Trumpton first appeared on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ television on 3 January 1967. The stop-motion animation enlarged on the world of Trumptonshire created by Gordon Murray, first seen the previous year in Camberwick Green. Brian Cant narrated all the characters in Alison Prince's script and sang Freddie Phillips’ songs, while the puppets were brought to life by Bob Bura and John Hardwick. In the title sequence Cant introduced the town clock "telling the time for Trumpton".
Every week a minor emergency led to the call-out of the Trumpton fire brigade, led by Captain Flack: Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grubb. They never put out any fires, but searched for missing artists, rescued the Mayor’s hat from a tree, removed fallen branches, unblocked the movement of the town clock and rescued a rocking horse containing Chippy Minton’s savings from a bonfire (which was unlit). At the end of each episode the band concert was a welcome release from the tension.
Only 13 episodes of Trumpton were made, but Trumptonshire was revisited in 1969 with Chigley. Trumpton was first shown in black and white but later repeats revealed the bright colour in which it was made. Other children’s animations such as Postman Pat and Fireman Sam can be said to be influenced by its everyday setting. Gordon Murray died in 2016 but the enduring influence of Trumpton can be seen – recently cropping up in the promo for the Radiohead song "Burn the Witch".
January anniversaries
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The Six Wives of Henry VIII
1 January 1970 -
The Brains Trust
1 January 1941 -
The Archers
1 January 1951 -
Z Cars
2 January 1962 -
Trumpton
3 January 1967 -
Open University
3 January 1971 -
Camberwick Green
3 January 1966 -
Final edition of The Listener published
3 January 1991 -
Gardeners' World
5 January 1968 -
A Question of Sport
5 January 1970 -
Forces Programme
7 January 1940 -
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit
10 January 1990 -
First in-vision television weather forecaster
11 January 1954 -
The League of Gentlemen
11 January 1999 -
Goodness Gracious Me
12 January 1998 -
Listen with Mother
16 January 1950 -
Life On Earth
16 January 1979 -
First episode of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Breakfast Time
17 January 1983 -
Blankety Blank
18 January 1979 -
The Week's Good Cause
24 January 1926 -
Under Milk Wood
25 January 1954 -
Television Dancing Club
27 January 1948 -
Desert Island Discs
29 January 1942 -
Newsnight
30 January 1980 -
The State Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill
30 January 1965 -
Alas Smith and Jones
31 January 1984