Treasure (animated TV series) explained
| Creator: | Michele Hanson
Christine Roche |
| Based On: | Treasure: Trials of a Teenage Terror by Michele Hanson |
| Developer: | Aaron Simpson |
| Director: | François Perreault |
| Composer: | Michel Corriveau
Robert Marchand |
| Country: | United Kingdom
Canada |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 13 (26 segments) (8 episodes missing) |
| Runtime: | 24 minutes |
Treasure is an animated television series that ran from 13 September 2000 until 17 December 2001 and aired on BBC Two in the United Kingdom, ABC Kids in Australia, and YTV in Canada. It aired for 1 season of 13 episodes. The series was based on the popular newspaper column of the same name by Michele Hanson which became a book, Treasure: The Trials of a Teenage Terror (Virago Press, 2001,), published under the pseudonym Gina Davidson.[1] Treasure chronicles the life of Michele Hanson's daughter, Amy Hanson.[2] 17 years later, Hanson died on 2 March 2018 at the age of 75.[3]
Production
The characters were designed by illustrator Christine Roche.[4]
This show was aimed at an older audience than most other works by CINAR (now known as "WildBrain"), and was consequently able to discuss darker themes and make more use of profanity.
Like Bob & Margaret (another Canadian-made television series), this show was set in England, but added with darker themes.
Major characters
- Treasure (voiced by Jasmine Fitter) - The title character, a fourteen-year-old girl who lives with her mother and grandmother. She is in many ways as a typical rowdy dumb blonde, with a love of hanging out with her friends, shopping, fashion, and rebelling against her family. A major focus of the show is how her family and friends put up with her behaviour.
- Mum (voiced by Frances Barber) - Treasure's mother, who finds herself having to put up with having to look after both her troublesome daughter and her grumpy elderly mother. As much as she just wants Treasure to behave, she is shown in flashbacks to have been not that different from her daughter when she was her age.
- Grandma (voiced by Rosemary Leach) - Treasure's tough-as-nails grandmother, who despite her age is fiercely independent and tends to refuse from those who offer it, mainly from Brian. Her friends often come over to play bridge.
- Brian (voiced by Jonathan Kydd) - Mum's boyfriend, who sometimes comes over to visit. Treasure doesn't particularly approve of him, and he is similarly often taken aback by the behaviour of the family as a whole.
- Rosie (voiced by Tisha Martin) - One of Treasure's two best friends, a Black British girl who is more willing to go along with Treasure's antics than Delilah.
- Delilah (voiced by Elly Fairman) - The other of Treasure's two best friends, a girl whose hair is dyed pink. She acts mostly as the voice of reason among the three, and when she goes along with Treasure's antics mostly does so begrudgingly.
- Mrs. Perez (voiced by Julie Legrand) - Treasure's family's next-door Spanish British neighbour, a somewhat uppity woman who doesn't mind her neighbours, but disapproves strongly of Treasure's behaviour. She has a son Treasure's age.
- Poppy (voiced by Kate O'Sullivan) - Treasure's pet dog, who has a habit of constantly drooling on things.
Telecast and home media
Treasure was aired on BBC Two in the United Kingdom, ABC Kids in Australia, and YTV in Canada. The series never saw a home release of any kind, and in online, thus most of it is considered lost media.
Episodes
Of the 13 episodes that originally aired, only five are currently known to survive online.
| Episode No. | Episode Title | Air Date | Description |
|---|
| 1 | "When Mum Met Brian"/"Grandma's Room" | 13 September 2000 | - When Mum Met Brian - When the man Mum was dating cheats on her, she looks for someone else to date and eventually meets Brian.
- Grandma's Room - Treasure and Grandma get their bedrooms redecorated.
|
| 2 | "Little Black Dress"/"Night Club" | 20 September 2000 | - Little Black Dress - Treasure buys a short black dress that she plans to wear while going out with her friends later that night, something Mum doesn't approve of.
- Night Club - Treasure wants to go out to a night club called the Strobe, but Mum is hesitant to let her go.
|
| 3 | "A Feminine Mystique"/"Treasure's Party" | 27 September 2000 | Episode missing |
| 4 | "The Goldfish Murderer"/"The Big Sleepover" | 11 October 2000 | - The Goldfish Murderer - Treasure discovers that her goldfish are sick, and while she manages to save them for a while, an oddball friend of hers makes it worse.
- The Big Sleepover - Treasure wants a male friend of hers to spend the night at her house, but Mum disapproves, worried about what might happen when Treasure is left alone in her bedroom with a boy.
|
| 5 | "Dog's Eyeball"/"What Do We Want" | 25 October 2000 | Episode missing |
| 6 | "Two Wheels Good"/"Grandma Wins Prize" | 8 November 2000 | Episode missing |
| 7 | "Treasure is Not Stupid"/"Everyone Go Away" | 22 November 2000 | Episode missing |
| 8 | "Treasure in Space"/"Links With Europe" | 5 December 2000 | Episode missing |
| 9 | "Fit for Life"/"Feeding Treasure" | 19 December 2000 | Episode missing |
| 10 | "Fame"/"Who Are We?" | 30 January 2001 | Episode missing |
| 11 | "Eco Treasure"/"Big Day Out" | 5 February 2001 | - Eco Treasure - When Treasure and her friends learn that the trees at the local park are being cut down to make way for a new multiplex, they decide to stage a protest.
- Big Day Out - Treasure's class is taking a field trip to France, and she's embarrassed to learn that Mum is tagging along.
|
| 12 | "Unwelcome Visitor"/"Milestone Year" | 12 February 2001 | Episode missing |
| 13 | "Two Faces Of Treasure"/"Nightmare On Oxford St." | 17 December 2001 | - Two Faces Of Treasure - Mum goes to a parent-teacher conference and learns that Treasure is apparently far more well-behaved at school than at home. At the same time, Treasure has gotten a job at the supermarket.
- Nightmare On Oxford St. - Treasure and Mum are out Christmas shopping when Treasure decides to give money to a homeless man, causing her to become fiercely adamant about helping the homeless. (Final Episode)
| |
Notes and References
- Web site: Michele Hanson. www.facebook.com. en. 2019-04-13.
- News: Michele Hanson: My Treasure. Hanson. Michele. 2010-07-27. The Guardian. 2020-01-20. en-GB. 0261-3077.
- News: Michele Hanson obituary. Perkins. Anne. 2018-03-05. The Guardian. 2019-04-13. en-GB. 0261-3077.
- http://www.thefreelibrary.com/CINAR,+BBC+and+HALO+Explore+Teenage+Angst+in+Treasure-YTV+to...-a058526921 Montreal business news
