''Oscar's Orchestra'' is an animated series that ran from 1995 to 1996 comprising a total of three series and 39 episodes as a BBC competitor to ITV's ''

Budgie the Little Helicopter ''Budgie the Little Helicopter'' is a British animated television series, relating to a fictional helicopter and his friends, based on a series of children's books. The characters were based on the books by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. The ...

''. The series was produced by the popular British animation studio Tony Collingwood Productions Limited in association with

Warner Music Vision Warner Music Vision (also known as Warner Vision and Warner Vision International) was a music video company formed in 1990 by Warner Music International to make music videos from artists and bands on Warner Bros. Records, Maverick Records, Sire Rec ...

and

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, and was originally shown on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

as part of their children's block

CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...

. It also aired on the British children's cable networks

The Children's Channel The Children's Channel, also known as TCC, was a British-based pan-European children's television channel in Europe, Asia and Africa, which was owned by Flextech in London, England, UK. It began broadcasting on the original Eutelsat satellite ...

(TCC) and

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

and has broadcast in over more than 100 different countries worldwide such as ARD in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air Public broadcasting, public television network. The second flagship network of France Télévisions, it broadcasts a wide range of general and specialized programming. France 3 is structured as a Region ...

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ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

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and syndication in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. According to the first episode, The show is set in the distant future, "in the year 735 squillion, 22 million, 381 thousand, 6 hundred and 4... Tuesday" in a city called ''New

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

'', and is about a talking piano called Oscar, who rebels against the evil dictator of the world, Thaddeus Vent, who has banned music. Oscar and his fellow musical instruments plot against Vent and his henchmen, Lucius and Tank, and his soothsayer, Goodtooth. Their mission is to overthrow Thadius, save the world and bring back music. The voice of Oscar was provided by

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. He first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writer-perf ...

. Other members of the orchestra included Monty the violin, Trevor the tuba, Sylvia the flute and Eric the triangle. Based on an idea by Jan Younghusband, ''Oscar's Orchestra'' was designed to inspire children with the delights of classical music and incorporates famous orchestrated works from the great composers in each episode such as

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

and

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

. The programme's opening music is

Mikhail Glinka Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka ( rus, links=no, Михаил Иванович Глинка, Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka, mʲɪxɐˈil ɨˈvanəvʲɪdʑ ˈɡlʲinkə, Ru-Mikhail-Ivanovich-Glinka.ogg; ) was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognit ...

's Overture to '' Ruslan and Lyudmila''. The episode titles continue the theme, for example 'Bach to the Future'.

Characters

* Oscar the Piano – Oscar the Piano is a blue talking grand piano, who is a so-called 'illegal instrument.' Thaddeus hates him because Oscar was once Vent's piano and Oscar refuses to not play music. Oscar is the leader of his orchestra and is constantly thinking of plans to avoid Thaddeus and bring music back to the world. He is best friends with Eric the triangle, and cares a lot for all his Orchestra, especially Rebecca and Monty. Oscar's favourite composer is

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

. Oscar has a brave, strong personality, and was voiced by

and later by David Holt in season 3. * Rebecca and Mr. Crotchet – Rebecca (aged 10) and her grandfather, Mr. Crotchet, are good humans in this story, and they hide Oscar and his Orchestra in their house. They are constantly having to think of new ideas to avoid Thaddeus Vent. They used to run a diner before Oscar and his orchestra came into their lives. Rebecca is very good with technology, and some of her creations include the Bam gun and a robotic bull. Rebecca has a crush on Tobias Vent, who is Thaddeus' nephew. Mr. Crotchet has a curiosity workshop located in their house, where he fixes broken things. Inside their house is an entrance to the metrodome, a series of underground tunnels and rooms. * Thaddeus Vent – Thaddeus Vent is an evil dictator and Oscar's arch-enemy. He has banned music, and is helped by his hapless

henchmen A henchman is a loyal employee, supporter, or aide to some powerful figure engaged in nefarious or criminal enterprises. Henchmen are typically relatively unimportant in the organisation: minions whose value lies primarily in their unquestioning ...

