# Hector's House

Hector's House (French La Maison de Toutou) is a French children's television series using glove puppets. It was first broadcast in France on 1ère chaine on 27 October 1966 and ran over seven series and 78 episodes. It was re-voiced in English and broadcast on BBC1 on 9 September 1968 and repeated throughout the 1970s. Each episode lasted 5 minutes and it was regularly given the pre-six o'clock time slot that brought children's programmes to a close.
It was written and performed by Georges Croses with puppeteers Agnès Vannier and Georges Tournaire, using 60 cm (2') tall puppets on a garden set. The English version followed the French script faithfully with minor deviations.

## Characters and setting

Affable, but sometimes pompous, Hector the dog (named Toutou, literally meaning "doggie", in the original French version) lives in a house with a beautiful garden. He is a proud gardener and handyman, never far from his tool shed. The motherly, but mischievous, Zsazsa the cat (named Zouzou in the original) lives with him. Kiki the frog is a neighbour who constantly visits the garden through a hole in the garden wall and claims to be a meteorologist.
Hector desires order and tranquillity, and is always thinking up ways to improve himself and his garden. He is willing to assist his two friends in their activities, but often finds them at odds with his own. Kiki and Zsazsa also often play tricks on him, but he always takes this in good humour and ends each episode breaking the fourth wall to address the camera with his catchphrase: "I'm a great big [whatever he was] old Hector."
Although named after the house, all stories occur in the garden and action within the house is only seen through the open windows.
The humour employed is indebted to the French film comedies of Jacques Tati who often portrayed a man strangely at odds with his surroundings.

## Credits

The programme was broadcast entirely without credits, featuring only a short introductory theme tune (with birdsong accompaniment) and, in the French broadcasts, a short static frame at the end (with the same bird).

### French

Actor Jacques Morel voiced Toutou, Actress Lucie Dolène voiced Zouzou and puppeteer Agnes Vannier was Kiki.

### English

Hector was voiced by Paul Bacon. Kiki was voiced by Denise Bryer, who also had roles in Noddy, Terrahawks and Labyrinth. An urban myth circulated for some time that ZsaZsa was voiced by Joanna Lumley, due to her similar voice and accent, but this has been denied by the actress.

### Music

The theme music, of which two versions were aired, was composed by Francis Lai.

## Video and DVD

A number of VHS and DVDs have since been released with a selection of episodes across the series in no particular order.
* VHS 1993 - 60min - Polygram Video "Pocket Money Video"
* DVD 2001 - 30 Episodes - Contender

## Episodes

The BBC episodes were not shown in the same order as the original French series.

### Series One

| Episode | French Transmission | French Title | UK Transmission | English Title |
| 01 | 27 October 1966 | La visite mystérieuse | 9 September 1968 | A Mysterious Visit |
| 02 | 28 October 1966 | Bonjour grenouille | 10 September 1968 | Good Morning Frog |
| 03 | 29 October 1966 | Les chardons | 11 September 1968 | The Thistle |
| 04 | 30 October 1966 | Le goûter | 16 September 1968 | The Snack |
| 05 | 31 October 1966 | La météo | 12 September 1968 | The Weather Forecaster |
| 06 | 1 November 1966 | Le puits | 25 September 1968 | The Well |
| 07 | 2 November 1966 | Le grand sommeil | 23 September 1968 | Deep Sleep |
| 08 | 3 November 1966 | La surprise | 30 October 1968 | The Surprise |
| 09 | 4 November 1966 | Vive l'ordre | 5 November 1968 | Keep This Garden Tidy |
| 10 | 5 November 1966 | Le jeu de la météo | 11 November 1968 | The Weather Game |
| 11 | 6 November 1966 | L'entonnoir | 12 November 1969 | The Funnel |
| 12 | 7 November 1966 | La niche | 24 September 1968 | The Kennel |
| 13 | 8 November 1966 | Jalousie | 10 October 1968 | Jealousy |

### Series Two

| Episode | French Transmission | French Title | UK Transmission | English Title |
| 01 | 5 December 1966 | Le collier | 26 September 1968 | The Lead |
| 02 | 6 December 1966 | Le pyjama | 23 October 1968 | The Pyjamas |
| 03 | 7 December 1966 | Cache cache | 28 October 1968 | Playing Tag |
| 04 | 8 December 1966 | La confiture | 4 November 1968 | Jam Making |
| 05 | 9 December 1966 | La chenille | 16 October 1968 | The Caterpillar |
| 06 | 10 December 1966 | La pêche | 18 September 1968 | Fishing |
| 07 | 11 December 1966 | L'accroc | 19 September 1968 | The Torn Coat |
| 08 | 12 December 1966 | Le tuba | 3 October 1968 | The Tuba |
| 09 | 13 December 1966 | Le parfum | 17 November 1969 | The Perfume |
| 10 | 14 December 1966 | La brouille | 8 October 1968 | The Disagreement |
| 11 | 15 December 1966 | Toutou malade | 7 October 1968 | Hector is ill |
| 12 | 16 December 1966 | Les bonnes manières | 1 October 1968 | Good Manners |
| 13 | 17 December 1966 | Fouette cocher | 20 November 1968 | The Coach |

