Roobarb

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For the plant, see Rhubarb

Roobarb was an animated television show for children, shown on BBC1 just before the evening news. Each cartoon, written by Grange Calveley and animated by Bob Godfrey, was about 5 minutes long. Thirty episodes were made, and were first shown in 1974.

The theme is that of the loving rivalry between Roobarb the dog and Custard the cat from next door.

Contents 1 Original series 2 Roobarb and Custard Too 3 Roobarb episode list 3.1 Original series 3.2 2005 series 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Original series

Roobarb is a green dog (however, many contend that he is yellow, though this has now been discredited by Grange Calveley), Custard is a pink cat. Roobarb is always up to some misadventure or other, which he approaches with unbounded enthusiasm. Custard is cynical, and sets out to sabotage Roobarb's fun. Whoever gets the last word tends to vary. Other characters in the series are The Birds, who watch the antics of the other two from the safety of a nearby tree, often making snide remarks, and siding with whoever is winning.

The series features a deliberately rough style, drawn using marker pens and a very sketchy drawing technique, so that the pictures are constantly jiggling around. This effect, known to animators as "boiling", gives a great energetic character to the show, and was a contrast to the slick smooth colouring of the imported Hanna-Barbera shows that were being widely shown. The series was voiced by actor Richard Briers and the famous theme tune was written by Johnny Hawksworth.

The series was an enormous success, greatly loved by children and adults alike, and winning numerous awards. It is now viewed as "must watch" cult TV. Contrary to popular belief, the show was not called Roobarb and Custard.

[edit] Roobarb and Custard Too

After years of rumours, a new series titled Roobarb and Custard Too debuted on Five on 8 August 2005. Like the original, it is written by Grange Calveley and narrated by Richard Briers. The series introduces a large number of other animal characters who also get involved in Roobarb's schemes. It is produced by A&B TV and distributed by Celador International. The series is directed by Jason Tammemagi and the animation is by the Irish company Monster Animation & Design. The new series of 39 x 7 min. episodes, uses computer animation, but retains the "wobbly" look and plain white backgrounds of the original series.

[edit] Roobarb episode list

[edit] Original series

1. When Roobarb Made a Spike
2. When Roobarb Didn't See the Sun Come Up
3. When Roobarb Was Being Bored Then Not Being Bored
4. When the Tree Fell to Pieces
5. When Roobarb Found Sauce
6. When It Was Night
7. When It Was Christmas
8. When The Sun Was Just Right
9. When The Opera Wasn't A Phantom
10. When There Wasn't Treasure
11. When It Wasn't Thor's-day
12. When Roobarb Was Cheating
13. When Custard Was Sorry
14. When Roobarb Mixed the Paint
15. When Roobarb's Heart Ruled His Head
16. When You're Going To Fly-Fly High
17. When The Day Didn't Arrive
18. When Roobarb Did The Lion's Share
19. When Roobarb Was at the End of His Tether (and so was Custard)
20. When Custard Stole the Show
21. When There Was A Dance At Foxes Dale
22. When Roobarb Wasn't As Pleased As Punch
23. When Roobarb Turned Over A New Leaf
24. When There Was Someone Else
25. When The Day Wouldn't Keep Still
26. When Roobarb Got A Long Break
27. When The Pipes Call The Tune
28. When A Knight Lost His Day
29. When Custard Got Too Near The Bone
30. When There Was A Big Mix Up

[edit] 2005 series

1. When There Was A Surprise
2. When Custard Was Grounded
3. When Custard Wrote A Book
4. When There Was An Elephant
5. When Custard Was Very, Very Naughty
6. When The Books Went Bye Bye
7. When There Was A Wind-Up
8. When Roobarb Found The Hieroglypics
9. When It Ended In Tears
10. When There Was A Big Band
11. When The Garden Was Dry
12. When There Was A Time Warp
13. When It Was Cool To Be Smooth
14. When There Was A Pottery Party
15. When The Computer Went On The Blink
16. When There Was An Opera
17. When The Mouse Arrived For Christmas
18. When Roobarb Went On A Fitness Drive
19. When Modern Thingumajigs Need Tweaking
20. When The Wind Blows, The Space Age Will Stop
21. When There Wasn't A Boiled Egg
22. When Rookie Fell Out Of The Sky
23. When The Laughing Had To Stop
24. When Roobarb Was Bowled Over
25. When Walter's Web Caught Roobarb's Eye
26. When There Was A Dance Festival
27. When There Was Magic
28. When The Ballet Hit The Skids
29. When A Dinosaur Broke Loose
30. When Jeremy Barker Turned Up
31. When There Was A Country Fayre
32. When The Molecules Got Loose
33. When There Was A Duel
34. When It Was A Wibbling Week
35. When The Astrognomes Landed
36. When Everything Went Lumpy
37. When Communications Weren't The Best
38. When There Really Was A Something
39. When There Was A Cuckoo

[edit] References

• The Streets' song "Turn the Page" mentions "Rhoobard and Custard verses".

[edit] External links

• Roobarb at bbc.co.uk
• Official web site
• Fridayanimal.com discussion about Roobarb's colour, including the definitive answer from Roobarb's creator