Bertha (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Bertha is a British
stop motion
animated children's television series
about a factory machine. It was produced by Woodland Animations and aimed primarily at pre-school children.
The show focused on an extraordinarily capable factory machine named Bertha. In each episode there would be some sort of daily crisis involved in factory production. With the help of her friends (the factory workers), Bertha invariably solves the problems.
, Charlie Chalk
and Gran
for the BBC. The show was written by Eric Charles and Stephen Flewers and designed, produced & directed by Ivor Wood
.
The Narration was provided by Roy Kinnear
, who also provided the voices for the characters, along with Sheila Walker.
The Main Title song was sung By Guy Fletcher
.
and May Day
holidays.
Episodes eight to eleven were first broadcast at the end of an Autumn rerun. Similarly, the final two episodes premiered in the midst of a third outing in 1986.http://www.toonhound.com/bertha.htm
In 1994 Hallmark and Carlton Home Entertainment released the first four episodes on only one video.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
animated children's television series
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
about a factory machine. It was produced by Woodland Animations and aimed primarily at pre-school children.
Story
The series was set in an industrial unit occupied by Spottiswood and Company, a small manufacturing plant which produces a wide range of goods ranging from cuckoo clocks to windmill money depository boxes.The show focused on an extraordinarily capable factory machine named Bertha. In each episode there would be some sort of daily crisis involved in factory production. With the help of her friends (the factory workers), Bertha invariably solves the problems.
Production
Bertha was created by Woodland Animations, who also produced the shows Postman PatPostman Pat
Postman Pat is a British stop-motion animated children's television series first produced by Woodland Animations. It is aimed at pre-school children, and concerns the adventures of Pat Clifton, a postman in the fictional village of Greendale .Postman Pat's first 13-episode season was screened on...
, Charlie Chalk
Charlie Chalk
Charlie Chalk was a short-lived stop motion animation series produced in 1987 in the UK by Woodland Animations, from the creators of Postman Pat and the two other children's television programmes that are Gran and Bertha.-Synopsis:...
and Gran
Gran (TV series)
Gran was a children's stop motion animation television series narrated by Patricia Hayes and directed by Ivor Wood. There were only two main characters, namely Gran and her grandson, Jim....
for the BBC. The show was written by Eric Charles and Stephen Flewers and designed, produced & directed by Ivor Wood
Ivor Wood
Ivor Wood was a prolific Anglo-French stop motion director, producer, animator and writer known for his work on children's television series....
.
The Narration was provided by Roy Kinnear
Roy Kinnear
Roy Mitchell Kinnear was an English character actor. He is best remembered for playing Veruca Salt's father, Mr. Salt, in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.-Early life:...
, who also provided the voices for the characters, along with Sheila Walker.
The Main Title song was sung By Guy Fletcher
Guy Fletcher
Guy Wilson Fletcher is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known for his position as the keyboardist in the British rock band Dire Straits from 1984 until the group's dissolution, and his involvement in nearly every part of Mark Knopfler's solo work to date.-Biography:Fletcher was born into a...
.
Main characters
- Mr. Willmake - ManagerManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
of the factory - Miss McClackerty - Mr. Willmake's secretary
- Mr. Sprott - Chief designerDesignerA designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
- Tracy James - Assistant designer
- Mr. Duncan - Foreman
- Ted Turner - Chief machine operator who shows a number of influences of Bruce ForsythBruce ForsythSir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson, CBE , commonly known as Bruce Forsyth, or Brucie, is an English TV personality...
. - Roy Willing - Assistant machine operator
- Mrs. Tupp - The tea ladyTea ladyA tea lady is a woman in an office or working environment, whose sole job is to provide beverages and light snacks during the allocated tea break. Tea ladies are a mainly British custom. They entered the mainstream in the UK during the second world war, when tea ladies were used in an experiment...
- Panjid Shakar - Forklift truckForklift truckA forklift is a powered industrial truck used to lift and transport materials. The modern forklift was developed in the 1920s by various companies including the transmission manufacturing company Clark and the hoist company Yale & Towne Manufacturing...
operator with a turbanTurbanIn English, Turban refers to several types of headwear popularly worn in the Middle East, North Africa, Punjab, Jamaica and Southwest Asia. A commonly used synonym is Pagri, the Indian word for turban.-Styles:...
from IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
that works in the dispatchDispatchDispatch or dispatches may refer to:In literature* Dispatches , a 1977 book by Michael Herr about the Vietnam War* dispatches , a magazine edited by Gary Knight and Mort RosenblumIn radio and television...
department. - Nell and Flo - Packers and Stackers
- T.O.M. - Talk Operated Machine, a robotRobotA robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
designed by Tracy and built by Bertha to perform odd jobs around the factory
Goods manufactured by Bertha throughout the series
- WindmillWindmillA windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
-shaped money boxesPiggy bankPiggy bank is the traditional name of a coin accumulation and storage receptacle; it is most often, but not exclusively, used by children. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the "mechanical banks" popular in the early 20th century. These items are also often used... - Garden gnomeGarden gnomeA garden gnome or lawn gnome is a figurine of a small humanoid creature, usually wearing a pointy hat, produced for the purpose of ornamentation and protection from evil sorcery, typically of gardens or on lawns....
s - Beach ballBeach ballA beach ball is an inflatable ball for beach and water games. Their large size ball and light weight take little effort to propel; they travel very slowly and generally must be caught with two hands, making them ideal for lazy games and for children...
s - 365 springsSpring (device)A spring is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy. Springs are usually made out of spring steel. Small springs can be wound from pre-hardened stock, while larger ones are made from annealed steel and hardened after fabrication...