### Series Three

| Episode | French Transmission | French Title | UK Transmission | English Title |
| 01 | 19 March 1967 | La sieste | 17 September 1968 | The Siesta |
| 02 | 20 March 1967 | Le bon gardien | 30 September 1968 | The Watchdog |
| 03 | 21 March 1967 | La peinture | 19 November 1968 | Painting |
| 04 | 22 March 1967 | Le cochon | 31 October 1968 | Pig |
| 05 | 23 March 1967 | Le petit canard | 12 November 1968 | The Little Duck |
| 06 | 24 March 1967 | La gymnastique | 13 November 1968 | Exercises |
| 07 | 25 March 1967 | Toutou se concentre | 29 October 1968 | Hector Thinks Hard |
| 08 | 26 March 1967 | La circulation | 13 November 1969 | Traffic Regulations |
| 09 | 27 March 1967 | Zouzou s'en va | 6 November 1968 | Zaza Goes Away |
| 10 | 28 March 1967 | Soleil couchant | 7 November 1968 | The Setting Sun |
| 11 | 29 March 1967 | Chien méchant | 2 October 1968 | Naughty Dog |
| 12 | 30 March 1967 | L'arrosage | 22 October 1968 | The Hosepipe |
| 13 | 31 March 1967 | La musique | 9 October 1968 | Music |

### Series Four

| Episode | French Transmission | French Title | UK Transmission | English Title |
| 01 | 18 June 1967 | Plus vite toujours plus vite | 21 November 1968 | Faster, Faster |
| 02 | 19 June 1967 | Basket pommes | 25 November 1968 | The Basket |
| 03 | 20 June 1967 | L'herbier | 26 November 1968 | The Botanist |
| 04 | 21 June 1967 | Aubade a Kiki | 27 November 1968 | Wake Up Kiki |
| 05 | 22 June 1967 | La tirelire | 28 November 1968 | The Piggy Bank |
| 06 | 23 June 1967 | L'epouvantail | 2 December 1968 | Scarecrow |
| 07 | 24 June 1967 | La photographie | 3 December 1968 | Photography |
| 08 | 26 June 1967 | Le pique nique | 4 December 1968 | The Picnic |
| 09 | 26 June 1967 | Le savon | 5 December 1968 | The Soap |
| 10 | 28 June 1967 | Le secret de toutou | 18 November 1969 | Hector's Secret |
| 11 | 29 June 1967 | Et pourtant elle roule | 19 November 1969 | It Works, What's More |
| 12 | 27 July 1967 | On soigne Kiki | 14 November 1968 | Looking After Kiki |

### Series Five

| Episode | French Transmission | French Title | UK Transmission | English Title |
| 01 | 11 October 1967 | Le joyeux retour | 18 November 1968 | Happy Returns |
| 02 | 12 October 1967 | Le silence est d'or | 24 November 1969 | Silence Is Golden |
| 03 | 13 October 1967 | Colin maillard | 25 November 1969 | Blind Man's Buff |
| 04 | 14 October 1967 | La citrouille | 26 November 1969 | The Pumpkin |
| 05 | 15 October 1967 | La chasse aux papillons | 24 October 1968 | Chasing Butterflies |
| 06 | 16 October 1967 | Les boites | 27 November 1969 | The Boxes |
| 07 | 17 October 1967 | Le piege | 1 December 1969 | The Trap |
| 08 | 18 October 1967 | Le beau chandail rouge | 29 December 1969 | The Sweater |
| 09 | 19 October 1967 | La potiche | 3 December 1969 | The Porcelain Vase |
| 10 | 21 October 1967 | Aïe ma patte | 8 December 1969 | Ouch My Paw |
| 11 | 22 October 1967 | Les 24 heures du mans | 9 December 1969 | The Le Mans Race |
| 12 | 23 October 1967 | Les leçons | 10 December 1969 | Lessons |

### Series Six

| Episode | French Transmission | French Title | UK Transmission | English Title |
| 01 | 2 December 1967 | La querelle | 11 December 1969 | The Quarrel |
| 02 | 3 December 1967 | Un bon remède | 2 December 1969 | A Good Remedy |
| 03 | 4 December 1967 | La boîte aux lettres | 16 December 1969 | The Letterbox |
| 04 | 5 December 1967 | Opération survie | 17 December 1969 | Operation Survival |
| 05 | 6 December 1967 | Chanson de la nuit | 18 December 1969 | A Song At Night |
| 06 | 7 December 1967 | La cloche | 7 January 1970 | The Bell |
| 07 | 8 December 1967 | Un valeureux pompier | 28 December 1969 | Hector The Brave Fireman |
| 08 | 9 December 1967 | Trop tard Toutou | 30 December 1969 | Hector Is Too Late |
| 09 | 10 December 1967 | Un etrange etranger | 8 January 1970 | A Strange Stranger |
| 10 | 11 December 1967 | Kiki perche | 6 January 1970 | Treetop Kiki |
| 11 | 12 December 1967 | Le pense toutou | 5 January 1970 | Hector Never Forgets |
| 12 | 13 December 1967 | Une merveilleuse invention | 1 January 1970 | The Marvellous Invention |
| 13 | 14 December 1967 | Trois petits sapins de noel | 23 December 1969 | The Three Christmas Trees |

### Series Seven

| Episode | French Transmission | French Title | UK Transmission | English Title |
| 01 | 27 August 1970 | Bonne route Toutou | 20 November 1969 | Good Journey |
| 02 | 13 November 1970 | L'oeuvre d'art | 4 December 1969 | The Work Of Art |