Deep Dive: Rainbow

Up above the streets and houses, Rainbow’s climbing high! This week we’re taking on kids TV and looking at the camp in the classic TV show Rainbow… join Bungle, George, Zippy and Geoffrey for the story of Noah’s Ark and lesson on… err… stroking. 

Watch along with our video section at the links below!

Noah’s Ark: https://youtu.be/IGiilGjtwII?si=cAL8cqUkcCizxAgJ 

Stroking: https://youtu.be/xCx1AKg_TP8?si=LgJmTEyLre-ub19b 

We are indebted to those who have originally uploaded these videos, this podcast wouldn't be possible without them!

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_02 0:01

Hello and welcome to Camp Icons. I'm Nick.

SPEAKER_00 0:04

And I'm Liz.

SPEAKER_02 0:05

And this week we are watching one of my favourite nostalgic treats.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Yes, it's definitely one for you, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 0:14

It is one for me. I I grew up watching this.

SPEAKER_00 0:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 0:18

And I was obsessed. And I know last week you said that you re-watched Barbarella and a lot of things about your life made sense.

SPEAKER_00 0:27

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 0:27

Well, I rewatched Rainbow and felt much the same. Really? If I'm honest.

SPEAKER_00 0:33

Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 0:34

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 0:34

I think well I've got quite a lot to unpack during the episode.

SPEAKER_02 0:38

Oh, spoiler alert, I've said what it is. This week we are watching kids' TV show from the 80s and early 90s. It's Rainbow! So yes, Rainbow.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Yeah. I think this is this is an interesting choice. It's somewhere we haven't been as kids shows.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Would you say rainbow, just as a name, rainbows now, are they inherently camp?

SPEAKER_02 1:20

I think because of their association with pride, there is a campness to seeing a rainbow.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

I think I think they definitely are. I'm willing to put out there they are the campist meteorological phenomenon. Certain clouds are putting in a strong case. Yes. But I just think there's something about a a rainbow, all those colours, no reason, you know.

SPEAKER_02 1:46

I mean if you were dressed right now, heads turned rainbow, so you know your top layer was red, then we had an orange layer, a yellow layer. I would say that was camp.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

Stop giving me ideas.

SPEAKER_02 1:57

Well I think, as they say in the theme tune, we should paint the whole world with a rainbow.

SPEAKER_00 2:06

Is that what they say? I don't think I was listening.

SPEAKER_02 2:08

Paint the whole world with a rainbow.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

Thank you for that.

SPEAKER_02 2:14

You're so welcome. It started in 1972.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 2:18

It started in 1972 and ran until 1992.

SPEAKER_00 2:22

It had a good old innings, didn't it?

SPEAKER_02 2:24

Yeah, 20 years. Wow. I think it was and probably still is ITV's longest running kids' TV show.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

I dunno. What about Sooty? That went on for years. Depends if you count all the Sutties.

SPEAKER_02 2:37

Yeah, Sooty sort of changed and Rainbow.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

I I think I must have watched Rainbow, but I don't remember it in the way that you do. I think it was probably on, but I was so young that I've kind of just moved it out of my mind, you know?

SPEAKER_02 2:55

I sort of had like a holy No, it wasn't a Holy Trinity, it was a holy quadriology. Is that the right word?

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Well it it's a word.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

Which was Rainbow.

SPEAKER_00 3:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

Sooty.

SPEAKER_00 3:07

Right.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

Specifically Sooty and Co.

unknown 3:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:09

When he moved into the antique shop.

SPEAKER_00 3:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:13

Button Moon.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

Don't remember it, but have heard of it.

SPEAKER_02 3:16

And also Play Days. But specifically the tent stop, which was the one where they acted out stories. That was on a Friday.

SPEAKER_00 3:25

I do Wow. I vow to your superior knowledge. I remember Play Days quite well. I don't remember what the days were.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

Monday was Wybird, that was the Wybird stop.

SPEAKER_00 3:34

I remember Wybird quite well.

SPEAKER_02 3:36

Tuesday was the playground stop with Dave Benson Phillips.

SPEAKER_00 3:39

I definitely remember Dave Benson Phillips.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Wednesday was the roundabout stop with Mr. Jolly.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Okay, don't remember.

SPEAKER_02 3:48

Thursday was the Patch Stop.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

Peggy Patch.

SPEAKER_02 3:50

Peggy Patch.

SPEAKER_00 3:51

I remember well.

SPEAKER_02 3:53

Hmm. And then Friday was the tenth stop.

unknown 3:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:57

Which is where they acted out stories in sort of a circus arrangement.

SPEAKER_00 4:01

It rings a vague bell.

SPEAKER_02 4:03

Hmm.

SPEAKER_00 4:04

Anyway, this this is kids TV, was it more camp in in this time?

SPEAKER_02 4:11

Well, I think what we're sort of establishing is that everything was a bit more camp back in back in the day.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

It does feel like we're always saying that.

SPEAKER_02 4:18

But it might also be because we have more distance from it.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Yeah, and I think a lot of these shows back then were getting away with stuff that we didn't realise. Like they're they're they're made by adults and they're having a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_02 4:32

Yes, they are.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

And we didn't realise how much fun.

