Harry's Mad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Harry's Mad |
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Harry's Mad title screen.
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| Genre | Comedy/Drama |
| Created by | Dick King-Smith |
| Written by | David Lloyd Mark Billingham |
| Starring | Anthony Asbury (Madison voice) Gareth Parrington (Harry Holdsworth) Jackie Lye (Angie Holdsworth) Mike Walling (John Holdsworth) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 36 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Central Independent Television |
| Distributor | ITV Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV Network (CITV) |
| Picture format | 720x576 (4:3) |
| Original release | 4 January 1993 – 11 March 1996 |
Harry's Mad was a fun children's TV show. It aired in the United Kingdom on CITV. The show ran from January 4, 1993, to March 11, 1996. It was based on a book by Dick King-Smith.
Contents
Meet Madison: The Smart Parrot
The story starts with Harry Holdsworth (Gareth Parrington). He inherits a macaw parrot named Madison. This parrot belonged to his great-uncle George from America.
At first, Harry's family isn't too happy about having a parrot. But they soon realize Madison is special. He is super smart and can talk very well! Madison quickly becomes a beloved family member.
Madison often helps the Holdsworths solve problems. But sometimes, he also causes a few! A character named Terry Crumm (Mark Billingham) hears about Madison's intelligence. He tries many times to steal the clever parrot. However, Madison usually outsmarts him and saves the day.
New Adventures and Characters
In the third series, the Holdsworth family sells their house. They move into a rather old hotel. They took over the hotel when Aunt Agatha moved to America.
Harry is busy studying for his GCSEs (exams for teenagers) back at his old school. So, he doesn't appear much in this series. Instead, Aunt Agatha's adopted children, Hattie (played by Amy Butterworth) and Jools (played by Richard Castillo), join the family.
In the fourth and final series, Jools leaves the family. Harry then returns after finishing his GCSEs.
Many famous guest stars appeared on Harry's Mad. These included Dave Lee Travis, Michaela Strachan, and Steve Davis.
How Madison Was Brought to Life
Madison was played by a real, living parrot in some scenes. This was usually when you needed to see his whole body. For example, when he was flying or sitting on Harry's arm.
However, in most other scenes, an animatronic parrot was used. An animatronic is a robot that looks like an animal. This allowed Madison to talk and interact with the other characters properly.
Fun Facts About the Show
- The animatronic parrot was very good, but it had one small difference. The robot parrot had a completely grey beak. The real parrot, however, had a black and white beak.
- In the TV show, Madison is a macaw. But in the original book by Dick King-Smith, Madison is an African grey parrot.
