| Captain Pugwash | |
|---|---|
_title_sequence.jpg) Captain Pugwash, from the title sequence of the 1974–75 series | |
| Created by | John Ryan |
| Original work | Eagle #1 |
| Years | 1950–2008 |
| Print publications | |
| Book(s) | Captain Pugwash (1957) Pugwash Aloft (1958) Pugwash and the Ghost Ship (1962) Pugwash in the Pacific (1973) Pugwash the Smuggler (1976) Pugwash and the Sea Monster (1976) Pugwash and the Buried Treasure (1980) |
| Comics | The Quest of the Golden Handshake (1983) The Battle of Bunkum Bay (1984) The Secret of San Fiasco (1985) |
| Comic strip(s) | Captain Pugwash (Eagle, 1950) Pugwash Ahoy! (1960-1965) Captain Pugwash (TV Comic, 1975-1976) |
| Films and television | |
| Animated series | Captain Pugwash (1974–1975) The Adventures of Captain Pugwash (1998) |
| Television short(s) | Captain Pugwash (1957–1966) |
| Theatrical presentations | |
| Play(s) | Captain Pugwash (1973) Captain Pugwash and the Inca Treasure (1974) The Adventures of Captain Pugwash (2008) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Toy(s) | Corgi Toys (1981) Vivid Imaginations (1998) |
Captain Pugwash is a fictionalpirate who appears in a series of British children'scomic strips, books andtelevision shows created byJohn Ryan.
The eponymous hero – Captain Horatio Pugwash – sails the high seas in his ship called theBlack Pig, assisted by cabin boy Tom, pirates Willy and Barnabas, and Master Mate. His mortal enemy is Cut-Throat Jake, captain of theFlying Dustman.
At John Ryan’s wedding in 1950, he was introduced by a friend toMarcus Morris, who was launchingEagle, and asked the artist to create a strip for it. When John returned home, he claimed thatCaptain Pugwash appeared without explanation.[1] It ran for the first nineteen issues ofEagle, but was dropped due to being considered too childish, and John replaced it withHarris Tweed.[2]
The firstCaptain Pugwashpicture book, subtitledA Pirate Story and featuring Tom’s debut, was rejected by twelve publishers untilThe Bodley Head picked it up in 1957. The book became successful, and was translated around the world.[3][4] That same year, theBBC commissioned it to be adapted into an animated short film, made using "captions". This was a form ofcutout animation that involved levers attached to the back of characters.[5]
All the voices were provided byPeter Hawkins, who had to be hidden behind a monitor due to his facial expressions made while recording being too distracting for the animators.[6] What this did mean was that he could write notes in his script about incidental characters and be reminded of them as they appeared onscreen.[7] Further short films would be produced and broadcast until 1966, and in 1960 a popular and regularly releasedRadio Times strip was launched to promote the series, running until 1965.[8] In 1974 a new colour series was commissioned, with Peter Hawkins reprising his roles, and wider-reaching than its sporadically produced predecessor. Four of its 30 episodes wereremakes of black-and-white shorts.[a]
In 1997,Gullane Entertainment (then calledThe Britt Allcroft Company) purchased the rights to the character, with the intention of producing a revival series.[9] The new series of 26 episodes, animated traditionally, aired in 1998.
A related book by John Ryan isAdmiral Fatso Fitzpugwash, in which it is revealed that Pugwash had amedievalancestor who wasFirst Sea Lord but was terrified of water.
The pompous but likeable captain of theBlack Pig. Although he boasts of being the "bravest buccaneer", he is actually quite cowardly and stupid. His greed often gets him into trouble. Nevertheless, he usually wins the day – either with the help of Tom the Cabin Boy or by sheer luck. Despite being a pirate, he is rarely seen committing any acts of piracy.
A somewhat dopey character, who has a tendency to usemalapropisms and to mispronounce common words. He has a teddy bear in his bunk and is quite mild-mannered. It is not entirely clear why he is the mate, as he does not appear to have any authority over the rest of the crew. He was present in the first ever Pugwash story, in which he was depicted as being constantly sleepy. Pugwash's adenoidal pronunciation of Master Mate's name appears to be the main source of theurban legend about characters' sexually suggestive names.[10]
The most aggressive of the pirates, but in reality just as harmless. He is quite rebellious and grumpy, and is perhaps marginally more intelligent than Willy, the Mate or the Captain. He was not present in the 1998 series.
A simple sailor fromWigan. He appears to be the youngest crew member (apart from Tom). He is against using violence, and has been the crew's saviour on occasion (more by luck than by design).