SPEAKER_02 4:35

No, not quite.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

When you said holy quadrilogy, which I I know you don't regret saying, I thought you were referring to the characters of Rainbow. So we should meet the characters of Rainbow.

SPEAKER_02 4:50

Right, well, first of all, there's more than four characters in Rainbow. There's Jeffrey.

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 4:56

Who is a human man.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

Okay, I was gonna say he's the human.

SPEAKER_02 4:59

He's the human.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:01

There is Bungle, who is I suppose generously you would say an anthropomorphic bear.

SPEAKER_00 5:07

He's yes, and he's a um how do I say this? A man in a costume.

SPEAKER_02 5:13

Sorry.

SPEAKER_00 5:15

He's a bear. Yep. I can't wait for you to describe the other two because I am unclear.

SPEAKER_02 5:22

Well then you have Zippy.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 5:24

Who I believe is I believe his species is a Zippy. Right. But that gets confusing because in one of the episodes we watched, we meet his cousin Zippo.

SPEAKER_00 5:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:38

But I believe Zippy is his own entity.

SPEAKER_00 5:43

Yeah, I I believe that too. Which just what is George?

SPEAKER_02 5:50

A hippo. George is a big pink hippo with eyelashes that anyone would want, surely.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

Eyelashes for days.

SPEAKER_02 5:58

I know.

SPEAKER_00 5:58

Yeah, George is a big pink hippo, you've just said, and I'm sitting with that because I'm not a big pink hippo, how dare you? No, no. I just I don't um hippos aren't ever pink, are they?

SPEAKER_02 6:11

I don't think they ever actually are pink, but I seem to remember when I was a kid that pink was the colour that was given to hippos. There was another show I remember called Potomus Park, and they were big pink hippos. I think. What? Maybe it's the Mandela effect. I'm sure they were big pink hippos.

SPEAKER_00 6:32

The only animal I've ever known be pink that shouldn't be pink is elephants.

SPEAKER_02 6:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

In Dunbo you get pink elephants and parade.

SPEAKER_02 6:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Yeah, yeah. You just when you'll get drunk, you get pink elephants. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

So we've we've met the core for the core for the housemates.

SPEAKER_00 6:48

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 6:49

It's never really quite established what their relationship to one another is, though I I I wouldn't want to know. I've got some questions coming up. We also have in these episodes, well, in the first one we watched, we had the classic Rod Jane and Freddie.

SPEAKER_00 7:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:05

Um, who were a singing troupe that would come on and do a number each episode.

SPEAKER_00 7:10

I think I've got quite a lot to say about them, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:12

And then in the second episode we had the rarer trio of Rod Jane and Roger.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 7:19

Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 7:20

They went through three iterations.

SPEAKER_00 7:22

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 7:23

They began as Rod Jane and Matthew. And Matthew was Matthew Corbett.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

Of Sooty.

SPEAKER_02 7:29

Of Soty, where he left them when he took over from Harry Corbett to do Sooty.

SPEAKER_00 7:34

Right.

SPEAKER_02 7:35

He was replaced by Roger. I don't know what happened to Roger.

SPEAKER_00 7:38

Mmm. Was it a brief stint?

SPEAKER_02 7:40

I don't he doesn't look that child friendly, does he? And then uh he was replaced by Freddie.

SPEAKER_00 7:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:48

And Jane was married to Rod.

SPEAKER_00 7:52

Right.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

But by the time the programme finished, she was married to Freddie.

SPEAKER_00 7:59

Which is outrageous for a kid's show. It's quite scandalous. Yes. And I enjoy it.

SPEAKER_02 8:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 8:06

Well, we better talk about what actually happened on these episodes.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

Right, so the first episode we watched was one I remembered from childhood. Really? Yeah, really.

SPEAKER_00 8:17

Oh, I'm so sad for you.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

It's called Noah's Ark.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:23

We open on the sitting room, if you will.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

I definitely wouldn't call it that.

SPEAKER_02 8:29

Would you not?

SPEAKER_00 8:30

The set is just wild, isn't it? It's got rainbows on everything.

SPEAKER_02 8:34

It's got rainbows. It's black and white.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

It doesn't definitely doesn't give house.

SPEAKER_02 8:37

It's black and white with a rainbow fringe.

SPEAKER_00 8:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:40

Yeah, that's camp.

SPEAKER_02 8:42

Yes. There are places where George and Zippy can appear. Because they're not as mobile as Bungle and Jeffrey.

SPEAKER_00 8:51

Mmm, yes, I think that's what I was getting at.

SPEAKER_02 8:53

And they start talking about animals. It's raining outside and they start talking about animals.

SPEAKER_00 8:58

Oh yes, yes. So this th it's raining and they've got a load of animal little figures. Little wooden animals. Wooden animals that they're playing with. I it's uh it's unclear to me whether George and Zippy are adults or children. Right. Whatever species they are.

SPEAKER_02 9:19

Okay. I think we'll get on to that. Jeffrey comes in carrying an arc.

