The Adventures of Portland Bill
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''The Adventures of Portland Bill'' is a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
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 ...
animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television show, television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during ...
made in 1983. It is set in a fictional lighthouse on the
Guillemot Guillemot is the common name for several species of seabird in the Alcidae or auk family (part of the order Charadriiformes). In British use, the term comprises two genera: '' Uria'' and ''Cepphus''. In North America the ''Uria'' species ...
Rock, just off the coast from the fictional village of McGuillycuddy.
Norman Rossington Norman Rossington (24 December 1928 – 21 May 1999) was an English actor best remembered for his roles in ''The Army Game'', the ''Carry On'' films and the Beatles' film '' A Hard Day's Night''. Early life Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, ...
provides the voice of all the characters, with Portland Bill the principal keeper acting as the narrator of each episode.


Characters

Most of its characters were named after British Sea Areas and coastal weather stations and other words that occur in shipping forecasts: These live in the lighthouse: * Portland Bill: Principal lighthouse keeper *Ross and
Cromarty Cromarty (; gd, Cromba, ) is a town, civil parish and former royal burgh in Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland. Situated at the tip of the Black Isle on the southern shore of the mouth of Cromarty Firth, it is seaward from ...
(see also Ross and Cromarty): his assistants * Dogger: his dog The rest of the characters live elsewhere: * Fastnet: fisherman, lives on the island *Mrs.
Lundy Lundy is an English island in the Bristol Channel. It was a micronation from 1925–1969. It forms part of the district of Torridge in the county of Devon. About long and wide, Lundy has had a long and turbulent history, frequently chang ...
: owns cottage on mainland *Grandma
Tiree Tiree (; gd, Tiriodh, ) is the most westerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The low-lying island, southwest of Coll, has an area of and a population of around 650. The land is highly fertile, and crofting, alongside tourism, an ...
: makes
oatcake An oatcake is a type of flatbread similar to a cracker or biscuit, or in some versions takes the form of a pancake. They are prepared with oatmeal as the primary ingredient, and sometimes include plain or wholemeal flour as well. Oatca ...
s for the lighthousemen *Inspector Ronaldsway: belongs to the lighthouse service * Finisterre: owns a
croft Croft may refer to: Occupations * Croft (land), a small area of land, often with a crofter's dwelling * Crofting, small-scale food production * Bleachfield, an open space used for the bleaching of fabric, also called a croft Locations In the Uni ...
* Eddie Stone: owns the village shop; also is the village's milkman, mayor, postman, meter-reader and policeman. *Young
Gail Gail may refer to: People *Gail (given name), list of notable people with the given name Surname * Jean-Baptiste Gail (1755–1829), French Hellenist scholar * Max Gail (born 1943), American actor * Sophie Gail (1775–1819), French singer and ...
: lives in McGuillycuddy


Places

*McGuillycuddy: a village on the mainland overlooking the lighthouse island: named after the real
MacGillycuddy's Reeks , photo=MacGuillycuddy's Reeks.jpg , photo_caption= , country=Ireland , country1= , location = County Kerry , region = Munster , region_type = Provinces of Ireland , parent= , border= , length_km=19 , length_orientation=East–West ...
in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...


Location

The idea was originated by John Grace and submitted to the competition 'Maritime England'. Most of the characters are named after the areas of the UK Shipping Forecast. Grandma Tiree and Inspector Ronaldsway are named after automatic weather stations and “Gail” is named after the high winds frequently forecast. The submission won the prize and was picked up by Graham Clutterbuck at FilmFair who went on to commission two series for ITV. At the time, John Grace and Mik Parsons were colleagues teaching in the Graphic Design Department at Leicester Polytechnic (now DeMontfort University). They collaborated on the music and song content with Mik Parsons recording all the songs on his 4-track cassette based Tascam Portastudio.


