Bill the Minder facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bill the Minder |
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VHS cover 1987.
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| Created by | Timothy Forder Based on the book by W. Heath Robinson |
| Voices of | Peter Chelsom |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 5 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | PAL UK |
| Original release | 17 February – 7 March 1986 |
Bill the Minder is a fun television series and book about a clever 15-year-old boy named Bill. He travels with his two cousins, Boadicea and Chad. On their adventures, they meet many unusual people. These people often have strange problems. Luckily, Bill is a genius at building amazing machines. He can create these fantastic inventions very quickly to help solve any problem!
The original book was written and illustrated by W. Heath Robinson. It was first published way back in 1912. The TV show features many of the incredible machines Robinson was famous for drawing. This short series was made by Bevanfield Films for Central Independent Television. It was shown on ITV in the United Kingdom. All 15 episodes were later released on one VHS tape. Bill the Minder even won an award: the London Film Festival's Outstanding Film of the Year!
Meet Bill and His Friends
The TV show always starts with a short introduction. The narrator tells us about Bill and his cousins. He says: "Bill the minder looked after his cousins Boadicea and Chad. They wandered with him everywhere, even in his dreams." Each episode ends with the same music. This music is the "Triumphal March" from Verdi's famous opera, Aida.
Episode Adventures
Here are some of the exciting adventures Bill and his friends have:
- Episode 1 - "Old Crispin"
Bill visits his uncle Crispin, who is a mushroom picker. Crispin is so good he can hear mushrooms growing! But he becomes sad and ill. Bill builds a special machine to help him lose weight. This is how Bill ends up taking care of his cousins, Boadicea and Chad.
- Episode 2 - "The King"
Bill and his cousins meet a lonely king. The king was so good that his people stopped visiting him. He became sad and started playing cards in a chicken shed! Bill builds a special chair for the king. He then helps him return to his kingdom.
- Episode 3 - "The Navigator"
The group finds a man named Ron, a ship's navigator. Ron is in love but feels dull. He wants to grow a rare "Australian nose plant" for the woman he loves. Bill builds a machine to help the plant grow perfectly. Ron is happy, but then he learns the woman has married. So, Ron joins Bill's adventures!
- Episode 4 - "Aunt Galladia"
Bill meets his Aunt Galladia. She is trying to catch her rare bird, a 'Green toed button crane of Baraboo'. Bill's first idea doesn't work. So, he invents a machine that makes a loud honking sound. The sound scares the bird right into a cage! Aunt Galladia is so happy she gives the bird to Bill.
- Episode 5 - "The Respectable Gentleman"
The king really wants an ice cream. Bill asks a gentleman to get one. But when the king eats it, a chocolate spot lands on the gentleman's coat. The gentleman faints! Bill quickly builds a machine to clean the jacket. The gentleman is very pleased and takes the king home.
- Episode 6 - "Chloe"
Bill takes Boadicea and Chad home to their mother, Chloe. Chloe is amazing and can do anything. But her kids are always taking her things. Bill helps Chloe by tying fishing line to all her items. Now, she can just reel them back in when she needs them! Bill then takes the cousins on another adventure.
- Episode 7 - "The Doctor"
Bill and his friends find a sad doctor named Ebeneezer Sprout. He was too successful, and everyone came to him for remedies. He became overworked and left his practice. Now he misses having patients. Bill invents a "Doctors' friend" machine. It makes people seasick, so the doctor has patients again! The doctor decides to join the group.
- Episode 8 - "The Sicilian Cleaning Lady"
The group meets a cleaning lady from Sicily. She works for a difficult family, the Petigrews. The worst part is their son, Basil Herbert, who sings terribly. Bill builds a machine that wheels Basil out the window and covers him in cold water. This works! But the Petigrews move away, so the cleaning lady joins Bill's gang.
- Episode 9 - "The Button Crane of Baraboo"
The respectable gentleman has a problem with Norris, his 'green toed button crane'. The bird burps every time it eats a certain bean. Doctor Sprout's medicine doesn't work. The cleaning lady's family recipe also fails. Bill creates a machine that slaps the bird's back and gives it water. It works, but now the bird has a different problem!
- Episode 10 - "The Waiter"
The Sicilian cleaning lady stops and won't move. She tells a story about falling in love with a waiter in Florence. A gust of wind tore a letter from her hand, and she lost the corner with his address. Bill notices the corner is stuck in her stockings! He builds a machine with mirrors so she can see it. She writes to the waiter, and he comes to her. She says goodbye to the gang.
- Episode 11 - "Bosworth"
Bill goes to watch Uncle Crispin pick mushrooms. Crispin is lonely and creates an imaginary friend named Bosworth. But Bosworth causes trouble! Bill designs a machine that makes loud noises to scare Bosworth away. This leads to Crispin accidentally destroying his matchstick cathedral. Bill then takes Boadicea and Chad on another hike.
- Episode 12 - "The Musician"
Bill and his friends find a musician playing a squeeze box. The musician always wanted his music played in a big concert hall. He composed a masterpiece, but his tears ruined it. Now he has an even better symphony but no orchestra. Bill makes a machine to play music, but it sounds awful. So, the musician joins them to find an orchestra.
- Episode 13 - "The Real Soldier"
Bill, his cousins, and the musician meet a soldier looking for a lost medal. The soldier tells an exciting story about defending an island. He outsmarted an enemy by trapping him in a changing hut and pushing it into the sea! He got his medal for saving the enemy, who turned out to own the island. Bill builds a machine with a magnet to find the medal. The soldier joins their adventure.
- Episode 14 - "Basil Herbert"
Basil Herbert, the annoying boy from episode 8, appears again! He wants to join their orchestra. He plays his clarinet and violin, annoying everyone. Bill goes into the forest and creates a strange musical instrument. When Basil plays it, a yellow bird tied to a bowling ball flies away. The ball drops, launching Basil far away from the group forever!
- Episode 15 - "The Pilot"
Bill and his friends meet a crashed pilot. He and his wife are looking for a house. He found the perfect place, but his plane crashed, destroying both the plane and the house. Bill attaches a balloon and pedals to the plane's remains. The pilot can now fly off happily to continue his search for a new home.
Cast and Crew
Here are the talented people who helped make Bill the Minder:
- Written by: Timothy Forder
- Narrated by: Peter Chelsom
- Produced by: Mary Swindale
- Directed by: Timothy Forder
- Edited by: Mike Murray
- Production co-ordinator: Steve Flack
- Assistant producer: Lorrie Horde-Brown
- Animation: Mike Davies
- Backgrounds: Denny Sutton
- Artwork: Hierographics
- Painting & tracing: Martin Dray
- Rostrum camera: Julian Hollaway & Bob Skeggs
- Sound: Trevor Barber
- Music: Barrie Guard
Images for kids
