Dennis and Gnasher (1996 TV series) explained

Alt Name:Dennis The Menace
Runtime:25 minutes
Based On:Characters
from The Beano comics
Voices:Richard Pearce
Kerry Shale
Theme Music Composer:Roger Jackson
Composer:Andrew Dimitroff
Producer:Christopher O'Hare
Director:Tony Collingwood
Company:Collingwood O'Hare Productions
D.C. Thomson & Co.
BBC Television
Flextech (Season 1 only)
PolyGram Video
Budget:£100
Country:United Kingdom
Language:English
Network:BBC One
CBBC
TCC (Season 1)
Fox Kids UK (Season 2)
Num Series:2
Num Episodes:26

Dennis and Gnasher (or Dennis the Menace and Dennis the Menace and Gnasher) is a British animated television series based on characters from The Beano comic, which was broadcast on BBC from 2 April 1996 until 7 May 1998. Reruns aired on CBBC until January 2009. The series was produced by Collingwood O'Hare Productions and D.C. Thomson & Co. in association with BBC Television, alongside Flextech and PolyGram Video for the first season only. It was distributed by HIT Entertainment worldwide and was directed and largely written by Tony Collingwood.

Characters

Main

Minor and guests

Episodes

During the series' credits, the guest stars were always at the top before the regular cast.

Series 1 (1996)

This is the only series to be animated in cel animation.

TitleDateGuest Actor(s)Summary
1"Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow" 2 April 1996 Dennis is forced by his parents to go for a haircut at Slasher Brown's barbershop, and ends up being chased by the World Federation of Barbers.
2"The Day They Took Gnasher Away" 9 April 1996 When the Dog Training School promises Dennis's father that they can turn Gnasher into a perfect pooch, Dennis and the gang go on an undercover mission to rescue him, and discover the school is not what it seems...
3"Bathnight Club" 16 April 1996 It's a race against time! Dad's determined to get Dennis in the bath, but the Ministry of Defence wants Dennis left unwashed, for his smelly socks are their latest secret weapon
4"Dennis Ahoy!" 23 April 1996 When Dennis and the gang volunteer to do a days work on the SS Rustbucket on a race around the Cape of Good Hope, they find themselves swallowed alive by "Dopey Mick", the daftest whale of the 7 seas.
5"Revenge of the Robot" 30 April 1996 When the chief of the police fires Slipper for not being able to stop Dennis's trouble-making about town, it looks like it will be the end for Dennis's menacing when the post of Sergeant is replaced by a seemingly unbeatable robot! Has Dennis met his match, or will his newfound friend, the loopy female inventor Flossy save the day?
6"Wanted!" 7 May 1996 When two wanted criminals see Dennis's amazing ways of making mischief, they trick him into doing his biggest blow yet...robbing the Beanotown bank!
7"Dennis and the Beanstalk" 14 May 1996 When Gnasher is forced to stay in bed due to a toothache, Dennis cheers him up by telling him a story, but not just any old story...why just read from a book when you can mix them up and make your own special version? We see Dennis & Gnasher going on an adventure in a mystical land, meeting their friends and enemies on the way.....
8"Unidentified Funny Object" 21 May 1996 When aliens with the ability to disguise themselves as anything arrive on earth disguised as television sets and seeking help, Dennis and Gnasher are keen to help out, on the understanding that they can help him too, by using their disguises for menacing!NOTE: Willie Rushton died 7 months after this episode originally aired on Children's BBC, making this one of his last roles.
9"Special Agent Dennis" 28 May 1996 Dennis's dad is too sick to come to work, so Dennis hands in a sick note to find out what Dad's work life is like...only due to a mix-up Dennis & Gnasher find themselves instead at the Secret Agency next door where they are mistaken for Derek Cool, a secret agent who is a master of disguise dressed as a 10-year-old boy and his dog. Next thing the duo know, they are being fired off in a space pod on a mission to stop a crazy dinner lady called Vilhemina Slopbucket turn the whole world into 10-year-olds unless they eat her rotten dinners! Can Dennis and Gnasher save the day?
10"Dennis and the Grown-Ups" 4 June 1996 After some trouble with Dennis, Mum and Dad join an adult education class to understand children, only to understand the tutor is a bit loopy! Meanwhile, Dennis runs his own class among his friends titled "How to Understand Grown-ups".
11"The Secret Diary" 25 June 1996 Hiding from the wrath of Dad after a chaotic morning (aided by Granny), Dennis comes across what he thinks is his Dad's diary, and realises that in his youth he was far from the respectable young man he claimed to be. Soon, the diary entries make Dad a reluctant celebrity, and with a Hollywood film director making a film based on the book, Dennis discovers that his antics are no longer seen as threatening.
12"Gorilla Warfare" 2 July 1996 When the Colonel organises an outward bound weekend in the woods, Dennis and Gnasher decide to tag along and cause mayhem for a laugh, but things are not longer a joke when they learn that Genghis Kong, an escaped circus gorilla, is on the loose in the woods and has somehow taken an interest to Dennis's granny.
13"The Day TV was Banned" 9 July 1996 Eccentric millionaire Sir Fitz-Patrick Flush promises to give a million-pound cheque to the citizens of Beanotown if they can live without television for a whole week. Unfortunately, this doesn't go down well with Dennis and pal's plans to watch the week-long marathon of their favourite show 'Nick Kelly'.

Series 2 (1998)

For this series, the animation team switched from traditional cel-animation to digital ink-and-paint, making the motions appear much smoother.