Boats

*The Puffin: rowboat, belongs to Portland Bill. *The
Kipper A kipper is a whole herring, a small, oily fish, that has been split in a butterfly fashion from tail to head along the dorsal ridge, gutted, salted or pickled, and cold-smoked over smouldering wood chips (typically oak). In the United Ki ...
: used by Eddie Stone and Inspector Ronaldsway.


Animals

*
Flotsam In maritime law, flotsam'','' jetsam'','' lagan'','' and derelict are specific kinds of shipwreck. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A shipwreck is defined as the rema ...
, Jetsam: two
sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...
*
Boulmer Boulmer is a village in Northumberland, England, on the North Sea coast east of Alnwick. It is home to RAF Boulmer. Boulmer has an independent volunteer lifeboat station. Origin of the name The name Boulmer, pronounced "Boomer", is a derivatio ...
:
bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...


Credits

Series 1 *Originated by: John Grace *Director of Animation: Barry Leith *Designed by: John Grace, Barry Leith *Assistant Animators: Humphrey Leadbitter, Heather Boucher *Model Makers: Martin Cheek, Gordon Tait, Linda Thodesen *Music by: John Grace, Mik Parsons *Editor: Robert Dunbar *Assistant Editor: Andi Sloss *Production Coordinator: Barrie Edwards *Stories Adapted for TV by: Ian Sachs *Executive Producer: Graham Clutterbuck John Grace/FilmFair Ltd MCMLXXXIII Series 2 *Originated by: John Grace *Director of Animation: Humphrey Leadbitter *Designed by: John Grace, Barry Leith *Assistant Animator: Martin Cheek *Model Makers: Martin Cheek, Jo Pierpoint White, Gordon Tait *Music by: John Grace, Mik Parsons *Lighting by: Ted Martin *Edited by: Andrew Sloss *Assisted by: Richard Ireland *Producer: Barrie Edwards *Production Assistant: Mark Woodroffe *Executive Producer: Graham Clutterbuck John Grace/FilmFair Ltd MCMLXXXVI


Transmission guide


Series 1

13 editions from 4 October 1983 – 3 January 1984 (aired on Tuesdays) *Changeable Weather (4 October 1983) – When Ross and Cromarty's efforts to paint the lighthouse end in slapstick fun, they conjure up rain and snow effects to keep Portland Bill inside. *The Tourists (4 October 1983) – Portland Bill visits McGuillycuddy, while there he helps his friend Eddie Stone and makes the tourists' day trip a memorable one. *The Fishing Match (11 October 1983) – When Ross and Cromarty stage a fishing match they catch more than they bargained for. *The Seaweed Clock (11 October 1983) – How does Portland Bill manage to tell the time by his seaweed clock? *Portland Bill's Busy Day (18 October 1983) – Portland Bill has a day off on the mainland and manages to help all his friends with their jobs. *The Sea Monster (18 October 1983) – Laughter on the night watch when Ross and Cromarty find a sea monster in the living room. *Bedtime For Cromarty (25 October 1983) – Portland Bill recommends an effective but most unusual remedy for Cromarty's hiccups. *The Birthday Surprise (25 October 1983) – Eddie Stone's delivery day has a surprise in store for him at the lighthouse on the Guillemot Rock. *The Jam Session (1 November 1983) – Cromarty and Finisterre's unexpected jam session in the lighthouse turns into musical mayhem when Portland Bill joins in on the bagpipes. *An Inspector Calls (1 November 1983) – The assistant keepers do everything wrong when the lighthouse inspector calls but Portland Bill is pleased with his final report. *Important Message (8 November 1983) – A misunderstood semaphore message results in a slap-up tea for the lighthouse keepers. *Buried Treasure (8 November 1983) – Cromarty finds more than he bargained for when he embarks on a treasure hunt in the village of McGuillycuddy. *Atmospheric Interference (15 November 1983) – Cromarty's weather forecasting kit comes in handy on the day of the cup final. *Dogger's Best Trick (15 November 1983) – When the water pipe in McGuillycuddy is threatening to burst, Dogger the dog manages to save the day but he takes the sausages when he tries to get Eddie Stone's attention. *A Knot For Everything (22 November 1983) – Portland Bill's ability to tie all sorts of knots is tested on his visit to McGuillycuddy. *The Wind Powered Vacuum Cleaner (22 November 1983) – Cromarty invents a wind powered vacuum cleaner to speed up spring cleaning in the lighthouse. All is fine until the wind changes direction. *The Good News Storm (29 November 1983) – Ross and Cromarty find out that even the fiercest storm can be good news on the Guillemot Rock. *The Whistling Kettle (29 November 1983) – A whistling kettle helps Eddie Stone to pacify a runaway bull. *Baking Day (6 December 1983) – Cromarty's expertise as a chef comes into question on the day that Eddie Stone's boat loses its anchor. *Bird Watching (6 December 1983) – A penguin's visit to the lighthouse has chaotic results, but Ross and Cromarty are too busy bird-watching to notice. *The Lost Key (13 December 1983) – The keepers search high and low for a special lighthouse key. Valencia the parrot and Dogger the dog know where it is all the time. *Sick As A Parrot (13 December 1983) – It's riotous laughter for all when Cromarty and Valencia the parrot find that they have something in common. *Portland Bill And The Mermaid (20 December 1983) – Ross and Cromarty refuse to believe in mermaids until they meet one face to face. *The Big Shopping List (20 December 1983) – The order from the oil rig is the biggest that Eddie Stone has ever had but he is able to fill it with some help from Portland Bill. *The Day The Sea Froze (3 January 1984) – The lighthouse keepers use spectacular methods to keep warm on the day that the sea freezes around the Guillemot Rock. *The Fishermen's Ball (3 January 1984) – Poster pasting ends in fun and laughter at the fishermen's ball.


