And a few more....In the Peter the Postman episode,Mrs.Honeyman tells Mickey Murphy ".....and talking of currant loaves,did I ever tell you of the time Mrs.Varley tried to make a currant loaf....." And later in the same episode -again Mrs.Honeyman but this time to Postman Pete.....

".....and talking of babies,have you heard Mrs.Varley's cat has just had 10 kittens.."

And to round off the Varley trilogy,we get ,"I promised I'd visit Mrs.Varley's old mother" from Mrs.Murphy to Private Lumley in the Mr.Murphy episode.

So it would appear Roger's married judging by that last one,and his mum-in-law is also still around.

In the PC McGarry episode we're told "...that  the boys at the end of the village were fighting over a cricket bat"

Fighting  !! Surely some mistake.Although at least they weren't fighting with a cricket bat I suppose.And perhaps that's why most of the kids only merited an off screen mention -clearly nothing but a bunch of ruffians and scallywags.

Presumably this next inductee isn't one of them- a reference by the ever useful Mrs.Honeyman to Farmer Bell in his own episode "......and ever since Mrs.McGarry's nephew had the jaundice...."

Jaundice ! Oh well,at least it wasn't rickets...."a rickety-rackety Auntie's boy" perhaps ? (Sorry.Bad taste,but I simply couldn't resist it)

And finally......another person's mentioned in the Roger Varley episode-again by Mrs.Honeyman,this time chatting to Peter Hazell.But as it's included as she's faded out,I can't quite decipher it...."Mrs.T.....something.

That'll be "T" for tantalising.

THE TRUMPTONSHIRE TRILOGY

CAMBERWICK GREEN,TRUMPTON AND CHIGLEY

Introduction

This is the result of another really comprehensive trawl through.

And it's undeniably thee most comprehensive listing you'll find anywhere.Although anyone who says "definitive" about anything is usually asking for it.So if you do actually find something I've missed then please let me know,because I'm always more than happy to be put right. (contact email on site news page)

The pics are "ok" quality.And reflect the necessary load-time compromise,the very variable quality of the dvd footage available at the time -and,to a lesser degree,my equipment.

Personal favourite song   ? Well,it's a tie actually -"riding along in a baker's van" & the ice cream seller's one.Both irrepressibly jaunty.  Least memorable  ? Don't know,I've forgotten lol !  Well,ok,how about Thomas Tripp's   ?

Peter Hazell - Postman -No van,not even a trolley for this postie.Just good old-fashioned legwork with a trusty sack on his back.He's a fairly peripheral figure,who appears quite a lot but doesn't get too involved.But a good link character like the milkman and it's no coincidence that he's chosen to take us on that introductory tour of Camberwick in the very first episode.

No family mentioned and we don't get to see where he lives.Excellent little tune though,helped in no small measure by some jaunty whistling which any small kid always finds irresistible.2 versions........

1) " Peter the Postman is a very busy man.He empties the boxes as quickly as he can.

He puts all the letters in a great big sack and whistles as he marches with his load upon his back."

2) " Peter the Postman is a very busy man,delivering the letters as quickly as he can.

He carries them with care inside his great big sack,and whistles as he marches with his load upon his back."

Windy Miller Windy is to Camberwick Green what the firemen are to Trumpton -the headline act.

Resident of Colley's Mill he represents the rural oldschool in contrast to his modern neighbour Farmer Bell.He lives life at his own pace,enjoys a regular tipple of home-brewed cider and "keeps ducks,hens,2 cows and bees".(one of the cows he calls "Bess") An accomplished whittler,(wood carver) he has no 'phone or car and rides a "tricycle"-ostensibly a pennyfarthing with stabilisers.And with his traditional smock,you'd imagine he'd be short on grey-matter and long on conversational pauses.But it's quite the reverse in fact,as he's actually blessed with a combination of intelligence,native cunning and common sense.

Yep.There are no flies on our Windy-at least not in cold weather- and he seems perfectly happy with life as a batchelor of indeterminate age.In short,an unlikely but enduring star.

" Windy Miller,Windy Miller,sharper than a thorn.Like a mouse he's spry and nimble when he grinds the corn.

Like a bird he'll watch the wind and listen for the sound,which says he has the wind he needs to make the sails go round."