TitleDateGuest Actor(s)Summary
14"The Competition!" 13 February 1998 Humiliated by Walter during a hectic game of tag (which soon cumulates into a national frenzy when adults begin to get tagged), Dennis decides to compete against him in a Blue Peter painting competition, with a 'little help' from a certain four-legged friend...
15"Summer Holiday" 20 February 1998 Dad is incredibly determined that the Menace family holiday will be incident-free, but Dennis' usual mayhem, an animal-hating guest-house owner, and a suspected burglary back home do very little effort to liven up his spirits...
16"Menace Power" 27 February 1998 When Dennis beats Walter in a racing car competition, The Colonel is determined to find what made his engine-free vehicle tick, whilst Mum prepares herself for a driving test with the help from Dad, a runaway dodgem car, and Gnasher's favourite squeaky bone...
17"Dennisaurus Rex" 6 March 1998 The discovery of a large stone-age mural in the Menaces' front garden causes Dennis to daydream about what it would be like to live in prehistoric times... and to somehow witness the creation of the wheel.
18"Adventures in Dennis Sitting" 13 March 1998 Dennis's plans to create chaos at the school parents' evening are seemingly thwarted when his parents arrange The Colonel to babysit for them and tell-tale Walter comes to stay for the night, but when a top-secret weapon is aimed at the school, only Dennis knows how to save the day...
19"Haunted House" 20 March 1998 Dad's ghastly aunts return from their 20-year long holiday expedition ten years earlier than expected and quickly prove themselves to be a big match for Dennis. But when his attempts to scare them out of the house only leads to an extended stay, he's determined to discover the truth about these unwanted visitors.
20"Oil Strike!" 27 March 1998 The Menace family are swindled by ruthless tycoon Clint Katzenberger, who tries to root out an oil field beneath their house. Desperate to get their home back, Dennis turns to Katzenberger's sworn enemies, The Green and Friendly Pressure Group, for help, but is that thick black liquid really oil?
21"Mauled" 3 April 1998 A new Mega Mall suddenly opens in Beanotown, but Dennis and Gnasher quickly realise something's not right when all the smaller shops in Beanotown close down and everyone begins acting strangely. But when Dennis falls under the Mega Mall's spell, Gnasher is left up to save the day.
22"The Trial" 9 April 1998 Simon Callow, Eric MeyersGnasher finds himself hunted down by sinister rat catchers when the Colonel's 'adventurer' cousin Hugo claims he is really a dangerous 'super-rat'. A heated court trial ensues to prove Gnasher's canine ancestry, but is Hugo really the world traveller he claims he is?
23"Journey to the Centre of the Bed" 16 April 1998 Dennis's search for the existence of the Tooth Fairy takes him (along with Gnasher and Pie-Face) into the farthest reaches of his mattress, where he ends up in a war zone between the Fairy Freedom Fighters, a bunch of goblins, and their familiar-looking ruler...
24"Skull & Crossbones" 23 April 1998 Mum's new job at the art gallery is threatened when a group of scurvy dogs steal the gallery's main attraction as a new figurehead for their ship. It's up to Dennis and his crew to battle the pirates and return the stolen statue.
25"Snowbound" 30 April 1998 Dennis competes in a race against Walter to become school prefect, and is determined to make it to the building early for once... despite the fact everyone has had the day off due to a snow blizzard. Soon, things take a turn for the abominable when a furry giant begins following them...
26"Monster Menace" 7 May 1998 The series finale. Expecting a 'Model Space Racer Jet Set Kit', Dennis and Gnasher instead receive Jacques, a hulking, information-guzzling fellow who becomes a huge hit with the school and wins the heart of Matilda. However, not everyone in Beanotown takes an instant liking to Dennis' new monstrous mate...

Revival series

See main article: Dennis and Gnasher (2009 TV series). A new television series has now been produced. The new series features the return of Dennis, Gnasher, Mum, Dad, Curly and Pie-Face and also features the introduction of Dennis' little sister Bea. The production shots also showed Dennis' treehouse with a more menacing design.[1] Screenshots and an episode can be found at the production company Red Kite Animation's website.[2]

The show used to be shown at 4.00 pm from Monday-Friday on CBBC.

Release

Broadcast

The series initially aired on BBC and CBBC, with the latter channel airing it until 2009 when it was replaced with a revival series, it also later started airing on TCC and Fox Kids. In the US, the series aired on Sprout[3] from 2005-2006, when it was removed following the channel's desire to focus more on preschool programming. Internationally, it aired on RTL 7 in Poland, NCRV and NPO Zappelin in the Netherlands, Super RTL in Germany, Italia 1 in Italy, and SBT in Brazil.

Home Media

Episodes 1-4 of series one are available in two, separate volumes each containing two episodes. The further thirteen episodes are yet to be released. All 13 episodes of series two are available in three, separate volumes each containing four-five episodes. These were later re-released in a box-set alongside "The Beano Videostars" and "The Beano Allstars". All 26 episodes the complete 2 series was released 22 August 2011 in a DVD boxset titled Dennis & Gnasher: Special Agent Dennis & 25 More Crazy Adventures (8 Discs), it also contains "The Beano Videostars" and "The Beano Allstars" on 22 August 2011 which makes all episodes available on DVD.

Ratings (CBBC Channel)

Saturday 22 June 2002 - 40,000 (3rd most watched on CBBC that week)

Sunday 23 June 2002 - 30,000 (5th most watched on CBBC that week)[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dennis and Gnasher - Unstoppable!. Red Kite Animation. 19 September 2009.
  2. Web site: Red Kite Animation. Red Kite Animation. 19 September 2009. 4 October 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091004002203/http://www.redkite-animation.com/index.php?page=dennis. dead.
  3. Web site: PBS Kids Sprout on Demand Launches on Comcast .
  4. Web site: Home . barb.co.uk.