SPEAKER_00 9:27

Yes, they think it's a funny-looking house, but it's an arc.

SPEAKER_02 9:30

Yes, it's an arc.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

It looks quite well used, that arc. Like, it doesn't look like they've just made it for this show. It's battered. Yeah, it's authentic, is it? Do you know? No. I'm sure I don't. I'm sure I don't.

SPEAKER_02 9:45

For my 18th birthday, I received a Playmobil Noah's Ark.

SPEAKER_00 9:53

18th birthday.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

18th birthday, yes. Because it was the thing throughout my childhood that I always really wanted.

SPEAKER_00 10:02

Wow. Oh.

SPEAKER_02 10:04

That I didn't have.

SPEAKER_00 10:05

And you you finally got it.

SPEAKER_02 10:07

I finally got my Noah's Ark.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

Did it still because I always wonder this about like when kids miss out on the toy that they really wanted.

SPEAKER_02 10:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:13

Did it still do anything for you when you're 18?

SPEAKER_02 10:18

Without hesitation. What do you think I spent the day doing? Not drinking. I was building my Playbabille Noah's Ark.

SPEAKER_00 10:24

Have you still got it? Yes. Yeah, I thought so.

SPEAKER_02 10:27

Still got all my Playburbill. Anyway, um Obviously. Then Jeffrey starts talking about the story of Noah's Ark and Yes, he does, doesn't he?

SPEAKER_00 10:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:39

Bunker is worried there's going to be a flood.

SPEAKER_00 10:41

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 10:42

Because it's raining outside.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

Because yeah, because of it, he's talking about flooding and it's raining currently. They then um ask what a flood is and they show some scenes of flooding. Very British flooding. Yes. I wouldn't say it's biblical in nature, it's more um you'll have to take the other way. This part of the country lane is closed off.

SPEAKER_02 11:06

Yes, and that is absolutely stock footage.

SPEAKER_00 11:09

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:10

They haven't gone out and filmed that especially.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

This is just look up the last time on the news, we had some flooding and a couple of roads got closed. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:20

Then the next thing I have is that Jeffrey says something about a a boat, and George very pointedly and sarcastically says arc, Jeffrey.

SPEAKER_00 11:32

He does, he corrects him in quite a mmm. Yeah, the characters of the um the participants I would say I don't like any of them.

SPEAKER_02 11:45

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:46

You know, Zippy is kind of like he knows it all.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

But then George is also a know-it-all. It's quite an odd group of of people.

SPEAKER_02 11:58

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 11:59

Non-people.

SPEAKER_02 12:00

The thing is, is in some ways it looks like a quintessential flat share.

SPEAKER_00 12:04

Yes. Everyone thinks they know best. Bungle's probably my favourite.

SPEAKER_02 12:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

Only because he's the least annoying.

SPEAKER_02 12:14

In this episode.

SPEAKER_00 12:15

I do like a big hairy man.

SPEAKER_02 12:16

I don't know, maybe that's I nearly brought you an episode in which he's very obstinate bungle and dreams about being the king and saying that no one has to brush their teeth.

SPEAKER_00 12:31

Well, um I'm sure that would have appealed to me as a child, because I did find brushing my teeth a a big old chore.

SPEAKER_02 12:39

Well, maybe we can watch that one in our own time.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

In our own time, we'll get to it. So they're supposed to be having baths.

SPEAKER_02 12:45

Yes, now.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

Now I like to I I think w we've lost touch now with the hierarchy of bath order.

SPEAKER_02 12:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Because nowadays you just have a shower whenever you feel like it, don't you? Back in the day, who got to go have a bath first was a big deal. Zippy and George go off.

SPEAKER_02 13:08

Yes. Zippy and George share a bath.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 13:13

Again, a hierarchy thing. So if they're children and they're sharing a bath, you know that's one thing.

SPEAKER_02 13:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 13:19

If they're adults made to share a bath, that's quite another.

SPEAKER_02 13:23

And sort of looking at their skin tone.

SPEAKER_00 13:27

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 13:28

If they get in a bath, you worried they might They will get besoden. I should I will I'll I'll uh When you say skinned. I'll insert at this point that George is a big hairy hippo.

SPEAKER_00 13:40

Yes, I yeah. I thought you were worried that the dye might leak out, but obviously that wouldn't happen with these very real characters. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 13:53

But it's they're gonna take a long time to dry themselves. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:58

Yeah, I don't think they should be having a bath. Definitely bungle shouldn't. He's far too hairy.

SPEAKER_02 14:03

Well, how big's the bath! I'm not looking to fat shame bungle. Um how big is that bath?

SPEAKER_00 14:12

I don't think he's that fat for a bear.

SPEAKER_02 14:14

He's a big old bear.

SPEAKER_00 14:15

But he is big.

SPEAKER_02 14:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:16

For a human-sized bath. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No.

SPEAKER_02 14:20

Then Bungle falls asleep.

SPEAKER_00 14:23

Yeah, gone.

SPEAKER_02 14:24

And we go into Bungle's dream sequence where he is Noah.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

And Jeffrey is the voice of God.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

And God is speaking directly to him.

