Oscar's Orchestra facts for kids

Oscar's Orchestra is a fun British animated TV show for kids. It aired from 1995 to 1996. The series has three seasons and 39 episodes. It was made by Tony Collingwood Productions Limited. The show was first seen on the BBC in the UK. It also played on other channels like The Children's Channel and Nickelodeon. The show was popular worldwide, airing in over 100 countries.

The story takes place far in the future, in the year 735,022,381,604. The setting is a city called New Vienna. The main character is a talking piano named Oscar. He leads a rebellion against the evil ruler, Thadius Vent. Vent has banned all music from the world. Oscar and his friends, who are also musical instruments, try to bring music back. They often face Vent's helpers, Lucius and Tank. The famous actor Dudley Moore was the voice of Oscar for the first two seasons.

The show aims to teach kids about classical music. Each episode features famous pieces by great composers. You'll hear music from George Frideric Handel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig Van Beethoven, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The show's opening music is from Mikhail Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila. Episode titles often use music puns, like 'Bach To The Future'.

Meet the Main Characters

This section introduces the heroes and villains of Oscar's Orchestra.

Oscar and His Friends

• Oscar the Piano – Oscar is a blue talking grand piano. He is considered an 'illegal instrument' because he plays music. Thadius Vent hates Oscar because Oscar used to be Vent's piano. Oscar is the brave leader of his orchestra. He always plans ways to avoid Thadius and bring music back. He is best friends with Eric the triangle. Oscar loves all his orchestra members, especially Rebecca and Monty. His favorite composer is Mozart. Oscar was voiced by Dudley Moore and later by David Holt.

• Rebecca and Mr. Crotchet – Rebecca is a 10-year-old girl. Her grandfather is Mr. Crotchet. They are good people who hide Oscar and his orchestra in their house. They constantly come up with new ideas to help Oscar. Rebecca is very good with technology. She has created cool gadgets like a 'Bam gun' and a robot bull. Rebecca likes Tobias Vent, who is Thadius's nephew. Mr. Crotchet has a workshop where he fixes broken things. Their house also has a secret entrance to the 'metrodome,' a network of underground tunnels.

• The Orchestra Members – Oscar's orchestra includes many musical instruments.
  • Monty the Violin is a key member.
  • Eric the Triangle is Oscar's best friend. He talks a lot and can even create portals through space and time!
  • Trevor the Tuba is a big, friendly instrument.
  • Sylvia the Flute has a crush on Oscar.
  • Louis the Oboe joined the orchestra from France.
  • Jan and Stan the Cymbals are also part of the team.

The Villains

• Thadius Vent – Thadius Vent is the evil dictator and Oscar's main enemy. He has banned all music. He is helped by his clumsy helpers, Goodtooth, Lucius, and Tank. Vent is a small man with a heart-shaped mole. He even talks to his teddy bear, 'Teddy.' Oscar and his orchestra always stop Vent's evil plans. Vent hates music because when he was young, he was too impatient to practice piano. Oscar accidentally revealed he could play by himself, embarrassing Thadius.

• Lucius – Lucius is Thadius Vent's second-in-command. He is a small man with green skin and a mustache. Lucius often comes up with new ideas. He patrols the streets of New Vienna to find illegal instruments. He hopes to become Vent's heir. His pet is Tank. Lucius is smart but also cares for Tank. His catchphrase is 'How exhilarating!'

• Tank – Tank is Lucius's pet. He has pink skin and often helps Lucius. However, Tank is not very smart and often messes up their plans. He sleeps in Lucius's room, chained to the bed. Tank will try to eat almost anything, even metal! If he were smarter, he would prefer to be called Clifford.

• Goodtooth – Goodtooth is Thadius Vent's soothsayer. He often introduces himself in a dramatic way. He is named Goodtooth because he only has one rotten tooth. Goodtooth is a bit of a coward. He prefers to use his inventions to help Thadius from a safe distance.

Other Interesting Characters

• Other Instruments – Besides Oscar's orchestra, there are other instrument characters. These include Ken the Keyboard, Hannah the Harp, and Monty's American brother Murrey the Violin. There's also Manyana the Guitar from Spain, who loves his naps. Captain Den the Pirate Drum runs a pirate radio station with his crew. Cordinia the piano is a pink piano who Oscar seems to like.

• Other Humans – Many other humans appear in the show. The townspeople of Old Vienna support Oscar. Thadius's nephew, Tobias Vent, also joins Oscar's side. He seems to like Rebecca. We also meet Thadius's old piano teacher, Kevin, who was kind to Oscar. Thadius's mother, Thatweena, was once the ruler of the world.

• Fantasy Creatures – The show also features many fantasy creatures. These include Retch the bumblebee and aliens from other planets like Pluto, Jupiter, and Mars. There are also 'mechonomen,' which are robots made by Goodtooth. Giant tunnel rats and their Rat King live under Old Vienna. The Mountain King lives under Thadius Vent's castle.

Famous Composers in the Show

Sometimes, Oscar and his orchestra travel back in time using Eric the Triangle. They meet famous composers as humans in the 18th century.

• A young Mozart, Mozart, and Beethoven appeared in the episode 'Bach to the Future'.
• Johann Sebastian Bach appeared in the episode 'Back to Bach'.

Voice Actors

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

• Oscar the Piano – Dudley Moore (seasons 1–2), David Holt (season 3)
• Thadius Vent, Tank – Colin McFarlane
• Rebecca – Elly Fairman
• Mr. Crotchet – Michael Kilgarriff
• Trevor the Tuba, Louis the Oboe – Stefan Lander
• Monty the Violin – John Baddeley
• Sylvia the Flute – Eve Karpf
• Eric the Triangle – Eric Meyers
• Kevin the Keyboard, Fantom – Richard E. Grant
• Goodtooth – Sean Barrett
• Lucius – Murray Melvin
• Young William Tell – Rik Mayall
• Narrator – David de Keyser

Episode Guide

The show has 39 episodes spread across three seasons.

Season 1

• The Battle Begins
• Bach to the Future
• Flight of the Bumblebee
• Star Tours
• Battle on Ice
• The Four Seasons
• Oscar Cracks a Nut
• 1812
• Star Crossed
• My Kingdom for a Tank
• Viva Espana
• Once Upon a Ragtime
• The Ring

Season 2

• The Queen of Sheba
• Radio Oscar
• Dance of the Forty Thieves
• Back to Bach
• Carnival of the Animals
• Hall of the Mountain King
• Black Keys
• Sleeping Beauty
• A Fight at the Opera
• A Tale of Two Tales
• Fangs But No Fangs
• World Tour
• Four of our Notes are Missing

Season 3

• The Lost Chords
• Out of Tune
• Knight in Shining Armour
• Musical Exercise
• Raiders of the Lost Park
• Soothsayer's Convention
• Water Music
• Return of Scheherazade
• Maestro Thadius
• Inside Job
• Lieder of the Pack
• Greensleeves
• The Toy Symphony

Home Video Releases

You can find some episodes of Oscar's Orchestra on DVD.

• Oscar's Orchestra Vol. 1 (2-disc set) includes episodes 1 to 13.
• Oscar's Orchestra Vol. 2 (2-disc set) includes episodes 14 to 26.

As of now, the episodes from the third season have not been released on DVD.