''Tickle on the Tum'' is a series of ten-minute programmes for young children produced by Granada Television and aired on the ITV network from 1984 until 1988. The series was set in the General Store and Post Office in the fictional village of Tickle-on-the-Tum (the humorous double-meaning of the title was explained obliquely in the theme song). The original presenters were folk-singer

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 ...

, fresh from his stint on Granada's other children's series

Alphabet Zoo ''Alphabet Zoo'' is a series of ten-minute programmes for young children, produced by Granada Television and was broadcast on ITV for two series in 1983 and 1984. It was presented by singer Ralph McTell and actress Nerys Hughes. Each episode i ...

, and Danusia Harwood. From about the middle of the second series, Harwood was replaced by Jacqueline Reddin. In the final series, the setting changed to the newly opened Tickle Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) studios. Reddin became the show's lead presenter and sang the theme song, after McTell returned to his recording career. She was joined by a puppet

cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

named Dexter, performed by John Eccleston. In this series, Jacqueline occasionally appeared as another character, movie star 'Gloria Glamorous'.

Format

Ralph and Danny (or Jacqui depending which series you were in) would be working in the shop when a local resident would come in and recount at length an incident in their week, accompanied with illustrations by Valerie Pye. A song, written and sung with guitar (and occasionally, piano) by McTell, would follow based around either the week's story or simply the visiting character. The three of them would also read aloud jokes from the 'Tickle Post', which were usually credited to have been submitted by children from various schools. Pet-shop proprietor Bunny was played by

Nerys Hughes Nerys Hughes (born 8 November 1941) is a Welsh actress and narrator, known primarily for her television roles, including her part in the BBC TV series ''The Liver Birds''. Biography She was born in Rhyl, Flintshire. Her parents were Myfi and ...

, McTell's co-presenter on

and several songs from the earlier series were reused in Tickle on the Tum, including "Kenny the Kangaroo" and "Ollie the Otter". Favourite characters amongst children were bumbling odd-job man Barney Bodger, Mike the Milkman and G.P. Dr Dimple, played by

Bill Oddie William Edgar Oddie (born 7 July 1941) is an English writer, comedian, songwriter, musician, artist, birder, conservationist, television presenter and actor. He was a member of comedy trio The Goodies. A birder since his childhood in Quinto ...

. When Danny was working at the shop, it was implied that she was just an assistant and Ralph was the proprietor. But during the Christmas Special from series 3, Ralph is shown returning from a music tour and mentions that the shop belongs to Jacqui now. Despite being twice as long as a regular episode, the Christmas special didn't feature any guests stars at all, but did feature an uncredited cameo by Jacqueline Reddin's baby daughter Jenna (as Farmer Field's youngest). The original opening credit sequence, illustrated by Valerie Pye, featured several town inhabitants standing in front of the General Store. They were, from left to right: Farmer Field, Roland Crust, Lilly Lolly, Bobby Bins and Barney Bodger. When

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...

(who played Bobby Bins) left after just two episodes, his character was replaced by the similar Tommy Tidy, played by

Willie Rushton William George Rushton (18 August 1937 – 11 December 1996) was an English cartoonist, satirist, comedian, actor and performer who co-founded the satirical magazine ''Private Eye''. Early life Rushton was born 18 August 1937 in 3 Wilbraham Plac ...

. Tommy's outfit was almost identical to that of Bobby, making it seem that the drawn figure in the opening credits represented Tommy Tidy instead of Bobby Bins.

Cast and characters

*Gary Ball (Tickle Rovers football team captain) – Brian Bovell (2 episodes, series 2–3) *Barney Bodger (builder) – Tim Healy (13 episodes, series 1 to 4) *Bessie Bagwash (launderette owner) –

Mollie Sugden Mary Isobel Sugden (21 July 19221 July 2009), known professionally as Mollie Sugden was an English actress. She was best known for being an original cast member in the British sitcom '' Are You Being Served?'' (1972–1985) as senior saleswoman ...

(9 episodes, series 2 to 4) *Bobby Binns (dustman) –

(2 episodes, series 1–2) *Bunny Brown (pet shop owner) –

(4 episodes, series 2–3) *Connie Caper ( WPC) –

Joan Sims Irene Joan Marion Sims (9 May 1930 – 27 June 2001) was an English actress, best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' franchise, appearing in 24 of the films (the most for any actress). On television, she is known for playing Gran i ...

(8 episodes, series 1–3) *Mayor Choudhury (town mayor) –

Zia Mohyeddin Zia Mohyeddin (; born 20 June 1931) is a British-Pakistani actor, producer, director and television broadcaster who has appeared in both Pakistani cinema and television as well as in British cinema and television throughout his career. Zia M ...

(4 episodes, series 4) *Mrs. Cravat –

Barbara Lott Barbara Dulcie Lott (15 May 1920 – 19 December 2002) was a British actress probably best remembered as Ronnie Corbett, Ronnie Corbett's character's mother, Phyllis Lumsden in the BBC television sitcom ''Sorry! (TV series), Sorry!''. She als ...

