Bill and Ben
Based onFlower Pot Men
by Freda Lingstrom
Starring
Narrated byJohn Thomson
Opening theme"Bill and Ben Theme"
Ending theme"Bill and Ben Theme" (different version)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes52
Production
ProducerFrancis Vose
Running time10 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkBBC One (CBBC strand)
Release4 January (2001-01-04) –
3 May 2001 (2001-05-03)
NetworkBBC Two (CBBC strand)
Release7 September 2001 (2001-09-07) –
3 January 2002 (2002-01-03)
NetworkBBC Two (CBeebies strand)
Release3 September 2002 (2002-09-03) –
December 2002 (2002-12)
Related
Flower Pot Men

Bill and Ben is a British programme for young children that aired between 4 January 2001[1] and December 2002 for two series. The TV series is a remake of the 1952 TV series Flower Pot Men. Bill and Ben was first initiated by Mark Lovick, a producer and director from Sydney, Australia, in the 1990s, with Laurence Harbottle, legal trustee of the Freda Lingstrom Estate, London. However, this arrangement was curtailed, before the copyright expired. The TV series was distributed by BBC Worldwide.[2]

Broadcast

On 4 January 2001, a new series in colour[3] named Bill and Ben began on Children's BBC on BBC One,[4] this time involving stop-motion animation, 35mm film style and full colour, and made by Cosgrove Hall Films with a team of ten animators.[5] This show features the voices of John Thomson (who also serves as the narrator), Jimmy Hibbert, and Eve Karpf.[5] The TV series aired in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉjr and formerly aired on CBeebies in 2002–2011.

Difference between versions

Many additions were implemented:

  • A mean female rosebush with two talking buds in the neighbour's garden named Rose.
  • A mischievous female prickly plant named Thistle.
  • A female magpie named Pry, obsessed by shiny treasure, often just every bottle cap.
  • A male hedgehog named Boo.
  • Slowcoach the Tortoise remains in the series, with few changes to his characteristics. He gets angry at Bill & Ben for ruining his things, but mostly, for messing around.
  • A male frog named Tad.
  • A female squirrel named Scamper.
  • A male baby squirrel named Scuff. He is Scamper's baby nephew.
  • A female spider named Whimsy.
  • A male earthworm named Whoops.
  • A male talking tomato named Ketchup.
  • Another male tortoise called Lightning. He is Slowcoach's brother.
  • Bill and Ben's voice tones have switched; Bill now has the deep-toned voice, while Ben now has the high-toned voice.
  • Weed no longer just says her name; she speaks conventional English, playing an "earth mother" role to Bill and Ben and often assisting them.

Episodes

Episodes within each series are listed in order of first UK broadcast, according to Radio Times.[6] However, the last three episodes of the first series, which featured snow, were delayed until Christmas and were therefore broadcast out-of-sequence between episodes 11 and 12 of the second series.

Series Episodes Start date End date Channel
126184 January 20013 May 2001BBC One (CBBC strand)
8197 September 20013 January 2002BBC Two (CBBC strand)
226118 October 200121 December 2001
153 September 2002December 2002BBC Two (CBeebies strand)

Series 1 (2001)

