Animal Kwackers was a popular children's television series produced by Yorkshire Television and broadcast on Britain's ITV in the 1970s.
The Animal Kwackers were a four-piece pop band consisting of Rory, a lion; Twang, a monkey; Bongo, a dog; and Boots, a tiger. The characters were played by actors in costumes. The show was similar in many ways to the successful US series Banana Splits.
The music was a mixture of well-known pop songs and original songs, most of which (including the theme song) were written by Roy Apps and the producer Peter Eden.
The jingle from the series was "Rory Rory tell us a story, Rory Rory tell it like it is!"
Cast for series 1 and 2
- Rory, on guitar - Roy Apps
- Twang, on Bass - Nick Pallett (who was also a member of Principal Edwards Magic Theatre)
- Bongo, on drums - Geoff Nicholls and (2nd series) Peter Eden
- Boots, on guitar - Tony Hannaford
Cast for series 3
- Rory, on guitar - Bev Doyle
- Twang, on bass - Step Morley
- Bongo, on drums - Atalanta Harmsworth
- Boots, on guitar - John Basset
Transmission guide
- Series 1: 13 editions from 25 September 1975 – 18 December 1975
- Series 2: 13 editions from 30 September 1976 – 23 December 1976
- Series 3: 13 editions from 10 November 1977 – 2 February 1978
Recorded music
The Animal Kwackers released a double album which featured a selection of songs from the show. Whilst the album featured some original music (such as the main title theme and the "Rory, Rory..." interlude) it was mainly made up of cover versions, including The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" and "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds".
Label: Handkerchief Catalog#: KYD 201 Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP Country: UK Released: 1975
DVD
All three series (minus two episodes missing from the archive) were released on DVD on 16 April 2012.
External links
- Animal Kwackers at IMDb
- Animal Kwackers at Nostalgia Central
- Animal Kwackers page on Little Gems website
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