Mr Benn facts for kids
Mr Benn is a much-loved character created by David McKee. He stars in several children's books and an animated TV show. The TV series first aired on the BBC in 1971 and 1972. The very first episode was called "The Red Knight".
In both the books and the TV show, Mr Benn's adventures follow a fun pattern. Mr Benn, a man always wearing a black suit and a bowler hat, leaves his house at 52 Festive Road, London. He then visits a special fancy-dress costume shop. Inside, the moustachioed, fez-wearing shopkeeper invites him to try on a costume.
After putting on an outfit, Mr Benn steps through a magic door at the back of the changing room. This door leads him into a whole new world that matches his costume! There, he has an exciting adventure, which often teaches a lesson. The shopkeeper then appears again to guide him back to the changing room.
Mr Benn returns to his normal life, but he always has a small souvenir from his magical journey. Also, things happening before and after his adventure often connect to it. For example, the games children play in the street might hint at his next costume.
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Discovering Mr Benn's World: Books
David McKee got the idea for Mr Benn from Festing Road in Putney, London, where he used to live. McKee's own house was next door at 54 Festing Road. In 2009, residents even placed a special paving slab there to honor him! McKee said he drew himself looking out of the window in the first book, and thought it would be nice for Mr Benn to live next door.
David McKee has always imagined Mr Benn's first name is William.
You can buy Mr Benn's adventures as books. Four books were first published, and more were made in the 1990s based on the TV show. The first four books were: Mr Benn – Red Knight, Big Game Benn, 123456789 Benn, and Big Top Benn. Six books were planned originally, but the last two were never published. The fifth was called Mr Benn Rides Again, and its story was used for the TV episode The Cowboy. The sixth, Superbenn, was never finished. In it, Mr Benn would have been a superhero on an environmental adventure.
One book, 123456789 Benn, published in 1970, never became a TV episode. In this story, Mr Benn helps people in a special place to brighten up their rooms. The BBC, which showed the TV series, felt this story was too grown-up for a children's show.
A brand new story, Mr Benn – Gladiator, was published in 2001. This was the first Mr Benn story McKee had written in thirty years! McKee has hinted that he might write even more Mr Benn stories in the future.
In 2001, Mr Benn's Little Book of Life was published by Tess Read. This book looks at the lessons learned from Mr Benn's adventures.
Besides Mr Benn and the shopkeeper, only one other character appears more than once: Smasher Lagru. Smasher first shows up in 123456789 Benn. He then appears again in Big-Top Benn and the newer Mr Benn – Gladiator.
A Mr Benn Annual was published in 1972 by Polystyle Publications Ltd. It was written by Jan Falconer and drawn by David McKee. This annual included illustrated stories, comic strips, and puzzles. Mr Benn visited places like China for a kite festival, a fairytale Arabia, Venice, and Holland. He also became a street seller in a pearly suit and met Mr Grubbly and his animal friends in the African jungle.
Tate Publishing re-released all the original books in 2010.
Mr Benn on Screen: Television Series
Quick facts for kids Mr Benn |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Family |
| Created by | David McKee |
| Written by | David McKee |
| Directed by | Pat Kirby |
| Narrated by | Ray Brooks |
| Theme music composer | Duncan Lamont (under the pseudonym "Don Warren") |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 14 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | David McKee |
| Running time | 15 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Zephyr Films |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Original release | 25 February 1971 – 31 March 1972 |
David McKee wrote and animated thirteen Mr Benn episodes for the BBC. These were shown between 1971 and 1972. The episodes were repeated twice a year for 21 years! They were also shown again in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2000. Ray Brooks narrated all the episodes. The music was composed by Duncan Lamont, who used the name "Don Warren".
Even though Smasher Lagru is in The Gladiator book, he doesn't appear in The Clown TV episode. This is because the book where he first appeared, 123456789Benn, was not made into a TV show. So, it would have been strange for Mr Benn and Smasher to know each other. The episode The Hunter was also changed a little. The book Big Game Benn has several hunters, but only one appears in the TV episode.
Sadly, much of McKee's original artwork for the TV episodes no longer exists. Most of it was thrown away in the 1970s.
After more than thirty years, a brand new Mr Benn episode aired on January 1, 2005. It was shown on the United Kingdom channel Noggin. This episode was based on McKee's 2001 book, Mr Benn - Gladiator.
The series was voted the sixth most popular children's TV show in a 2001 Channel 4 poll. It was also ranked number 13 in the 50 Greatest Kids TV Shows on Channel 5 in 2013.
Episode Adventures: What Happened
The first six Mr. Benn episodes were shown on Thursday afternoons on BBC1. They aired from February 25 to April 1, 1971. When the final seven episodes aired on Friday afternoons from January 21 to March 31, 1972, the first six were shown again, but in a different order.
Some episodes had different titles listed in Radio Times.
| Original Order | Second Order | Episode Title | First Air Date | Second Air Date | Souvenir Gained | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Red Knight" |
25 February 1971 | 7 January 1972 | Box of matches decorated with a picture of a dragon | |
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Mr Benn needs a costume for a party. He finds a magic shop and tries on a red knight's armor. He enters a world where he helps a dragon regain the King's favor. He returns home with a souvenir.