SPEAKER_02 14:35

Noah. Noah.

SPEAKER_00 14:38

I have to say the shock of realising we were going into a dream sequence where Bungle was playing Noah in the way that uh all the kids did uh had to play like the three wise men with a tea towel on your head. That's basically how Bungle's dressed.

SPEAKER_01 14:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:56

And then that we were also hearing the voice of God. Yes, Jeffrey. Um and I don't know, I don't want to get all existential, I don't know how you picture God, but um they they have a a beam of light, yes, which sort of at times looks like a laser beam directly into Bungle's head.

SPEAKER_01 15:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:17

So we're seeing God appear directly to Bungle at this stage.

SPEAKER_02 15:24

Yes. I'd like to take a moment now for the campometer.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

Yes, I think we should, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:29

Because there is something very camp about presenting a very serious biblical story with children's television characters.

SPEAKER_00 15:39

Yes. I agree. Yes, I agree. I think religion feels like um it shouldn't be very camp, but then when you try and sort of place it in things that where it shouldn't be, there there are a lot of aspects of it that just it's very yeah, there's a campness to placing it alongside the cast of Rainbow.

SPEAKER_02 16:02

Yes. Yes. We do run into some problems.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

What would the problems be, Nick?

SPEAKER_02 16:11

They're all men.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 16:13

They're all male. Bungle, Dippy, even George and Jeffrey are all men.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

And Noah famously had a wife.

SPEAKER_02 16:21

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 16:22

His wife, um they don't name her. I don't know if she's named in the Bible.

SPEAKER_02 16:26

I think she is, but they just go with Mrs. Noah.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

Mrs. Noah, yes.

SPEAKER_02 16:32

Because yeah, he hears the voice of God and then immediately says, Well, I better start building my ark.

SPEAKER_00 16:39

He's yeah, he's quick to take up the task.

SPEAKER_02 16:41

Yep, nothing else on that day.

SPEAKER_00 16:43

But we do see his wife.

SPEAKER_02 16:45

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 16:46

Because then she enters the scene.

SPEAKER_02 16:48

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 16:49

She is being played by George.

SPEAKER_02 16:52

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

Wrapped up in some fabric.

SPEAKER_02 16:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 16:55

Decorated with what I believe to be milk bottle tops.

SPEAKER_02 17:00

They are milk bottle tops. And shall I tell you how I know that? Because that necklace is used in a different episode.

SPEAKER_00 17:07

Good grief.

SPEAKER_02 17:08

And within that episode, they make that necklace out of milk bottle tops.

SPEAKER_00 17:11

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 17:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:15

It's great knowledge.

SPEAKER_02 17:17

Yeah, I'm really br I'm bringing it this week, aren't I?

SPEAKER_00 17:19

I don't know if there's no. I I don't know if we've got any listeners young enough that we need to explain milk bottle tops to them. They used to be made of foil, they used to be made of foil and glitzy.

SPEAKER_02 17:31

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 17:32

And you know, you could use all types of things for your home crafting needs. You know, the quality street wrappers, they used to be glitzy.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:40

And a bit of cellophane, you could use that. Um nowadays nothing. I remember collecting little um tops, little caps off of something for uh blue pita purposes to make a Barbie hair salon. Wow. And the little caps that were sort of like you'd get off a I can't remember what they were on, but they were like you would get on a PVA glue. They were going to be hair dryers.

SPEAKER_01 18:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:05

And I collected them for weeks and then I think I got bored of the idea. But yes, all all sorts sorts of things could be repurposed, and I just I just think we've lost touch with that.

SPEAKER_02 18:14

Yes. We should also point out that the styling of George as Mrs. Noah it wouldn't be a giant leap for me to believe she was part of a harem.

SPEAKER_00 18:25

No, I agree. The milk bottle tops are surprisingly effective at giving rasamatas.

SPEAKER_02 18:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:33

And the netting, the sort of lavender netting.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

Yeah.

unknown 18:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:37

He's a l I d I d I didn't expect to say this, but George is a little bit too sexy for Mrs. Noah.

SPEAKER_02 18:48

I think it's all in the eyelashes.

SPEAKER_00 18:50

Do you? Yeah, I do. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:52

Just a quick flutter of those.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Do you think they assemble the other elements? They had the they were too drawn in by the eyelashes. They're just like, we'll just make him sexy.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

Yeah, sexy sexy Mrs. Noah.

SPEAKER_00 19:03

Sexy Mrs. Noah.

SPEAKER_02 19:04

But so Bangles Building is art with his plastic tools.

SPEAKER_00 19:07

Yes, he is.

SPEAKER_02 19:08

And then comes my next big question. Yeah. Because Noah says to Mrs. Noah that she will be saved on the art and so will the children.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

I wish we saw the children.

SPEAKER_02 19:23

Well, I want to know how they reproduced.

SPEAKER_00 19:26

Well, I think again, you shouldn't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to.

SPEAKER_02 19:32

Just a bear and a hippo going at it.

SPEAKER_00 19:35

Yeah. Two two male uh creatures of not the same species.

