Saturday, May 2, 2015

Tell PC McGarry To Get Himself A Mate...


One of my favourite kids shows when I was growing up was Trumpton with it's opening lines of "Here is the clock, the Trumpton clock, telling the time steadily, sensibly, never too quickly, never too slowly, telling the time for Trumpton". I can still remember how excited I used to get when the fire engine came out and Captain Flack done his roll call. We were so easily pleased in those days. At the time of watching I did not realise that it was part of a trilogy with Camberwick Green and Chigley. Nor did I know at the time that almost 20 years after it was first aired that I would be listening to Peel one night in the mid 80's playing a wonderfully, discordant tune about insurrection on the streets of Trumpton. Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grub took on a whole new meaning when Birkenhead's finest topped the indie charts in '86 with The Trumpton Riots.

Someone get a message through to Captain Snort
That they better start assembling the boys from the fort
And keep Mrs. Honeyman right out of sight
Cause there's gonna be riot Down in Trumpton Tonight

Genius. Always loved the story about Half Man Half Biscuit turning down the chance to play live on The Tube as their beloved Tranmere Rovers were playing the same night. Makes you kinda love them more.


Trumpton Riots

11 comments:

  1. Ah, truly wonderful stuff (both Trumpton and its neighbours and HMHB). Camberwick Green was probably my favourite... that opening sequence with the revolving box opening up... even though I must have known it was going to happen every time I can still remember the excitement too.
    Thanks for that, I've gone all warm and fuzzy now.

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  2. Thanks for the lovely comment C. Half the time I can barely remember what I done yesterday but the excitement I had for these shows is still crystal clear. I was exactly the same with the revolving box, jumping up and down with excitement.

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  3. We must not have had this show over here. Looks like something I would have loved. Stop action is great art.

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    1. It is Brian, so many great examples over the years with Nick Park especially springing to mind.

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  4. Nigel Blackwell is a national treasure who will be gracing Conference grounds now that Tranmere have been relegated - hopefully a rich source for new material

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  5. How could we love Half Man Half Biscuit anymore than we already do? Magnificent post on all counts.

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  6. CC - Just such a great songwriter that we should cherish. National Treasure sums him up nicely.
    Swede - Cheers for the comment. Saw HMHB live last year and thankfully there is till plenty of love out there for Nigel and co.

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  7. One of the greatest live bands ever. Their audience was always smiling and enjoying themselves - and I once got to shake Nigel's hand!

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    1. Any time I have seen them live it was party time in Glasgow, they really know how to work an audience...

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  8. Never had the chance to watch this series when I was a kid here in Germany, of course. Which is why I only understand bits and bobs of HMHB's lyrics, the references sometimes are just "too English" for me. That - and of course my limited knowledge of the English language itself - makes it rather hard for me to fully enjoy them. But the parts that I do understand are wonderful indeed ... and always have been!!

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    1. Never really thought about it before Dirk but yeah there are quite a few references to people that are well known in the UK - Nerys Hughes, Dickie Davies etc - that people from outside the UK may not know much about, but still great band.

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