1 9 9 4 – 1 9 9 6 (UK)
39 x 10 minute episodes
This animated television series from HTV – based on the books by Sarah Ferguson, HRH the Duchess of York and narrated by former Billy Liar and Drop The Dead Donkey star Jeff Rawle – related the adventures of the titular helicopter and his aircraft friends.
Budgie (voiced by Richard Pearce) lives and works at Harefield Airfield and is best friends with Pippa (a single-engined plane voiced by 13-year-old Abigail MacVean). His catchphrase is “Rocketing rotors!”
Budgie works alongside Chuck (voiced by Kerry Shale) – a CH-47 Chinook who is tasked with most of the heavy lifting – and Lionel (voiced by Jeremy Nicholas), the senior helicopter (a Westland Lynx) who is in charge of all the aircraft at Harefield. His catchphrase is “Juddering joysticks!”
Other characters include Dell (a baggage cart tow truck), Smokey, the airfield fire engine (voiced by Ray Lonnen), and Don, the stairs lorry (Anthony Jackson).
Patsy, an American stunt plane and Wally, an old Supermarine Walrus seaplane (voiced by It Aint ‘Alf Hot Mum star Melvyn Hayes), were introduced in series two.
The human characters are twin children Ben (Adrian Hansel) and Lucy Kitchen (Zoe Hodges), their mother, Mrs Nancy Kitchen (voiced by Pippa Haywood), and mechanics Ken Wrench (Anthony Jackson) and Mike Sprocket (William Vanderpuye).
The control tower operator (voiced by Ray Lonnen) was heard but never seen.
The show aired in the United States on FOX as part of the Fox Cubhouse programming block from 1995 to 1996 and moved to the Fox Family Channel in 1999 as part of It’s Itsy Bitsy Time (redubbed with American voices).
After initial success in 1994 and 1995, the third series did not rate so well, and ITV subsequently declined a fourth series.
Budgie
Richard Pearce
Pippa
Abigail MacVean
Lionel
Jeremy Nicholas
Chuck
Kerry Shale
Smokey/Controller
Ray Lonnen
Don/Ken
Anthony Jackson
Mrs Nancy Kitchen
Pippa Haywood
Ben Kitchen
Adrian Hansel
Lucy Kitchen
Zoe Hodges
Mike Sprocket
William Vanderpuye
Wally
Melvyn Hayes
Narrator/Dell
Jeff Rawle
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