BBC One (CBBC strand)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleWritten byOriginal air date
11"The Tortoise and the Pots"Jimmy Hibbert4 January 2001 (2001-01-04)[4]
Bill and Ben challenge Slowcoach the tortoise to a nut-gathering contest.
22"Go Fly a Kite"Jimmy Hibbert11 January 2001 (2001-01-11)[7]
Pry has lost her favourite treasure, a milk bottle top. Bill and Ben try to find it but end up stuck in a rubbish dump. How will they get home?
33"A Piece of Sky"Jimmy Hibbert18 January 2001 (2001-01-18)[8]
Bill and Ben look for something to cheer up Weed's part of the garden. They think a piece of sky might be just the thing. But the piece they find in the garden doesn't appear to be sky at all.
44"The Hottest Day"Chris Allen25 January 2001 (2001-01-25)[9]
Bill and Ben look for something to protect Weed from the sun.
55"Litterhog"Chris Allen1 February 2001 (2001-02-01)[10]
When Bill and Ben wake up to find the garden full of litter, Weed suggests a competition to see who can clear up the most mess.
66"Sticky Problems"Jimmy Hibbert8 February 2001 (2001-02-08)[11]
Bill and Ben find something very useful, but it turns out to be a hindrance than a help.
77"In Search of Lettuce"Pete Reeves15 February 2001 (2001-02-15)[12]
While Bill and Ben search the garden for some lettuce for Slowcoach, Thistle seizes the chance to play a trick on them.
88"The Big Time Band"Jimmy Hibbert22 February 2001 (2001-02-22)[13]
Weed is unhappy, so Bill and Ben try to cheer her up. Nothing seems to work – until they find inspiration in Whimsy the spider's web.
99"One of Our Spiders is Missing"Jimmy Hibbert1 March 2001 (2001-03-01)[14]
When Whimsy gets a fright and runs away, Bill and Ben set off a mission to find her. But what are the strange noises preventing her from returning?
1010"Here Comes the Sun"Chris Allen8 March 2001 (2001-03-08)[15]
Confusion reigns in the garden when the sun keeps coming out for short periods during the night.
1111"Phwoooar"Jimmy Hibbert15 March 2001 (2001-03-15)[16]
Bill and Ben are looking for the source of a horrible smell.
1212"Around and Around"Chris Allen22 March 2001 (2001-03-22)[17]
Bill and Ben have fun with a strange round object they find in the garden, but Pry and Scamper can't see the funny side.
1313"The Big Sleep"Jimmy Hibbert29 March 2001 (2001-03-29)[18]
Boo the hedgehog settles down for Winter, so Bill and Ben try to keep the garden as quiet as possible.
1414"Ben Has a Visitor"Chris Allen5 April 2001 (2001-04-05)[19]
Returning home one evening, Ben finds that something has taken the root in his pot. Slowcoach celebrates his birthday - over 3 days.
1515"A Night to Remember"Jimmy Hibbert12 April 2001 (2001-04-12)[20]
Slowcoach has an uninvited guest - a spectacle thief! So that night, Bill and Ben try searching for the missing spectacles.
1616"A Picture for Slowcoach"Chris Allen19 April 2001 (2001-04-19)[21]
One morning, something interesting blows into the garden, but Bill and Ben misplace it and start searching for it. Will they find it before Slowcoach realises it's missing?
1717"Treasure Garden"Jimmy Hibbert26 April 2001 (2001-04-26)[22]
Weed suggests a game of treasure hunt, leading Bill and Ben to find something they're not too familiar with.
1818"The Jumping Jar"Chris Allen3 May 2001 (2001-05-03)[23]
Tad, next door's friendly frog, gets himself into a very sticky situation. Bill and Ben hop to it and uncover the mystery.

BBC Two (CBBC strand)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleWritten byOriginal air date
1919"The Great Worm Hunt"Jimmy Hibbert7 September 2001 (2001-09-07)[24]
Bill and Ben are having fun with the garden hose, when they notice that Whoops the worm is missing.
2020"The Singing Cobwebs"Chris Allen14 September 2001 (2001-09-14)[25]
Bill and Ben awake to discover that Whimsy the spider has spun beautiful new webs all around the garden.
2121"Game for a Laugh"Jimmy Hibbert21 September 2001 (2001-09-21)[26]
Bill and Ben enjoy playing a new game they have invented, until things mysteriously disappear.
2222"Tears Before Bedtime"Chris Allen28 September 2001 (2001-09-28)[27]
Bill and Ben set out to discover the true identity of an object that Scamper believes to be a big nut.
2323"Weed Sees the World"Chris Allen5 October 2001 (2001-10-05)[28]
Weed discovers there's more to life than the garden, and wants to travel the world. Knowing that it's not possible, Bill and Ben try to bring the world to her.
2424"The Snow Castle"Chris Allen1 January 2002 (2002-01-01)[29]
Bill and Ben make a snow castle in the garden, but when they wake up the next day, the castle is not quite how they remembered it.
2525"Two New Flowerpot Men"Chris Allen3 January 2002 (2002-01-03)[30]
When Tad learns there's another frog living in next door's pond, so Bill and Ben investigate, and discover it's not the only inhabitant there.
2626"The Shiny Man"Chris Allen28 December 2001 (2001-12-28)[31]
Bill and Ben make something out of snow to give to Weed.

