''The Wind in the Willows'' is a British stop motion animated television series that was originally broadcast between 1984 and 1987, based on characters from

Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is most famous for ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908), a classic of children's literature, as well as '' The Reluctant Dragon''. Both books w ...

's 1908 novel ''

The Wind in the Willows ''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and get ...

'' and following the 1983 feature-length pilot film. The series continues from where the film left off, and original voice cast members

David Jason Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally by his stage name David Jason, is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom '' Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector ...

, Richard Pearson and

Michael Hordern Sir Michael Murray Hordern Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (3 October 19112 May 1995)Morley, Sheridan"Hordern, Michael Murray (1911–1995)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online e ...

return. However,

Ian Carmichael Ian Gillett Carmichael, OBE (18 June 1920 – 5 February 2010) was an English actor who worked prolifically on stage, screen and radio in a career spanning 70 years. He found prominence in the films of the Boulting brothers, including ...

, who had previously voiced Rat in the film, has now been cast as the narrator, and Rat is now played by

Peter Sallis Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

. The series was made by

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

-based animation company

Cosgrove Hall Cosgrove Hall Films (also known as Cosgrove Hall Productions) was an English animation studio founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall; its headquarters was in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. Cosgrove Hall was once a major producer of childre ...

for

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

and shown on the ITV network. An hour-long feature, ''

A Tale of Two Toads ''A Tale of Two Toads'' is a 1989 hour-long feature from the 1980s stop motion animation series ''The Wind in the Willows'', which itself was based on the 1908 novel by Kenneth Grahame. The film was animated by Cosgrove Hall and broadcast on Chil ...

'', was broadcast in 1989. It ran for five seasons, with the final season airing in 1990 under the title ''Oh, Mr. Toad'', with a different theme song. In some countries, the original title is retained in the fifth season, and all seasons were packaged together as ''The Wind in the Willows'' on DVD. In August 2022, the first three series, as well as the first TV film, were added to streaming service

Britbox BritBox is an online digital video subscription service, founded by BBC Studios and ITV plc, operating in nine countries across North America, Europe, Australia and South Africa.

in the United Kingdom.

Cast

The series stars

as Toad and the Chief Weasel,

as Badger,

as Rat (replacing

who voiced Rat in the original 1983 film, though Carmichael remained in the series, having been re-cast as the narrator), and Richard Pearson as Mole. The Chief Weasel was almost always accompanied by his bumbling henchman, who was referred to in two separate episodes, "The Rescue" and "The Paperchase", as Bert.

Characters

* The Narrator (

) Main characters * Mole ( Richard Pearson) – Shy, gentle and honest, Mole lives in a modest home underground called Mole End. Although the book featured him as the key protagonist, he plays less of a role in the series in comparison with characters like Toad. * Rat (

) – Best and platonic friend to Mole. A friendly and strait-laced

everyman The everyman is a stock character of fiction. An ordinary and humble character, the everyman is generally a protagonist whose benign conduct fosters the audience's identification with them. Origin The term ''everyman'' was used as early as ...

with a love of poetry and music, and a great passion for the river by which he lives. * Toad (

) – The wealthy owner of Toad Hall, the finest home in the county. Though arrogant, selfish, and ignorant, he is nonetheless charismatic, good-humoured, and cares for his friends dearly. He always throws himself into all kinds of new crazes, without much consideration. His main catchphrase is "It's the only thing!" He often gets himself in trouble, resulting in his friends saving him. Many episodes conclude with his friends chorusing "Oh, Toad!" in despair at his constant qualms and ineptitude. Toad is also accident-prone which is evident in certain episodes such as in "Mercury of the Motorbicycle", where he crashes his motor car at the start and his newly acquired motorbicycle at the end. * Badger (

) – The father figure of the group. Respected by all for his intelligence and courage. He was a friend of Toad's late father and enjoys chess and canvas painting. Authoritarian and mature, but with a strong sense of justice, he always tries to keep Toad and the troublesome Weasels out of trouble. He is shown to play the violin in the episode "A Producer's Lot" * Chief Weasel (

) – The villainous leader of the Weasels, the bullies and thieves of the Wild Wood. He often tries to trick Toad out of his wealth. However, he is not all bad, and at times will selflessly come to the aid of other animals in need – examples including Mole in "Badger's Remedy"; Otter's son Portly in "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" and a lost shrew, Ernest, in "The Rescue". In two episodes, his name is revealed to be Bill. * Henchman Weasel (

Brian Trueman Brian Trueman (born 16 May 1932) is an English broadcaster, writer and voice actor. He is known mainly for his work with the animation studio Cosgrove Hall. He wrote and/or narrated children's cartoon series, mostly during the 1970s and 1980s. ...

