Bill and Ben, The Flower Pot Men, were first seen on BBC TV on this date in 1952, along with their friend, "Little Weed". 10 facts about them:
The show was created by Freda Lingstrom who was inspired by spending time in her woodshed with a flowerpot. She was also the brains behind Andy Pandy, and she assembled the people who’d worked with her on that show to contribute to this: Maria Bird, who wrote the songs and music and narrated; Audrey Atterbury and Molly Gibson, who operated the puppets; and singers Gladys Whitred and Julia Whitaker. Added to the crew for the first time was Peter Hawkins, who voiced Bill and Ben.
Bill and Ben speak a language called Oddle-Poddle. The language was invented by Peter Hawkins. The scripts were written in English, with Peter translating them into Oddle-Poddle. As with the Teletubbies some years later, some mothers complained that the language would stunt their children’s language development.
The original programme was part of a BBC children's television series titled Watch with Mother, featuring a different programme each weekday.
The basic plot was that Bill and Ben lived at the bottom of an English suburban garden. They would emerge to play when the gardener was off having his dinner. There would usually be a prank or a mishap of some kind: "Which of these two flowerpot men, was it Bill or was it Ben?" the narrator would ask. The culprit would usually confess and then they’d hear the gardeners footsteps, or their friend Little Weed would warn them that he was coming back. They’d disappear back into their pots and a “goodbye” screen would come up.
Bill and Ben were identical Twins. You could only tell them apart by their names on their backs or by their different voices. Ben’s voice was lower. Their bodies were made from flower pots and they wore hobnailed boots and gardening-gloves. Their hats were made from Cupcake holders.
Little Weed was a flower of indeterminate species with a smiley face who grows between the two pots. She only ever said her name. Other characters who appeared occasionally were Slowcoach the Tortoise and Dan the Potato Man.
The first episode, broadcast on 18 December 1952, was called Seeds.
There were only 26 episodes of the original series. It was re-run many times.
There was a remake broadcast in 2001 which featured more characters such as Pry the magpie, Boo the hedgehog, Tad the frog, Scamper the squirrel, Whimsy the spider and Whoops the worm.
The band The Flower Pot Men, who had just one hit in 1967 with Let's Go to San Francisco, named themselves after the show, although it has been suggested ‘pot’ may have meant something quite different to them! Bill and Ben may have also inspired the names of the twin characters Bill and Ben in Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.
Christmas is coming!
A Very Variant Christmas
Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.
The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?
Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.
Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.
Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.
Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.
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