Series 2 (2001–2002)

BBC Two (CBBC strand)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleWritten byOriginal air date
271"All Quiet on the Flowerpot Front"Jimmy Hibbert8 October 2001 (2001-10-08)[32]
Slowcoach is fed up with the noise the Flowerpot Men make, so Weed invents the Keeping Quiet and Still game for them to play. Unfortunately, they aren't very good at it..
282"Looking After Ben"Chris Allen19 October 2001 (2001-10-19)[33]
Ben stays up late to see the new moon and catches a nasty cold. Bill does his best to care for him.
293"Slowcoach's Brother"Jimmy Hibbert26 October 2001 (2001-10-26)[34]
Slowcoach's brother Lightning comes to stay, but proves to be an unwelcome guest. It's up to Bill, Ben, Whimsy and a magnifying glass to get rid of him.
304"Meeting Lulu"Chris Allen2 November 2001 (2001-11-02)[35]
The arrival of a pretty doll causes trouble for Bill and Ben as they compete for her affections.
315"Two Angry Men"Jimmy Hibbert9 November 2001 (2001-11-09)[36]
Bill and Ben fall out with one another while playing Hunt the Carrot.
326"The Rainbow"Chris Allen16 November 2001 (2001-11-16)[37]
Bill and Ben try to catch a rainbow - but it is not easy as it first appears.
337"Whoops Takes a Trip"Chris Allen23 November 2001 (2001-11-23)[38]
A remote-control car appears in the garden, and Bill and Ben decide to give Whoops the ride of a lifetime.
348"Tin Can Telephones"Chris Allen30 November 2001 (2001-11-30)[39]
Bill and Ben learn how to make a telephone with tin cans and string, and use it to rescue Boo.
359"The Magnet"Jimmy Hibbert7 December 2001 (2001-12-07)[40]
Bill and Ben find a magnet, which helps them to find Slowcoach's lost spectacles.
3610"Home Sweet Home"Chris Allen14 December 2001 (2001-12-14)[41]
Tad, the frog next door, moves in and soon tires Bill and Ben out.
3711"Down in the Cellar"Jimmy Hibbert21 December 2001 (2001-12-21)[42]
While playing hide and seek, Ben discovers the cellar.

BBC Two (CBeebies strand)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleWritten byOriginal air date
3812"A Gnome's Best Friend"Chris Allen3 September 2002 (2002-09-03)[43]
Bill and Ben are worried that Garden Gnome does not have any friends.
3913"Water Water Everywhere"Jimmy Hibbert10 September 2002 (2002-09-10)[44]
Bill and Ben rescue Rose from a garden sprinkler, but things go wrong when they flood Slowcoach's house.
4014"Balloon Tricks"Chris Allen17 September 2002 (2002-09-17)[45]
Tad has played a trick on Bill and Ben, so when they find a hot air balloon they get their own back.
4115"Bubble Trouble"Jimmy Hibbert24 September 2002 (2002-09-24)[46]
Bill and Ben find a washing-up liquid bottle. Bill accidentally drinks some of the liquid causing him to have hiccups. They decide to mix the contents with water, and Whoops finds himself in deep bubble trouble!
4216"The Perfect Nut"Chris Allen1 October 2002 (2002-10-01)[47]
Bill and Ben find a new game to play and have great fun playing it. Unfortunately, they get so distracted that they forget they are supposed to be looking after Scamper's baby nephew.
4317"Flowerpot Band"Jimmy Hibbert8 October 2002 (2002-10-08)[48]
Bill and Ben hear many musical noises in the garden. When they put them all together, they make some wonderful music.
4418"Slowcoach Gets Cross"Chris Allen15 October 2002 (2002-10-15)[49]
Slowcoach is not impressed by the drawings made by Bill and Ben, and gets upset when they accidentally break his favourite picture.
4519"Every Cloud Has a Silly Lining"Jimmy Hibbert22 October 2002 (2002-10-22)[50]
Bill and Ben decide to make a cloud and Slowcoach discovers that the joke's on him when they make a thunderstorm too!
4620"Whimsy the Brave"Chris Allen29 October 2002 (2002-10-29)[51]
Bill and Ben go on a climbing adventure with Tad and they find that Tad is afraid of heights until Whimsy the spider comes to help him.
4721"Weed's Birthday"Jimmy Hibbert5 November 2002 (2002-11-05)[52]
Bill, Ben and their friends prepare a special birthday surprise for Weed.
4822"A Cellar Full of Noise"Chris Allen12 November 2002 (2002-11-12)[53]
When Bill and Ben search the garden for a wooden draught that's gone missing from their game, they hear strange sounds.
4923"Snow Place Like Home"Jimmy Hibbert19 November 2002 (2002-11-19)[54]
When Slowcoach tells Bill and Ben about igloos, they decide to make one for themselves – but they're no eskimos.
5024"Bouncing Cobwebs"Chris Allen26 November 2002 (2002-11-26)[55]
Bill and Ben make a sledge and find out how magical Whimsy's cobwebs can be.
5125"The Big Thaw"Jimmy HibbertUnknown
Bill and Ben decide to have a game of football. But where's the ball? Thistle says she hasn't seen it, but when the snow thaws it's clear she lied.
5226"Winter Sports"Chris AllenUnknown
Bill, Ben and Tad take part in a sports contest in the snowy garden.

