The Telebugs Explained

Genre:Animation
Adventure
Si-fi
Creator:John M. Mills
Elphin Lloyd-Jones
Music:Andy Murray
Voices:Ron Moody
Suzy Westerby
Country:United Kingdom
Company:Telemagination
Telebug Enterprises[1]
Language:English
Num Series:3
Num Episodes:86
Executive Producer:Anna Home
Runtime:5 minutes
Network:ITV

The Telebugs is a British animated children's television series featuring three robots.

Overview

The robots' names are C.H.I.P. (Coordinated Hexadecimal Information Processor), S.A.M.A.N.T.H.A. (Solar Activated Micro Automated Non-inTerference Hearing Apparatus) and B.U.G. (Binary Unmanned Gamma camera) – who were accompanied by a flying video pack called M.I.C. (Mobile Independent Camera). They were invented by Professor Brainstrain (who is also known as Pwofessor Bwainstwain, owing to his unfortunate speech impediment) to stop enemies such as Baron Bullybyte, Magna, Angel Brain, Z.U.D.O (Zero-failure Universal Data Optimizer) Bug and Arcadia, whilst working as reporters for a TV executive named Mr McStarch.[2]

A total of 3 seasons and 86 episodes were produced by Telebug Enterprises, subsequently renamed Telemagination. This was a subsidiary company of ITV regional franchise holder Television South. It was broadcast on Children's ITV in the United Kingdom from 1986 to 1987.

It was the very first television series made and produced by Telemagination (the company later went onto make several other animated series for children such as The Animals of Farthing Wood, Noah's Island and The Cramp Twins).

It also aired on TV2 in New Zealand from 24 July 1987 to 7 March 1990, on ABC TV in Australia from 6 July 1988 to 13 December 1991, on ABS-CBN in the Philippines, on RTB in Brunei, on TV1 in Malaysia, on Italia 1 in Italy, on Saudi 2 in Saudi Arabia and on M-Net in South Africa.

The series was also noted for its closing theme song. An extended version of the opening theme had been used at the end of season 1. However, in season 2 the short song "I Have a Heart", written by American singer, pianist and songwriter Mort Shuman (who has lived in both the UK and France), sung by Suzy Westerby (as Samantha), and played out over a closing credit sequence featuring a still of Chip, Samantha and Bug, with Mic's face briefly appearing at the closeout, was used as the closing theme. This version was the best-known theme. An extended version of "I Have A Heart", sung by American disco singer George McCrae and played out over a sequence showing Chip, Samantha and Bug orbiting the Earth and performing pirouettes, was used for the end of the original transmissions of the third, and final, season. However, as this version was almost three minutes long, it was considered too lengthy for such a short cartoon, and was replaced with the same extended version of the opening theme used at the end of season 1 for all future repeats of season 3.

The series also aired on GBC TV in Gibraltar, where it regularly served as a filler during children's programming in the 6:30 – 7:30pm slot during the mid to late 1980s.

The series was also broadcast on cable and satellite television on The Children's Channel.

In the 1990s the show was sold to HIT Entertainment but this time, the name was changed to The Gigglebytes. The series with the name change was also broadcast in Singapore on Prime 12 as part of their lineup of children's programming Kidz Blitz.

At least one full-size working model of Samantha was made to publicise the show, making appearances in Children's ITV advertising and continuity,[3] and on the Saturday morning show No. 73[4] in 1986 and 1987. The model could move its arms and head, and roll along the floor. Its TV head contained a cathode ray tube monitor capable of displaying facial expressions and other graphics.

Both photographic and film footage of the prop is very rare and hard to come by, with the exception of three YouTube clips that both feature footage of its CITV appearance with host Matthew Kelly, and some episodes from series 7 of No.73. While the same prop was featured in both shows, the No. 73 appearances featured a different voice actress with electronic distortion, and would in the final episodes, wear an apron around its torso. The recent upload of the episodes and the inclusion of the prop, has sparked some intrigue from a small number of fans of both the show and Telebugs itself, with inquiries as to the state and whereabouts of the prop; especially by collectors of memorabilia.

