The Magic Roundabout

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"It's All A Very Fine Thing,"
said Florence. 

Dougal

At 5:55pm it was indeed a very fine thing.
The Magic Roundabout. Magic indeed, as far as I knew, there were more adults watching it than the age group it was meant to be for, though which age group completely elluded me, and elludes me to this day. The voice of
Eric Thompson, father of Emma, still resonates down the years, along with Florence, Ermintrude, Dougal, spaced out Dylan and all to familiar "boing" as Mr. Zebedee appeared on the scene, and, of course, the absolutely delightful Magic Rounsabout theme, which you, I hope heard as you entered this page. For those who have never seen The Magic Roundabout, the wonder and joy has elluded them so far, but now, episodes are available on VHS, and hopefully, in the future, DVD. The is a full-length animated film due, in 2004, and from the stills that have been viewed the visual production values have been thoroughly maintained, but it remains to be seen, whether that original magic is still there, so judgement is reserved on the project as a whole. Until then, leila and I will provided you with some visuals and the usual plethora of links, and we hope that we can impart to you even just a faint echo of that very fine thing that occured at 5:55pm every day, so long ago........Enjoy

"Time For Bed", said Zebedee

Created by Serge Danot in 1965, The Magic Roundabout became a television legend. The five minute slot just before the  early evening news guaranteed the programme a viewing figure of over eight million.

This seemingly innocent children's animation series used a two pronged approach, featuring witty narrative targeted towards adults, allowing two generations to enjoy it. Flavoured with a laid-back and surreal look at life, the programme reflected a heavy sixties feel, soon achieving cult status.

The programme featured a rather off-the-wall cast:- Dougal, a shaggy dog who lived on a strict diet of sugar; an eccentric spring-mounted character named Zebedee, who would announce his arrival with a loud 'Boing'; a rabbit named Dylan, who could well have been accused of growing something considerably more envogue, during the 1960's, than carrots in his vegetable patch; Ermintrude the pink cow; Florence; Brian the snail, and all their friends in the Garden. Thus The Magic Roundabout very firmly staked its place in television history.

The catch-phrase of the series was of course "Time for Bed, Said Zebedee," sending millions of children to sleep every evening.

The Magic Roundabout was re-run on channel 4 television at the end of 1998, narrated by Nigel Planer, winning yet another generation of young fans.

The Magic Roundabout

from Crystal Tipps,
and very nicely too
 
 
 

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