Tickle on the Tum facts for kids

Tickle On The Tum was a popular British TV show made for young children. It was produced by Granada Television and shown on the ITV network. The show ran from 1984 until 1988. Each episode was only ten minutes long.

The series took place in a general store and post office. This was in a make-believe village called Tickle-on-the-Tum. The show's name had a funny hidden meaning, which was hinted at in the theme song. The first presenters were folk-singer Ralph McTell and Danusia Harwood. Ralph had also been on another children's show called Alphabet Zoo.

Later on, Jacqueline Reddin took over from Danusia Harwood. In the very last series, the show's setting changed. It moved to the new Tickle Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) studios. Jacqueline Reddin became the main presenter and sang the theme song. Ralph McTell had left to focus on his music career. Jacqueline was joined by a puppet cat named Dexter. Dexter was performed by John Eccleston. Sometimes, Jacqueline also played a different character, a movie star called 'Gloria Glamorous'.

How the Show Worked

In most episodes, Ralph and Danny (or Jacqui later on) would be working in the shop. A local person from the village would visit them. This visitor would tell a long story about something that happened in their week. These stories often came with cool pictures drawn by Valerie Pye.

After the story, Ralph McTell would sing a song. He wrote these songs himself and played his guitar or sometimes the piano. The songs were usually about the visitor's story or the character themselves. The three of them would also read jokes from the 'Tickle Post'. These jokes were often sent in by children from different schools.

Favorite Characters and Guests

Many fun characters visited the shop. Bunny, the pet-shop owner, was played by Nerys Hughes. She had also worked with Ralph McTell on "Alphabet Zoo". Some songs from "Alphabet Zoo" were even used again in "Tickle on the Tum". These included "Kenny the Kangaroo" and "Ollie the Otter".

Kids especially loved characters like Barney Bodger, the clumsy odd-job man. There was also Mike the Milkman and Dr. Dimple, the friendly doctor. Bill Oddie played Dr. Dimple.

When Danny worked at the shop, it seemed like she was just an assistant. Ralph appeared to be the owner. But in a Christmas special episode, Ralph returned from a music tour. He mentioned that the shop now belonged to Jacqui. This special episode was twice as long as a regular one. It didn't have any guest stars. However, Jacqueline Reddin's baby daughter, Jenna, made a short appearance as Farmer Field's youngest child.

Opening Credits Fun

The show's opening credits were illustrated by Valerie Pye. They showed several village people standing in front of the General Store. These characters were Farmer Field, Roland Crust, Lilly Lolly, Bobby Bins, and Barney Bodger.

Billy Connolly played Bobby Bins, but he left after only two episodes. His character was replaced by Tommy Tidy, played by Willie Rushton. Tommy's clothes looked almost exactly like Bobby's. This made it seem like the drawing in the opening credits was always meant to be Tommy Tidy.

Who Was in the Show

Here are some of the actors and the characters they played:

• Gary Ball (Tickle Rovers football team captain) – Brian Bovell
• Barney Bodger (builder) – Tim Healy
• Bessie Bagwash (launderette owner) – Molly Sugden
• Bobby Binns (dustman) – Billy Connolly
• Bunny Brown (pet shop owner) – Nerys Hughes
• Connie Caper (police officer) – Joan Sims
• Mayor Choudhury (town mayor) – Zia Mohyeddin
• Mrs. Cravat – Barbara Lott
• Miss Dibbs (scout leader) – Patricia Brake
• Dora (school bus driver) – Penelope Keith
• Dr Dimple – Bill Oddie
• Farmer Field – John Wells
• Freddy the Fireman – Graham Stark
• Lily Lolly (Lollipop Lady) – Bertice Reading
• Mickey Moon (newspaper boy)- Adam Sunderland
• Mike the Milkman – Kenny Lynch
• Miss Marker (teacher) – Susan Wooldridge
• Roland Crust (baker) – Billy Dainty
• Tommy Tidy (dustman/inventor) – Willie Rushton
• Winnie Walker (postwoman) – Madge Hindle
• Willie Wok (chip shop owner) – Burt Kwouk

Series Information

"Tickle on the Tum" was shown in four different series:

• Series 1: 18 episodes, from November 5, 1984, to April 1, 1985.
• Series 2: 31 episodes, from September 2, 1985, to June 23, 1986.
• Series 3: 30 episodes, from September 1, 1986, to March 30, 1987. This included one 25-minute Christmas special.
• Series 4: 39 episodes, from February 8, 1988, to November 29, 1988.

Even though there were four series, the show was actually filmed in three main groups of episodes. Each group had 39 episodes and a different director.

The first 39 episodes were directed by Patricia Pearson. These starred Ralph and Danny. They made up all of Series 1 and the first 21 episodes of Series 2. This is why some episodes shown in early 1986 still had a 1984 date at the end.

After some reruns, Series 2 continued with ten new episodes. These were from the second group of recordings. Now, Jacqui was the co-star, and Peter Plummer directed. Series 3 used all the remaining episodes from this second group. Series 4 included all the episodes from the third group. These starred Jacqui and Dexter and were directed by Richard Signy.

Show Merchandise

The first series of "Tickle on the Tum" was released on DVD on August 23, 2010. The BBFC (who rate films) included a warning. They noted that some parts of the show might seem a bit old-fashioned or not quite right by today's standards.

The DVD was advertised as having the complete first series. However, it actually contained 17 episodes from the first group of recordings. These episodes were originally shown across both the first and second series. Only five different guest actors appeared on the DVD. These were Miss Marker, Mike the Milkman, Dr. Dimple, Roland Crust, and Dora the Driver. The original Series 1, as it was first broadcast, also featured other characters. These included Barney Bodger, Bobby Binns, Winnie Walker, Connie Caper, Lilly Lolly, and Farmer Field.