Bill and Ben (TV series) explained

Narrated:	John Thomson
Opentheme:	"Bill and Ben Theme"
Endtheme:	"Bill and Ben Theme" (different version)
Country:	United Kingdom
Language:	English
Num Series:	2
Num Episodes:	52
Executive Producer:	Theresa Plummer-Andrews Neil Benedict
Producer:	Francis Vose
Runtime:	10 minutes
Network:	BBC One (CBBC strand)
Network2:	BBC Two (CBBC strand)
Network3:	BBC Two (CBeebies strand)
Related:	Flower Pot Men

Bill and Ben is a British programme for young children that aired between 4 January 2001^[1] and 10 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. The TV series aired in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉjr and formerly aired on CBeebies from 11 February 2002 to the afternoon of 29 August 2008.

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
1	26	18		4 January 2001	3 May 2001	BBC One (CBBC strand)
		8	19	7 September 2001	3 January 2002	BBC Two (CBBC strand)
2	26	11		8 October 2001	21 December 2001
		15		3 September 2002	December 2002	BBC Two (CBeebies strand)

Series 1 (2001)

BBC Two (CBBC strand)

Series 2 (2001–2002)

BBC Two (CBeebies strand)

UK VHS and DVD releases

VHS or DVD title	Release date	Episodes
Bill and Ben: Flobbadobba Fun	(BBCV 7141)	2 April 2001
Bill and Ben: Garden Games (BBCV 7188)	17 September 2001
Bill and Ben: Flowerpot Friends (BBCV 7313)	20 May 2002
Bill and Ben: Here Comes the Sun and Other Stories	2006
Bill and Ben: Go Fly a Kite (2EDVD0431)	8 September 2008
Bill and Ben: Here Comes the Sun (2EDVD0432)	8 September 2008

Notes and References

1. Web site: McGown. Alistair. BFI Flowerpot Men, The (1952-54). BFI Screenonline. 2003–2014. 9 December 2021.
2. Web site: BBC scores pre-sales for kids and drama .
3. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1100031.stm Flowerpot Men bloom again
4. , accessed 1 December 2023
5. "Bill and Ben". www.bcdb.com, 13 April 2012
6. Web site: Programme Index (search results) . BBC . 2 December 2023.