The Trap Door
Encyclopedia
The Trap Door was a claymation-style animated television series, originally shown in the United Kingdom
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...

 in 1984
1984 in British television
This is a list of British television related events from 1984.-Events:*4 January – Patricia Phoenix leaves Coronation Street for the second and final time as Elsie Tanner goes to live with old flame Bill Gregory in Portugal....

. The plot revolves around both the daily lives and the misadventures of a group of monster
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...

s living in a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...

. Although the emphasis was on humour and the show was marketed as a children's programme but also for famliy entertainment, the show drew much from the genres of horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...

 and dark fantasy
Dark fantasy
Dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a pronounced horror element.-Overview:A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy". Both Charles L...

. The show has since become a cult favourite
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...

 and remains one of the most widely recognised kids' shows of the 1980s. Digital childrens channel, POP, started re-running the show in 2010.

Show production

The show was created by British animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...

s Terry Brain and Charlie Mills, and produced through their own companies, CMTB Animation and Queensgate Productions Ltd. Brain and Mills were also responsible for another animated show, Stoppit and Tidyup
Stoppit and Tidyup
Stoppit and Tidyup was a British children's animated cartoon series originally broadcast by the BBC in 1987. The series was created by Charles Mills and Terry Brain, the duo behind CMTB Animation who had previously created a claymation called The Trap Door...

, a few years later in the late 1980s. Together they were referred to as "Brainbox Mills" . Later, Terry Brain went on to be an animator with Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations, Ltd., also known as Aardman Studios, or simply as Aardman, is a British animation studio based in Bristol, United Kingdom. The studio is known for films made using stop-motion clay animation techniques, particularly those featuring Plasticine characters Wallace and Gromit...

 and has since worked on the six Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series consisting of four British animated short films and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations...

animated films, as well as the animated film Chicken Run
Chicken Run
Chicken Run is a 2000 British stop-motion animation film made by the Aardman Animations studios, the production studio of the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit films...

and animated television shows such as Gogs
Gogs
Gogs! is a claymation-style animated television series which takes the form of a sitcom, originally aired on Welsh television in 1993, and aired to the rest of the United Kingdom on the BBC in 1996...

and Creature Comforts
Creature Comforts
Creature Comforts was originally a 1989 British humorous animated short film about how animals feel about living in a zoo, featuring the voices of the British public "spoken" by the animals. It was created by Nick Park and Aardman Animations...

.

A total of 25 episodes of The Trap Door were made in 1984, with each episode with a running time of around four minutes. Two years later in 1986, when the show had proved successful, a second series was produced and aired with a further 15 episodes of similar running time. There were a total of 40 episodes of the show produced and, despite the show's success, no more episodes were made.
All the character voices were provided by Willie Rushton
Willie Rushton
William George Rushton, commonly known as Willie Rushton was an English cartoonist, satirist, comedian, actor and performer who co-founded the Private Eye satirical magazine.- School and army :William George Rushton was born 18 August 1937 in the family home at Scarsdale Villas,...

, an English cartoonist, satirist, comedian, actor and performer who co-founded Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...

, the satirical magazine. He died a decade after the show was halted. Rushton had made the show his own and, even after his death, he still has no replacement voice-actor for a possible new series.

The recognizable theme song of the show was written by Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

 Bob Heatlie
Bob Heatlie
Bob Heatlie is a Scottish songwriter and produced and has worked Music industry creating songs for the chats and also television.-Background:...

, who also wrote the Shakin' Stevens
Shakin' Stevens
Shakin' Stevens, also known as "Shaky" is a platinum selling Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter who holds the distinction of being the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s . His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although it was not until 1980 that he saw...

 hit Merry Christmas Everyone
Merry Christmas Everyone
"Merry Christmas Everyone" is a popular festive song by the Welsh singer-songwriter Shakin' Stevens.Written by Bob Heatlie and produced by Dave Edmunds, this was Shakin' Stevens fourth, and most recent, number one on the UK singles chart...

, and also one of the popular hits of the 1980s, Japanese Boy
Japanese Boy
"Japanese Boy" is a UK No.1 hit single by Scottish singer Aneka, released in 1981. The song became her biggest hit and provided the singer with a memorable Japanese image, which she found difficult to discard.- Background :...

