BBC Week: Danger Mouse

Tally ho old beans and welcome to Day 5 of BBC Week.  Well we have experienced quite a bit now, haven’t we?  From Science Fiction to Murder Mystery we have managed to cover the scope of the BBC…but we have not covered children’s entertainment and no worries on that end.  I’ve got you covered.  So grab your tights, convert your car to plane and catch that dastardly Greenback.  This is Danger Mouse.

Hmm, dare say he is not interested in a tango.

Penfold: Oooo spoilers.

Danger Mouse: Penfold, shush.

From the producers of the The Wind in the Willows and The Big Friendly Giant came a parody of James Bond and Patrick McGoohan’s Danger Man and Secret Agent.   In a seemingly innocent mailbox (pillar box for the Brits) on the corner of Baker St; the World’s Greatest Secret Agent, Danger Mouse and the World’s Worst Assistant, Penfold(a smartly dressed hamster) would have to be ready at a moment’s notice to spring into action regardless if it is in fact afternoon tea.   Their commanding officer Colonel K (apt he was a badger as he went on and on and on) would send these bravo fellows (one brave fellow and a sniveling coward) into life and death situations against the fiendish toad known as Baron Silas Greenback and his raven thug Stiletto.   

Oh 'eck chief, the natives seem restless.

Now then let us be clear.  The writing is hilarious, the puns will make you occasionally cringe and our hero is the cool headed and well measured adventurer in spite of his cowardly assistant.  Never could quite understand how DM didn’t have him pink slipped or smother him to death in his sleep but I guess he knows what he is doing.   Throughout the adventures we encounter a myriad of characters such as: JJ Quark, Professor Squackenkluck (NEIN NEIN NEIN! 27.), the mysterious and shadow laden Agent 57, the dastardly Count Du Du Duckula, Burgles the Squadron leader (a hawk) and many others that puns left you reeling with laughter or a mild snigger nevertheless.   Make no mistake that our white one eyed friend for Justice (boy that sounded all wrong), Ahem our eyepatch wearing explorer, our suave swashbuckler is prepared for just about anything.  With his two-way Dick Tracy watch, his bubble screen car that converts to a plane and submersible and the occasional use of his utility pockets he is on the case.

I recently saw the UK release versus the American release and saw a few subtle differences.  For example: Greenback’s henchman Stiletto has an Italian accent in the original UK version whilst in the US he has a Cockney accent.  Odd that, as well as the incidental music had two different scores on both these versions.

Nothing good on the telly.

 The shading technique were less defined in areas and characters in the series due to 2000 cels for a 10 minute cartoon but that is to be expected when managing on the time constraints to crank out an episode each week.  All in all the jokes are fun, the scripts were well written and we looked forward to Danger Mouse thwarting the criminals at every turn even if most of them managed to escape down a tunnel or a secret exit to their awaiting vehicles to whisk them to freedom.