, Goodtooth, Lucius and Tank. Vent is a small, middle-aged man, who wears a Georgian-style wig and has a heart-shaped mole on his cheek. He also talks to his teddy bear, who is called 'Teddy.' Vent's evil schemes are always foiled by Oscar, and his orchestra. It is revealed in the first episode that his hatred for music and Oscar stemmed from when he was six years old and was too impatient to practice playing Chopin music on Oscar. When it came for him to do a recital for the audience, he threatened Oscar to play for him and fool them, but it all went wrong when Oscar accidentally revealed he could play by himself and Thadius suffered great humiliation. * Lucius – Lucius is the deputy of Thaddeus Vent. He is a small man with green skin, greasy hair and a moustache. Lucius always thinks of new ideas, and patrols the streets of New Vienna to find illegal instruments. It is highly likely Lucius only helps out Thaddeus in his schemes because he hopes to be his heir to the throne. His pet is Tank, a savage. He is ruthless and shrewd, but seems to care for Tank on some level. Lucius' catchphrase is 'How exhilarating!' * Tank – Tank is a savage. He is Lucius' pet, and has pink skin. Tank always helps Lucius with his schemes, but often ruins them because of his non-existent intelligence. Tank sleeps in Lucius' bedroom in Vent's palace, chained to the end of Lucius' bed. Tank will at least try to eat nearly anything, including wood, cement, and even metal. It is revealed in My Kingdom for a Tank that if Tank were more intelligent, he would prefer to be called Clifford. * Goodtooth – Goodtooth is Thadius Vent's soothsayer. He sometimes introduces himself as 'It is I! Goodtooth, the soothsayer! Bringer of portents and potions!' He will typically introduce himself using that format. Usually whenever Goodtooth arrives, he frightens Vent after saying, 'It is I!,' who screams. Then, Goodtooth replies to Vent by saying 'Goodtooth, the soothsayer' Goodtooth is named that because of the fact he only has one, rotten tooth. Goodtooth is a coward, as he's scared of fighting, being near fighting, or seeing fighting. He prefers to use his inventions to help Thaddeus and fire from a distance. Other characters in Oscar's Orchestra are the instruments that are part of Oscar's orchestra, who include Monty the Violin, Eric the Triangle, who is Oscar's best friend and a very avid talker (actually a

Bermuda Triangle The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a loosely defined region in the North Atlantic Ocean, roughly bounded by Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Since the mid-20th century, it has been the focus of an urban legend sug ...

capable of creating a portal through space and time by touching his two ends together), Trevor the Tuba, Sylvia the Flute, who has a crush on Oscar, Louis the Oboe, who joined the Orchestra from

, and Jan and Stan the Cymbals. Other instrument characters not in the orchestra include Ken the Keyboard (created by Tim Wall the winner of a ''

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC ...

'' competition, to design a new character), Hannah the Harp, Monty's

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

n brother Murray the Violin, Viiola the Viola, Mañana the Guitar, a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

friend of Monty's who likes his siestas, the

castanets, Captain Den the Pirate Drum and his two instrument pirate mates, who run a pirate radio station, Scheherazade the Violin from New Arabia, Chordelia the piano, a pink/purple grand piano who Oscar is implied to have a crush on, Chordelia's grandfather Claude, and Sammy the piano, a turquoise small grand piano who is younger than Oscar and Chordelia. Other human characters include the townspeople of Old Vienna, who are on Oscar and his Orchestra's side, Thaddeus's nephew Tobias Vent, who seems to reciprocate Rebecca's feelings for him and joined the Orchestra's side during the episode Star Crossed, Thaddeus's

Vice Dictator, Big Sam the boss of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Ali Babwa and his forty thieves, Rheena, who's an opera singer, Thadius's old piano teacher Kevin, who was one of the only people to treat Oscar as a friend when he was Vent's piano, Thaddeus's mother Thadweena, who is the former ruler of the world, and William Tell and his father William Tell. Other characters in the show include Reg the bumblebee, Plutons (aliens on

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...