The Murphy Family -Mickey Murphy - Baker -Mickey's the most visible member of the family,and generally comes across as not being the brightest bit of icing on the bun.But he's certainly a hard-worker and good provider.

Wife : Mrs.Murphy -No first name.No song.She's a house mum and minds the shop in MIckey's absence,but is never seen doing any of the baking.She's got a rather odd,squat figure,an unflattering dress sense and not much of a part.So has more cause for a re-write than most !

Kids : Mary and Paddy -No ages given.And despite being the only children ever seen in Camberwick,they're surprisingly under-used.Paddy does get his own episode where he helps out Mr.Tripp the milkman on Saturday mornings whilst on rollerskates.But Mary's an even more peripheral figure and probably best remembered for her dress as much as anything else -a nice bit of 60's kitsch (3rd pic).Paddy does get a tune (no.4 below),although even that's a one-off and not used as his calling card,and they both share No.3 with dad.So slim pickings,and it's Mickey who gets top-billing here.

1) " Mr.Murphy is a master baker,pudding,pie and pastry maker.Biscuits,buns and birthday cakes,everything is marvellous that Murphy makes. "

2) " Driving along with the baker's man,in a rackety,tackety baker's van.Each low fat cake the baker's bake will roll and shake as our rounds we make.

With the baker man in the baker's van,the rackety,tackety baker's van. "

3) " Driving along in a baker's van,in a rackety,clackety baker's van.Away to the Mill our buckets to fill,who cares if it spills we know that it will.

In the baker's van with the baker's man,in the rackety,clackety baker's van. "

4) " Whizzing along on my rollerskates,on my rumbling,tumbling rollerskates.The people say "get out of the way and don't delay he's at work today.

On his rollerskates,on his bowler skates,his rumbling,tumbling rollerskates."

What's listed ?

Everyone (or thing) that's mentioned specifically by name is listed here,plus their modes of transport and thumbprint songs.Some characters were given Christian names,some not and they're all listed as was.Obviously some merit more comment than others,but this isn't based on any personal preferences.Where I don't say much it's simply because there really isn't a whole lot to say.Either because they only appeared in one episode or they just didn't do very much.If you want even more info,then check out the episode guides......or the dvd.

How are they listed ?

They're in blocks of 2 ie. the first has Windy Miller and Dr.Mopp with their pics in between.With Windy's pics first (ie.to your left),as he's on top.And so the pattern repeats,alternately blue and red.

The characters aren't listed in any particular page order,and there's no signficance in who I've grouped with who.

Why do some characters have more than one song ?

As they're quite descriptive they were occasionally tweeked to fit certain storylines.

But each song always retained it's original tune,and the changes to the lyrics are minimal,and are listed just as a matter of record really.But a nice little touch though,when it would have been easier just to have left them as they were.

You'll also notice that some characters have specific songs when they're travelling somewhere ie."driving along in a baker's van"....."an army truck".....  etc.

And those that don't,either had their main personal signature song re-played in full or just the tune minus the lyrics.

Dr.Mopp  The resident GP is perhaps one of the most striking "time and place" anomalies that occurs in the whole of Trumptonshire -an identikit Edwardian gentleman from his top hat right through to the 1901 reg boneshaker he drives. But it certainly reinforces the 'just because it's old,doesn't make it bad' narrative tone of the series though,that's largely championed by Windy. And everyone seems healthy enough with his simple,old fashioned remedies,so he must be doing something right.Off-duty he's "a keen photographer",complete with a suitably archaic box brownie on a tripod,and he also likes fishing.

We here nothing of a wife or kids,although a sister is mentioned during an episode of Chigley.

"If you want a doctor,get Dr.Mopp.For he can stop a sneeze or a wheeze,or a lump or a bump,a headache,a sprain or rheumaticy pain.

So if you're feeling sickly please call him quickly.He can cure all ills,with his pale pink medicines and sugar-coated pills "

Mrs Honeyman - Local Gossip  -A lady who "never stops talking".She gives the series a real sense of movement and life as she bustles about The Green,with her floor-length skirt avoiding the need to animate all that footwork.