SPEAKER_02 19:40

Are we gonna get like a brown furry hippo and a pink anthropomorphic bear?

SPEAKER_00 19:48

Oh, I don't want to see that.

SPEAKER_02 19:50

They make that um might try and make it happen.

SPEAKER_00 19:53

When you say try and make it happen not in a kind of lab type way. Oh, right, okay, fine. You know what? It's none of my business really what you get into on uh days we're not doing the podcast. Um So uh uh but beside this arc, yes, well he's he's really going great guns, actually. Yeah, is uh his old uh bungle as Noah. But as we know from the story, not everyone's convinced. So we get um I guess Rod Jane and Freddie and Jeffrey.

SPEAKER_02 20:24

And Jeffrey is earning that paycheck in this episode, he is multi-rolling.

SPEAKER_00 20:31

Um they come by to have a laugh. Yeah, poke fun at Noah.

SPEAKER_02 20:34

No, it's not gonna rain.

SPEAKER_00 20:36

No, it's gonna it's a blue sky. Well, obviously, it takes time to build Narc. I'm not doing this overnight. Come on. I'm building this for the flood season. Come on. Um but yeah, they have a little laugh in, and I was like, oh well, that's their bit of the scene done then. So I thought. No.

SPEAKER_02 20:53

Before we get to the second part, Mrs. Noah has packed all the food that they need for all of the animals.

SPEAKER_00 20:59

She's really done well, because that's gotta be a lot of food.

SPEAKER_02 21:02

Well, she names four items.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:05

One of which I think is bread.

SPEAKER_00 21:07

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 21:08

I think there's bread, milk, and a jelly.

SPEAKER_00 21:11

Definitely a jelly was one of them.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

A jelly, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:14

I don't know which of the animals wants that, but you know it's there. I hope there's some maybe grain.

SPEAKER_02 21:20

Some grain, yes, for the but for the birds.

SPEAKER_00 21:24

We know there's going to be birds because the ark includes a dove cut. Yes. On top of it.

SPEAKER_02 21:30

Yes. What have we got in the props cupboard? What can we attach to the ark?

SPEAKER_00 21:34

Where's animals live? Animals live there. Yeah, but a bird thing, that's fine. That's fine.

SPEAKER_02 21:40

Then we see some animals coming onto the ark.

SPEAKER_00 21:43

We do, don't we? We do. They're not live animals though, are they, Nick?

SPEAKER_02 21:46

No, they're not. They are Rod, Jane, Freddie, and Jeffrey in Animal onesies. And I was impressed because that at the time the onesie was not a big thing. I bet they would have had to be specially made.

SPEAKER_00 21:59

Listen to me. Listen.

SPEAKER_02 22:01

That that's what I was impressed with.

SPEAKER_00 22:03

They arrive, and as we know, the animals come on two by two.

SPEAKER_02 22:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 22:08

Right? But they don't dress like Rod and Jane up as two sheep.

SPEAKER_01 22:13

No.

SPEAKER_00 22:14

Jane is a sheep carrying a small tough stuffed toy of a sheep. Yes. Which means she is coming onto that boat and is then going to fuck that small stuffed toy in order to keep that species alive. Right? That's what we're supposed to believe. So she's a sheep. There's a uh a cow.

SPEAKER_02 22:39

Yes. Rod is the cow.

SPEAKER_00 22:41

Rod is the cow. Rod is quite frightening as the cow. Two big horns on his head. I mean Freddy's.

SPEAKER_02 22:49

Jeffrey's the naughty dog.

SPEAKER_00 22:50

Oh, Jeffrey's the naughty dog. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 22:53

That roll looks like it's gonna run off the boat.

SPEAKER_00 22:55

And then I guess they got sick of like animals that are about Don't forget the wildlife. And then, yeah, an elephant. Yes. Jeffrey's the elephant.

SPEAKER_02 23:06

Freddy's the elephant.

SPEAKER_00 23:07

Freddy's the elephant. I couldn't tell who was in that costume because the trunk hangs down in front of his face.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

But I will tell you that the elephant he's holding, I had that exact elephant toy.

SPEAKER_02 23:21

Amazing.

SPEAKER_00 23:22

I had that exact one. And it was very stiff, as I remember. It was not posable, its little arms wouldn't pose.

unknown 23:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:30

It was real 80s stuffing.

SPEAKER_02 23:34

So we've got some animals on the boat.

SPEAKER_00 23:37

Yeah. To fill up.

unknown 23:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 23:40

We need something. We need something to suggest that there's more than just these four, obviously. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:46

So we've got we've got pairs of stuffed animals.

SPEAKER_00 23:49

Stapled all over the set.

SPEAKER_02 23:51

Yes. They're not to scale.

SPEAKER_00 23:53

No, no.

SPEAKER_02 23:54

They've got birds bigger than tigers.

SPEAKER_00 23:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 23:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 23:57

Just whatever. Just went down the local toy shop. Whatever they had two of. Bring it, bring it into to set, staple it on the set.

SPEAKER_02 24:06

Yeah. Then they set sail. Everyone's on.

