Camberwick Green

CAMBERWICK GREEN
Made by: Gordon Murray Puppets
Shown on: ITV
Years shown: 1966 onwards

Although made in the sixties, Camberwick Green and its sister shows, Trumpton and Chigley, have never been far away from the small screen. The characters were little wooden figures animated in jerky stop-motion, and they all lived in the leafy village of Camberwick Green, where there was no crime or even dog dirt. The biggest industries were the army, based in Pippin Fort and run by Captain Snort and Sergeant Major Grout, and Colley’s Mill, run by the unfortunately-named Windy Miller, who, every week, was nearly-but-not-quite decapitated by the blades of his windmill, when he emerged from inside. Damn.

At the beginning of every episode, the characters would jump out of a wind-up music box. The full line-up goes something like this: chimney sweep Roger Varley, fishmonger Mr Carraway, chemist’s wife Mrs Honeyman with her baby son, Dr Mopp, farmer Jonathan Bell, Mr Crockett the garage-owner, baker Mickey Murphy, and his children Paddy and Mary, smooth salesman Dr Dagenham, Thomas Tripp the milkman, postman Peter Hazel and post-mistress Mrs Dingle, and PC McGarry, who we were always reminded was PC number 452.

Parents always thought this was good educational fun (Brian Cant was narrating again, a hallmark of quality), but it lacked a bit of spark, and was inferior to the other shows.

SQUARE EYES RATING: 5/10

(Thanks to www.telegoons.org for the borrowed pic)