Voice cast

All the male characters were voiced by Ron Moody (except for Bug) and the female characters (also including Bug) were voiced by London-based actress Suzy Westerby. The model of Samantha was voiced by Kate Copstick for appearances on No. 73.

Transmission guide

Series 1

UK Broadcast DateTitle
06.01.1986Angel Brain
07.01.1986Apple Hi
08.01.1986Fair Play
09.01.1986Jupiter Moon
10.01.1986Telebugs in Danger
13.01.1986Zudo Bug
14.01.1986Signal Seizure
15.01.1986Submarine Snack
16.01.1986Oil Strike
17.01.1986Digger Dumped
20.01.1986Hijack Hacker
21.01.1986Zap Code
22.01.1986Bank Byte
23.01.1986City Stopper
24.01.1986The Telebugs Strike Back
27.01.1986Power Pirate
28.01.1986Robocars
29.01.1986Magnetic Madness
30.01.1986Flood
31.01.1986Flight Plan
03.02.1986Return of Zudo
04.02.1986TV Terror
05.02.1986Complex Confusion
06.02.1986Enter the Professor
07.02.1986Lethal Lift Off
10.02.1986Professor in Danger

Series 2

UK Broadcast DateTitle
10.11.1986Star Venture
11.11.1986Parsec Pirates
12.11.1986Deep Space Decoy
13.11.1986Stardon De–Programme
14.11.1986Angel Overload
17.11.1986The Binods
18.11.1986Scrambling Ray
19.11.1986Cave Knaves
20.11.1986Scrambled Samantha
21.11.1986Binod Rebound
24.11.1986Space Age Snooker
25.11.1986Culture Crazy
26.11.1986Arcadia Goes West
27.11.1986Panel Panic
28.11.1986Lifo Makes Friends
01.12.1986Cosmic Castaway
02.12.1986Lebab Goes Ape
03.12.1986Lebab Rocks the Moon
04.12.1986Rescue
05.12.1986Death Station Zudo
08.12.1986Shadow of the Past
09.12.1986Castle Cyphernal
10.12.1986Pit of Peril
11.12.1986The Rose of Infinity
12.12.1986Lifo to the Rescue
15.12.1986The Gate of Swords
16.12.1986The Battle of the Air
17.12.1986Ordeal by Fire
18.12.1986The Lake and the Key
19.12.1986The Shrinking Cage
05.01.1987Time Shift
06.01.1987 Roman Doom
07.01.1987The Two Caesars
08.01.1987Telebugs in Rome
09.01.1987All Hail Bug
12.01.1987Bait for the Badz
13.01.1987Digit Digger
14.01.1987Peanut Icicles
15.01.1987Brain Lock
16.01.1987Flame Out

Series 3

UK Broadcast DateTitle
17.11.1987Pyramids Pyrotechnics
18.11.1987Volcano Adventure
19.11.1987Magic Megaliths
20.11.1987Temple of the Sun
23.11.1987Inter-terrain Maze
24.11.1987Holographic Holiday
25.11.1987Monster Mash
26.11.1987Castle Creepers
27.11.1987Frankenheim's Monsters
30.11.1987Laser Blasers
01.12.1987The Palace of Science
02.12.1987Colossus
03.12.1987Zombie Profs
04.12.1987Robot Rampage
07.12.1987The Sphere
08.12.1987Telesonic Rock
09.12.1987Digger Decoy
10.12.1987The Tea Party
11.12.1987Disarray
15.12.1987Mulch to the Rescue

Crew and Credits

Series 1 (1986)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ITV SOUTH - TVS Induction Video (1982) . YouTube.
  2. Web site: Toonhound: Telebugs (1985-1987) .
  3. Web site: ITV Central continuity, 31st August 1986 . YouTube . 25 March 2024.
  4. Web site: No. 73, Series 7 Episode 6 . YouTube . 25 March 2024.