SPEAKER_00 24:11

Well yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:12

We know they set sail because we get some stock footage of the sea.

SPEAKER_00 24:16

Yes. Yes. What we don't get is uh scenes of all those uh pesky neighbours uh drowning. It's always a bit you don't see with the Noah story, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 24:25

Yeah, yeah, but I you know they they couldn't do that because they were then dressed as animals.

SPEAKER_00 24:30

They would now they're dressed as elephants and whatever.

SPEAKER_02 24:32

Maybe it was the pesky neighbours dressed as animals to like sneak themselves on the boat.

SPEAKER_00 24:38

Well sorry, ark arc. If that's true, then they will be responsible for the eradication of dogs, sheep, cows, and elephants. Because they will not be able to reproduce.

SPEAKER_02 24:52

They'll be able to produce something.

SPEAKER_00 24:54

No.

SPEAKER_02 24:54

Maybe that's why all those little dogs have got breathing problems now.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

I don't it's all Rod's fault.

SPEAKER_02 25:00

It's Geoffrey's fault.

SPEAKER_00 25:02

Oh sorry.

SPEAKER_02 25:03

No, you're basic white men.

SPEAKER_00 25:05

You cannot keep them straight. The fact that Roger's in the next episode, I haven't got a chance. Who's the who's the smallest, scariest one? There's the cow. That's Rod.

SPEAKER_02 25:16

The cow is Rod.

SPEAKER_00 25:17

I'm not surprised she married Freddie. Looking at that. Anyway, sorry.

SPEAKER_02 25:22

I went to see Rodney and Freddy on tour in the 90s. I went to see three of their tours.

SPEAKER_00 25:30

Sorry. When you you you said I went to see them on tour, and then you said three of their tours.

SPEAKER_02 25:36

Yeah, they taught a different show like yearly for four or five years, and I went to three of them.

SPEAKER_00 25:40

Three of them? Yeah. Did it change much?

SPEAKER_02 25:42

Yes. Different sketches, different songs.

SPEAKER_00 25:45

Sketches.

SPEAKER_02 25:46

You'd get some characters that carried over. My favourite were the wobblies. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:50

What's the wobblies?

SPEAKER_02 25:52

Um it's them in sort of giant trousers pretending to be fat people.

SPEAKER_00 25:59

I knew it! I bloody knew it!

SPEAKER_02 26:02

And there's a song that goes with it as well. Is there?

SPEAKER_00 26:05

Yeah, I bet there is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:07

Yeah. I'm not going to sing it.

SPEAKER_00 26:09

Do you know it? Yes, of course I know it. You have to sing it.

SPEAKER_02 26:13

And as we wobble along, we sing you a wobbly song. It's not the whole thing.

SPEAKER_00 26:20

It could be worse. I assume there's worse in there.

SPEAKER_02 26:23

I also uh at these events from one of the tours I bought a VHS of a previous tour that I hadn't seen. I've also got three cassettes. I've still got pose of of their greatest hits.

SPEAKER_00 26:37

At least the format suggests that this is a while ago.

SPEAKER_02 26:40

Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 26:42

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 26:42

Okay. Well, uh I mean it's I would say it's unexpected, but not totally. Um I think the unexpected thing is that they had more than one tour.

SPEAKER_02 26:53

They were very popular.

SPEAKER_00 26:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:55

They had their own TV show as well, as this.

SPEAKER_00 26:58

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 26:59

Yeah. There is also something else, but I'm not saying it on air.

SPEAKER_00 27:03

No.

SPEAKER_02 27:04

I'll tell you afterwards.

SPEAKER_00 27:05

You haven't got a tattoo, have you?

SPEAKER_02 27:13

Right. So they're at sea, and they're all starting, if I may be so blunt, to get a little bit pissed off with each other.

SPEAKER_00 27:22

Yes, it's a bit testy, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:23

It's a bit tense on that ship, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 27:25

They don't like the smell.

SPEAKER_02 27:26

No.

SPEAKER_00 27:26

Obviously, all these animals are shitting everywhere.

SPEAKER_02 27:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 27:29

Not a lot of space, no noise.

SPEAKER_02 27:32

Zippy and Zippo in particular.

SPEAKER_00 27:34

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:35

Very impressed.

SPEAKER_00 27:36

I think we forgot to mention.

SPEAKER_02 27:38

Yes, Zippy and Zippo were the first animals to arrive.

SPEAKER_00 27:42

Yeah, so Zippy's an animal, but which I had to sit with really because I I don't know why I thought he was, but but he just says to Noah, uh Bungle, can I c can I come aboard? And Noah's like, yeah, yeah, sure. Which I was thinking, no, he can't because he's sort of a person. But oh can my cousin come? Zippo? Yes. But you will have to fuck him in order to continue your species.

SPEAKER_02 28:11

I got female vibes from Zippo.

SPEAKER_00 28:14

I didn't get any vibes from Zippo. The cold dead eyes of Zippo. So I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Yes, Zippo can come, but you will have to fuck her, your cousin, in order to continue your species. Thanks for watching. Is that okay? Yeah, so sorry about that.

