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''The Herbs'' is a television series for young children made for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

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by Graham Clutterbuck's

FilmFair FilmFair was a British production company and animation studio that produced children's television series, animated cartoons, educational films, and television advertisements. The company made numerous stop motion films using puppets, clay anima ...

company. It was written by

Michael Bond Thomas Michael Bond (13 January 1926 – 27 June 2017) was a British author. He is best known for a series of fictional stories for children, featuring the character of Paddington Bear. More than 35 million Paddington books have been sold ...

(creator of

Paddington Bear Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October 1958 in the children's book ''A Bear Called Paddington'' and has been featured in more than twenty books written by British author Michael Bond, a ...

), directed by

Ivor Wood Ivor Sydney Wood (4 May 1932 – 13 October 2004) was a prolific Anglo-French' animator, director, producer and writer. He was known for his work on children's television series. Born in Leeds to an English father and a French mother, his famil ...

using 3D

stop motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...

model animation and first transmitted from 12 February 1968 in the

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

Watch with Mother ''Watch with Mother'' was a cycle of children's programmes created by Freda Lingstrom and Maria Bird. Broadcast by BBC Television from 1952 until 1975, it was the first BBC television series aimed specifically at pre-school children, a developmen ...

'' timeslot. There were 13 episodes in the series, each one 15 minutes long. A spin-off series entitled ''

The Adventures of Parsley ''The Adventures of Parsley'' is a 32-episode children's television series animated in stop motion. Produced by FilmFair, ''The Adventures of Parsley'' was a spin-off of ''The Herbs''. Its opening credits featured either Parsley the lion roarin ...

'' was transmitted from 6 April 1970 in the 5-minute period between the end of children's TV and the BBC Evening News. This had 32 episodes, some of which were released on VHS as ''Parsley the Lion and Friends''. ''The Herbs'' consisted of a fantasy mix of human and animal characters inhabiting the magical walled garden of a country estate. At the beginning of each episode, the narrator (

Gordon Rollings Gordon Charles Rollings (17 April 1926 – 7 June 1985) was an English actor who mainly appeared on television, but also appeared on-stage and in feature films. He was born in Batley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England in 1926 and start ...

) spoke the magic word, "Herbidacious", which caused the garden gate to open. As with ''

The Magic Roundabout ''The Magic Roundabout'' is an English-language children's television programme that ran from 1965 to 1977. It used the footage of the French stop motion animation show ''Le Manège enchanté'' but with completely different scripts and characte ...

'', the sophisticated writing style and narrative delivery of ''The Herbs'' meant that the appeal was somewhat broader than was originally intended, and much of Parsley's droll humour undoubtedly went over the heads of the age group that was its main target. Consequently, it still retains a following among those who watched it when it was first broadcast.

Characters

Each character was the personification of a herb. It is said that Bond used quotes from

Nicholas Culpeper Nicholas Culpeper (18 October 1616 – 10 January 1654) was an English botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer.Patrick Curry: "Culpeper, Nicholas (1616–1654)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford, UK: OUP, 2004) His boo ...

's 17th-century book, '' Culpeper's Complete Herbal'', to find the herbs whose botanical traits he could best reflect in the individual characters. As each character appeared in the show, they were introduced by a little signature song, which varied slightly from one episode to the next. The major character was Parsley the Lion. In the original series Parsley did not actually speak (although he did have his own signature tune: "I'm a very friendly lion called Parsley...") but his thoughts were voiced by the narrator. Rollings' dead-pan style became a feature of the programme, and was similar to that used by

Eric Thompson Eric Norman Thompson (9 November 1929 – 30 November 1982) was an English actor, scriptwriter and stage director. He is best remembered for creating and performing the English narration for ''The Magic Roundabout'', which he adapted from ...

in his characterisation of Dougal the dog in the English version of ''

''.

