''Fourways Farm'' is a 1994–1996 British children's stop-motion animated television series produced by Case Television and Dutch Education Television from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and aired on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

UK during Channel 4 Schools between 1994 and 1996 and regularly repeated up until 2007.

Plot

Nine talking animals (all voiced by Martin Jarvis in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

) live together in ''Fourways Farm''. In every episode, 1 or more of the animals make an accidental but interesting scientific discovery. At nightfall daily, the animals try to deduce a logical explanation for it as they prepare to go to sleep; it happens in most of the episodes. Often, the 3 rats, Uno, Duo and Trio, make mischievous attempts to get some food out of the animals during the series, but they occasionally put their mischief aside to help out whenever there is trouble afoot. In the first 9 episodes, the farm animals say "Good Night" to each other, but in the other 16 episodes, only the closing theme tune is used, as the end credits roll on screen.

Characters

* Davenport the

Dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

- Has black and white fur and pointy ears, and speaks with an excitable, posh, male voice. * Martha the

Cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

- Has brown fur and udders, speaks in a female voice and mulls over situations. * Godfrey the

Horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

- Has a blue roan coat, and prides himself on his talents. He speaks with a

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

accent. * Ginger the

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 ...

- Has red and white ginger fur and speaks with a posh

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

accent. * Dudley the

Pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

- Tends to waddle like a penguin whenever he trots and likes to eat

turnip The turnip or white turnip ('' Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''rapa'') is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot. The word ''turnip'' is a compound of ''turn'' as in turned/rounded on a lathe and ...

s. He speaks with a

West Country accent West Country English is a group of English language varieties and accents used by much of the native population of South West England, the area sometimes popularly known as the West Country. The West Country is often defined as encompassi ...

. * Brenda the

Duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

- Has white feathers and speaks rather loudly, with a Scottish accent. * Uno the Large Rat - Has brown

fur Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...

, always wears sunglasses, does most of the scheming, and is a cockney, just like Duo and Trio. * Duo the Medium Rat - Has brown fur, buck teeth stick out of his mouth, is not very bright, and speaks in a deep voice. * Trio the Small Rat - Has buff coloured fur and a pink nose, like Uno and Duo, and speaks in a high-pitched voice. * Voltaire the

Weathercock A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

- The

narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...

with gold metalwork who can mostly be seen on top of the farm's archway. He speaks in

Received Pronunciation Received Pronunciation (RP) is the accent traditionally regarded as the standard and most prestigious form of spoken British English. For over a century, there has been argument over such questions as the definition of RP, whether it is geog ...

Episodes

VHS Tape Releases

References

{{Reflist * http://shop.channel4learning.com/?page=shop&cid=14&pid=1642 * http://www.r-e-m.co.uk/rem/xrem.php?T=28911 * http://www.abc.net.au/abckids/shows/prog226.htm 1993 British television series debuts 1995 British television series endings 1990s British children's television series British children's animated comedy television series British stop-motion animated television series British children's animated fantasy television series Channel 4 original programming Peabody Award-winning television programs Television shows set on farms 1990s British animated television series