGERS  - more sketches for this popular BBC2 impressions show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gordon Ramsey goes to Hell/SouthPark!

Morpho JJ - Teleimagination - Development and script editing.

Flowerheads - Aardman Animations. Development consultant.

Hipster And Jack - Create TV/19 Entertinament. Development work, bible and pilot script.

Rudi And Trudi - Teleimagination. Several scripts for a new animated series for 4-7 year olds.