She's permanently seen with her baby boy in tow,who's always referred to simply as "he","him" or "baby".And whilst she's presumably a similar age to Mrs.Murphy,her victorian dress sense makes her seem much older.

We learn that her husband's "the Chemist",but we never get to see him- or the shop for that matter.And having to contend with her high-energy flitting about and machine-gun verbals,he probably consumes more aspirin than he sells.

That said,she always comes across as more amusing than annoying and is a valuable counterpoint to the more laidback characters.

"Chatter,chatter,have you heard the latest gossip,not a word to anyone.

But do you know that,natter natter,well my dear,you could have knocked me over with a feather.I...was... shocked ! "

Mr.Carraway - Fishmonger -As you trawl through the rest of this page,you'll see that he's effectively the only elderly person in Camberwick.Although how old is anyone's guess.

In keeping with his profession it's probably unsurprising that we're told his family has a sea-faring past.Although we never see any current family.

He enjoys fishing-again,no surprise there.He likes to visit old friend,Windy for a chat and some cider,and also uses his sea-based knowledge to teach geography to the boys at Pippin Fort.A trip he makes in a vehicle that's a dead-ringer for the one the Minton's use in Trumpton.How do you like yer Dab.Poached or grilled   ?

" Fresh fish,fine fresh fish.

Herring,plaice,mackerel,turbot.Whiting,cod,halibut,dab.Prawns,crabs,crayfish and lobster in green parsley and set upon a slab.

Fresh fish,fine fresh fish."

Jonathon Bell - Farmer -His main song (1) pretty much says it all really.He's very much the wind-of-change counterpoint to Windy's old school ideals.And whilst the general conclusion is that there's room for both,Gordon Murray ensures that if anyone ends up looking like a bumpkin,it's Farmer Bell -allbeit a wealthy one.

He has a wife although she's never seen and is only mentioned in passing when,for instance,the Doc calls to treat her "rheumatics".And whilst he has no children,his machines are clearly his real babies.

-a truck for general use (reg."JB1") -a mechanical digger (only seen in Chigley) -a tractor -and "a forklift loader"

All bought from Mr.Dagenham incidentally,as is his "electric milking machine","new plough and a television set"

But despite all that,he does still need unseen "farm hands" to help him out,so it's clearly a decent size spread. Although the most we ever see of it are the buildings and yard.No-one's ever seen out in the fields.

1)" A go-ahead farmer is Jonathon Bell,who works his farm + works it well.He doesn't hold much with the good old days,in modern times use modern ways. Electric,mechanical,all that is new which does the work that men used to do.He swears by it all and he proves it too,on his modern mechanical farm."

2)" Driving along in a farmer's truck,in an "I can do anything" farmer's truck.A pig or a hen,a calf or the men,a bale or a sack all go in to the back.

You can even spread muck from a farmer's truck,an "I can do anything" farmer's truck. "

Thomas Tripp - Milkman -He "gets all his milk and butter from Farmer Bell" (except the occasion when Windy has to step in to bale him out of course ).And on his Saturday morning round he's helped out by Paddy Murphy.

No family's mentioned and he shares the monolithic Dairy with just a black cat called Tabitha.

Not greatly used but,like Potman Pete,he's a useful link character because he can obviously crop up virtually anywhere and no explanation's needed.

Sadly he's also the recipient of one of the limpest songs.

Maybe it's just me,but  I can't help feeling that as glass "chinks",maybe it could've been rhymed with "drink",which then would've......Anyhow,this is what we actually got. Did it jingle your jang   ?

" Here comes the milkman,Thomas Tripp the milkman.Can you hear the milkman with his jangle,jingle,jang ?

What does it matter if the bottles make a clatter,one doesn't want to chatter over "jangle,jingle,jang."

Roger Varley - Chimney Sweep -Mary Poppins came out in cinemas a year before production on Camberwick started and clearly cemented this characters' appearance.Although Dick Van Dyke's 'cockernee' and 'chim-chim-cheroo' are both sadly (?) absent.

So what transport do you give a Victorian sweep  ? Why,a motorbike of course.

You'd have perhaps thought he'd get a plain hand cart like the one Raggy Dan has in Trumpton.But as it's his bike and clothing that are the only reasons he sticks in the memory,then maybe it's just as well he didn't.