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| 2 | 2 | "Hunter" "The Hunter" |
4 March 1971 | 14 January 1972 | Photograph of a herd of elephants | |
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Mr Benn dresses as a hunter. He meets a famous hunter and stops him from harming animals. Mr Benn convinces the hunter to become a wildlife photographer instead.
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| 3 | 10 | "Clown" |
11 March 1971 | 10 March 1972 | Clown's red nose | |
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Mr Benn becomes a clown. He finds circus people stuck because a bridge has collapsed. Mr Benn helps them work together to fix the bridge and perform their show.
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| 4 | 5 | "Balloonist" "Mr Benn Goes Ballooning" |
18 March 1971 | 4 February 1972 | Medal | |
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Mr Benn becomes a balloonist in a race. A bad baron tries to cheat. Mr Benn uses a clever trick to win the race and gets a medal.
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| 5 | 8 | "Wizard" |
25 March 1971 | 25 February 1972 | Jar that once held magic dust | |
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A Queen asks Mr Benn to change her husband's look. Mr Benn's spells don't work as planned. He helps the Queen realize that how the King looks isn't important.
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| 6 | 11 | "Spaceman" |
1 April 1971 | 17 March 1972 | Lump of rock that was once gold | |
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Mr Benn and another astronaut visit many strange and wonderful planets. They have an out-of-this-world adventure.
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| 7 | 3 | "Cook" |
21 January 1972 | — | Wooden spoon | |
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Little Princess Annabella won't eat. Mr Benn realizes she is lonely. He helps her by inviting all the city's hungry children to a big feast at the Palace.
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| 8 | 4 | "Caveman" |
28 January 1972 | — | Stone hammer | |
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A stone-age group lives near a dangerous road. They want to move to the green countryside but have no caves. Mr Benn shows them how to build stone huts.
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| 9 | 6 | "Zoo Keeper" |
11 February 1972 | — | Parrot's feather | |
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Mr Benn helps the animals at the zoo. He makes the townspeople see that the animal cages are too small. This leads to better homes for the animals.
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| 10 | 7 | "Diver (Frogman)" "The Frogman" |
18 February 1972 | — | Seashell | |
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Mr Benn helps King Neptune and a mermaid. They trick two submarine crews who want to find the King's pet sea monster.
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| 11 | 9 | "Cowboy" |
3 March 1972 | — | Sheriff's badge | |
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The Indians always win a hide-and-seek game against the cowboys. Mr Benn joins as a cowboy and helps them win for the first time by finding a very clever hiding spot.
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| 12 | 12 | "Aladdin (Magic Carpet)" "Mr Benn and the Magic Carpet" |
24 March 1972 | — | Stopper from the genie's bottle | |
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Mr Benn helps a boy outsmart a bad man. He uses his magic carpet and a genie from a bottle to help the boy.
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| 13 | 13 | "Pirate" |
31 March 1972 | — | Jolly Roger flag | |
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Mr Benn helps a pirate crew who don't want to be pirates. He helps them turn their Captain into an honest man. They get a different kind of treasure for his island: trees!
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A special episode based on the Gladiator book aired on The Noggin Channel in 2005.
| Episode Number | Episode Title | First Air Date | Souvenir Gained | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | "Gladiator" |
1 January 2005 | Smasher Lagru's whistle | |
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Mr Benn travels to Ancient Rome. He meets his friend Smasher Lagru. They face a challenge where people fight in an arena. Mr Benn helps them avoid danger.
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Other Mr Benn Adventures
Mr Benn on the Big Screen: Film Plans
In 1999, there were talks about making a Mr Benn movie. Director Jevon O'Neill's company bought the rights from David McKee. The plan was for John Hannah to play Mr. Benn and Ben Kingsley to be the Shopkeeper. However, the movie was cancelled in 2001. As of 2017, the project has not moved forward. In 2014, McKee said he would still like to see a Mr Benn film happen. He felt Mr Benn was "right for being developed on the big screen."
Mr Benn on Stage: Theatrical Show
Mr Benn was also made into a stage play by Tall Stories Theatre Company. It was first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2011. The play then toured until 2013, bringing Mr Benn's adventures to live audiences.
Mr Benn on DVD
You can watch all the TV adventures on DVD!
- Title: Mr Benn: The Complete Series
- Label: Contender Home Entertainment
- Release Date: 2005
- Catalogue N°: CTD10390
- Availability: Still available to buy
Mr Benn in Advertisements
In January 2018, The Insurance Emporium launched a TV ad featuring Mr. Benn. This was the first new Mr. Benn content on British TV since the 1970s! The ad also introduced a new character, Eddie the dog. The ad featured the Shopkeeper, Eddie the dog, and Gus the gorilla.
Simon Sheridan's book The A to Z of Classic Children's Television (2004) has a chapter about Mr. Benn. It also includes an interview with his creator, David McKee.
Images for kids
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Festing Road, Putney, which inspired Mr Benn's home.
