| The Adventures of Portland Bill | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Format | Stop motion, Animation |
| Created by | John Grace, FilmFair, Granada Television |
| Starring | Norman Rossington |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom
|
| No. of episodes | 36 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 5mins |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV |
| Original airing | 1983 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Adventures of Portland Bill is a British stop motion animated children's television series made in 1983. It was set in a fictional lighthouse called Guillemot Rock on the south coast of England. The setting is a copy of the real Portland Bill lighthouse and Isle of Portland with placenames changed.
Contents |
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: lighthouse keeper
- Ross and Cromarty: his assistants
- Dogger: his dog
The rest of the characters live elsewhere:
- Fastnet: fisherman, lives on the island
- Mrs. Lundy: owns cottage on mainland
- Grandma Tiree: makes oatcakes for the lighthousemen
- Inspector Ronaldsway: belongs to the lighthouse service, not a police officer
- Finisterre: owns a croft
- Eddy Stone: owns the village shop, has various jobs: named after Eddystone.
- Young Gail: lives in McGuillycuddy, perhaps on a farm: named after "gale"
Places
- McGuillycuddy: a village on the mainland overlooking the lighthouse island: named after the real Macgillycuddy's Reeks in Ireland
Boats
Other animals
Trivia
The series was narrated by actor of Spooner's Patch and Big Jim and the Figaro Club, Norman Rossington.
Credits
- 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
External links
- The Adventures of Portland Bill at the Internet Movie Database
- The Adventures of Portland Bill @ Little Gems - includes images and episode lists
- The Adventures of Portland Bill @ Toonhound
- The Adventures of Portland Bill at ClassicKidsTV.co.uk
- The Adventures of Portland Bill @ The Big Cartoon Database includes images and episode lists