- Plastic bearBearBears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
s - Bathroom sponges
- Cuckoo clockCuckoo clockA cuckoo clock is a clock, typically pendulum-regulated, that strikes the hours with a sound like a common cuckoo's call and typically has a mechanical cuckoo that emerges with each note...
s - Spinning TopsTopA top is a toy that can be spun on an axis, balancing on a point. This motion is produced in the most simple forms of top by twirling the stem using the fingers. More sophisticated tops are spun by by holding the axis firmly while pulling a string or twisting a stick or pushing an auger as shown...
- Jacks in the BoxesJack-in-the-boxA jack-in-the-box is a children's toy that outwardly consists of a box with a crank. When the crank is turned, it plays a melody, often "Pop Goes the Weasel". At the end of the tune there is a "surprise", the lid pops open and a figure, usually a clown or jester, pops out of the box...
- Jigsaw puzzleJigsaw puzzleA jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellating pieces.Each piece usually has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture...
s - Watering canWatering canA watering can is a portable container, usually with a handle and a spout, used to water plants by hand. It has existed since at least the 17th century and has since been improved. It is used for many other uses too, as it is a fairly versatile tool....
s - Building Blocks
- Electric KangarooKangarooA kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
's - T.O.M. - a robotRobotA robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
Original Broadcast Dates
Bertha premiered on BBC 1 with "The Great Painting Job" which was broadcast on 1 April 1985 at 3.55pm. The next six episodes were shown over the following weeks, apart from interruptions for the EasterEaster
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
and May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
holidays.
Episodes eight to eleven were first broadcast at the end of an Autumn rerun. Similarly, the final two episodes premiered in the midst of a third outing in 1986.http://www.toonhound.com/bertha.htm
List of episodes and first broadcast dates
| # | Title | Broadcast Date | Product Produced | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Great Painting Job | 1 April 1985 http://catalogue.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/series/BERTHA | Jigsaw Puzzles | When the factory workers are making a painting machine, Tracy tells Bertha to make a robot named T.O.M. |
| 2 | The Windmills | 15 April 1985 | Musical Windmill Money Boxes | Mr.Sprott's money boxes are working well but how do you get the coin out? |
| 3 | Mouse in the Works | 22 April 1985 | Jack-In-The-Boxes | Panjid and the rest of the factory try to stop a mouse from nibbling their boxes. |
| 4 | The Best Machine Competition | 29 April 1985 | Spinning Tops | When Mr Willmake wants Mr Sprott to design the best toy for a competition. Mr Duncan wants it to be made by a new machine, but everyone else wants it to be made by Bertha |
| 5 | Tom Gets Lost | 13 May 1985 | Building Blocks | A magnet fries T.O.M's brain and so he scares the rest of the Spottiswood factory by disappearing. |
| 6 | The Flying Bear | 20 May 1985 | Inflatable Bears | Its a very hot day and Bertha is making plastic bears,but why do they keep getting bigger and bigger? |
| 7 | The Tea Nurse | 3 June 1985 | Watering Cans | When Bertha is working slowly Mrs.Tupp comes to the rescue... |
| 8 | More Speed, Less Work | 5 November 1985 | Garden Gnomes | Bertha makes garden gnomes and while Mr. Wilmake is at a meeting, Mr. Duncan closes down Bertha |
| 9 | The Big Order | 12 November 1985 | Springs | Bertha has to make 365 springs but Tom and Roy have trouble with the twinging steel |
| 10 | The Burglars | 19 November 1985 | Jumping Kangaroos | Burglars break into spottiswood and company and steal money,but will they succeed...? |
| 11 | Bertha's Birthday Party | 26 November 1985 | Cuckoo Clocks | On Bertha's 50th anniversary, Roy wonders why hands on a clock are called hands |
| 12 | The Big Sneeze | 16 April 1986 | Beach Balls | Bertha gets so cold that she makes a really big sneeze that causes havoc in the factory! |
| 13 | Tom's New Friend | 18 June 1986 | Sponges | Mrs. Tupp is cross about the new vending machine that is delivered, but Tom soon fixes that! |
UK VHS and DVD Releases
In 1987 after the episodes were shown on TV the BBC released only one video of the show| VHS video title | Year of release | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Bertha- The Flying Bear (BBCV 4075) | 1987 | A Mouse in the Works, TOM Gets Lost, The Flying Bear, The Burglars |
In 1994 Hallmark and Carlton Home Entertainment released the first four episodes on only one video.
| VHS video title | Year of release | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Bertha (3007340123) | 1994 | The Great Painting Job, The Windmills, Mouse in the Works, The Best Machine Competition |
Credits
- Written by: Eric Charles
- Narration by: Roy Kinnear
- Voices By: Roy Kinnear and Sheila Walker
- Music and Lyrics by: Bryan Daly
- Director Of Animation: Derek Mogford
- Series Designed and Directed by: Ivor Wood
- Film Editor: Martin Bohan
- Song Vocals: Guy Fletcher,
- Recorded at: Havoc House Studios
- Sound by: Clive Pendry
- Produced by: Woodland Animations Ltd
- © Woodland Animations Ltd MCMLXXXV