Series 2

12 editions from 9 April 1986 – 25 June 1986 (aired on Wednesdays) *The Guided Tour (9 April 1986) – Ross and Cromarty await the Lighthouse Inspector only to find they're besieged by tourists. *Beach Combers (9 April 1986) – Miss Shannon so longs to own her own pottery, what can Portland Bill do to help? *The Foggy Day (16 April 1986) – Bill jokes that the incoming fog will bring King Neptune to the lighthouse. *Kite Flying (16 April 1986) – It's a windy day in the village of McGuillycuddy, ideal kite flying weather. *Football Pie (23 April 1986) – After mistaking a pumpkin for a football, Ross and Cromarty have a surprise treat for tea. *Gone Fishing (23 April 1986) – Ross and Cromarty have a fishing match but what they catch certainly isn't edible. *Bad Dogger (30 April 1986) – Dogger is acting very strangely, barking at everybody, what can be wrong? *The Garden Party (30 April 1986) – Bill invites all his friends to a Garden Party at the lighthouse, but he doesn't have a garden. *A Quiet Night (7 May 1986) – Being on nightwatch at the Lighthouse can be a bit boring, except when something goes wrong. *The Phantom Piper (7 May 1986) – Strange music is heard in the village, could the Legend Of The Phantom Piper be true. *Forty Winks (14 May 1986) – Eddie Stone is so tired he falls asleep, but he's at sea and there's a storm blowing. *Last Jam Tart (14 May 1986) – Whoever finishes their work first gets the last Jam Tart, but who will it be? *Penguins (21 May 1986) – Bill's orders to Ross are, ''Don't feed the penguins'', but surely one little biscuit can't hurt. *Super Sale (21 May 1986) – Eddie Stone decides to have a Super Sale at his shop. *Painting The Lighthouse (28 May 1986) – Cromarty tries his hand at being an artist. *Hot Gossip (28 May 1986) – A Royal welcome is in store for Valencia the parrot, when she's mistaken for a Princess. *Good Ideas (4 June 1986) – Cromarty has a list of chores to do before Bill and Ross get back from the mainland. *Sky High (4 June 1986) – Ross and Cromarty take a ride of a lifetime when they open a package they shouldn't. *Weather Forecast (11 June 1986) – Whatever day Cromarty chooses to do the washing it always seems to rain. *Dogger To The Rescue (11 June 1986) – Dogger hates having a bath, but loves a swim in the sea, which is just as well for Bill. *St. Bozo's Treasure (18 June 1986) – Ross and Cromarty go in search of St. Bozo's Treasure, but treasure isn't exactly what they find. *The Runaway Sheep (18 June 1986) – Chaos is caused the day Finisterre's sheep escape in the village. *The Sea Chest (25 June 1986) – When Ross and Cromarty have a fishing match, Cromarty decides to cheat. *The Big Catch (25 June 1986) – Fastnet bets he can catch more in his fishing nets than Bill, but can he?


