Jamie and the Magic Torch (TV Series 1976 - 1979)





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Plot



Jamie and the Magic Torch was a British children's animated television series, made by Cosgrove Hall for Thames Television and shown on the ITV network, running from 1976 to 1979.

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The programme was based around the young boy of the title and his torch. When shone on the floor, the torch opened up a hole into a fun dimension called Cuckoo Land.

The beginning of each episode had Jamie's mother tucking him into bed at night and saying, "Sleep well, Jamie." Then from under his bed, his pet dog Wordsworth would appear holding the torch in his mouth. Jamie would take the torch and shine it on the floor, opening up a portal to Cuckoo Land (which Wordsworth always got stuck in). The portal manifested itself as a helter skelter.

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When they reached the end of the slide, they would fly out into Cuckoo Land from the bottom of a tree trunk and land on a trampoline. All of this was accompanied by a song, written by Joe Griffiths. Once in Cuckoo Land, the fun would begin.





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Characters 



Jamie

Jamie is a strange boy and doesn’t really do much.  He stands around in his yellow pyjamas watching / listening to what is going on around him and when needed he gets his magic torch out and shines it on the object and most times it transforms into something useful.His best friend is Wordsworth – his dog (he doesn’t get out too much) and has become good friends with Mr Boo.  Jamie is also known to have one of the worst hairstyles in history and looks like a young Rick Astley (an 80’s pop star).  He doesn’t dress well, has a bad haircut, but this all gets forgotten when he gets his magic torch out!   

 

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Wordsworth

Wordsworth is an old english sheep dog.  Normally he just barks at Jamie, but when he’s in Cuckoo Land he can talk!! (in a strong country accent). Wordsworth seems to be the talker out of the two (him and Jamie).  He is normally the keeper of the torch in Jamie’s bedroom – I suppose because Jamie’s mother has a snoop around the bedroom! He wears a red night cap, with a yellow pom-pom attached to it (nice colours).  He has to pluck up courage to go into Cuckoo Land because Wordsworth does not like the helter-skelter they have to go down to get there.  The poor dog covers his eyes and yelps all the way down (‘I’ve never liked it Master Jamie’ – he would say).    





Mr Boo

Mr Boo is one of Jamie’s closest friends in Cuckoo Land.  He is an Inventor / Mathematician (he’s a bit strange really) who has to have everything in its right place.  He has even counted every single rock of a mountain that was blown up by Bully Bundie. One of his greatest machines is called the Sub-Machine.  This wonderful if rather strange device is Mr Boo’s transport around Cuckoo Land.  It looks like a compact submarine, but doesn’t need water to get around, but instead it uses a large red and white umbrella that sprouts from the top of the machine.  Once this starts flapping, then it either flys in the air or goes underground (I’d love one - no more traffic jams!!).  As Cuckoo Land is quite large, Jamie and Wordsworth are quite happy when he gives them a lift in it.   Mr Boo also has a strange way of getting around when on land….he always wears roller-skates – maybe he’s a bit lazy and can’t be bothered to walk??  But don’t interrupt his counting, or he’ll get cross and have to start all over again!   





Officer Gotcha

As his name implies, he’s a police officer and he always wants to arrest you (but surprisingly doesn’t say gotcha?).  If anyone could give police officers a bad name then this is the guy.  He’ll make up charges, so he can arrest you, but in Jamie and Wordsworth’s cases, he never does.  This is mostly because he’s called away on more urgent matters – mostly because there is someone else he can arrest. He’s quite a strange policeman, as he rides a unicycle to get around Cuckoo Land and in his police helmet he has a flashing light (oh and don’t forget the siren he has blasting out most of the time, but we won’t go into where he keeps that!).   He seems to be constantly hungry, but he’s well prepared as he has an unlimited supply of edible truncheons under his helmet.  He must be very fit, as he zooms around on his unicycle at top speed – watch the dirt fly.   

 

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Jo Jo Help

Jo Jo must live underground, but I’m not too sure.  He’s a fix-it / odd job man.  If you say the word ‘Help’ in your conversation, then Jo Jo will magically appear from a hole in the ground, whether you wanted him or not.  He will then make up any excuse not to help you (‘I can’t help just now…’) and he will then disappear back down a hole. He wears a stripy hat with a lightening bolt on it – maybe because he’s fast at appearing and disappearing?    

 

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Bully Bundie

He is the bad boy of the bunch – Cuckoo Land’s baddie.  He’s rather a tall and fat rabbit with large feet.  He lives in his hat, like most magic rabbits do and sometimes Nutmeg feeds him by throwing sandwiches into it (while he’s in it). Bully as his name implies is a bit of a bully.  He broke up a mountain, just be wicked, but the worst thing he does is – overact.  If someone like hamming it up and making a sentence into a play then its Bully Bundie.  What ever you do never ask him to make an after dinner speech.    

 

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​Strumpers Plunket

Strumpers Plunkett Is a strange creature.  He’s American and has a long nose that has three holes in the top of it and plays it like a flute.  He is the musician of Cuckoo Land and is the player of the Trombonium. The Trombonium was created by Jamie and his magic torch.  No one knew what it was, and when any of the others tried to play it, then a terrible noise came out.  But Strumpers tried and weird and wonderful music came out of it.    

 

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Nutmeg

Nutmeg is a rag doll.  She’s rather sweet and has a magic pocket, where anything could come out of it.  She had a house built her by everyone (including Jo Jo Help) but it was a disaster and would have fallen down quite quickly.  Jamie stepped in and shone his magic torch on it and it turned into a lovely house for her to live in. In her spare time she can be seen throwing Sandwiches into a hat.    Wellie A Scottish cat, who seems to laze around, which most cats seem to do

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