If you check out the CamberwickPt1 page you'll also see that there's a continuity issue about whether he lives in Windy's cookhouse or Windy pops round to do his cooking at Roger's ! And there's also some doubt who he shares it with -see "characters mentioned but not seen" further down this page.

So perhaps more interesting in retrospect than at the time.

" Sweep all.Here comes Roger Varley as black as a crow,to sweep all your chimneys which stand in a row.

Big chimneys,small chimneys,low chimneys,tall chimneys,chimneys so straight and chimneys awry,

with his rods,brush and sack and his suit shiney black,he'll whirl and twirl his brush up the flues to the sky.Sweep all."

Mr.Dagenham - Salesman -A quite remarkable salesman is our Mr.Dagenham,and his song tells you all you need to know about why he's driving around in a sports car and not in a Del Boy 3-wheeler.Not that there's any hint of the spiv about him of course as this is Trumptonshire and not Peckham.Although we never actually find out if he lives in the County. Best customer   ? Farmer Bell. Ever met a poor farmer   ?

"Our Mr. Dagenham he can sell anything,anything,anything money can buy. A tea set,or a jacket,a pram,or tennis racket,a telly or a toaster,a trumpet or a trike,an overcoat,a motor boat,a holiday in Africa,a bathtub or a button,a bugle or a bike. Our Mr.Dagenham he can sell anything,anything,anything money can buy."

In his own episode,he also tries to interest messrs Bell & Snort in a helicopter (no sale !),and so we also get this ...

"Helicopter,helicopter,riding so high,whirling,churring,sweeping the sky.

Over the house tops and over the trees,you'll fly like the birds and you'll buzz like the bees."

Pippin Fort - Is,quote,"A miltary academy.A school for boys who want to be soldiers".

Captain Snort is the man in charge and is the only one who gets his own song.He also has the slightly bizarre distinction of being the only T3 character with teeth on show -2 buck teeth to be precise.And is suitably straight-backed and matter-of-fact as you'd expect.

"Captain Snort is a soldier man.Scarlet and gold a soldier man.

He'll work a boy as hard as he can,to turn him into a soldier man.

Captain Snort is a soldier man who lives in Pippin Fort."

Sergeant Major Grout serves under him,and actually does all the ordering about.

When not on duty,he likes to help out Mr.Crockett at the Garage.

And the 6 boys under him (in alphabetical) are Privates Armitage, Featherby, Higgins, Hopwood, Lumley and Meek.

Character development is patchy,but we do pick up a few things along the way...

Higgins is "the smartest boy on parade",Meek is caught "daydreaming" on parade once and gets embroiled in a brief storyline with Mrs.Honeyman's baby.But the biggest role goes to Lumley in the Mr.Murphy episode,where despite not knowing his left from his right,he turns out to be "a born baker"& becomes Mickey's "part-time helper"

There's also an un-named bugler who always sounds "morning parade",occasionally sounds the "alarm" and sometimes answers the phone -all from within the confines of the fort's front-right turret.And so it's Grout who acts as bugler outside the Fort ie.in the Snort episode when they're at the Green.

In fact,they basically fulfil exactly the same role the firemen do in Trumpton.Making themselves available to help anyone in the community who needs it.In between their regular studies,"manouevres" and trips to the swimming pool that is-the last 2 of which are never shown.

They were always likely to be remembered because they feature so heavily.But they're done so fondly by many .

These are the 3 song variations that accompanied them on their travels......

Main truck song.....

"Driving along in an army truck,in a humpity,bumpity army truck.The people wave to the soldiers brave,who sing and shout as they lurch about.

Oh we are in luck,we will never be stuck in our humpity,bumpity army truck."

1st variation (Mr.Murphy ep)

"Driving along in an army truck in a humpity,bumpity army truck.Away to the pool,so deep so cool to swim and shout as they splash about.

Oh we are in luck,we will never be stuck in our humpity,bumpity army truck."

2nd variation (Mrs.Honeyman ep)

"Driving along in an army truck,in a humpity,bumpity army truck.The people wave to the soldiers brave,who sing and shout "we will drive them out.

They will soon be stuck and down on their luck in their battered old,spattered old workmen's truck."