UK VHS and DVD releases

VHS or DVD title Release date Episodes
Bill and Ben: Flobbadobba Fun! (BBCV 7141) 2 April 2001
  • "The Tortoise and the Pots"
  • "The Hottest Day"
  • "One of Our Spiders is Missing"
  • "Sticky Problems"
  • "Litterhog"
Bill and Ben: Garden Games (BBCV 7188) 17 September 2001
  • "Weed Sees The World"
  • "Phwoooar"
  • "Here Comes The Sun"
  • "Ben Has A Visitor"
  • "Treasure Garden"
Bill and Ben: Flowerpot Friends (BBCV 7313) 20 May 2002
  • "Around and Around"
  • "A Night To Remember"
  • "Game for a Laugh"
  • "The Great Worm Hunt"
  • "Two New Flowerpot Men"
Bill and Ben: Here Comes the Sun and Other Stories 2006
  • "Here Comes the Sun"
  • "Treasure Garden"
  • "Weed Sees the World"
Bill and Ben: Go Fly a Kite (2EDVD0431) 8 September 2008
  • "Go Fly a Kite"
  • "The Tortoise and the Pots"
  • "A Piece of Sky"
  • "The Hottest Day"
  • "Litterhog"
  • "Sticky Problems"
Bill and Ben: Here Comes the Sun (2EDVD0432) 8 September 2008
  • "Here Comes the Sun"
  • "In Search of Lettuce"
  • "The Big Time Band"
  • "One of Our Spiders is Missing"
  • "Phwoooar"
  • "Around and Around"

References

  1. ↑ McGown, Alistair (2003–2014). "BFI Flowerpot Men, The (1952-54)". BFI Screenonline. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  2. ↑ "BBC scores pre-sales for kids and drama".
  3. ↑ Flowerpot Men bloom again, BBC Online, 4 January 2001. Retrieved 28 December 2009
  4. 1 2 Children's BBC: Bill and Ben Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 1 December 2023
  5. 1 2 "Bill and Ben". www.bcdb.com, 13 April 2012
  6. ↑ "Programme Index (search results)". BBC. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  7. ↑ Children's BBC: Bill and Ben Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  8. ↑ Children's BBC: Bill and Ben Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  9. ↑ Children's BBC: Bill and Ben Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  10. ↑ Children's BBC: Bill and Ben Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  11. ↑ Children's BBC: Bill and Ben Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  12. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  13. ↑ CBBC Wild Week Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  14. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  15. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  16. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  17. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  18. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  19. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  20. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  21. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  22. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  23. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  24. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  25. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  26. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  27. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  28. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  29. ↑ CBBC Hollyday HOT Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  30. ↑ CBBC Hollyday Hot Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  31. ↑ CBBC Hollyday HOT Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  32. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  33. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  34. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  35. ↑ CBBC Wizard Week Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  36. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  37. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  38. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  39. ↑ CBBC: Bill and Ben Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  40. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  41. ↑ CBBC Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  42. ↑ CBBC Hollyday HOT Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  43. ↑ CBeebies Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  44. ↑ CBeebies Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  45. ↑ CBeebies Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  46. ↑ CBeebies Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  47. ↑ CBeebies Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  48. ↑ CBeebies Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  49. ↑ CBeebies Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  50. ↑ CBeebies Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  51. ↑ CBeebies Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  52. ↑ CBeebies Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  53. ↑ CBeebies Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  54. ↑ CBeebies Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
  55. ↑ CBeebies Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project, accessed 2 December 2023
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