Bananaman

**Bananaman** is a British children's programme broadcast on BBC One from 1983-1986.

## Plot

In 1983, the BBC made a cartoon series which included a catchy theme tune and featured the voices of The Goodies. It was produced by Flicks Films and DC Thomson's Other Classics for Abbey Home Entertainment in association with Jim Henson Productions. Parts of the character were changed for the series: he was now called **Eric Twinge**,
 had a distinctive banana-shaped hairstyle rather than punk stubble, and
 had a love interest (only when transformed) in the form of Fiona, a
newsreader based on Selina Scott and also a possible homage to Lois Lane.

Graeme Garden (incorrectly credited as *Greame* Garden on some episodes) voiced the characters of Bananaman, General Blight and Maurice of The Heavy Mob, Bill Oddie voiced the characters of Crow, Chief O'Reilly, Doctor Gloom and the Weatherman, and Tim Brooke-Taylor voiced the characters of Eric, King Zorg of the Nerks, Eddie the Gent, Auntie and Appleman, as well as narrating the episodes. Jill Shilling
 voiced Fiona and any additional female characters, including Eric's
cousin Samantha (but not Auntie). It lasted for forty episodes between 3
 October 1983 and 15 April 1986.

*Bananaman* was aired in the United States by the Nickelodeon cable network as a companion piece to *Dangermouse*, but *Bananaman*
 never came close to reaching that series' American popularity. The show
 also aired during the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) after
 school timeslot and is considered one of the Classic ABC shows.

Some episodes of Bananaman were used in 1997 on the British Cartoon
series "The Pepe and Paco show" created by Henson International
Television.

Some of these episodes would eventually re-appear in print form in *The Dandy*
 in 1998, coinciding with the BBC repeating the series that year, and
were reprinted in the comic in Spring 2007, now promoting the DVD. Each
episode was roughly five minutes from start to end. Phrases from the
show, "twenty big men" and "ever alert for the call to action", are
still used in the comic today.

### Credits

* Painters : Richard Adams, Jane Beecham, Marianne Coldner, Paul Heyward, John Tillet, Anne Whitford
* Tracers : Janine Arthy, Jacqueline Millar, Olive Scott, Phyllis Vince, Anne Ward, John Tillet, Linda Butcher
* Checker: Katherine J. Cowan
* Animators : Richard Cox, Joan Garrick, Geoff Loynes, Janet Nunn, Alan Green
* Layouts : Gil Potter
* Backgrounds : Russell Peerman
* Editing : Morgan Daniels Limited
* Rostrum Camera : Stephen Williams, Trevor Bond Associates Ltd
* Music : Dave Cooke
* Production Controller : Thomas Barker
* Production Coordination : Thomas Barker, Pat C. Morton
* Script Writers : Bernie Kay, Terry Ward
* Producers : Trevor Bond, Terry Ward
* Director : Terry Ward
* Made by : 101 Productions
* Copyright Bananaman Productions Ltd 1983

## Film adaptation

It was announced in March 2014 that DC Thomson in conjunction with Elstree Studio Productions will be producing a Bananaman movie with a release date of 2015.[2][3] In May 2014 DC Thomson unveiled the first teaser poster for the film.

## Repeats

Bananaman has been broadcast and repeated on BBC1 and BBC2 from 1983 - 1999, CBBC on Choice have also broadcast Bananaman beginning on Saturday January 22nd 2000, 5 minutes before before ChuckleVision and re-showing on Saturday 6th January 2001, 10 minutes right after Bitsa. It hasn't been repeated once afterwards like some shows and was one of the shows that was never broadcast after the closure of CBBC on Choice in 2002.