The Herbs facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Herbs
The opening title of every episode of “The Herbs"
Genre	Children's television
Created by	Michael Bond
Written by	Michael Bond
Directed by	Ivor Wood
Narrated by	Gordon Rollings
Theme music composer	Tony Russell
Country of origin	England
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer(s)	Graham Clutterbuck
Producer(s)	Ivor Wood
Running time	15 minutes
Production company(s)	FilmFair
Distributor	Abbey Home Media (DVD-Video)
Release
Original network	BBC1
Picture format	Colour
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	12 February (1968-02-12) – 6 May 1968 (1968-05-06)
Chronology
Followed by	The Adventures of Parsley (1970)

The Herbs is a fun television show for kids. It was made for the BBC by a company called FilmFair. The show was created by Michael Bond, who also made the famous Paddington Bear stories!

The Herbs used a special kind of animation called stop motion. This means models were moved tiny bits at a time and photographed. When played fast, it looks like they are moving! The show first aired on February 12, 1968, in a popular children's TV slot called Watch with Mother. There were 13 episodes, and each one was 15 minutes long.

Later, a spin-off show called The Adventures of Parsley came out in 1970. It had 32 shorter episodes.

The Herbs takes place in a magical garden. This garden is inside a big country estate. It's a fantasy world with both human-like characters and animals. At the start of every episode, the narrator, Gordon Rollings, said a magic word: "Herbidacious!" This word made the garden gate open, inviting viewers in.

The show was loved by many, even adults! This was because of its clever writing and the way the narrator spoke. Some of the jokes, especially from Parsley, were quite witty. Many people who watched it when they were young still remember and love it today.

Characters

Each character in The Herbs is named after a real plant or herb. It's believed that Michael Bond got ideas for the characters' personalities from an old book about herbs. As each character appeared, they had their own special song. This song helped introduce them to the audience.

The main character is Parsley the Lion. In the first series, Parsley didn't actually speak. But the narrator would tell us what Parsley was thinking. Parsley had his own signature tune: "I'm a very friendly lion called Parsley...." The narrator's calm voice was a big part of the show's charm.

Meet the Herbs: Main Characters

These characters appeared in almost every episode:

• Parsley the Lion – Parsley is the main character. He is shy but very friendly. He always sat on the path to welcome viewers. He was scared of new people until he got to know them. Parsley was one of the only characters who seemed to know the audience was watching. He would wait at the gate and wave! He really didn't like getting his tail wet. In the spin-off show, The Adventures of Parsley, he talked with Dill.
• Dill the Dog – Dill is a very energetic dog. He often got into funny situations. In The Adventures of Parsley, his adventures gave Parsley lots of things to comment on. Dill was always chasing his tail. He often annoyed Constable Knapweed.
• Sage the Owl – Sage is a plump owl. He can be a bit grumpy. He is the third animal in the main group. Sage often fell out of his nest. He also hated getting his feathers wet. Like Parsley and Dill, Sage only sang his signature song. He sang it in a quick, testy voice.
• Sir Basil – Sir Basil is a bit clumsy. He loves hunting, shooting, and fishing. He has a very large red nose. He called himself the "King of The Herbs." But he didn't have much power. His wife, Lady Rosemary, usually told him what to do. He wore a deerstalker hat and a monocle. The monocle sometimes fell out. Even though he liked hunting, he wasn't very good at it.
• Lady Rosemary – Lady Rosemary is Sir Basil's proper wife. She made sure her husband behaved, especially when he had his shotgun.
• Constable Knapweed – Constable Knapweed is a policeman. He was always writing down names and silly "crimes" in his notebook. It was never clear who he reported to. He just seemed to enjoy writing things down!
• Bayleaf the Gardener – Bayleaf was always busy working in Sir Basil and Lady Rosemary's garden. He often got frustrated by problems caused by Parsley or other characters. He spoke with a West Country accent.

Meet the Herbs: Other Characters

These characters appeared in some episodes:

• Aunt Mint – Aunt Mint is an older woman. She was almost always seen sitting in a rocking chair and knitting.
• Mr Onion – Mr. Onion is the father and schoolmaster of the Chives. He dressed like a traditional schoolmaster. He always spoke to his children like a drill sergeant.
• Mrs Onion – Mrs. Onion is Mr. Onion's wife and the mother of the Chives. She wore a red and white checkered headscarf. She was always crying.
• The Chives – The Chives are Mr. and Mrs. Onion's ten children. They were also the students in Mr. Onion's school. They were always called "The Chives" together. They were never given individual names.
• Tarragon the Dragon – Tarragon is a small, friendly dragon. He breathes fire! He was a bit clumsy. Everything he breathed fire on would disappear. Luckily, he only destroyed things like Constable Knapweed's notebook. Like the other animals, he only sang his signature song. He sang it with a lisp. He hatched from an egg that fell from a tarragon plant in the sky.

Meet the Herbs: Minor Characters

These characters appeared in only a few episodes:

• Pashana Bedhi – Pashana Bedhi is an Indian snake-charmer. He would lie on a bed of nails and play a pungi (a type of flute). He was very polite and always called Parsley "Mr. Parsley."
• Good King Henry – Good King Henry was a minor character. Bayleaf grew him from a seed. He became a husband for Miss Jessop.
• Miss Jessop – Miss Jessop was a very particular middle-aged woman. She married Good King Henry.
• Belladonna the Witch – Belladonna was an evil witch. She appeared in one episode. She turned some of the Herbs into weeds using a magic potion. But Dill stopped her! Dill is a herb that was thought to protect against witches. She left her broom behind. Dill used it to change the Herbs back. Parsley sometimes used the broom later.
• Signor Solidago – Signor Solidago is an opera singer from Italy. He tried to teach Sage (and briefly, Parsley) to sing. He wasn't successful and eventually left his classroom in a huff.

Comics

There was also a comic strip based on The Herbs TV series. It was drawn by an artist named Bill Mevin.

Episode list

There were 13 episodes of The Herbs. There were also 32 episodes of the spin-off, The Adventures of Parsley. You can find the entire collection on DVD in a two-disc set.