) – the Chief's somewhat dim-witted second-in-command; known for his catchphrase, "Very nice, very nice!". In "The Rescue", his name is revealed to be Bert. Recurring characters * Otter (Brian Southwood) – One of the inhabitants of the River Bank and an old friend of Rat. * Portly (Brian Southwood) – Otter's son * Billy Rabbit (

) – "Billy" is present in all series. He first appears as an unnamed character the Series 1 episode "The Grand Annual Show", but becomes more of a recurring character from Series 3 onwards. He is not to be confused with Billy the Fieldmouse, who appears on and off in the series. Both appear together in a number of episodes. * Alfred (Allan Bardsley) – Alfred is Toad's sarcastic and stubborn but well-meaning horse who always refuses to do what Toad wants to do. He briefly appeared in the film with a singing role and then made on and off appearances in the series. His catchphrases are "Nope" and "Ar". * Auberon Mole (Howard Lloyd Lewis) – Mole's cousin; in the series, is a well-known playwright, and the focus of the episodes "Mole's Cousin", "Auberon's Return" and "Happy New Year". * Mrs. Carrington-Moss (

Beryl Reid Beryl Elizabeth Reid, (17 June 1919 – 13 October 1996), was a British actress of stage and screen. She won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for ''The Killing of Sister George'', the 1980 Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performan ...

) – The magistrate in the film; she appears in the episodes, "The Grand Annual Show", "Buried Treasure", and "Burglary at Toad Hall". * Reggie and Rosemary – The owners of the stolen motor car in the film; they appear in the episodes, "The Grand Annual Show", and "Burglary at Toad Hall". * Thomas (

Jimmy Hibbert James Christian Hibbert is an English actor and writer. He is best known for his voice work with the animation studio Cosgrove Hall Films. Early life James Christian Hibbert was born as the eldest of three children of author Christopher Hibbe ...

) – Auberon's chauffeur and personal assistant, who is also a toad. He appears in the episodes "Mole's Cousin" and "Happy New Year".

Background

The series is sometimes misidentified as being filmed in

claymation Clay animation or claymation, sometimes plasticine animation, is one of many forms of stop-motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually plasticine clay. Tra ...

. The method used by Cosgrove Hall is a stop-motion animation process using scale model sets and posable character figurines. The figurines are composed of an articulate metal skeleton ( armature) covered in latex rubber, providing the flexibility and the detail which distinguishes the series. The series is set at The Riverbank, a mythical location somewhere in Berkshire, south east England. The Riverbank is where Ratty, Mole and Toad live. Nearby is the Wild Wood, where Badger and the Weasels live. Each episode has a unique story line, although there are some common themes running throughout the series. In series 4, the humans start building a new railway that is planned to be built through the area where the animals live. The show teaches children about the destruction of forests and animals' natural habits. The railway gets closer and closer to the animals' homes, yet in the episode "Happy New Year" it turns out that the railway would be travelling over unsuitable land, and therefore the route is diverted from the Riverbank and Wild Wood areas.

Music

The popular theme song is based on the instrumental theme to the original film, which had been composed by

Keith Hopwood Keith Hopwood (born 26 October 1946) is an English pop and rock musician, singer-songwriter, composer, businessman and record producer, who served as the rhythm guitarist and backing vocals for the 1960s pop band, Herman's Hermits. Hopwood al ...

and Malcolm Rowe and

arranged In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchest ...

by Brian Ibbetson. For the series, the song was adapted by the same composers and arranger and was sung by British singer-songwriter

Ralph McTell Ralph McTell (born Ralph May, 3 December 1944) is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s. McTell is best known for his song " Streets of London" (19 ...

The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist Ian Brown, ...

guitarist John Squire also worked on this series, but as a prop maker, not a musician.

