Here Is A Box, A Musical Box.....

Suffolk born straight actor, Brian Cant was a minor household name in the mid Sixties for a selection of mediocre roles on stage, screen and schools programmes, but turned his hand at prime time children’s programmes for a lighter refreshment, and hence, started a life long love affair with children’s television, so much so, that towards the beginning of the Eighties, he was Mr Children’s T.V.

Firstly tripping the light fantastic with the greatly received ‘Play School,’ he immediately caught the eye, or should I say, the ear of Gordon Murray who had a team of clever animators at hand and eagerly wanting to get a new project off the ground. The name of that show, was ‘Camberwick Green.’

Rarely does a children’s show directed to such a young audience become equally cult viewing. From it’s humble beginnings in 1966, it was still watched by millions of tots over a decade later. The primary key to this show was simplicity in it’s highest regard. The sets looked like they had been knocked up in a commercial break on the other side and the puppets were a great advertisement for felt and card. No tricks, or gimmicks were thrown as the dribbling audience, just harmless, simple and visually applauding characters in fairly reasonable situations. At fifteens minutes a go, the nappy wearers wouldn’t get bored and the cash flowed into pockets like lollipops from a sweet shop.

Every episode, something fairly normal would go wrong in the small, cardboard and felt world of Camberwick Green. Leaks, cars breaking down, the sails of the windmill have stopped; all something along the lines that a basic builder could sort out in an afternoon without having a nervous breakdown. The characters didn’t exactly have names that rolled off a pre school tongue (only us sniggering adults remember Windy Miller,) I’ll wager that us thirty something’s don’t recall Mickey Murphy. Any takers? Well, at little more acquainted to Windy than we thought - he was the baker, so you see, children don’t actually take in that much, (despite the fact that scientists say children are like damp sponges…)

What gave Mr Cant the ability to be the voice of all who had a pulse (or not, as the case maybe) in The Green was the visual fact that none of the characters had mouths. If Mr Cant asked the character a question which normally started off with ‘…Can you help..?’ or ‘I bet that hurt…’ (the latter probably didn’t happen,) then the character would nod sweetly to the camera, with that every so important vacant look on his face. The programme was fail proof.

Although the mighty Camberwick Green never got to see the entire production team up on stage receiving a BAFTA or even a Golden Globe, it was true, that the fictitious and idealistic place had a well deserved place in our hearts. There was no violence, not too much action (mum’s didn’t want upset Rusks all over the carpet) and the stories were simple, effective and none threatening. It was just a shame that the programme didn’t last any longer that fifteen minutes. It’s hardly enough time to do the washing up, is it?

Neither parent nor babe could wait for that gentle, harpsichord like and slightly irritating tune to start and that plastic rotating music box appear on our screens in it’s low budget, ‘it’s-only-for-kids-so-we-can-get-away-with-any-old-rubbish,’ BBC glory. The key character to the featured episode appears from the box, (probably suffering motion sickness) and Mr Cant tells a simple few lines about the character in front of us. To be honest, the entire episode is summed up in the first few seconds, but what the hell, we just can’t wait to sit behind our kids and have a good old guffaw at the subtlest of lines. So the village goes about it’s daily life and the mildest of traumas. Mrs Honeyman, who can’t wait to talk to anyone about everyone else may have been a reflection of the gossip that hurls around the BBC canteen, in a parody, she is constantly holding a baby - surely, it can’t be a cheap gag? Left holding the baby? Perhaps on the days that we turn in, Mothercare is shut thus, this poor woman (and you never see a husband) is left ‘holding the baby.’ (That is one of my cheap gags.)

The characters speak through Mr Cant (we have established that much) yet, he doesn’t not give anyone any special treatment, (voice wise.) Again. Children responded to the simplicity of not just the visual content but from what they could hear also. There was no time for laughs here and even slap stick methods that was always a guaranteed laugh in children’s entertainment, are very much, given the day off. One would think that there was hardly anything remotely amusing or engaging about this programme at all, and in fact, looking back as a small child, I think, I though to myself, ‘this is a bit dull..’ Somehow it drew in my attention. Perhaps the fascination of the way the puppets moved kept me going….

There were the strangest of characters but all with realistic occupations; Mr Bell, the mechanical farmer (who was Mr Crop Sprayer before the term was introduced to prime time) who loved old Windy ‘I’m Staying Organic So Stuff You’ Miller, yet hated the free thinking farmer at the same time. They shared a joke or two (so mild, one would hardly notice) over some E numbers and go back to their chosen lifestyles; nothing wrong a bit of harmless rivalry - try telling that to Tesco’s… Such a political statement (and let’s face it, every children’s programme is not complete without one) went over our heads. Just as much as Master Bates in Captain Pugwash (think about it…)

Who could possibly forget Mr Dagenham the rough looking, over weight salesman ? Travelling in his Dagenham dustbin no doubt (okay, two gags per review!) who came whizzing in and whizzing out again. Perhaps we should also remember Captain Snort (I’m saying nothing) who was head man at Pippin Fort and an occasionally whislte from Mr Cant (believably) was sounded when the flag went up, as soon as the Captain returned from doing some little odd job for one of the villagers. This all went along with the comfortable, middle class England that was buried along with everything that the end of the Sixties destroyed.

Yet this comfortable, clean living and simple set up was the way that most of our parents remembered the good old U.K. It was terribly British with it’s fine, well spoken Brian Cant and it’s dutiful villagers who were there to help and campaign to keep the well being of the village alive. The community spirit was vivid and strong in each episode, perhaps to somehow, sub consciously guide children into their adult world where they may do the same. Although we may poke fun as such a show which recently, has become a joke yet again in a Quaker Oats TV advert (using adult humour) we smile at the warmth and harmony that this little programme presented itself in, into our living rooms. Us children may have thought it amusing and sweet, yet it was our parents that probably breathed a comfortable sigh of relief that the world was still safe for just a decade longer.

The last episode was aired on 28 of March 1966, before it was welcomed in it’s repeated fashion in the mid to late seventies and adored by another generation of young viewers. Around 1967, the animators of The Green; Bob Bura, Ferrari and Hardwick were working furiously on it’s sequel. Realising quickly, they were onto a money spinner, the show, ‘Trumpton,’ was to run along side of it’s original show. The latter gave the viewer more action (from a newly presented Fire Station) and movable figures with joints (something that the residents of Camberwick Green most certainly lacked,) This show was more dynamic, yet there was a basic theme was The Green had that made it so timeless and warming, that The Green was the preferred favourite.

Somehow or another, the show has continued to enjoy great admiration although it hasn’t appeared on our screen for thirty years. Snippets of jingles, the title theme and even certain characters have popped up here and there on television over the last decades, urging us still to reflect on such innocent children’s programmes.




A world in which we lived in, with no hatred, no bombs, no anger is such a world in which children should live themselves and cherish while they still are young enough to do so…




God knows, we have enough violence in our adult world…….


Camberwick Green puppets supplied by - Gordon Murray
Narration - Brian Cant
Music- Freddie Phillips
First shown on BBC 1 1966.



©M. Duffy (sam1942) 2007


www.trumpton3.homstead.com ‘A guide to the Trumpton Trilogy.’
DVD releases of Camberwick Green, Trump ton (1967) and Chigley, (1969) have been released since 2004 and the promptly deleted.
The more recent DVD boxset release of all three programmes including 39 episodes now can be found and was released on sale in September 2005. £13.99 HMV sold separately.
£11.99 at Play.com
£13.49 at Amazon.com

The picture of Windy Miller appears here by kind permission of Richard Evans at www.t-web.co.uk