(4 episodes, series 4) *Miss Dibbs (scout leader) –

Patricia Brake Patricia Ann Brake (25 June 1942 – 28 May 2022) was an English actress. From the age of 16, Brake trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, before joining the Salisbury Playhouse. She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company where (among ...

(5 episodes, series 4) *Dora (school bus driver) –

Penelope Keith Dame Penelope Anne Constance Keith, (née Hatfield; born 2 April 1940) is an English actress and presenter, active in film, radio, stage and television and primarily known for her roles in the British sitcoms '' The Good Life'' and ''To the Man ...

(8 episodes, series 1 to 3) *Dr Dimple –

(12 episodes, series 1 to 4) *Farmer Field – John Wells (10 episodes, series 1 to 4) *Freddy the Fireman –

Graham Stark Graham William Stark (20 January 1922 – 29 October 2013) was an English comedian, actor, writer and director. Early life The son of a purser on transatlantic liners,

(6 episodes, series 2 to 4) *Lily Lolly (Lollipop Lady) –

Bertice Reading Bertice Reading (July 22, 1933 – June 8, 1991) was an American-born actress, singer and revue artiste, based in England for most of her career. Early life and career Reading was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. Her performing career started at ...

(2 episodes, series 1–2) *Mickey Moon (newspaper boy) – Adam Sunderland (2 episodes, series 2) *Mike the Milkman –

Kenny Lynch Kenneth Lynch, OBE (18 March 1938 – 18 December 2019) was an English singer, songwriter, entertainer, and actor. He appeared in many variety shows in the 1960s. At the time, he was among the few black singers in British pop music. He was app ...

(4 episodes, series 1–2) *Miss Marker (teacher) –

Susan Wooldridge Susan Wooldridge (born 31 July 1950) is a British actress. She won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for '' Hope and Glory'' (1987). Her television credits include '' Jewel in the Crown'', (1984), ''All Quiet on the Preston ...

(7 episodes, series 1 to 3) *Roland Crust (baker) –

Billy Dainty William Hooper Frank John Dainty (22 February 1927 – 19 November 1986) was a British comedian, dancer, physical comedian and pantomime and television star. Early life Dainty was born in Wolverhampton Street, Dudley, Worcestershire. His ...

(3 episodes, series 1–2) *Tommy Tidy (dustman/inventor) –

(2 episodes, series 3) *Winnie Walker (postwoman) –

Madge Hindle Madge Hindle (born Madge Railton; 19 May 1938) is an English actress, known for her roles in British television shows. Career Hindle was born in Blackburn, Lancashire. Her break came when her friend, playwright Alan Bennett, asked her to appear i ...

(4 episodes, series 1–2) *Willie Wok (chip shop owner) –

Burt Kwouk Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk, (; ; 18 July 1930 – 24 May 2016) was a British actor, known for his role as Cato in the ''Pink Panther'' films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of Imperial Japanese Army Ma ...

(2 episodes, series 3)

Series guide

*Series 1: 18 editions 5 November 1984 – 1 April 1985 *Series 2: 31 editions 2 September 1985 – 23 June 1986 *Series 3: 30 editions 1 September 1986 – 30 March 1987 (Including one 25 minute Christmas special) *Series 4: 26 editions 8 February 1988 – 22 August 1988 *Series 5: 13 editions 6 September 1988 – 29 November 1988 Although broadcast over 4 series, there were three main recording blocks of 39 episodes overseen by three different directors. The first 39 episodes, directed by Patricia Pearson, starred Ralph and Danny and made up all the episodes of series one and the first 21 of series two. This is why some episodes broadcast in early 1986 still bore a 1984 date during the end credits. After a few weeks of reruns, the second series resumed with ten new episodes from the second recording block, now co-starring Jacqui and directed by Peter Plummer. Series three featured all the remaining episodes from the second block and series four all the episodes from the third block, starring Jacqui and Dexter and directed by Richard Signy.

Merchandise

The complete first series has been released on DVD on 23 August 2010, albeit with a warning from the

BBFC The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of f ...

that it contained "outdated racial attitudes".Daily Telegraph: Films that outraged viewers in 2010
/ref> However, instead of featuring the entire first series (as advertised on the cover), the DVD features 17 episodes from the first production block which broadcasts were spread out over the first and second series. Only five different guest actors appear on the DVD: Miss Marker, Mike the Milkman, Dr. Dimple, Roland Crust and Dora the Driver, whereas series one as broadcast also featured Barny Bodger, Bobby Binns, Winnie Walker, Connie Caper, Lilly Lolly and Farmer Field.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tickle on the Tum 1980s British children's television series 1984 British television series debuts 1988 British television series endings British television shows featuring puppetry ITV children's television shows Television shows set in England Television shows produced by Granada Television English-language television shows