Poddington Peas

***The Poddington Peas*** is an animated British children's television series made by Paul Needs and Colin Wyatt; the single series has 13 episodes and was first aired on the BBC in 1989.

The theme song describes the peas as being "down at the bottom of the
 garden". Human size garden objects, giant in size to them, are seen
such as up turned flower pots serving as most of their buildings. Humans
 themselves are never seen or mentioned.

In 1992, writer Phil Gardner
 was employed by Poddington plc to help write some new episodes -
including one intended to pilot the series in the USA, and featuring a
new group of characters, the Bugz. however these were never published.
There were also paper back books by Paul Needs, illustrated by Colin Wyatt
 and published by Box Tree / Award Publications. The paper back books
including new titles was released with a new AP and merchandise to
complement these titles were released in 2013.

## Characters

The cartoon features a cast of anthropomorphic peas, most of their names describe the character's job or their main trait similar to the *Mr. Men*, and are plays on words typically "pea" sounding like "-py" such as "Creep-Pea" sounding like "Creepy".

**The Poddington Peas** include:

*(Most of the peas are male. Below, the females are stated, the others are male.)*

* **Black-Eyed Pea**: mischievous pea with a black eye patch.

Darker shade of green than the others and usually seen with Creep-Pea;
together they are often the villains.

* **Bump-Pea**: Clumsy pea covered in bumps; wears a big plaster.
* **Captain Hop-Pea**: Nautical captain pea with a wooden leg. Sometimes appears to be in charge.
* **Chip-Pea**: A female "chippy" or fish-and-chip-shop worker.
* **Chop-Pea**: Lumberjack pea with stereotypical hat and axe.
* **Creep-Pea**: Creepy looking mischievous pea, with a long pointy

 nose. Darker shade of green than the others and usually seen with
Black-Eyed Pea; together they are often the villains.

* **Dough-Pea**: "Dopey", simple-minded pea and also a cook who wears a big white cook's hat.
* **Dump-Pea**: Fat greedy dumpy pea; always eating.
* **Garden Pea**: Pea who likes gardening; has a straw hat and a spade.
* **G-Pea**: A GP or general practitioner, the doctor pea, who has white hair, glasses and a stethoscope.
* **Grump-Pea**: A very grumpy-looking pea who likes to moan.
* **Hap-Pea**: The happy good natured pea often the main character. Wears a red baseball cap.
* **Hip-Pea**: Musical hippie pea; has long blonde hair and a guitar.
* **Jump-Pea**: Pea with spring-like legs who uses them to jump high.
* **Nap-Pea**: Penela-Pea's baby, who sits in a push chair and wears a large nappy.
* **P.C. Pod**: The policeman pea.
* **Penela-Pea**: Female pea who pushes her baby, Nap-Pea, around in a push chair.
* **Pop-Pea**: Old man pea, has glasses, walking stick and white hair, although he is mostly bald.
* **Pup-Pea**: Small Puppy pea.
* **Scoop-Pea**: The Podding Press newspaper editor; wears glasses and a green eyeshade visor.
* **Scrap-Pea**: The scruffy tool and scrap worker; has blue hat, stubble and a hammer.
* **Skip-Pea**: Little girl pea with blond hair in pigtails, always skipping with her skipping rope.
* **Sleep-Pea**: Pea that wears a night cap and sleeps too much.
* **Slop-Pea**: An artist painter covered in blobs of paint; has messy red hair.
* **Snap-Pea**: The Poddington Press newspaper photographer; has hat and camera.
* **Snip-Pea**: A barber with a mustache and smartly combed hair.
* **Snoop-Pea**: Detective with a Sherlock Holmes style deerstalker hat and magnifying glass.
* **Soap-Pea**: Always has soapy bubbles covering her head, she often blows bubbles.
* **Sweep-Pea**:Street sweeper pea, wears cap and carries a broom and bin.
* **Sweet Pea**: Blonde sweet female pea.
* **Tea-Pea**: Female pea who is a Tea lady; often has a teapot and teacup.
* **Wee McPea**: Small pea, stereotype Scot, with ginger mustache and Tam o'shanter
* **Weep-Pea**: Easily upset pea who always cries.
* **Zip-Pea**: Fast pea, always running around quickly.

## Episode list

*Episode title and original air date:*

1. The Vegetable Show (14 September 1989)
2. Creep-Pea Gets Carried Away (21 September 1989)
3. Dump-Pea's Diet (28 September 1989)
4. Mound of Trouble (5 October 1989)
5. Hip-Pea's Band (12 October 1989)
6. Well Done Dump-Pea (19 October 1989)
7. Zip-Pea Saves the Day (26 October 1989)
8. The Balloonatics (2 November 1989)
9. Poddle Island Mystery (9 November 1989)
10. Dough-Pea Gets Lost (16 November 1989)
11. Zip-Pea's Shadow (23 November 1989)
12. Bubble Trouble (30 November 1989)
13. Creep-Pea's Christmas Surprise (7 December 1989)

## Credits

* **Written and created by:** Paul Needs
* **Original Designs:** Colin Wyatt
* **Directors:** Colin White, Tony Garth
* **Series Director:** Pat Gavin
* **Producer:** Laurie Frost
* **Executive Producers:** Ian Green, Clive Lester
* **Narration:** Neil Pearson
* **Music and Lyrics:** Geoff Stephens
* **Production Managers:** Muriel MacLeod, Heather Pedley
* **Animation Director:** Tony Garth
* **Animation:** Barry Hales, Simon (Jiminy) Turner, Stephen Hales,

 Billy Allison, Kevin Baldwin, Anna Brockett, Paul Chung, Arthur De
Cloedt, Terry Dormer, Bob Godfrey, Tony Guy, Colin Hughes, Arthur
Humberstone, Willard Kitchen, Charles MacRae, Neil Salmon, Kim
Stephenson, Paul Stone, Glenn Whiting, Rob Newman

* **Layouts:** Clive Dawson, Arthur De Cloedt, Terry Dormer, Ted Pettengell
* **Backgrounds:** Sue Branch, Pat Gavin, Ian Henderson, Ray Rankine, Gary Sycamore
* **Tracers:** Mark Cheeseman, Rona Couper
* **Painters:** Sarah Marsden, Lisa Stephenson, Lynn Durrans,

Beverley Allan, Dena Mackenzie, Alex Barclay, Christine Courtney, Tessa
Farrington, Heather Fisher, Beryl Godfrey, Denise Harnbry, Louise
Harding, Lynette Hodson, Brian Holmes, Sophie Law, Philip Lee, Jacqui
Millar, Audrey Murch, Emma Tornero

* **Key Grip** Natalie Mills
* **Editor:** Keith Holden
* **Paint and Trace Supervisor:** Henrietta Maslin
* **Title Animation:** Harold Whitaker
* **Checking:** Russell March
* **Coordinator:** Louise Harding
* **A Cairnvale Production for Poddington PLC**

## Repeats

Poddington Peas has been shown several times on BBC1 and BBC2 in the 1990's and 2000's, CBBC on Choice premiered Poddington Peas on Saturday 26th February 2000 at 7.25am and 10.25am and continued until Sunday 2nd April 2000. It returned on Saturday 9th September 2000 at 8.55am, 11.55am, 3.25pm and 6.25pm until Saturday 21st October 2000. It returned for a Christmas 2000 showing but has not been broadcast afterwards. It was re-run once on CBeebies on BBC2 and the seperate channel in 2002.