Tom is the most intelligent and resourceful member of the crew, the only one who can cook and the only one who can actually sail a ship. The rest of the crew also found they were unable to operate without Tom, after he left with the captain when the crew mutinied. Tom is an expertconcertina player, and part of his repertoire is "The Trumpet Hornpipe" (theCaptain Pugwash theme).
He was portrayed with aHome Counties accent in the first television adaptation, and with an Irish accent in the 1998 series.
Captain Pugwash's fearsome arch-enemy, captain of theFlying Dustman (a pun on theFlying Dutchman combined with a reference to the occupation ofdustman). When he is not scheming to bring about Pugwash's downfall, he is a rather more competent pirate than his enemy, and always seems to have plenty of treasure. He speaks with a stereotypicalWest Country accent, and is easily recognisable by his eye patch and enormous black beard.
This character replaced pirate Barnabas, who was in the earlier series. His catchphrase is "No good will come of this, mark my words!" Jonah appears to be ofJamaican origin. He is the tallest of the crew so he often hits his head on the ceiling of the ship's lower deck. He is also one of the strongest of the crew as he is theBlack Pig'scarpenter.
This character lives at the top of the island in a mansion covered in vines. He talks very quietly and his head of guard, Lt. Scratchwood, usually acts as a megaphone. He is deeply in love with Donna Bonanza and attends to her every need.
An infamous opera singer who is the love of the Governor of Portobello and has her own group of security guards. She owns a cat named Franco.
Tom the Cabin Boy’s best friend, who works for barber Betty, and has dreams of becoming a member of theBlack Pig.
A member of Jake’s crew who somewhat resembles Barnabas, but is less aggressive in the 1998 series. This character appeared in the original series, but was never named.
An Australian pirate who works for Jake. He almost always has a mug of grog in his hand. Like Dook, he appeared in the original series but was unnamed.
A Mexican who works for Jake, who sometimes finds him annoying. Again, this character was unnamed in the earlier series.
The mother of Cut-Throat Jake, who serves as theFlying Dustman’s cook.
The voice for the governor and the law for the town of Portobello. In charge of the guard and collecting taxes, he also spends his time chasing thieves.
Portobello’s merchant, who sometimes works for Cut-Throat Jake.
In 1991 thePugwash cartoonist John Ryan won retractions and settlements fromThe Sunday Correspondent andThe Guardian; the newspapers inaccurately claimed that the BBC took the series off the air owing to some character names beingdouble entendres.[10][11]
Captain Pugwash is renowned for his exclamations, owing something to the style ofCaptain Haddock inThe Adventures of Tintin:
Cut-Throat Jake has occasionally been known to utter the similar exclamation, "Scupper meskull-and-crossbones!"
The series' signature tune was the "TrumpetHornpipe", a folk dance that dates to at least the early nineteenth century. Some early versions of the tune refer to it as "Lascelles Hornpipe" and "Baloon Hornpipe".[12] The composer and country of origin are unknown.
The original black-and-white episodes ofCaptain Pugwash used a solo rendition by the accordionist Tom Edmondson, who had learned the tune from watchingJimmy Shand's band inNorthumberland as a teenager.[12] Edmondson's version was recorded in the front room of his home inHarbottle, Northumberland, on 12 July 1954.[13] The recording was made by the folkloristPeter Kennedy as part of the BBC's Folk Music and Dialect Recording Scheme[14] and Edmondson was paid £1.50 (30s) for his efforts.[15] The track was transferred to disc for theBBC Sound Library and, according to John Ryan, it was later chosen as theCaptain Pugwash theme by producerGordon Murray.[1][16]
For the colourCaptain Pugwash episodes, a new recording of the same tune was commissioned fromJohnny Pearson in 1973. This version used accordion, bass and acoustic guitar, and the finished piece was retitled "Shipshape".[12] The recording was published byKPM and was later added to theKPM Recorded Music Library which gave Pearson the composer credit.[17] Pearson’s arrangement of the theme has also been used as the goal theme forFleetwood Town F.C.[18]
For the 1998 series, a new arrangement of the theme was created byPhilip Lane. Another arrangement appears in the audiobook versions.
The "Trumpet Hornpipe" itself is in the code ofBBC Micro computer gameFrak! andAcorn Electron gameZalaga, intended to be played when a pirated version of the game was loaded, a reference toCaptain Pugwash.