Mr.Crockett - Garage Owner -Decent bits of kit always standout in kids' memories.And,fortunately for Mr.Crockett, he spent a fair bit of his screen time in his tow truck,so we got to see some nice winch action.

Which was perhaps just as well,as his garage was somewhat of a disappointment really.No car wash,no hydraulic lift,or anything else to capture the imagination frankly.

But he does have the added distinction of being the only Camberwick character that appears in Trumpton (see Crossovers page)

" If your car is needing petrol.If your van has broken down.If your motorcycle engine starts to stick.

Then go to Crockett's Garage, to Mr.Crockett's Garage,he will do the work and he'll do it very quick.

Fill her up,fill her up the petrol pumps are working.Pump them up,pump them up,you know what tyres are.

Hurry up,hurry up there is no time for shirking,if you want a very super sort of car."

Mrs.Dingle - Postmistress -She runs the combined Post Office and General Stores with no mention of any family, and seemingly only a puppy dog called "Packet" for company.("Packet" as in 'parcel',and not 'poo' presumably)

Whilst she flits in and out of procedings fairly regularly,she's a rather non-descript personality.And certainly isn't helped by not having a signature tune,which is perhaps rather strange when you consider she's essentially at the hub of village life.So she's actually less well-remembered than her pet -not that he had a song either !

She does however get this little one-off refrain when she's helping Peter the Postie sort the letters in the very 1st episode......

" 3 for Mickey Murphy,2 for Dr.Mopp,1 for Mr.Honeyman who keeps the Chemist's Shop.

2 for Windy Miller,3 for Captain Snort,and 6 for all the soldier boys who live in Pippin Fort "

......accompanied by a quaint,if slightly bizarre,little twirly dance by the 2 of them-the only dance in the whole series (for dancing,think Chigley) And as this was the pilot episode made a little while before the others,it also features unusual elements of slapstick that were also clearly re-thought prior to producing the remainder.

PC McGarry No.452 -Camberwick's by-the-book local bobby.His motorbike means he rides in to quite a few storylines,but he's far too uncharismatic to ever get much of a foothold in our affections.And yet,in all 3 series,his "P_C_McGarry No.4_5_2" is probably second only to "Pugh,Pugh,Barney McGrew.." as a song hook.So he's better remembered than his character and personality actually merit.

He also holds the Camberwick record for the most number of lyric variations,which certainly helped.The first 3 being from his own episode and the last one from Mrs.Honeyman's:-

1) "Here comes the policeman,the big friendly policeman,P_C McGarry No.4_5_2. Lost a key,cat up a tree,baby lost a shoe  ?

Then get a policeman,a big friendly policeman,P_C McGarry No.4_5_2."

2) "Here comes the policeman,the big friendly policeman,P_C McGarry No.4_5_2. Lost dogs,thick fogs,or don't know what to do ?

Then get the policeman,the big friendly policeman,P_C McGarry No.4_5_2"

3) "They've got the policeman,the big friendly policeman,P_C McGarry No.4_5_2. Swarming bees in the trees.Swarming people too.

They've got the policeman,the big friendly policeman,P_C McGarry No.4_5_2"

4) "Here comes the policeman,the big friendly policeman,P_C Mcgarry No.4_5_2.Workmen seen on the Green,what are they going to do ?

They'll tell the policeman,the big friendly policeman,P_C McGarry No.4_5_2"

"Foreman" & "2 Workmen" -To round things off,we have these 3 un-named characters.

Their main appearance is in Mrs Honeyman's episode.But they also feature collectively in the Roger Varley episode,as well as being useful crowd scene infill elsewhere.

The workmen are kitted out identically to Mr.Crockett,Mr.Wantage & Fred in Trumpton and Messrs. Gubbins & Sneed in Chigley-So if one of them turned up on your doorstep you'd be hard-pressed to know whether you were having your drive dug up,car towed,phone checked or  bin emptied.But,at least they did always manage to turn up,which clearly demonstrates what a utopian reality Trumptonshire really is.

Reliable maybe,but no songs for this peripheral threesome.And you may also notice that their truck is identical to Mr.Clamp's.

Characters mentioned but never actually seen

The most conspicuous of these was mentioned by Mr.Crockett in the PC McGarry episode.