SPEAKER_02 28:34

Of course we we also may be assuming you may have to fuck them.

SPEAKER_00 28:39

Well let's let's not assume because this is clearly we don't know what the the species is, we don't know what the rules are, maybe they don't even have to fuck in order to reproduce.

SPEAKER_02 28:50

Maybe they just spring from a pod. Maybe.

SPEAKER_00 28:55

Who knows?

SPEAKER_02 28:56

Zippy suggests that the animals could sing to pass the time.

SPEAKER_00 29:02

Yeah. I wasn't really on board with that suggestion. Why? Not having, you know, been at uh three previous Roger and Freddy tours, I I just I could do without it, I think.

SPEAKER_02 29:14

Here's another truth bomb for you. This song that they sing in this episode was on one of my cassettes.

SPEAKER_00 29:21

Really?

SPEAKER_02 29:22

Yes. And I know all the words.

SPEAKER_00 29:24

Do you?

SPEAKER_02 29:25

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 29:25

Oh no wonder you weren't making many notes. You know it all off by heart.

SPEAKER_02 29:29

When Noah built the animal. Oh no, that's not the word.

SPEAKER_00 29:32

No, no, no. Noah didn't build the animals.

SPEAKER_02 29:34

When Noah sent the animals in two by two. Can you imagine the hullabaloo? Oh, I won't.

SPEAKER_00 29:43

They did say hullabaloo. Yes, yeah, yeah. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 29:46

Oh, the pigs went and the sheep went bah. The elephants waved at the tall gym. That's why there was an elephant.

SPEAKER_00 29:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:55

Because they'd written the song already and we're like, well, we've got to have these animals.

SPEAKER_00 29:58

Yeah, and it's much harder to make someone into a giraffe. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 30:03

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 30:04

I think we can all agree.

SPEAKER_02 30:07

We move on to the next scene of the story where the rain has stopped.

SPEAKER_00 30:14

Well, we all know what happens next in Noah, don't we?

SPEAKER_02 30:16

You know Yeah, Jane doesn't stop barring.

SPEAKER_00 30:22

After you know, after the rains are finished, they need to and obviously they've been angsty because they've been stuck on the the boat. They have to look for signs. God was going to send a sign to say that it's all done with and everything's safe now and whatever.

SPEAKER_02 30:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:36

And so what God has done is staple a dove to the dove cut. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 30:42

Yes. At an odd angle. And sent a rainbow.

SPEAKER_00 30:44

He sent a rainbow. I didn't see the rainbow. I saw the rainbow. Must have blinked and missed it.

SPEAKER_02 30:49

But yeah, he did staple a dove.

SPEAKER_00 30:51

I believe they had a rainbow. The whole show is called rainbow. So if they didn't, it'd be weird.

SPEAKER_02 30:57

Then send the dove a piece, everybody's very happy.

SPEAKER_00 31:00

Yep, great.

SPEAKER_02 31:00

Then we get another shine down from God going, Noah, Noah.

SPEAKER_00 31:04

Right into his brain.

SPEAKER_02 31:06

He sort of seizes up and we realise this is the end of the dream, and it's actually Geoffrey going, Bungle, Bungle, come and have your bath.

SPEAKER_00 31:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:15

Uh Zippy and George have already had their bath because they're wearing their sleep hats.

SPEAKER_00 31:21

Nightcaps, I think.

SPEAKER_02 31:22

Nightcaps. Zippy's is quite erect.

SPEAKER_00 31:25

I was gonna mention the erectness of Zippy's hat. I would say that was unnecessary, and they did that on purpose.

SPEAKER_02 31:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 31:33

It's been stuffed with something. A nightcap is floppy.

SPEAKER_02 31:37

I wonder if it's because of the shape of Zippy's head. Like nothing would stay it it just laid flat.

SPEAKER_00 31:45

It would just be pinned flat to the top.

SPEAKER_02 31:46

Yeah. I Because they don't do the same with George's, but George's has got some George's got some hippo ears.

SPEAKER_00 31:54

His head fits in it maybe.

SPEAKER_02 31:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:56

Alright. I thought they were just trying to make his hat look rude.

SPEAKER_02 31:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 32:00

Which seems on par with the vibe that I'm getting.

SPEAKER_02 32:04

Okay. And then we we reach the end of the episode. The song happens again over the credits.

SPEAKER_00 32:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:13

It's I mean, camp wise, where where are we on this episode, do you think?

SPEAKER_02 32:19

I do think we're quite high. Yeah. And I think it is for me the the sort of battle between kids TV and the Bible.

SPEAKER_01 32:29

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:31

It's not a sentence I say often enough.

SPEAKER_00 32:36

Duking it out, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:38

But like You've got George in himself is quite camp.

SPEAKER_00 32:42

George, every time he turns up rattling his milk bottle harem girl outfit, that's quite camp.

SPEAKER_02 32:48

But I mean, even when George is not in costume, when George is just being himself, he is a camp hippopotamus.

SPEAKER_00 32:57

He is, isn't he?

