Summerton Mill
GenreChildren's television, animation
Created byPete Bryden
Ed Cookson
StarringSilas Hawkins
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes27
Production
Camera setupstop motion
Running time5 minutes per episode approximately
Original release
NetworkCBeebies
Release6 September 2005 (2005-09-06)

Summerton Mill is a British children's television series created by Pete Bryden and Ed Cookson. It was first shown on the CBeebies channel in 2005 as a segment of the BBC's Tikkabilla. It has subsequently been repeated both within Tikkabilla and as a standalone show on CBeebies and BBC Two.[1]

It is a stop motion animated series featuring the characters Dan, his companion Fluffa, Dr and Mrs Naybhur who live up on the hill, Francoise the cow, Mousey-Tongue the cat, two "yellow-spinner" chickens and the "millfreaks", tiny creatures which appear to resemble small, furry hedgehogs.[2]

Premise

Each episode begins with narration explaining that when the waterwheel at abandoned Summerton Mill turns, it returns to its original state, complete with inhabitants Dan, Dr. Naybhur and Mrs. Naybhur.

After a short and humorous event, the waterwheel slows down, and Summerton Mill returns to its present state.

Production

Summerton Mill was inspired by Somerton Mill, a riverside property which was owned by Pete Bryden. It was at this secluded riverside location that the project was conceived and the pilot episode was filmed.

Somerton Mill 2009
Somerton Mill 2009

Pete and Ed Cookson designed the sets and the characters, wrote the scripts, edited the video and sound, animated most of the first series and wrote and performed the music. A small production team was drafted in for the second series when the assistant animator of Series 1, James Cleland, was promoted to Director of Animation. ScaryCat Studios built the props and puppets for both series.[3]

All the voices were provided by Silas Hawkins, whose father Peter provided the voices for the Flower Pot Men, Captain Pugwash and the Daleks in Doctor Who. He joined production on a speculative basis,[4] and inspired the voice of Mrs. Naybhur from Big Fat Rosey, a character his father played on Listen with Mother. He considered the series to be horror-esque, believing the characters' ghosts were returning every time the waterwheel turned.[5]

Reception

Summerton Mill was well-received upon release, and was expanded into its own timeslot on BBC Two, as opposed to being featured in Tikkabilla. The international rights to the show were given to VGI Entertainment, who launched it at MipJunior in 2006, leading to the series being broadcast in at least 85 countries, however the second series was never broadcast in the UK.[6] It was, however, available on ITunes, with Series 1 available on DVD.

Episodes

  • Pilot episode (Extended Introduction)
  • "The Hole"
  • "Kite Flying"
  • "The Sock Thing"
  • "Wing Nuts"
  • "Hiding"
  • "Dr Naybhur's Song"
  • "Cheering Up"
  • "The Baby Millfreak"
  • "Lost and Found"
  • "Mrs Naybhur's Vegetables" (Rework of the pilot episode)
  • "Chinese Whispers"
  • "The Picnic"
  • "Mrs Naybhur's Poem"
  • "Buried Treasure"
  • "Counting the Stones"
  • "Dan's Amazing Magic Show"
  • "The Lazy Day"
  • "Dan's Little Job"
  • "Laughing"
  • "The Story"
  • "Painting"
  • "Statue"
  • "Dan's Seeds"
  • "Dr Naybhur's Balloon"
  • "The Bottle Organ"
  • "The Present"

References

  1. ↑ Transmission dates, Summerton Mill website. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
  2. ↑ Summerton Mill summary, Toonhound.com. Retrieved 23 October 2007
  3. ↑ BBC buys Summerton Mill. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  4. ↑ Production Team – Summerton Mill website. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  5. ↑ Silas Hawkins interview. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  6. ↑ Summerton Mill news, Retrieved 20 July 2023
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