Roobarb & Custard

                                                                       

 

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Roobarb is a British animated television programme for children, originally shown on BBC1 just before the evening news. Each cartoon, written by Grange Calveley and animated by Bob Godfrey, was about five minutes long. Thirty episodes were made, and were first shown in 1974. The theme is that of the loving rivalry between Roobarb the green dog and Custard the pink cat from next door.

Roobarb is a green dog (many contend that he is yellow), and Custard is a pink cat. Roobarb is always involved in some kind of misadventure which he approaches with unbounded enthusiasm. Custard is cynical and sets out to sabotage Roobarb's fun. Whoever gets the last word tends to vary. Other characters in the series are the Birds, who watch the antics of the other two from the safety of a nearby tree, often making snide remarks, and siding with whoever is winning.

The series is animated in a deliberately rough style, using marker pens and a very sketchy drawing technique, so that the pictures are constantly moving. This effect, known to animators as "boiling", gives an energetic character to the show, and was a contrast to the slick, smooth colouring of the imported Hanna-Barbera shows that were being widely shown on British television. The series was voiced by actor Richard Briers and the famous theme tune was written by Johnny Hawksworth. It was the first fully animated television series to be made in the UK.

The series was an enormous success, greatly loved by children and adults alike, and winning numerous awards. It is now viewed as "must watch" cult TV. Contrary to popular belief, the show was not called Roobarb and Custard.

Roobarb

  1. "When Roobarb Made a Spike"
  2. "When Roobarb Didn't See the Sun Come Up"
  3. "When Roobarb Was Being Bored Then Not Being Bored"
  4. "When the Tree Fell to Pieces"
  5. "When Roobarb Found Sauce"- Roobarb sets out to find the source of the pond.
  6. "When It Was Night"- Roobarb dreams that he and Custard are cowboys fighting a band of nasty crows.
  7. "When It Was Christmas"
  8. "When The Sun Was Just Right"
  9. "When The Opera Wasn't A Phantom"
  10. "When There Wasn't Treasure"- Roobarb dresses as a pirate and searches for treasure.
  11. "When It Wasn't Thor's-day"- Rhubarb angers the Viking Gods.
  12. "When Roobarb Was Cheating"
  13. "When Custard Was Sorry"
  14. "When Roobarb Mixed the Paint"
  15. "When Roobarb's Heart Ruled His Head"
  16. "When You're Going To Fly-Fly High"
  17. "When The Day Didn't Arrive"
  18. "When Roobarb Did The Lion's Share"
  19. "When Roobarb Was at the End of His Tether (and so was Custard)"
  20. "When Custard Stole the Show"
  21. "When There Was A Dance At Foxes Dale"
  22. "When Roobarb Wasn't As Pleased As Punch"
  23. "When Roobarb Turned Over A New Leaf"
  24. "When There Was Someone Else"
  25. "When The Day Wouldn't Keep Still"
  26. "When Roobarb Got A Long Break"
  27. "When The Pipes Call The Tune"
  28. "When A Knight Lost His Day"
  29. "When Custard Got Too Near The Bone"
  30. "When There Was A Big Mix Up"

Roobarb and Custard Too

  1. "When There Was A Surprise"
  2. "When Custard Was Grounded"
  3. "When Custard Wrote A Book"
  4. "When There Was An Elephant"
  5. "When Custard Was Very, Very Naughty"
  6. "When The Books Went Bye Bye"
  7. "When There Was A Wind-Up"
  8. "When Roobarb Found The Hieroglypics"
  9. "When It Ended In Tears"
  10. "When There Was A Big Band"
  11. "When The Garden Was Dry"
  12. "When There Was A Time Warp"
  13. "When It Was Cool To Be Smooth"
  14. "When There Was A Pottery Party"
  15. "When The Computer Went On The Blink"
  16. "When There Was An Opera"
  17. "When The Mouse Arrived For Christmas"
  18. "When Roobarb Went On A Fitness Drive"
  19. "When Modern Thingumajigs Need Tweaking"
  20. "When The Wind Blows, The Space Age Will Stop"
  21. "When There Wasn't A Boiled Egg"
  22. "When Rookie Fell Out Of The Sky"
  23. "When The Laughing Had To Stop"
  24. "When Roobarb Was Bowled Over"
  25. "When Walter's Web Caught Roobarb's Eye"
  26. "When There Was A Dance Festival"
  27. "When There Was Magic"
  28. "When The Ballet Hit The Skids"
  29. "When A Dinosaur Broke Loose"
  30. "When Jeremy Barker Turned Up"
  31. "When There Was A Country Fayre"
  32. "When The Molecules Got Loose"
  33. "When There Was A Duel"
  34. "When It Was A Wibbling Week"
  35. "When The Astrognomes Landed"
  36. "When Everything Went Lumpy"
  37. "When Communications Weren't The Best"
  38. "When There Really Was A Something"
  39. "When There Was A Cuckoo"

 

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Genre Animated
Created by Grange Calveley
Voices of Richard Briers
Narrated by  
Counrty of origin United Kingdom
No. of episodes 30
Running Time) 5 minutes
Original Run 1974
Language English

 

 

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