THE TRUMPTONSHIRE TRILOGY

CAMBERWICK GREEN,TRUMPTON AND CHIGLEY

ON THIS PAGE -"I never noticed that before." A collection of all sorts of anomalies,quirks and continuity errors that I've noticed whilst trawling through the series.Things that may be quite glaring -once you've actually spotted them that is.Or things where you think to yourself, "Hang on a minute.That can't be right can it ?"

So how have I found them   ?  Or,perhaps more appropriately,"why ?"

Well,they're simply a by-product of compiling all the other stats and info.And if your attention often wanders from a primary scene in the foreground to an interesting inanimate object in the background,then you'll love them.

And as foreground telly becomes increasingly underwhelming,I personally find the "wallpaper and curtains" just about as interesting.

That said,this is taking things to extremes I grant you.And it's highly unlikely you'd have either the time or the inclination to contribute any of your own.And,frankly,it'd be slightly disappointing to think I'd wasted so much valuable time and STILL missed some.But if I have,send them in and I'll just have to get over it  !

Either that or you can just marvel at my minutiae (ooh-er) or pity me -whichever you feel is appropriate.

Btw-I've only included pics of the more interesting ones.You can always look the others up for yourself......

if only to check I haven't just made them up.

CAMBERWICK    in no particular order....

In Mr.Crockett's episode - Mr.Crockett removes the army truck's radiator cap and holds his watering can up and fills it.

Obviously we don't get to see the water,but equally as pressing is the total absence of a hole for the water to go in !

In Dr.Mopp's episode - the headroom in the Murphy kids' bedroom is totally disproportionate to the dimensions when viewed from outside.A tardis effect that crops up more than once in T3-land.

In Paddy Murphy's episode (in particular) - Check out the size of the milk bottles in relation to the people.Truely the most generous measure of a "pint" you're ever likely to see !

So whilst the customers were no doubt happy,poor old Thomas Tripp was either a hernia waiting to happen or the not-so-proud owner of a truss.

And any birds wanting an early morning bit of cream must've needed a pneumatic drill to get through that foil.

In Mr.Dagenham's episode - Was the helicopter really such a good idea ?

Well,of course it was.It was fab ! But it did clearly present a few problems.And F.A.B is a good pointer as to why stop motion was used in the first place.Because the wires used to make it "fly" can clearly be seen -particularly when it's on the ground at Colley's Mill against a dark background.Although,as if to slightly downgrade this nit-pick,they don't actually show up that well in a web photo,so I haven't bothered.But it is quite noticeable on the dvd -even if you're not watching out for it.     Other helicopter issues........

It doesn't appear to have an engine.......The downdraft is extremely selective as to what it rustles........and the sound effect is the most comical in the whole series -if it isn't a domestic vacuum cleaner I'll down a pint of Tripp's milk in under an hour !

But it was still a neat idea,and the makers obviously weren't fazed because it re-appears in Chigley ! Hurrah.

Take a look at the regular drive taken by the fireman along the street full of terraced houses. And you notice that they've got no guttering.......no chimneys.......and no curtains.

Which is strange when you consider it's stock-footage,which is shown repeatedly and so maybe worthy of a bit more attention.But clearly not.

Mind you,it's nice not to have to look at inappropriate upvc & that God-awful stone cladding. Nevermind the aesthetic clutter of tv aerials,satellite dishes,exterior electricity meters & wheelie bins amongst other modern necessities.Oh,and potholes and cracked pavements too.

The Minton/Cobbit houses don't have guttering either but are granted the luxury of curtains and chimneys.And the Minton kitchen also benefits from that T3 selling point of having a ceiling height far greater than the external dimensions would allow -and this is actually a better example of it than the Murphy kids' bedroom,mentioned earlier.

In Mr.Murphy's episode - Mrs.Honeyman mentions "the church bazaar" in a seemingly church-less community.And as villages always had a church at their hub,it's actually a strange omission.Probably skirted round for expediency reasons ie."if we have a church we'll get complaints there's no synagogue" etc etc etc -but I'm only guessing.

