Roobarb was an animated television show for children, shown on BBC ONE just before the evening news. Each cartoon, written by Grange Calveley and animated by Bob Godfrey, was about 5 minutes long. Thirty episodes were made, and were first shown in 1974.
Roobarb is a green dog (however, many contend that he is yellow, though this has now been discredited by Grange Calveley), Custard is a pink cat. Roobarb is always up to some misadventure or other, which he approaches with unbounded enthusiasm. Custard is cynical, and is always trying to stop him, but usually Custard comes off the worse in the end. Other characters in the series are The Birds, who watch the antics of the other two from the safety of a nearby tree, often making snide remarks.
The series features a deliberately rough style, drawn using marker pens and a very sketchy drawing technique, so that the pictures are constantly jiggling around. This effect, known to animators as "boiling", gives a great energetic character to the show, and was a contrast to the slick smooth colouring of the imported Hanna-Barbera shows that were being widely shown. The series was voiced by actor Richard Briers and the famous theme tune was written by Johnny Hawksworth.
The series was an enormous success, greatly loved by children and adults alike, and winning numerous awards. It is now viewed as "must watch" cult TV. Contrary to popular belief, the show was not called Roobarb and Custard. |
