Bodger & Badger is a BBC children's comedy programme written by Andy Cunningham, first broadcast in 1989. It starred Cunningham as handyman Simon Bodger and his talking badger companion. The programme originated from some appearances the duo first made together in 1988 as part of the Saturday morning BBC One children's programme On the Waterfront.Hayward, Anthony. "Andy Cunningham obituary", The Guardian, London, 12 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
Plot The programme followed the exploits of Simon Bodger and his puppet companion, Badger, a badly behaved but friendly and cheerful badger with a proclivity for mashed potato and huge mess. The first four series focused on Bodger's jobs as a handyman and his attempts to hide Badger from his superiors. Series 1 was set at Troff's Nosherama, a café where Bodger worked as a cook. Series 2 and 3 were set at Letsby Avenue Junior School. Series 4 was set at Chessington World of Adventures, a real theme park in Surrey.
From series 5, the character Mousey was introduced, a puppet mouse with a fondness for cheese. The show was now set at Bodger's rented home and later his B&B hotel. Series 5-7 rarely mentioned Bodger's employment, suggesting he was now unemployed. The later series still focused on Bodger's attempts to hide Badger from figures of authority, his landlady from Series 6-7 and the tourist information officer in series 9. These later episodes increased the slapstick humour with prominent comic sound effects and incidental music.
According to Andy Cunningham, the programme ended when the Head of BBC Children's Programmes, Christopher Pilkington (who had initially commissioned the show in 1989) left his post. Cunningham did not mind, as he said he was struggling for inspiration for things to do with mashed potato towards the end of the show's run.
Theme song The programme's theme song is sung by children. The music was composed by Peter Gosling and the lyrics written by Andy Cunningham. Various edits of the song were used over the years, with the full version used on the end credits of some episodes from 1989 to 1991.
Characters and cast
Main characters Simon Bodger (Andy Cunningham) - Simon Bodger is a handyman who has had various jobs throughout the series. He is of a nervous disposition, which causes him to be clumsy. Badger's antics repeatedly cost Bodger his job. He has worked as a cook, a school caretaker, a zookeeper, and the temporary owner of a Bed and Breakfast. In the fifth, sixth and seventh series he was seemingly unemployed and renting a flat, occasionally working as a casual handyman to his landlady, Mrs Dribelle. Badger is his pet and best friend, although all the trouble that Bodger ends up in is usually down to Badger. Regular gags usually involve Badger covering Bodger in mashed potato or some other messy substance. Badger (voiced by Andy Cunningham, operated by Andy Cunningham + others) - An anthropomorphic badger who talks with a South London accent. He wears a red beret and red and white patterned neckerchief. Badger is obsessed with mashed potato, which he likes to play with as well as eat. As Simon tries to keep Badger's existence a secret, Simon often gets the blame for Badger's mishaps. Nevertheless, Badger is still a very good friend to Simon and tries to help him out in every way he can, although Badger usually misunderstands a situation or can take things literally.
Mousey (voiced and operated by Jane Bassett) - Mousey is an anthropomorphic talking mouse who lives under the floorboards of the flat that Bodger rents from Series 5–7. She and Badger are great friends, both constantly getting up to mischief. Mousey's presence is only known by Badger and later also by China. When Bodger and Badger move to Puddleford to run their hotel in Series 8, Mousey moves with them and takes up residence in the airing cupboard rather than under the floorboards.
Series 1 Mr Hector Troff (Roger Walker) - The arrogant and tight-fisted owner of the restaurant in Series 1. He has no knowledge of Badger's presence (although he keeps glimpsing him but putting it down to his over-active imagination) until the final episode of the series. His character is based on that of Arkwright from Open All Hours - there are several similarities between the two characters, mainly a desire to improve their respective businesses while wanting to spend as little money as possible in doing so. Mavis (Joanne Campbell) - An out-of-work singer who worked as a waitress at the restaurant with Bodger and was friendly with both Bodger and Badger. She returned, having made her fame and fortune in the singing profession, for one episode during Series 2 when she visited Bodger and Badger at Letsby Avenue Junior School.
Series 2 and 3 Mrs Daphne Trout (Lila Kaye) - The cruel and overweight Headmistress of Letsby Avenue Junior School. She was referred to as 'Fish-face' by Badger and the school children. She enjoyed insulting Bodger and Miss Moon, being nasty to the children and going down the cake shop. Miss Geraldine Moon (Selina Cadell) - The warm-hearted but dim-witted Deputy Head of Letsby Avenue Junior School throughout Series 2 and 3. She repeatedly sees Badger, but always passes it off as overwork or some other stress-related mental health issue. Mr Valentino (Rudolph Walker) - Chairman of the School Board of Governors of Letsby Avenue Junior School, who appeared in two episodes in Series 3. He sends Mrs Trout away to retrain as a teacher after he realises she is an incompetent Headmistress. Mrs Prunella Bogart (Richenda Carey) - Mrs. Trout's sister, a nasty-tempered Headmistress. Like Mrs Trout, she is lazy and prefers to delegate as much of her work as possible to Miss Moon. Eamon Trout (Philip Herbert) - Mrs Trout's spoiled son, and therefore Mrs Bogart's nephew. He wanted Mrs Bogart to fire Bodger so he could be the school handyman, but he was quickly scared away by Badger and the children.
