Budgie the Little Helicopter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Budgie the Little Helicopter
Budgie the Little Helicopter Titles
Genre	Animated series
Created by	Sarah Ferguson
Developed by	Sleepy Kids
Written by	Brian Trueman
Voices of	Richard Pearce Abigail MacVean Jeremy Nicholas Kerry Shale Ray Lonnen Tony Jackson Melvyn Hayes William Vanderpuye Pippa Haywood Peter Lloyd Ania Sowinski Zoe Hodges Adrian Hansel Jeff Rawle Judy Bennett Jill Lidstone Eve Karpf Gary Martin Susan Sheridan Frank Welker
Narrated by	Jeff Rawle
Theme music composer	Paul K. Joyce
Composer(s)	Dennis C. Brown
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	39
Production
Executive producer(s)	Dan Maddicot Martin Powell Viven Schrager Powell Fred Wolf
Producer(s)	Michael Algar
Running time	10 minutes 22 Minutes (Christmas Television Special)
Production company(s)	Fred Wolf Films Sleepy Kids HTV West Sarah, Duchess of York Scottish Television Enterprises Flowco Animation (Seasons 2 and 3) Dai Won Animation (Overseas Production)
Distributor	Strawbugs Ltd.
Release
Original network	ITV Network (CITV)
Original release	4 January 1994 (1994-01-04) – 28 March 1997 (1997-03-28)

Budgie the Little Helicopter is a British animated TV show for kids. It's about a friendly helicopter named Budgie and his friends. The show is based on books written by Sarah Ferguson.

The series was made by several companies, including Fred Wolf Films Dublin and The Sleepy Kids Company. It first aired in the UK on CITV in 1994. There were 39 episodes in total. You could also find Budgie videos, books, and toys. In the United States, the show was shown on FOX as part of the Fox Cubhouse block from 1995 to 1996. Later, it moved to the Fox Family Channel.

Meet the Characters

The show features many different vehicles and a few human and animal friends. They all live and work at Harefield Airfield.

Aircraft Friends

These are the main flying characters who have exciting adventures.

Main Aircraft

• Budgie the Little Helicopter (voiced by Richard Pearce) — Budgie is a small blue helicopter. He wears a big yellow cap and has a bit of brown hair. Budgie works at Harefield Airfield and is best friends with Pippa. He can be a bit cheeky but always works hard. He's also very brave and helps people in danger. Budgie doesn't like going through the heli-wash! His special saying is "Rocketing Rotors!"
• Pippa the Single-Engined Mono-Plane (voiced by Abigail MacVean) — Pippa is a small green plane with blonde hair and a pink bow. She was the second aircraft to arrive at Harefield Airfield. At first, she teased Budgie, but they soon became great friends. Pippa loves helping out and enjoys the heli-wash, unlike Budgie.
• Chuck the American Helicopter (voiced by Kerry Shale) — Chuck is a helicopter from America with two rotors. He sometimes shows off, which can get him into trouble. He also often calls Lionel "Captain."
• Lionel the Aircraft in Charge (voiced by Jeremy Nicholas) — Lionel is the oldest and most senior helicopter. He wears a pilot's cap and has a mustache. Lionel keeps everyone in order with his calm but firm manner. He always wants the aircraft to be clean. His special saying is "Juddering joysticks!"

Other Aircraft

Many other planes and helicopters appear in the series, helping Budgie and his friends on their adventures.

• Patsy the American stunt plane.
• Wally the old Supermarine Walrus (a type of seaplane).
• Jean Claude the fancy French Concorde jet.
• Jasper Jeer-jet the snobby private jet. Jasper learned not to play tricks after Budgie rescued him.
• Henry the old-fashioned three-winged airliner from the 1930s.
• Gus the Guppy, a huge American transport plane.
• Harvey the grey Royal Navy BAE Sea Harrier jet fighter.

Ground Vehicles and People

Not everyone flies! There are also important ground vehicles and human characters.

Ground Vehicles

• Dell the yellow Baggage cart Towing Truck (voiced by Jeff Rawle, who also narrates the show).
• Smokey the airfield fire engine.
• Don the blue stairs lorry.
• Ernest the tractor.
• Julie the fancy purple vintage car.
• Gimbus The Cement Mixer.
• Jake the Steam locomotive.

Human Characters

• Mrs. Nancy Kitchen, the twins' mother.
• Ben Kitchen and Lucy Kitchen, the twin children who often visit the airfield.
• Mike Sprocket the mechanic, who sometimes makes mistakes.
• Ken Wrench the mechanic, who is more experienced than Mike.
• The control tower operator, who guides the aircraft.

Animal Friends

• Snowy the Teddy Bear, Budgie's constant companion.
• Fergus the cat.
• Oliver the hangar owl.
• The Hangar mouse.

Voice Actors

Here are some of the talented people who gave voices to the characters:

• Richard Pearce as Budgie the Little Helicopter.
• Abigail MacVean as Pippa the Single-Engined Mono-Plane.
• Jeremy Nicholas as Lionel the Aircraft In Charge.
• Kerry Shale as Chuck the American Helicopter.
• Jeff Rawle as the Narrator and Dell the Baggage Truck.
• Ray Lonnen as Smokey the Fire Engine.
• Tony Jackson as Ken, Ernest the Tractor, and Don the Stairs Lorry.
• Gary Martin as Smashit the Bulldozer.

Episodes of Budgie

Budgie the Little Helicopter had 39 episodes across three seasons. Each episode showed Budgie and his friends going on new adventures, solving problems, and learning important lessons.

Season 1 (1994)

The first season introduced Budgie and his friends.

• Pippa Arrives: Pippa comes to Harefield, and she and Budgie become friends after some initial rivalry.
• Chuck Comes Unstuck: Chuck's showing off causes trouble at the Harefield fete.
• Budgie's Blizzard: Budgie bravely helps a pregnant woman get to the hospital during a snowstorm.
• The Air Show: Budgie and his friends perform in an air show, but two suspicious men try to steal a plane.
• All At Sea: Budgie gets stuck on an aircraft carrier during a storm while delivering parts.

Season 2 (1995)

In the second season, the adventures continued with more challenges.

• Budgie Sticks To It: Budgie gets into a sticky situation when he visits a new airport being built.
• Aliens Have Landed: Budgie hears a radio message and thinks aliens are invading!
• Who's A Clever Budgie?: Chuck brings a parrot and some stolen statues from Brazil, leading to trouble with thieves.
• The Balloon Goes Up: Budgie has to rescue the twins when their hot air balloon floats away.
• Bad News, Good News: The airfield is threatened with closure, and Budgie tries to save it.
• Budgie Barges In: Budgie travels to France for an airshow and gets stuck on a barge.

Season 3 (1996)

The final season brought more exciting rescues and new characters.

• Boom, Boom Budgie: Budgie tries to fly super fast and break the sound barrier.
• Double Trouble: Budgie and Chuck discover that Pippa has been replaced by a look-alike working with criminals.
• Eye in the Sky: Budgie tries being a traffic helicopter for a day, but it's not as easy as it sounds.
• The Runaway Train: Budgie has to stop a train that's out of control.
• Silent Flight: Budgie helps rescue skiers stuck on a snowy mountain and assists a glider.
• Ups & Downs: Budgie helps rescue a dolphin and a submarine caught in a net.