In 1987, BBC Cover to Cover released various stories published in the 1980s on onecassette, read by the voice of Pugwash in the television series,Peter Hawkins.[19] In 2012, the original picture book series was released on CD, withJim Broadbent narrating.
Series 1-9 were produced and directed byGordon Murray; Diana Potter for Series 10. Series 1-3 do not have individual episode titles.
Peter Hawkins voiced the first episode,[20] whileNoel Coleman narrated the rest.
Howard Marion-Crawford voiced the first episode, with Hawkins voicing every subsequent instalment.
From 3 October 1962, Series 4-6 ofCaptain Pugwash were repeated (skipping only "The Powder Magazine" and "Ivory Cargo"). The twenty episodes ran until 29 March 1963.
From 1 January 1973 to 19 April 1974, 20 episodes dating from 1962-1966 were repeated, preceding the colour series.
In May 2017, a live-action film adaptation was announced, to be directed byJohn Hay, produced by Atticus Films[25] and starringNick Frost as Captain Pugwash andJason Flemyng in an unknown role. Production was set to begin in 2018, with the plot following Captain Pugwash travelling toBotany Bay, where he eventually finds himself at the helm ofThe Black Pig on a mission to rescue Tom the Cabin Boy's father, who is marooned on a volcanic island.[26] In March 2021, Frost said that he believes the film will be unlikely to be produced because of budget issues,[27] however the following year Isabel Ryan, daughter of creator John, said she wants the film to have the involvement ofRye.[28]
On 17 December 1973, a theatre show,Captain Pugwash, written by Ryan and John Kennett, opened at theKing's Road Theatre inChelsea, London. Directed by John Ingram and designed by John Marsh, the entertainment for children played twelve performances a week (twice daily, Monday to Saturday) until 12 January 1974. Edward Philips as Pugwash headed a cast of live actors playing characters including Tom and Cut-Throat Jake.[29] The following year a second play was performed, entitledCaptain Pugwash and the Inca Treasure, from 19 December 1974 to 18 January 1975.[30] In 2008 a new show was performed with Richard Alan in the title role.[31]
According to Isabel Ryan, her father John did not partake in merchandising unless somebody had created something for him.[32] Waves of merchandise were first produced with the 1974 series, including badges, T-shirts,[33] and jigsaw puzzles. In 1981,Corgi Toys produced a model of theBlack Pig, complete with stand-up figures of Pugwash and Tom the Cabin Boy. John himself remarked that the franchise did not sell well in theUnited States due to the titular character being "too innocuous".[34] For the 1998 series,Vivid Imaginations created many more toys, including miniatures and plushies, both in eight inches and fourteen inches. Six inchHappy Meal plushies were also available as part of theChildren's Favourites line.[citation needed]
The first home media release for the franchise occurred in 1982, courtesy of RPTA Video. The tape was also released onCED Videodisc. In 1987,Tempo Video issued a re-release, which was also sold inAustralia viaThorn EMI and the US viaFamily Home Entertainment.
| VHS video title | Catalog number | Year of release | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain Pugwash | BP 4 039 V9024 | November 1982 (RPTA VHS) 1983 (RPTA CED Videodisc) 5 October 1987 (Tempo Video) |
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Between 1990 and 1991,BBC Video released eighteen episodes across two tapes.
| VHS video title | Catalog number | Year of release | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain Pugwash: Seafaring Tales | BBCV 4360 | 25 June 1990 |
|
| Captain Pugwash: The Flying Buccaneer | BBCV 4451 | 4 February 1991 |
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In 2005,HIT Entertainment (which had purchased Gullane Entertainment three years prior[35]) released all 30 episodes on DVD. It was exclusive toHMV upon release.
| DVD title | Catalog number | Year of release | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete Classic Captain Pugwash | HIT42600 | 18 March 2005 |
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In 1999,Video Collection International (Gullane Entertainment's home video partner) released three tapes.
| VHS video title | Catalog number | Year of release | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain Pugwash Sets Sail | VC1510 | 22 March 1999 |
|
| Captain Pugwash Ahoy | VC1511 | 23 August 1999 |
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| Stuttering Starfish | VC1512 | 11 October 1999 |
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In 2005, HIT Entertainment (which again, had purchased Gullane Entertainment three years prior) released 6 episodes on DVD.
| DVD title | Catalog number | Year of release | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain Pugwash: Sticky Moments | HIT42502 | 5 September 2005 |
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This was followed in 2006 by all 26 episodes of the 1998 series across three discs exclusive to Australia.
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