, sung by Aneka
Aneka
Aneka is a Scottish singer.In 1981 she hit number one in the UK Singles Chart with her song, "Japanese Boy". She was well known for the Oriental image she adopted for the song...

.

Intro

The introduction scene of The Trap Door was a parody of many of Vincent Price
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...

's horror film introductions:
The main theme song would start after this:

Outro

Plot

The world of The Trap Door is completely inhabited by monsters, and almost all the show takes place in the monsters' castle, and especially the pantry
Pantry
A pantry is a room where food, provisions or dishes are stored and served in an ancillary capacity to the kitchen. The derivation of the word is from the same source as the Old French term paneterie; that is from pain, the French form of the Latin panis for bread.In a late medieval hall, there were...

 or cellar
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...

 where Berk, the castle servant and central character of the show, resides. Beneath the castle are a series of dark and mysterious caverns inhabited by all manner of "horrible things", accessible by the eponymous trap door in the bowels of the castle.

The master of the castle, "The Thing Upstairs", resides in the attic
Attic
An attic is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building . Attic is generally the American/Canadian reference to it...

 of the castle and is never actually seen, remaining an unseen character
Unseen character
In fiction, an unseen character is a character that is never directly observed by the audience but is only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama and have been called "triumphs of theatrical invention". They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in...

 throughout the entire show, only shouting down orders to Berk. This happens when it is hungry and wants dinner or supper, or when it wants something attending to, such as shelves putting up or the giant venus fly traps in the castle garden feeding. Berk has two companions, Boni and Drutt, and occasionally the eponymous trap door is opened by Berk to retrieve something from the caverns below and another monster will escape and cause havoc. In most episodes, Berk, who is quite docile, will accidentally leave the trap door open for something more nasty to escape later on. Though mostly hostile or mischievous, occasionally a helpful or friendly creature does emerge. One such monster, Rogg, becomes friends with Berk and frequently returns to visit.

Berk

A blue-skinned monster who speaks with a Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

 accent, Berk is the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...

 of the show, and steward or caretaker of the monsters' castle. Loyal and versatile, he is servant of "The Thing Upstairs", an unseen character
Unseen character
In fiction, an unseen character is a character that is never directly observed by the audience but is only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama and have been called "triumphs of theatrical invention". They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in...

. Berk often goes about his duties with simple-minded glee, and enjoys cooking exotic things in his kitchen, with ingredients such as mud, eyeballs, snakes and worms. Berk is often warned not to open the trap door by his friends and is strictly forbidden from doing so by his master, although in most episodes Berk does so. His usual exclamations include "Oh, Globbits!" and "Sniff that!" He also enjoys hitting other monsters over the head with blunt objects which he refers to as "bonking"

Boni

Boni is a disembodied, undead
Undead
Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...

, well spoken skull
Human skull
The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...

, and Berk's only real friend. He hates to be moved from his favourite spot, an alcove in the wall near the trap door and spends most of his time moaning, being paranoid, or unsuccessfully trying to warn Berk about trap door monsters. Boni often tries to remind Berk to close the trap door before something nasty come out. It is left untold why Boni is just a skull and has no body.

Drutt

Berk's pet "thing", vaguely resembles a frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...

 with the legs of a spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...

. Drutt is hyperactive and makes bizarre noises resembling flatulence
Flatulence
Flatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The medical term for the mixture of gases is flatus, informally known as a fart, or simply gas...

. Drutt often causes trouble when chasing after worms and other creepy-crawlies, sometimes going down into the caverns in search of them.

The Thing Upstairs

The grumpy and demanding master of the castle, "The Thing Upstairs" rarely leaves his penthouse room, and consequently is never seen
Unseen character
In fiction, an unseen character is a character that is never directly observed by the audience but is only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama and have been called "triumphs of theatrical invention". They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in...

. He always has a job for Berk, which he orders in a booming voice, usually involving fixing something or preparing meals.