Cast list

Regulars (appearing in almost all episodes) *

Parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region (Sardinia, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, southern Italy, Greece, Por ...

the Lion – The shy but friendly main character, who always sat on the path in front of the herb garden to welcome the viewers. He was very frightened of strangers until he got to know them. He was one of only two Herbs who seemed aware of the viewers, waiting at the gate for them and waving. He hated getting his tail wet. Though in the original series he did not speak (except to sing his signature song), in ''The Adventures of Parsley'' he conversed with Dill. *

Dill Dill (''Anethum graveolens'') is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is the only species in the genus ''Anethum''. Dill is grown widely in Eurasia, where its leaves and seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavouring food. Growth ...

the Dog – A hyperactive dog who was always getting into scrapes which (in ''The Adventures of Parsley'') provided Parsley with a rich source for his laconic comments. He was constantly chasing his tail and was a source of great annoyance to Constable Knapweed. *

Sage Sage or SAGE may refer to: Plants * ''Salvia officinalis'', common sage, a small evergreen subshrub used as a culinary herb ** Lamiaceae, a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint or deadnettle or sage family ** ''Salvia'', a large ...

the Owl – A plump, bad-tempered owl, the third member of the central "animal trio". (The other characters - with the one exception of Tarragon - were human, or at least anthropomorphic.) Sage frequently fell out of his nest and hated getting his feathers wet. Like Parsley and Dill, Sage never spoke except to sing his signature song, which he sang in a rapid testy voice somewhat reminiscent of

Patrick Moore Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore (; 4 March 1923 – 9 December 2012) was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominence in that field as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter. Moore was president of the Brit ...

. * Sir

Basil Basil (, ; ''Ocimum basilicum'' , also called great basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is a tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cuisine, the generic term "basil" refers to the variety also kno ...

– A bumbling aristocrat with an enormous red nose. He described himself the "King of The Herbs" (the Greek name for basil being βασιλικόν φυτόν, or "royal plant"). Despite this he actually had little authority and was largely under the thumb of his wife. He wore a

deerstalker A deerstalker is a type of cap that is typically worn in rural areas, often for hunting, especially deer stalking. Because of the cap's popular association with the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, it has become stereotypical headgear for ...

and a

monocle A monocle is a type of corrective lens used to correct or enhance the visual perception in only one eye. It consists of a circular lens, generally with a wire ring around the circumference that can be attached to a string or wire. The other ...

that sometimes fell out. Despite his fondness for hunting and fishing, he was not particularly good at either. * Lady

Rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native plant, native to the Mediterranean Region, Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was kn ...

– Sir Basil's prim and proper wife. She kept her husband under check, particularly when he had his

shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...

to hand. * Constable

Knapweed ''Centaurea'' () is a genus of over 700 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding re ...

– A policeman who was constantly writing Herbs' names and nonsensical crimes in his notebook. Quite what purpose this served was never explained; Knapweed did not seem to have any superiors, or indeed anyone to report his investigations to. (He was perhaps inspired by Ernest the Policeman in the 1930s ''

Toytown ''Toytown'' was a BBC radio series for children, broadcast for '' Children's Hour'' on the Home Service. The plays were based on a set of puppets created by S. G. Hulme Beaman, who also wrote the stories for the series. The first ''Toytown' ...

'' stories, whose ultimate sanction was to take a person's name and address in his notebook.) * Bayleaf the Gardener – Always hard at work in Sir Basil and Lady Rosemary's garden, Bayleaf was often frustrated by problems started by or involving Parsley. He spoke with a

West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Gloucesters ...

accent. Semi-regulars (appearing in some episodes): * Aunt

Mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...

– An old Auntie-like woman who was nearly always seen sitting in a rocking chair and knitting. * Mr

Onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...

– Father and schoolmaster of the Chives. He dressed as a stereotypical schoolmaster in a grey suit, bow tie and a

mortar board Mortar Board is an American national honor society for college seniors. Mortar Board has 233 chartered collegiate chapters nationwide and 15 alumni chapters. History Mortar Board was the first national honor society for college senior women ...

. He always addressed the Chives in the manner of a

drill sergeant A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors. Australia Austr ...

