William's Wish Wellingtons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids William's Wish Wellingtons |
|
|---|---|
| Created by | Carole Lapworth |
| Written by | Mark Holloway |
| Directed by | Graham Ralph |
| Starring | Andrew Sachs |
| Music by | Kick Production |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | John Cary, Karen Davidsen |
| Editor(s) | M2 Facilities |
| Running time | 5 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Hibbert Ralph Entertainment |
| Distributor | BBC Enterprises |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One (Episodes 1-12 and 21-26), BBC Two (Episodes 13-20) |
| Original release | 25 October 1994 – 13 December 1996 |
William's Wish Wellingtons is a fun animated BBC children's television series. It was made by Hibbert Ralph Entertainment. The show first aired on BBC One in 1994. Later, it moved to BBC Two and then back to BBC One. The famous actor Andrew Sachs narrated the stories.
The series was also translated into Gaelic. In Gaelic, it was called Botannan Araid Uilleim. It even aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's Big Bag. The main idea of the show is similar to an old story by Hans Christian Andersen called The Galoshes of Fortune.
Contents
Meet William and His Magical Boots
The show is all about a boy named William and his amazing Wellington boots. In the very first episode, William wanted to play in the rain. His mum bought him a new pair of bright red boots. Inside one boot, he found a special note. It said: "These are Wish Wellingtons, put them on and make a wish."
When William put on the boots and made a wish, something magical happened! His first wish was for a dog, and he got one! He named his new dog Barksure. William soon realized he could wish for anything. He could wish himself to different places or ask for whatever he wanted.
Wishes Gone Wild
Sometimes, William's wishes got him into funny trouble. For example, he once wished for the biggest conker to win a school game. Another time, he wished all his toys came alive to help him tidy his room. One Christmas Eve, he put his boots on the wrong feet. This almost stopped Santa Claus from delivering presents!
William even changed history a few times. In one adventure, he wished himself back to ancient Rome. He beat a soldier in a chariot race by wishing for a huge feast. The soldier stopped to eat, and William won!
Behind the Scenes
The series had twenty-six episodes, each about five minutes long. Thirteen episodes came out in 1994. The other thirteen were released in 1996. Mark Mason helped create the drawings and animations. Graham Ralph directed the show. He also drew pictures for the books based on the series.
Books and Other Appearances
There were many books based on William's Wish Wellingtons. Some of the book titles were changed from the TV episodes. For example, "William and Barksure" became "William and the Dog." "William and the Alien" became "William in Space." These books were written or adapted by Atholl McDonald.
A part of the episode "William the Conkeror" was shown in another TV show. It appeared in an episode of Bodger & Badger in 1998. Badger and Mousey wanted to watch William's show. They kept changing the TV channel in a guest's room!
Episode Guide
Series 1 (1994-1995)
The first eight episodes of Series 1 aired on BBC One. They were part of the Children's BBC block. They were shown on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The next four episodes aired after Christmas 1994. The last episode of this series was shown on BBC Two. It aired on Christmas Eve 1995. This episode was about William almost stopping Santa.
| # | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "William and Barksure" | 25 October 1994 |
| 2 | "Shrinking William" | 27 October 1994 |
| 3 | "William the Conkeror" | 1 November 1994 |
| 4 | "Pirate William" | 3 November 1994 |
| 5 | "William's Big Tidy Up" | 8 November 1994 |
| 6 | "William to the Rescue" | 10 November 1994 |
| 7 | "Sir William" | 15 November 1994 |
| 8 | "Sweet William" | 17 November 1994 |
| 9 | "William and the Whale" | 27 December 1994 |
| 10 | "William and the Alien" | 28 December 1994 |
| 11 | "Wild West William" | 29 December 1994 |
| 12 | "William and the Penguin" | 30 December 1994 |
| 13 | "William and the Wrong Feet" | 24 December 1995 |
Series 2 (1996)
The first six episodes of Series 2 were shown on BBC Two. They aired on Fridays. The next four episodes were broadcast on BBC One. They were part of a show called Ants in Your Pants. The last two episodes also aired on Fridays.
| # | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | "Circus William" | 19 April 1996 |
| 15 | "William Hood" | 26 April 1996 |
| 16 | "William and the Pirate's Wreck" | 3 May 1996 |
| 17 | "William of Arabia" | 10 May 1996 |
| 18 | "William and the Genie" | 17 May 1996 |
| 19 | "Jurassic William" | 24 May 1996 |
| 20 | "William and the Sheep" | 31 May 1996 |
| 21 | "Jungle William" | 25 September 1996 |
| 22 | "Sherlock William" | 2 October 1996 |
| 23 | "Ancient William" | 30 October 1996 |
| 24 | "William the Storyteller" | 6 November 1996 |
| 25 | "King William" | 6 December 1996 |
| 26 | "William and the Friendly Ghost" | 13 December 1996 |
- Botannan Araid Uilleim at BBC Programmes
