The Wishing Well

**The Wishing Well** is the sixth episode of the second series of Fireman Sam.

## Plot

Sarah, James and Norman have been sent by Dilys to pick strawberries, but Norman is taking a better pleasure in eating them despite warnings from the others that he will be sick for having so many.

Meanwhile, Station Officer Steele is preparing for a presentation to mark his 25th year in the fire service. However Sam and Elvis discover that the medal which is to be given to him has been accidentally sent to the fire station instead of Newtown where the presentation is to take place. Sam and Elvis have to go over to the Newtown HQ to pick up some new hoses, so they decide to deliver the medal whilst they are there and Elvis keeps it hidden in his pocket before Station Officer Steele can see it.

When it is time for the children to return to Pontypandy with Dilys' strawberries, Norman's stomach is feeling terrible after eating so many and he does not feel like going back on the bus, but he denies that it is because he is feeling sick. Instead he states that he wants to practice heading with James' ball.

On the way to Newtown, Sam and Elvis spot the twins and stop by to say hello. Sam notices the old wishing well and introduces Sarah and James to the idea of throwing in a coin and making a wish. Elvis also decides to have a go too, but gets it wrong by wishing out loud to be a rockstar. Little does Elvis know that he has just thrown Station Officer Steele's medal down the well instead of a coin. At that moment the bus arrives to take Sarah and James home so Sam and Elvis also go on their way.

Norman, who by now is feeling very sick from eating so many strawberries, accidentally throws James' ball into the bucket of the old well. He tries to retrieve the ball, but he leans too far in and ends up falling down to the bottom of the well. Meanwhile Elvis has just discovered that Station Officer Steele's medal is no longer in his pocket and upon returning to the fire station, Station Officer Steele overhears Elvis and Sam talking about the loss of the medal.

Meanwhile at the cafe, Bella has made a strawberry gateau with the strawberries that Sarah and James picked. Then Dilys enters the cafe, frantically worrying about Norman, who has been out long enough for him to miss his favourite programme on the television. Trevor decides they should drive back over to the strawberry fields to look for him. When they get there, they call out for him and they hear his answering cry for help coming from down the well. The fire service soon come to the rescue and Sam goes down a ladder to the bottom of the well to bring Norman back safely. Back at the top, Norman then reveals he made a profit from all the money that was thrown down the well over the years. He shows it to the others and Sam discovers that one of the coins is actually Station Officer Steele's medal, who is very grateful and congratulates Norman for finding the medal.

Back home, Norman is resting his injured foot, when Dilys comes into his bedroom with a special treat for him. Unfortunately it turns out to be a slice of strawberry flan and Norman suddenly feels even more sick than he has been all day.

## Characters

* Fireman Sam
* Elvis Cridlington
* Station Officer Steele
* Trevor Evans
* Dilys Price
* Bella Lasagne
* Norman Price
* Sarah and James

## Vehicles

* Jupiter
* Trevor's Bus

## Locations

* Pontypandy
* Pontypandy Fire Station
* Pandy Lane Farm
* Dilys General Store
* Bella's Cafe
* Newtown (*mentioned*)

## Trivia

* This episode along with Norman's Tricky Day, Chemistry Set, Dilys' Forgetful Day, What Goes Up and The Big Freeze were the only episodes to be not added on BBC iPlayer in November 2020.
* Bella's strawberry gateau would later appear in the *Joshua Jones* episode "Haywire" as a buffet food.
* The BBC programmes website refers to this episode as **Wishing Well**.

## Goofs

* It does not seem as though Bella pays for the 2lbs of sugar Dilys gave her before walking out of the shop.

## Home Media Releases

### UK/IRL

* Fireman Sam 4 - Snow Business
* The Very Best of Fireman Sam 2
* Norman's Tricky Day and Four Other Stories
* 2 on 1 - Tales from Pontypandy
* Action Stations!
* Magical Children's Favourites
* Treasure Hunt (UK DVD)
* Safe With Sam (UK DVD)

## Video

Fireman Sam - The Wishing Well (1988)English version
## References

1. ↑ Episode - BBC Programme Index - BBC Genome
2. ↑ Fireman Sam, Series 1, Wishing Well - CBeebies - BBC