Trivia

*The series was narrated by actor of ''Spooner's Patch'' and ''Big Jim and the Figaro Club'',
Norman Rossington Norman Rossington (24 December 1928 – 21 May 1999) was an English actor best remembered for his roles in ''The Army Game'', the ''Carry On'' films and the Beatles' film '' A Hard Day's Night''. Early life Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, ...
. *The show aired on ABC in Australia (10 August 1987 – 28 February 1992). However, whereas two episodes were shown back-to-back in the UK, each episode was screened individually in Australia. The show was also screened in New Zealand on TV One starting in the same year. In Canada the series aired on
Knowledge Network Knowledge Network, also branded as British Columbia's Knowledge Network, is a Canadian publicly funded educational cable television network serving the province of British Columbia. It is owned by the Knowledge Network Corporation, a Crown co ...
during the late 1980s. *Series 1 of the show aired in Greece on the Channel 2 of Hellenic National Television (known as
ERT2 ERT2 ( el, ΕΡΤ2, "ERT Dyo") is a Greek free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation ( el, EPT – Ελληνική Ραδιοφωνία Τηλεόραση). It is the c ...
) in 1984. It was dubbed in Greek. In Iran the series was aired on
IRIB The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; fa, صدا و سيمای جمهوری اسلامی ايران, ''Sedā va Sīmā-ye Jomhūri-ye Eslāmi-ye Īrān'', , formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian rev ...
dubbed in Persian. *Each broadcast and the series 1 episodes that were featured on the VHS releases consisted of two episodes back-to-back connected by a song. Unfortunately, the songs are not featured on the
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
releases, but one song, 'Eddie's Song' has been uploaded to
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
. In 2021, one of the show's musicians Mik Parsons uploaded four of the songs to YouTube.


VHS releases

FilmFair Fun had released one single video containing five double-length stories from the first series on it: Sometime during 1988, FilmFair Fun had also released an extended single video with six double-length stories from the first series on it: Snapdragon Video released a collection of 10 ''Portland Bill'' stories from the second series: In the 1990s on 17 July 1995, Castle Communications Plc released three videos with four double-length episodes each:


DVD Releases

Abbey Home Media released two DVDs containing twenty four episodes from the first season. The episodes are presented in single bill format and do not include the songs that were originally featured between two episodes each.


See also

* ''Gran'' (1983) * ''
Postman Pat ''Postman Pat'' is a British stop-motion animated television series first produced by Woodland Animations. The series follows the adventures of Pat Clifton, a postman who works for Royal Mail postal service in the fictional village of Greendal ...
'' (1981)


External links


''The Adventures of Portland Bill''
at the
Big Cartoon DataBase The Big Cartoon DataBase (or BCDB for short) is an online database of information about animated cartoons, Feature film, animated feature films, Animated television series, animated television shows, and cartoon Short film, shorts. The BCDB proj ...

''The Adventures of Portland Bill''
a
ClassicKidsTV.co.uk
*

at Little Gems

at Toonhound {{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures Of Portland Bill, The 1983 British television series debuts 1986 British television series endings 1980s British children's television series 1980s British animated television series British children's animated adventure television series ITV children's television shows Isle of Portland Works set in lighthouses British stop-motion animated television series Television series by FilmFair Television series by DHX Media English-language television shows Television series by ITV Studios Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Television shows produced by Granada Television