Although 'conspicuous' is hardly the the most appropriate choice of word in view of the circumstances....

"Mr.Crockett shows him (McGarry) a car which he has just repaired.A very nasty dent in the wing.Mr.Dagenham did it avoiding little Tom Ranger,who ran into the road after his ball.It could have been a nasty accident".

In the same episode,McGarry asks Windy if "Dr.Mopp's nephews have been fishing up here without a license"

"The vet" is mentioned by Farmer Bell in the Dr.Mopp episode.

In Mr.Murphy's episode,Farmer Bell discusses an order on the phone with Private Lumley,who's helping out at the Bakery (ineptly !)-"......6 walnut cakes.I'm giving a party for my farm hands and I always give them walnut cake.It's their favourite and they come to expect it ".So clearly not that mechanised that he can dispense with help altogether. Although how many he employs obviously depends on how far he makes "6 walnut cakes" go.And if he's like any of the farmer's I know then that probably means he's got a staff of 40.

Miscellany

Well,it's just one unattributed song in the Captain Snort episode actually.

".....every wednesday as regular as clockwork......at the bottom of Mr. Carraway's garden is a stream.And there's nothing nicer than a quiet afternoon spent fishing"

It's a group activity featuring Carraway,Snort,Murphy and Windy,with Doc Mopp taking photos.And it features the only song in the series that isn't directly attributable to a specific character.

A really languid,summer's afternoon tune,and certainly out of keeping with the usual jaunty,upbeat tone that most of the others have.......

"Sitting by a stream,fish_ing.By a summer stream,fish_ing.

In still deep water where lazy fish flee.Fish_ing,in the sun."

As you'd imagine by the paucity of lyrics,it's as much an instrumental piece as anything.And it's got echoes,allbeit distant,of Nick Drake if you're familiar with his work.Short and really quite sweet,and as near a nod to the laid back 60's flower power vibe as we ever get.

Timeless farmer fashion with bottomless pockets

in country boy toy heaven.

Mrs.D & P accessory-free

Good tune,nice bike,no charisma-2 out of 3 ain't bad !                                                                                       Yes,Mr.C,but what about "down the other side" ?

Generous measure !....What child labour laws ?!....

....Dairy black spot.

But no cat for Postman Pete

Nice suit and car Mr.D ,

but not sure about the HealthnSafetyCopter  !                                                Chim-Chim askew   ?    >

Get yer Dab 'ere !........ Man,that Dab is BIG !           Flack Grout,Bugler and 6 Lads makes 9.But not in the truck -the bugler always stays behind to mind the fort !  

The Closing Titles

I always found these offered quite a satisfying end to procedings and whilst simple they're still a mini extravaganza compared to many of its' animated contemporaries.

Each episode ends with the narrator having a quick wind-up chat with the featured character.With Brian doing all the talking of course,save for some nods in response.

So,for instance,in that very first episode,the Peter Hazell script is as follows:-

"Hello ......a pillar box ?   Are you going to empty it Peter  ? (nod)   Have you got your keys  ? (nod) Ohhhh you are a busy man !"

Now,admittedly,that's one of the less informative ones !! But they were used as a very convenient way to tidy up any loose ends from the story.So if something couldn't be shown due to time constraints or animating difficulty etc,then it could be done verbally in this quick little exchange.Simple and effective.

When the chat's concluded,the character is faded out of Camberwick Green and back into his/her position on top of the opening title music box.They then descend slowly back in to it,just as they'd appeared.The segmented top slides shut, and we fade to our friend the clown,who turns the handle to reveal each title,and all while the music plays.

Quite where he fits in though is anyone's guess.I realise young kids can always identify with a clown,and even more so back in the 60's,but I do remember wondering whether he was actually in the series somewhere and I'd missed him. Mind you,my elder brother told me it was one of the other characters dressing up to earn a few extra bob -typical ! Anyhow,as you've already seen the music box bit from the opening title sequence,I'll skip straight to the idents (in screen appearance order) .So crank her up my friend. Let's roll !.......

"Gordon Murray Puppets Limited.Copyright 1966"

CAMBERWICK Pt2 - CHARACTER BIOGS,SONGS & TRANSPORT,WITH THE CLOSING TITLES AT THE BOTTOM.