), an alien from

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

, Martians(aliens on

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

), mechonomen, or robots, created and programmed by Goodtooth for the purpose of destroying Oscar's Orchestra, giant tunnel rats and the Rat King, who allied with Thadius Vent in exchange for smelly cheese and live in the underground tunnels underneath Old Vienna, the Mountain King who lives in the mountain underneath Thadius Vent's castle, and the inhabitants of Count Jugula's castle.

, and

have all appeared in the show as humans in the past, when Oscar and his Orchestra go back in time via Eric.

Voice talent cast

* Oscar the Piano –

(series 1–2), David Holt (series 3) * Thadius Vent, Tank –

Colin McFarlane Colin Andrew Ignatius Peter McFarlane (born 15 September 1961) is a British actor, narrator and voice actor. He is known for his roles in film and television including Gillian B. Loeb in two films of Christopher Nolan's '' The Dark Knight Tril ...

* Rebecca – Elly Fairman * Mr. Crotchet –

Michael Kilgarriff Michael Kilgarriff (born 16 June 1937) is a British actor, author and pianist from Brighton. As an actor, he is well known for his rich voice and height. His film and television roles include ''The Dark Crystal'' (1982) as the General, and th ...

* Trevor the Tuba, Louis the Oboe – Stefan Lander * Monty the Violin – John Baddeley * Sylvia the Flute –

Eve Karpf Eve Karpf (born 2 August 1947) is a British actress. Among her roles she was the voice of Weed for the 2001 ''Bill and Ben'' reboot. Early life Karpf was born on 2 August 1947 in London. Her mother is the Polish concert pianist Natalia Kar ...

* Eric the Triangle – Eric Meyers * Goodtooth – Sean Barrett * Lucius –

Murray Melvin Murray Melvin (10 August 1932 – 14 April 2023) was an English actor. A member of Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop company, he originated the part of Geoffrey in Shelagh Delaney's play '' A Taste of Honey'', reprising the role in Tony Richa ...

* Kevin –

Richard E. Grant Richard E. Grant (born Richard Grant Esterhuysen; 5 May 1957) is an Eswatini-born English actor and presenter. He made his film debut as Withnail in the comedy '' Withnail and I'' (1987). Grant received critical acclaim for his role as Jack H ...

* Young William Tell –

Rik Mayall Richard Michael Mayall (; 7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He formed a close partnership with Adrian Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University, and was a pioneer of alternative come ...

* Narrator –

David de Keyser David de Keyser (22 August 1927 – 20 February 2021) was an English actor and narrator. Life and career Born in London in August 1927, in the mid-1960s de Keyser worked twice with the writer, actor and director Jane Arden. Their first collab ...

Episodes

Series 1

* The Battle Begins * Bach to the Future * Flight of the Bumblebee * Star Tours * Battle on Ice * The Four Seasons * Oscar Cracks a Nut * 1812 * Star Crossed * My Kingdom for a Tank * Viva España! * Once Upon a Ragtime * The Ring

Series 2

* The Queen of Sheba * Radio Oscar * Dance of the Forty Thieves * Back to Bach * Carnival of the Animals * Hall of the Mountain King * Black Keys * Sleeping Beauty * A Fight at the Opera * A Tale of Two Tales * Fangs But No Fangs * World Tour * Four of our Notes are Missing

Series 3

* The Lost Chords * Out of Tune * Knight in Shining Armour * Musical Exercise * Raiders of the Lost Park * Soothsayer's Convention * Water Music * Return of Scheherazade * Maestro Thadius * Inside Job * Lieder of the Pack * Greensleeves * The Toy Symphony

DVD releases

* Oscar's Orchestra Vol. 1 (2-disc set) : Episodes 1 to 13 (292 min) * Oscar's Orchestra Vol. 2 (2-disc set) : Episodes 14 to 26 (299 min)

References

External links

Oscar's Orchestra page at Collingwood & Co
*{{IMDb title, 0309193, Oscar's Orchestra BBC children's television shows British children's animated adventure television series British children's animated comedy television series British children's animated fantasy television series Classical music television series 1995 British television series debuts 1996 British television series endings 1990s British animated television series 1990s British children's television series Nickelodeon original programming Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming RTÉ original programming British English-language television shows Television shows set in Vienna Television series set in the future BBC animated television series