Mind you,even a modest rural church would've meant more than a few modelling man-hours,which may have had more to do with it.

In Mrs.Honeyman's episode,Captain Snort informs us that "...we certainly need a better electricity supply..." Which,of course,pre-supposes that they have one to start with.Which is interesting when there's not a pylon in sight........ .....anywhere....in the entire series.Mind you,Windy's such a hero he probably supplies the whole community's needs via a wind-powered generator at the Mill.Either that or he plugs in his trike and pedals like fury !

Want to know just how good a carpenter Chippy Minton is  ?

Well,whilst his saw always makes visual progress through the wood,we never actually see any sawdust coming from it. Now that's one skilled operator.

If only life imitated art eh ?

"And not a pane of glass broken" we're informed by Narrator Brian in the Greenhouse episode when the fire brigade remove that dodgy chimney.

Which is slightly less impressive when you look closely and realise it doesn't actually have any.Either that or it's got a new,revolutionary form of ultra clean,non-reflective glass........

"What is it Troop ?"

"Pilkington's on the phone your worship.They'd like to send some boffins down to look at our greenhouse.Urgently !"

In the Windy Miller episode,we see Paddy and Mary "playing hide and seek" around the solitary tree on the Green !

"I can seeee you.Ok,my turn.........Oh,your'e behind the tree.Ok,my turn....." With such limited mental stimuli,you wonder what kind of adults those kids grew up into.Then again,at least they got out in the fresh air,which is more than most kids do these days.And it was 100% safe to do so of course.

In Doctor Mopp's episode,he gets "an urgent call from Windy Miller".

And yet we're told in the PC McGarry episode that Windy doesn't have a telephone.Oops !

Pic 1

In Mr.Crockett's episode,he's seen using a hand pump for the big rear wheels of Farmer Bell's tractor  !!

Pic 2

And whilst he does also use what looks like the proper piece of kit,it's only for the smaller front tyres.

Eh   ?!

In the Mayor's Birthday episode,it's clearly stated that the Mayor wants a painting of the Town Hall to "put on the wall behind his desk".And in all the following episodes where we see that particular bit of wall,then that's exactly where it's hanging.But,strangely,in Mr.Platt and the Painter,it's gone awol....?

"Troop.Please call continuity immediately!!"

In "Telephones" we see the engineers van parked in a certain position.Then in the next realtime shot,it's clearly been moved by the animators so as not to restrict the view.Different angle and a tighter shot of the same scene,but use the footscraper and door frame as your guide and it's quite apparent.Well,if you're looking out for it that is.

In both the Peter the Postman and Windy Miller episodes - There's a shot of Windy and the windmill taken from above.And in both cases,the edge of the animation table can clearly be seen in shot.Presumably the same piece of footage.And truely the bit where Camberwick and the real world meet and startling confirmation that T3 Planet Earth is indeed flat !

No.2 -Roger's clearly an old-fashioned chimney sweep in the classic Victorian mould.And yet he manages to do his job without ever getting a spec of soot on his hands or face.Remarkable.

And what a pity Paddy Murphy chose Mr.Tripp instead of Roger for his Saturday work experience.As Roger could have sent him up the chimneys and freed up some time for a burst of "chim-chim-cheroo" and "the old bamboo". Pity !

3 from Roger Varley's episode

No.1 - When Mickey Murphy is mixing,you can clearly see the wire in his arm where the sleeve ends and the hand begins.Not the only example by any means,but certainly one of the most noticeable.And no wonder no-one wears any kind of short-sleeve top in Trumptonshire.

The good news is that no joints meant no arthritis and aluminium wire meant no corrosion. Hurrah !

Which was just as well as I doubt the Doc carried any WD40 in his bag.

No.3 -Windy's seen buying black-coloured doughnuts ?!!

Not soot from Roger's shenanigans as they're covered by a dustsheet.(as if he'd be selling them if it were )  So you tell me   ?

