Emu is a four-year-old

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...

emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...

which was given to British entertainer Rod Hull in the 1960s while he was presenting a children's breakfast

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

programme in Australia. Hull adopted the mute puppet for his

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

act, and took it with him to the United Kingdom when he returned in 1970. The character was given a mischievous and sometimes aggressive onstage persona, attacking celebrity guests (and Hull himself) for comic effect, notably on

Michael Parkinson Sir Michael Parkinson (28 March 1935 – 16 August 2023) was an English television presenter, broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his television talk show '' Parkinson'' from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007, as well as other ta ...

's chat show in 1976. Hull and Emu also appeared on several episodes of The Hudson Brothers' comedy show in the United States.

History

1970s and 1980s television series

During the 1970s, Hull and Emu achieved national fame in the UK with their BBC series ''Emu's Broadcasting Company''. The duo moved to ITV in the 1980s, where a succession of shows was produced concerning their ongoing rivalry with Grotbags, a witch played by Carol Lee Scott.

2000s revival

A new series, simply titled ''Emu'', with Toby Hull replacing his father (who had died in 1999), was produced in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

and broadcast on ITV in 2007. A second series was produced in New Zealand and broadcast in 2009.

References

{{Authority control British comedy puppets Emus Fictional characters introduced in 1960 Fictional flightless birds Fictional mute characters Television sidekicks