Countdown: Favourite British Puppets — Part Three (3–2)
3: Rainbow (1972–1992)
This series is very well remembered — largely thanks to its large, anamorphic, moody man‑bear Bungle, who has provided plenty of social‑media memes over the years.
This was a favourite growing up. How do you forget characters like Zippy, George, Bungle and Geoffrey? Writing this blog, which involves doing a bit of research, I now know that Geoffrey wasn’t the original talking‑head authority figure with the boys. But for the sake of this countdown, we’re rating the most famous version of the show. We’re also ignoring the 1994 revival because… I never knew that existed.
I remember the puppet characters getting cross with each other a lot. Usually they were making something (or Geoffrey was doing some DIY). There was always a story and a song from Rod, Jane and Freddy. This template — the human authority figure paired with the puppets — is perfected, in my opinion, by the show in first place on the countdown.
But next, we’re heading to Wimbledon Common.
2: The Wombles (1968–1976)
The series is well before my time, but I remember it being repeated. I watched it with Grandad, so it gets those unfair bonus points for nostalgia. Bernard Cribbins (newer readers may know him from Doctor Who) narrated, and in retrospect there’s a fair bit of that posh BBC voice in there.
Do the Wombles get this far in my countdown on the episodes alone? No.
We have to take into account how big The Wombles was — particularly the music. Kids’ songs like The Wombling Song and Remember You’re a Womble. I found them on YouTube when my nephews were young and they absolutely loved them. As did I. There’s an odd feeling to singing along to Remember You’re a Womble, holding back a tear and thinking: here’s something that really worked in our family not once, but twice.
So who is our Number One British Puppet…
Until next time.