And you'll also notice the pin used to attach them to the hand -a particularly vicious looking brute when viewed in close-up.

The doughnuts are usually flush to his hand when removed,so you can't see it .And that smaller,close-up pic is simply my own enlarged version of the bigger photo which does appear in the episode.

In Captn Snort's episode (in particular) - Mr.Carraway's ceramic tiles-on the right hand interior wall as we view-are clearly seen to be suffering from bad bubbling and pleating. Anyone would think it was a glued paper effect !

Of course,it may actually have been a simulated tile-effect wallpaper I suppose rather than actual ceramics.In which case,you'd have to hope he did it himself,because if it was Walter Harkin's handywork he might be getting a visit from Trumpton trading standards.

"Good Lord.Do you expect me to drink it or sell it wholesale  ?!"

"Up to you Mr.C,but if you don't take it soon I'm going to get metal fatigue !"

"Oh dear. I do hope Colin and Justin don't turn up.

Mind you,perhaps I can sell them some of this blasted Dab while they're here ! "

Myths exploded No.249 ....Another nail in the levitation coffin ! That's gotta hurt !

Where's a good orthopedic surgeon when you need one   ?

"A hang-glider off the Mill and I'd be outta here"

In Mrs.Cobbit & The Ice Cream Man,watch the Mintons drive through Trumpton (Trumpton)

And they pass..........Dr.Mopp's house !

Well,obviously houses can look identical,so it's clearly just a coincidence.

Er,yes,that's it.As is the similarity between their van and Carraway's of course.

And in that same vein,have you noticed that the wall to the left of the Fire Station is the same stretch of wall used to adjoin Doc Mopp's property in Camberwick  ?

I'm not sure what the late lamented Fred Dibnah would've made of the chimney in the Greenhouse episode.

Although he may well have admired it's robust construction.

Because,whilst it's hard to see clearly even in stills,as it's being toppled there's a brief unintended view of the honey-coloured interior wooden support frame used in the modelling.

Pity poor old Captn Flack though.

A chimney lined with wood and still no fire !

Mind the Gap !

I don't know if this next one is right or not as I freely admit to knowing nothing about livestock. But do heifers have horns ? I wasn't aware they did,but clearly they do if Windy's "Bess" is anything to go by.And,yes,they're horns and not ears in the pic,though it's not the best angle to view them from admittedly.

What I do know though is that that our 4-legged friends don't have a clear join where head meets body,which this one seems to suffer from.Although it seems happy enough and Windy's clearly not concerned.So that's ok then.

It also has an identical twin in Bell's milking parlour,some 30 yrs before Dolly the Sheep  !

And neither the tractor nor the workmen's truck have number plates.In fact all the vehicles are a mix of none at all,

or personalised (JB1-Jonathon Bell) or something akin to normal (on Carraway's van).

Has Mcgarry put a call through to Swansea about it  ? Well of course not.This is Trumps and Swansea doesn't exist.

Each to their own.Hurrah !

TRUMPTON

"I don't want to worry you dad,but do you know we're in the wrong series ! "     " You hum it son......."

And with those bombshells,I'll leave you to ponder whether all that was interesting or too much of an intrusion in to the workings of a national treasure  ?

Probably a bit of both.But you're big enough to take it,and just in case you're not,I can confirm that Santa is indeed very much alive & well and will be popping along to see us all on the 25th as per usual.And amen to that.

"This guy should

get out more  !"

But before the fun begins,let's be absolutely fair to the makers by putting them in their proper context -

1) the series were produced under tight financial and time restraints.So,whilst some may have been slip-ups,most were simply the result of pragmatic corner-cutting,done deliberately,to save some time and money.

2) they were intended for a pre-school audience.And not for inquisitive adults with too much time on their hands and armed with the luxury of dvd play and pause.

But they do exist and in this era of tumble driers it's fun to still see bloomers hung out to dry in all their billowing glory.