Count Duckula

**Count Duckula** is a British children's animated comedy horror television series created by British studio Cosgrove Hall Films and produced by Thames Television as a spin-off from Danger Mouse, a series in which an early version of the Count Duckula character was a recurring villain. Count Duckula aired from 6 September 1988 to 16 February 1993 across four series; in all, 65 episodes were made, each about 22 minutes long. All have been released on DVD in the UK, while only the first series has been released in North America.

## Synposis

Several episodes explore the theme that each resurrection creates a new incarnation with little to no memory of its past life, the immediate past incarnation referred to as the current's "father". Thus, every incarnation is free to develop its own personality and pursue its own personal interests. The vampire is able to pose as a "dreadful dynasty, the counts of Duckula". The preceding generations included knights, sorcerers, scientists, artists, Egyptologists and even professional gamblers, all of whom are also secretly "vicious vampire ducks".
As the title sequence puts it, "the latest reincarnation did not run according to plan". The successful conclusion of the ritual, which was to be performed "once a century, when the moon is in the 8th house of Aquarius", requires blood, the source of sustenance for any vampire, but Nanny accidentally substitutes ketchup. Consequently, the newest version is not a blood-sucking vampire, but a vegetarian one. He is more interested in juicy carrots than hunting for victims. Igor is appalled. Even worse, his "new" master is obsessed with pursuing wealth and fame as an entertainer.
The stories often revolve around Duckula's adventures in search of riches and fame, assisted by the castle's ability to teleport around the world. Another regularly occurring theme is the repeated attempt by Igor to turn Duckula into a proper vampire. Some episodes feature Duckula's nemesis Doctor Von Goosewing (based on Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, the nemesis of Dracula), a vampire hunter who blindly refuses to believe the current incarnation of Duckula is harmless. There is also an array of bizarre, often supernatural foes, from zombies to mechanical werewolves. Another feature of the show is a cuckoo clock whose bat-like Borscht Belt comedian styled characters come out and make jokes about the current situation (or corny jokes in general). The clock is also a vital part of the castle's traveling mechanism, and it even has the ability to turn back time.
A series of annuals and monthly comics further detailing the adventures of Count Duckula and associated characters were released throughout the time that the series originally aired and for a short time afterwards.

## Episodes

### Series 1 (1988-1989)

The first series of Count Duckula was produced between 1987 and 1988, before they were actually broadcasted on ITV from 6 September 1988 to 21 March 1989. The first thirteen episodes in this series were dated in 1987 and the last thirteen episodes were dated in 1988.

### Series 2 (1989-1990)

The second series of Count Duckula was produced between 1988 and 1989, before they were actually broadcasted on ITV from 12 September 1989 to 23 January 1989.

### Series 3 (1990-1991)

The third series of Count Duckula was produced in 1989, before they were actually broadcasted on ITV from 22 October 1990 to 21 Janaury 1991. All episodes in both this series and the next series were dated in 1989.

 Duckula becomes a private detective in Chicago.

### Series 4 (1993)

The last set of seven episodes of Count Duckula were produced in 1989, along with the thirteen episodes in the previous series, before they were actually broadcasted on ITV from 5 January to 16 February 1993. All episodes in both this series and the previous series were dated in 1989.

 * Recording date: November 6, 1989.