''Ferry Boat Fred'' is an Australian

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

puppetry children's programme which was first broadcast in 1992 on ABC. The main character is a ferry on Sydney Harbour in Sydney, Australia named Fred, along with his older sister Kate, two other ferries, Lou and Bill, as well as Jean, a really jolly and colourful submarine. There is also his Captain, a Koala who is always found asleep behind Fred's wheel (due to koalas finding it difficult to stay awake all day). Fred has a voluntary deck hand named Pete, a "know-it-all" Pelican (also best known for his catchphrase, "No worries!") who befriends Fred and follows him around the harbour, assisting Fred and tying him up at Wallaby Wharf. The show was a success during its limited run. It was created by Polka Dot Productions, a company set up by the Producer/Writer John Pye in 1992 with 25 episodes. John Pye, a model maker originally from Dagenham,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, UK, grew up watching the classic British children's TV shows, ''

Ivor the Engine ''Ivor the Engine'' is a British cutout animation television series created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin's Smallfilms company. It follows the adventures of a small green steam locomotive who lives in the "top left-hand corner of Wales" ...

'' and ''

Noggin the Nog ''Noggin the Nog'' is a fictional character appearing in a TV series (of the same name, originally broadcast 1959–1965 and 1982) and a series of illustrated books (published 1965–1977), created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin. The TV seri ...

'' (made by

Oliver Postgate Richard Oliver Postgate (12 April 1925 – 8 December 2008), generally known as Oliver Postgate, was an English animator, puppeteer, and writer. He was the creator and writer of some of Britain's most popular children's television progra ...

Smallfilms Smallfilms is a British television production company that made animated TV programmes for children from 1959 until the 1980s. In 2014 the company began operating again, producing a new series of its most famous show, ''The Clangers'', however it ...

). Not only did Pye write the scripts and the incidental music but was also responsible for making most of the models. The entire series was filmed by Pye and three friends in a loft in the inner Sydney suburb of

Surry Hills Surry Hills is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney. Surry Hills is surround ...

. The narrator is Jack Osborn, who also provides all the character voices. A revamp was being made as of 2015; however, has been put on indefinite hiatus due to serious medical issues that John Pye has.

Characters

*Fred-A small yellow ferry, the main character. *Kate-A purple ferry, who is Fred's big sister. *Bill-A fast blue ferry. *Lou-A big red ferry. *Jean-A blue submarine. *Spike-An Echidna mechanic. *Pelican Pete-Fred's constant companion and Deckhand. His catchphrase is, "No worries!" *Koala-The captain of Fred who is always falling asleep. *Emily-An Emu who loves to shop around the harbour. *Belinda Brushtail-A brushtail possum who works as the lighthouse keeper during the night and always sleeps in the daytime.

Episode list

# Fred Meets Pete (30 March 1992) # Fred's Birthday Party (31 March 1992) # Fred's Sister Kate (1 April 1992) # Fred Goes to the Doctor (2 April 1992) # The Ferry Race (3 April 1992) # Pete The Magician (6 April 1992) # Belinda's Blown Bulb (7 April 1992) # Kate's Lost Bell (8 April 1992) # Major Mitchell's Washing (9 April 1992) # Fred at the Fairground (10 April 1992) # Jean the Submarine (13 April 1992) # Pete's Nephew Percy (14 April 1992) # Fred's Bad Dream (15 April 1992) # Fred Joins a Band (16 April 1992) # Fred and the Seagulls (17 April 1992) # Fred the Floating Zoo (20 April 1992) # Kate the Painter (21 April 1992) # Kate's Fancy Dress Party (22 April 1992) # Fred's Fishing Trip (23 April 1992) # Night Time Noises (24 April 1992) # Pete the Water Skier (27 April 1992) # Kate at the Fairground (28 April 1992) # Fred and the Whales (29 April 1992) # Emily's Lost Shopping (30 April 1992) # Fred Says Goodbye (1 May 1992)

Credits

* Told by: Jack Osborn * Director of Photography: Lawrence Kirkwood * Production Design: James Sawars * Production Assistant: Paul Lockwood * Models Made and Filmed at: Modelcraft Pty. Ltd. * Music: John Pye * A.B.C. Associate Producer: Glen Daly * Editor: Neela Sarkar * Sound Effects: Ian Neilson * Telecine: John Galbrath & Walter Pilarski * Special Thanks: Lynn Gallay, Bert Deling, Matthew Roche, Steve Mosley * Created, Written and Produced by: John Pye * Director: Mark Osborn

Merchandise

*The series also had a few merchandising products including a book called "The Great Race" which featured the episodes "The Ferry Race" and "Night Time Noises" combined, several T-shirts, a music album on CD and cassette which featured the theme song and songs performed by various Australian children's performers such as

George Spartels George Bernard Spartels (born 25 April 1954) is an Australian actor, presenter, director, playwright and children's musician of Greek descent on his father's ancestry, and English and Irish on his mother's. He remains best known for his role on ...

Franciscus Henri Franciscus Henricus Antheunis, professionally known as Franciscus Henri (born 7 August 1947, The Hague, The Netherlands), is a musician and children's entertainer. He has dual Dutch and Australian nationality. In 1970 he gained national promine ...

and Gillian Eastoe, two videos which only include 17 of the 25 episodes and a spoken word cassette containing 11 episodes including the two episodes "Major Mitchell's Washing" and "Belinda's Blown Bulb" which were never released on video.

International Broadcasts

* In Ireland, the series was broadcast on

RTÉ2 RTÉ2 is an Television in the Republic of Ireland, Irish free-to-air television channel operated by public service broadcaster RTÉ. It was launched in 1978 as the Republic of Ireland's second television channel. History In the 1970s, the Iri ...

as part of their programming block for children ''

The Den The Den (previously The New Den) is a football stadium in New Cross, south-east London, and the home of Millwall Football Club. The Den is adjacent to the South London railway originating at , and a quarter of a mile from the Old Den, which i ...

''. * In Portugal, the series was broadcast on RTP and was known as "Um Ferry chamado Fred". * In New Zealand, the series was broadcast on FTN.

References

{{reflist Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Australian children's television series 1992 Australian television series debuts 1992 Australian television series endings Television shows set in Sydney ITV children's television shows Australian preschool education television series Australian television shows featuring puppetry