Episodes

Series 1 (1984)

Series 2 (1985–86)

Series 3 (1986–87)

Series 4 (1987–88)

''Oh, Mr. Toad'', Series 1 (1990)

Home releases

VHS/DVD (Region 2)

* VHS – Video Collection International Ltd./DVD – PT Video Ltd. * The film (1983) (VHS – 28 April 1986 and 11 October 1993 re-release and DVD 2000) ** Winter (DVD) / Winter Tales (VHS – 3 November 1986 & 17 October 1994) – ''The Yuletide Entertainment'' (Cut version on the DVD), ''Winter Sports'', ''The Rescue'' (Cut version on the VHS). ** Summer (DVD) / Summer Escapades (VHS – 5 October 1987 & 1 September 1997) – ''Toad: Photographer'', ''The Great Golfing Gamble'', ''Grand Annual Show'' ** Spring (DVD) / Spring Follies (VHS – 4 April 1988 & 6 March 1995) – ''The Great Steamer'', ''Paperchase'' (''The Lost River'' in newer VHS 1995), ''May Day'' ** Autumn (DVD) / Autumn Antics (VHS – 7 November 1988 & 18 September 1995) – ''Harvest'', ''Monster of the Wild Wood'', ''Remember, Remember'' * A Tale of Two Toads (1989) (VHS – 2 October 1989 & 7 March 1994 re-release and DVD 2008) * The Four Seasons – A 2 VHS boxset (29 June 1998), containing one episode each from the original four season based Videos (see below) – ''May Day'', ''Grand Annual Show'', ''Harvest'' and ''Winter Sports''. VHS * All VHS titles released by Video Collection International Ltd. * Masquerade (VHS – 1987) – ''A Producer's Lot'', ''Winter Haunts'', ''Fancy Dress''. * The Enthusiastic Mr Toad/Oh Toad! (Double Pack VHS – 5 October 1987) ** The Enthusiastic Mr Toad – ''Mercury of the Motorbicycle'', ''Mr Toad's Telephone'', ''Toad, Astronomer''. ** Oh Toad! – ''Caught in a Maze'', ''Masterchef'', ''Champion of the Green Baize''. * Sample VHS tape (7 November 1988) that includes ''School Days'' and ''Hot Air'' * The Further Adventures of Mr Toad (VHS – 24 April 1989) – ''The Further Adventures of Mr Toad'', ''Patient Toad'' (''The Storm'' in one with a different picture on its VHS cover), ''Fire at Toad Hall''. * Patient Toad and other stories (VHS – 1 May 1989) – ''Patient Toad'', ''The Kidnapping of Toad'', ''Badger's Remedy''. * Mole's Cousin and other stories (VHS – 1 May 1989 and 6 May 1991) – ''Mole's Cousin'', ''Auberon Returns'', ''Happy New Year''. * Oh! Mr Toad! (VHS – 5 February 1990) – ''Oarsman Toad'', ''Midsummer Night's Disaster'', ''The Complete Bungler''. * The Wind in the Willows Bumper Special (VHS – 10 September 1990) – ''Mr Toad of the Times'', '' Toad in Motion'', ''Piano-Roll Toad'', ''Gypsy Toad'', ''Toad in Love''. * Happy Birthday and other stories (VHS – 7 October 1991) – ''Happy Birthday'', ''A Toad in Time'', '' Film Maker''. * The Labyrinth and other stories (VHS – 6 April 1992) – ''The Labyrinth'', ''Bankruptcy'', '' Unlikely Allies''. * Lord Toad and other stories (VHS – 6 April 1992) – ''Lord Toad'', ''Hall for Sale'', ''Toad's Harvest''. * My Bumper The Wind In The Willows: Fun & Games (VHS – 5 May 1997) – ''Mercury of the Motorbicycle'', ''Champion of the Green Baize'', ''The Tournament'', ''Hot Air'', ''Fighting Fit''. VHS Compilations * Children's Favourites - Volume 1 (1 February 1988) - ''Wayfarers All''. (Compilation VHS with Danger Mouse and Alias the Jester) * Lollipop Children's Favourites Vol. 1 (1 May 1989) - ''Gadget Mad''. (Compilation VHS with Count Duckula and Danger Mouse) * Lollipop Children's Favourites Vol. 2 (1 May 1989) - ''The Ghost at Mole End''. (Compilation VHS with Count Duckula and Danger Mouse) * More Children's Summer Stories (5 June 1989) - ''The Tournament''. (Compilation VHS with Count Duckula and Danger Mouse) * More Children's Holiday Favourites (4 June 1990) - ''Fighting Fit''. (Compilation VHS with Count Duckula and Danger Mouse) * The Christmas Collection (5 October 1992) - ''Auld Lang Syne''. (Compilation VHS with The Sooty Show and Rainbow) DVD * In 2003, Time Life DVD released a set of six DVDs with four digitally re-mastered episodes on each disc containing various episodes from Series 1 – 3; these were as follows: 1. Classic Willows Tales – 1. The Yuletide Entertainment (cut version), 2. Caught in a Maze, 3. Grand Annual Show, 4. Badger's Remedy. 2. Typical Toad – 1. Mercury of the Motor bicycle, 2. Burglary at Toad Hall, 3. Fire at Toad Hall, 4. Patient: Toad. 3. Ratty and Mole:Chums For Life – 1. The Ghost at Mole End, 2. The Great Steamer, 3. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, 4. The Storm. 4. Champion of the Willows – 1. Paper Chase, 2. The Great Golfing Gamble, 3. Champion of the Green Baize, 4. Winter Sports. 5. Those Wily Weasels – 1. The Weasels' Trap, 2. The Rescue, 3. Unlikely Allies, 4. Fancy-Dress. 6. Wise Old Badger – 1. Buried Treasure, 2. Harvest, 3. School Days, 4. A Producer's Lot. These DVDs are now out of print and are very hard to find, but can be found on

eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became ...

every so often. * The Four Seasons – released in May 2006 * The Complete Series 1 – released on 26 March 2007 * The Complete Series 2 – released on 25 June 2007 * Wind In The Willows – The Complete Collection – released on 13 October 2008 (features all 65 episodes including those from Oh Mr. Toad! plus both films) * 3 DVDs were made as part of a one-off Daily Mail event around the end of 2008, each containing six episodes. Two of them are similar to The Four Seasons collection. ** Disc One: ''Six classic episodes from the 1st series'' – ''The Further Adventures of Toad'', ''The Kidnapping of Toad'', ''The Ghost at Mole End'', ''Buried Treasure'', ''Mole's Cousin'', ''The Open Road Again''. ** Disc Two: ''Spring and Summer'' – ''The Great Steamer'', ''The Lost River'', ''Paper Chase'', ''May Day'', ''Toad: Photographer'', ''The Great Golfing Gamble'', ''Grand Annual Show''. ** Disc Three: ''Autumn and Winter'' – ''The Harvest'', ''Monster of the Wild Wood'', ''Remember, Remember'', ''The Yuletide Entertainment'', ''Winter Sports'', ''The Rescue''.

DVD (Region 1)

In North America, home media distribution of both the show and the movie were handled by A&E Home Entertainment, under license from

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

talkbackTHAMES Talkback Thames (stylised as talkbackTHAMES) was a British television production company, a division of Fremantle (part of the RTL Group, which in turn is owned by Bertelsmann). It was formed by the merger of Talkback Productions and Thames Tel ...

, FremantleMedia International and FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment. Previously the film had already been made available on VHS from HBO Video under license from Thames. * The film (1983) * A Tale of Two Toads (1989) * The Feature Films Collection – a compendium of ''The Movie'' and ''A Tale of Two Toads''. * The Complete First Series * The Complete Second Series * The Wind in the Willows Four-Pack – includes both feature films, and the complete first and second series.

DVD (Region 4)

* The film (1983) – There have been VHS releases of Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring, among others. Fremantle Media also released the complete series in Australia and New Zealand.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wind In The Willows (Tv Series), The 1984 British television series debuts 1990 British television series endings British children's animated adventure television series ITV children's television shows British stop-motion animated television series British television shows based on children's books Television shows based on The Wind in the Willows 1980s British children's television series 1990s British children's television series Television shows produced by Thames Television Television series by FremantleMedia Kids & Family 1980s British animated television series 1990s British animated television series Television series by Cosgrove Hall Films Animated television series about mice and rats Animated television series about frogs