Only hints are given as to what "The Thing Upstairs" looks like. In the 14th episode of series one, "The Little Thing", Berk enters his room and a lightning flash illuminates a mass of spongy tentacles, although this is only seen for a small second it gives some idea to what the Thing Upstairs looks like. but it is questionable if this was even the Thing Upstairs at all. In the 13th episode "The Pain", Berk asks which head "The Thing Upstairs"'s toothache is in implying that he has more than one head. The tooth itself is a fang and about two-thirds the size of Berk. In a later episode ("Not Very Nice"), Berk loses one of "The Thing Upstairs"'s eyeballs down the trapdoor, demonstrating that his eyes are removable; Berk later recovers it. The master said he saw everything that happened despite the eye being detached from his body. The master's eye is almost as big as Berk implying that the master is indeed massive. In the episode "The Stupid Thing" it is mentioned he has three humps on his back. Later it is revealed that the master can fly, though this is never shown the sound of wings can be heard flapping.

Trap door monsters

Many different monsters emerge ranging from annoying to dangerous, and of all different shapes, sizes, colours, and powers. They are often referred as "horrible things". Some of the repeat appearances include:

Rogg

Rogg is a large pink-skinned creature. His first appearance is in the fourth episode of the first series, "Lurkings". Rogg returns often after that. Not very intelligent, he likes Berk and often helps him out. They eventually become friends.

The Splund

A big round horrific sounding monster which Berk pops with a giant needle. It has a rather posh voice and has a scary laugh. It has the ability to disappear and reappear wherever it wants. Its voice was edited with a Hamonizer.

Bubo

A mischievous small yellow creature who is initially invisible until covered in yellow "scunge", a messy gourmet dinner. Bubo occasionally returns in further episodes, still covered in yellow scunge and therefore visible, and causes Berk further annoyance.

Big Angry Red Thing

This large red-skinned monster makes its first appearance in the first episode, when it escapes from the caverns below the trap door and into the castle. In the last episode it makes a reappearance, with Rogg apparently sacrifing himself to save Berk, Boni and Drutt. Its worst fear is a mirror.

Broadcast history

In the UK The Trap Door was originally aired during the mid-1980s on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

, in the afternoon children's programming line-up. The show was aired again in the 1990s when it was broadcast by Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

 during early weekday mornings. It was repeated in 2005 on Trouble and 2009 on POP in the UK. In Australia, both series of The Trap Door were broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...

, with the final episode airing in 1987. Repeats aired on the ABC until 2001. It has also been shown in most countries across the world; the show was aired by American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.

Games

The television series spawned a video game in the mid-80s called The Trap Door
The Trap Door (game)
thumb|left|240pxThe Trap Door is a computer game published for several 8-bit formats in 1986 by Piranha Games. It was written by Don Priestley and based on the British children's television show of the same name.-Gameplay:...

and a sequel called Through The Trap Door. These games were available for the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...

, the Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...

 and the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...

.

In addition, a board game was released entitled Berk's Trapdoor Game which involved going around the board while trying to knock one's opponent off the edge with a die hidden behind a trapdoor in the game board.

VHS and DVD Releases

All 40 episodes were released over 4 VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....

 videotapes in the UK by Channel 5 Video and BBC Video in the 1980s,
  • THE TRAP DOOR: Creepy Crawly Adventures (CFV 05752)

Episodes contained- Breakfast Time, Slither Wriggle and Writhe, Food for Thort, Lurkings, Gourmet's Delight, Creepy Crawly, The Big Thing, Ghoulies, The Dose, The Thingy, Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite, Fester Rancid.
  • THE TRAP DOOR: Watch out for that Nasty Stuff (CFV 05762)

Episodes contained- The Pain, The Little Thing, Don't Open that Trap Door, Junk Food, Yechh!, Flying Wotsit Fingy, Strange Goings On, Mignight Snack, Nasty Stuff, Sniff That, Vile Pile, Slightly Weird, Bye Bye Berk.
  • THE TRAP DOOR: Scunge (CFV 04672)

Episodes contained- Scunge, Oh Globbits, Moany Boni, The Horrible Thing, Not Very Nice, Bugs, Yum Yum, Birthday Surprise.
  • THE TRAP DOOR: The Stupid Thing (CFV ?)

Episodes contained- The Stupid Thing, Boo!, The Lump, The Splund, Nasty Beasty, What a Weirdo, The Big Red Thing.

and 36 episodes were re-released over 3 videos in the early 90s. A rare double video-cassette released in Canada at one point contained every single episode. All 40 episodes of The Trap Door were released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...

in 2005. a re-release is planned for August 2011.

External links

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