. * Mrs Onion – The wife of Mr. Onion and mother of the Chives. She wore a red and white checkered headscarf and was always crying. * The

Chive Chives, scientific name ''Allium schoenoprasum'', is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae that produces edible leaves and flowers. Their close relatives include the common onions, garlic, shallot, leek, scallion, and C ...

s – The Onions' ten children, the pupils in Mr. Onion's school. They were always referred to collectively as "The Chives" and never given individual names. It was not even specified whether any of them were male / female. *

Tarragon Tarragon (''Artemisia dracunculus''), also known as estragon, is a species of perennial herb in the family Asteraceae. It is widespread in the wild across much of Eurasia and North America and is cultivated for culinary and medicinal purposes. ...

the

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

– A small, friendly fire-breathing dragon. He was very clumsy, perhaps on account of the fact that everything he breathed fire at disappeared. (Luckily he only ever destroyed inanimate objects such as Constable Knapweed's notebook.) Like the other animals he only ever spoke in his signature song, which he sang with a lisp. He hatched from an egg that fell from the top of a tarragon plant in the sky. Minor / one-off characters (appearing in only a few episodes): * Pashana Bedhi – An

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n snake-charmer, who lay on a bed of nails and played a

pungi The pungi (Hindi: पुंगी, ur, پُنگیپُنگی, Burmese: ပုန်ဂိ), originates from the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a reservoir into which air is blown and then channelled into two reed pipes. It i ...

. He was very respectful and always addressed Parsley as "Mr. Parsley". *

Good King Henry ''Blitum bonus-henricus'' ( syn. ''Chenopodium bonus-henricus''), also called Good-King-Henry, poor-man's asparagus, perennial goosefoot, Lincolnshire spinach, Markery, English mercury, or mercury goosefoot, is a species of goosefoot which is na ...

– A minor character, who only appears briefly in the series. He was grown from a seed by Bayleaf in order to create a husband for Miss Hyssop (having been ordered by Lady Rosemary to marry her himself otherwise). * Miss

Hyssop ''Hyssopus officinalis'' or hyssop is a shrub in the Lamiaceae or mint family native to Southern Europe, the Middle East, and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea. Due to its purported properties as an antiseptic, cough reliever, and expecto ...

– A very fussy middle-aged woman. She married Good King Henry. * Belladonna the Witch – The evil Belladonna was a one-off character. She turned several of the Herbs into weeds, but was finally thwarted by Dill, as this herb was used to ward off witches in real life. She left behind her broom, which Dill used to restore the transfigured Herbs to their original state, and which Parsley sometimes used in later episodes. * Signor

Solidago ''Solidago'', commonly called goldenrods, is a genus of about 100 to 120''Solidago''.
F ...

– Signor Solidago is an

opera singer Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

from Italy who attempted to teach Sage (and very briefly, Parsley) to sing. He failed miserably on both counts, eventually storming out of his own classroom.

Comics

A comic strip based on the series was drawn by Bill Mevin.

Episodes

There were 13 episodes of ''The Herbs'' and 32 of ''The Adventures of Parsley''. The entire collection is available on DVD in a two-disc set.

Home releases

In 1989, Tempo Video released three videos of the Herbs, each with four episodes and omitting Strawberry Picking''. In October 1989, the ''Strawberry Picking'' episode of ''The Herbs'' appeared on the BBC video release of "Watch with Mother the Next Generation" (BBCV 4280) along with ''

Tales of the Riverbank ''Tales of the Riverbank'', sometimes called ''Hammy Hamster'' and ''Once Upon a Hamster'' for the Canadian version, is a British children's television series developed from a Canadian pilot. The original series was later broadcast on Canadian ...

'', ''

Pogles' Wood ''Pogles' Wood'' (in its first series it was entitled ''The Pogles'') is an animated British children's television show produced by Smallfilms between 1965 and 1967, first broadcast by the BBC between 1965 and 1968 (but repeated regularly until th ...

'', '' Mary, Mungo and Midge'' and '' Barnaby the Bear''. On 14 June 1993, Castle Communications Plc released three videos of The Herbs with exciting episodes on each one in a slightly different combination than the earlier Tempo tapes, including ''Strawberry Picking'', but omitting ''Parsley's Birthday Party''.

References

External links

*
''The Herbs''
at Jedi's Paradise {{DEFAULTSORT:Herbs, The 1960s British children's television series 1968 British television series debuts 1968 British television series endings BBC children's television shows British children's animated comedy television series British stop-motion animated television series Television series by FilmFair English-language television shows 1960s British animated television series Television shows adapted into comics