Series 4 Mr Lionel Beasley (Jon Glover) - Bodger's superior at Chessington World of Adventures in Series 4. He tries to imply he is an educated professional, and excellent at his job. He knows of Badger's presence at the park and is constantly trying to catch him, although he does not know he is Bodger's pet. He is nicknamed 'Measly Beasley' because of his unfriendly, strict and pompous attitude. Holly (Sophie Worters) - A friendly girl who spends a lot of time at Chessington in Series 4. She is good friends with both Bodger and Badger and dislikes Mr Beasley just as much as they do.
Series 5, 6 and 7 "Boss" & Courtney (Penelope Nice and Ashley Artus) - Two villainous thieves who attempt to burgle Bodger's flat in Series 5. Posing as two council officers upgrading home security, they try to steal a valuable Ancient Egyptian statue which belongs to Bodger's aunt. They fail, thanks to Badger who tricks the dim-witted Courtney into believing that it is a cursed statue that throws 'Ancient Egyptian mashed potato' if tampered with. Mrs Cecilia Dribelle (Carol MacReady) - Bodger's landlady in Series 6 and 7. She has a distinct dislike for animals (apart from cats) and forbids her tenants from keeping pets, resulting in Bodger having to constantly hide Badger whenever she visits. She dislikes Bodger intensely and tries everything she can think of to evict him. She is nicknamed 'Mrs Dribble' and 'Dribbly Bibbly' by Badger. In her early episodes she is made aware of Badger's presence by her sidekick, Elton, but never actually sees him. She later employs Bodger as her handyman in Series 7. Elton (Joe Cushley) - Mrs Dribelle's dim-witted sidekick. He is a hardman who always wears a woolly hat with badges and a denim jacket. He knows that Bodger has a badger in the flat after Badger hits him on the head with a frying pan. He is incredibly stupid and is always trying to prove to Mrs Dribelle that there is a badger in the flat by all means possible, but he never succeeds. Elton did not feature after Series 6. Alec Smart (Ricky Diamond) - The sly and untrustworthy tenant who moves into the flat above Bodger's in Series 7. He was always thinking up schemes to make money, often tricking Mrs Dribelle and Bodger in the process. He sucks up to Mrs Dribelle while secretly trying to scam her. He is eventually evicted. When Bodger and Badger move to Puddleford at the beginning of Series 8 to run a hotel, they are horrified to discover that Mr Smart is their next door neighbour once again. Vicky (Sally Ann Marsh) - Mrs Dribelle's niece. She was supposed to have been an accountant, but Vicky had dreams of being part of a band. She moves into the upstairs flat after Alec Smart is thrown out. She is supposed to work for her auntie, but she is always secretly auditioning for jobs as a drummer. She hides her drum kit in the bath when Mrs Dribelle visits as she disapproves of it. Vicky and Badger got on very well as they both love mashed potato. She ended up going on tour with a travelling band as a drummer. Vicky only appeared in Series 7.
Series 8 and 9 Millie (Jane Bassett) - A milkwoman in Puddleford who is a friend of Bodger and Badger in Series 8 and 9. She helps out Bodger and Badger on numerous occasions, mainly allowing use of her milk float to carry customers around, such as picking Mr Wilson up from the station. She shares their dislike of Mr Smart and Mrs Melly. She owns a dog named China, who is friends with Badger. China - A dog originally owned by the Hutchins family in Series 8 but later belongs to Millie in Series 9. He worked with Badger and Mousey to cause chaos with mashed potato around Puddleford. He likes annoying Mrs Melly by barking loudly outside her office. Miss Prunella Peake (Valerie Minifie) - One of Bodger's first hotel guests in Series 8. She was bad-tempered and miserable and was rather rude and quite threatening to Bodger. Mr Tucknott (Bill Thomas) - A bank manager who stayed in Bodger's hotel in Series 8. He is quite cheerful but appears to be long-suffering and quite nervous about his job, and becomes particularly worried when trying to write a speech in the episode 'Mashy Record Breakers'. Mrs Bobbins (Jo Warne) - Stayed in Bodger's hotel in Series 8 at the same time as Mr Tucknott. She is very bubbly and appears to like Bodger, but is not aware of Badger's presence, even in the episode 'Big Bear' when Badger poses as a large teddy bear which she bought for her granddaughter and she tries to wrap him up in wrapping paper. Mrs Sharona Melly (Carole Boyd) - The bossy Tourist Information officer from Series 9. She is highly suspicious of Bodger and believes that he is hiding something in his hotel, although she never actually finds out about Badger. She dislikes people having fun on the beach outside her office and will do anything to prevent it. She has a lot of trouble with China the dog, who is always hanging around her office. She often looks for quick ways to make money. Mr Malcolm Wilson (Matthew Woolcott) - A trainee bank manager who stayed in Bodger's hotel in Series 9. He is a bit of a cry-baby, who gets upset over the slightest things. Mr Bill Gripper (Roger Liddle) - Another hotel guest from two episodes in Series 9. A school P.E. teacher who had a crush on Mrs Melly and challenged Mr Wilson to a running race along the sea front, which he lost (thanks to Badger).
Crew Andy Cunningham - Creator / Writer of most of the episodes (series 1-9). Wayne Jackman - Writer (series 6-7) Jane Bassett - Other Writer of most of the episodes (series 7-9). Pierre Hollins - Writer (series 7) Claire Winyard - Director (series 2) Judy Whitfield - Executive Producer, Producer (series 1) Greg Childs - Producer (series 2) Christine Hewitt - Producer (series 5–8) Sue Morgan - Producer (series 9)
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