Bill & Ben To Return Posted Tue Oct 24 21:12:22 BST 2000 by 'Anonymous'

Cosgrove Hall are to produce a new animated series of Bill and Ben.


Subject: Re: Bill [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Unruly Butler' on Wed Oct 25 01:35:23 BST 2000:

Weed to be "Earth Mother".

Apparently.

(Though strictly, that's the wrong way round...)


Subject: Re: Bill [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Jon' on Wed Oct 25 10:43:12 BST 2000:

That reminds me that I read in TimeOut last night that an animated version of Mr Bean was in development, and that some other show was to be done in animated form... but I can't remember which....

One Foot In The Grave? Attachments? 11OCS? Does anyone know?


Subject: Re: Bill [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Squidy' on Wed Oct 25 11:42:18 BST 2000:

Austin Powers, I heard.


Subject: Re: Bill [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Sam D' on Wed Oct 25 16:59:03 BST 2000:

>That reminds me that I read in TimeOut last night that an animated version of Mr Bean was in development....

Yep, I too had read they were doing an animated version of Mr Bean. With Atkinson doing the "voice". When Mr. Bean first started, Richard Curtiss said that the reason they were only filming the odd one and not an entire series was that they wanted to keep up the quality.

Obviously since then, he has decided that he (or probably a team of writers) can write it consistently enough to churn out the scripts for the animators. To me it smacks of another (I'd say doomed) British attempt to recreate the success of the Simpsons.

Surely one of the successes of Mr Bean was the recreation of "cartoon" style situations and slapstick done in a live-action format. Therefore, making it an actual cartoon is pointless.

Actually, I never really liked Mr Bean anyway. Okay, I remember watching the first few when they came on, but it was pretty hit and miss. The first one was badly timed anyway, as it was shown about half an hour after an episode of The Phil Silvers Show featuring a segment whereby Sergeant Bilko attempted to cheat at an exam. This was virtually recreated to the pencil in Mr Bean.

Sorry, I'm tired.


Subject: Re: Bill [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Justin on Wed Oct 25 18:09:04 BST 2000:

Richard Curtis has written nothing of value since 1989 anyway. (Notting Hill anyone? Thought not.)

Aren't ITV considering resurrecting Spitting Image as an animated show as well? I know they did a pilot - The Strip Show? - about five years ago for C4, but I didn't see it. I think Time Out did a bit about it today, but I only flicked through it at work, and I don't have it with me now.


Subject: Re: Bill [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Unruly Butler' on Thu Oct 26 01:10:53 BST 2000:

The live-action to animation trick was the mainstay of Hanna Barbera for years. Perhaps that's what they're trying to do...

Top Cat (Phil Silvers as Bilko)
Flintstones (The Honeymooners)
Josie and The Pussycats (The World At War) etc etc

The Flintstones got to go through the full wringer when a live action film was made of a cartoon of a live action sitcom.

Very bizarre.


Subject: Re: Bill [ Previous Message ]
Posted By TJ on Thu Oct 26 08:32:32 BST 2000:

Rectract that statement at once!

Josie and the Pussycats had nothing to do with The World at War. For a start, there were no guitar-toting babes in the latter.


Subject: Re: Bill [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'AJ' on Thu Oct 26 16:34:50 BST 2000:

Can I just point out that the theme song to Josie and the Pussycats is one of my favourite go-go songs of all time? (Try it, you'll like it)


Subject: Re: Bill [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Unruly Butler' on Fri Oct 27 01:40:12 BST 2000:

Yes there were.

Kat Bjelland and Chrissie Hynde were both vital to the offensive in the Ardennes.

The World At War also featured Huggy Bear pushing into occupied Czechoslovakia and The Runaways poking Goebbels in the face with a stick.


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