SPEAKER_02 32:58

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 32:59

Yeah. And I think yeah, I think kids' TV quite often has a knowing wink, which we've associated with camp.

SPEAKER_02 33:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:10

It's somewhat there in this episode.

SPEAKER_02 33:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 33:13

But we are moving on to another episode which we watched.

SPEAKER_02 33:16

We are, yes. We're going back in time now. So Noah's Ark aired in 1989.

SPEAKER_00 33:22

Right.

SPEAKER_02 33:23

And the next episode that we watched aired in 1981. So we're going back eight years. And the title of this episode is Stroking.

SPEAKER_00 33:33

Yeah, so when you're choosing things to make kids' TV shows about, you know, that like the weather, Noah's Ark, you know, farm animals.

SPEAKER_01 33:44

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 33:44

All these sorts of things make sense to me. Who pitched stroking as a topic for an episode? Who sat down and thought we've done we've done letters, numbers, god.

SPEAKER_02 33:59

We were already nine years in. Nine years.

SPEAKER_00 34:01

After nine years you get to stroking.

SPEAKER_02 34:03

Stroking, yes.

SPEAKER_00 34:05

Mmm.

SPEAKER_02 34:06

So it opens, I think, quite abruptly. Yes, I with Jeffrey going, We've got a cat called Jasmine. They're all in, I'm gonna say the garden.

unknown 34:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:17

There's there's Astroturf on the floor. Yes. Well, I say Astroturf. Back then it's like that butcher's grass that they used to put the meat on in the window. Um and a painted board of flowers.

SPEAKER_02 34:29

Then we start stroking the cat.

SPEAKER_00 34:32

We don't, it's nothing to do with me. Nothing in this episode am I involved in.

SPEAKER_02 34:38

Okay. Geoffrey and Bungle start stroking the cat.

SPEAKER_00 34:42

Yeah, they do.

SPEAKER_02 34:43

And Geoffrey says, without a hint of irony, Do you like stroking soft furry things?

SPEAKER_00 34:51

He does say that.

unknown 34:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:53

He he describes stroking in some detail.

SPEAKER_02 34:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 34:57

It says you um rub your hand along something.

SPEAKER_02 35:01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 35:01

Not too hard.

SPEAKER_02 35:03

Not too much pressure.

SPEAKER_00 35:04

Not too much pressure. They got away with that.

unknown 35:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:07

Only one way, you don't go forwards and backwards.

SPEAKER_00 35:11

Yeah. That is different to how I've done it.

SPEAKER_02 35:15

And yes, you get this quite extended explanation of how to stroke. Yes. A cat.

SPEAKER_00 35:25

I don't think it's ever specified that it has to be a cat.

SPEAKER_02 35:28

No.

SPEAKER_00 35:33

Zippy actually doesn't want to stroke a cat, which is no surprise to me.

SPEAKER_02 35:38

He prefers dogs.

SPEAKER_00 35:39

He prefers dogs.

SPEAKER_02 35:40

And I pat them like this.

SPEAKER_00 35:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:44

And he aggressively hits George.

SPEAKER_00 35:46

At that point I realised I didn't know how many fingers to expect him to have, but it was different than what I thought.

SPEAKER_02 35:52

And George goes, ooh, zippy.

SPEAKER_00 35:57

Yes, he does, doesn't he? That's then after I'm put into this uncomfortable position of them describing what stroking is and how to do it, Jeffrey says, let's have a look at some children now.

SPEAKER_02 36:14

Yes, he does. Let's look at some children now. They're stroking some farm animals. And we cut to a footage of children stroking farm animals.

SPEAKER_00 36:26

I think this was quite a common thing that children's TV shows did was have a studio segment and then cut to kids experiencing the world. Yes. I'm gonna say.

SPEAKER_02 36:38

Yeah. They are also not stroking in accordance with Jeffrey's rules.

SPEAKER_00 36:42

Absolutely not. They are just going for whatever they think.

SPEAKER_02 36:47

Hammering away at that cow up and down, up and down.

SPEAKER_00 36:51

Well, yes, uh I don't know if I'd have put it that way. Um it's the cow's head.

SPEAKER_02 36:56

There's also I think they're stroking the goat's horns whilst the goat is being milked.

SPEAKER_00 37:02

Yeah. Not the part of the goat I would touch.

SPEAKER_01 37:07

No.

SPEAKER_00 37:07

Well that sounds terrible. But but it's rough, it's rough a goat's horn. And that they aren't stroking the pig in any way. She's scratching the pig.

SPEAKER_01 37:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:17

Pigs aren't nice to stroke. They're very wiry, their hair. So scratching a pig is totally I think it's I think it's she's right.

SPEAKER_02 37:27

Right.

SPEAKER_00 37:27

But it doesn't demonstrate stroking, does it?

SPEAKER_02 37:29

No, it doesn't.

SPEAKER_00 37:30

Again, why this episode shouldn't have been about stroking. Petting, maybe. But then petting meant something different back then. As evidenced by those um do you remember the swimming signs? No heavy petting.

SPEAKER_02 37:42

Yes, I do remember those swimming signs.

SPEAKER_00 37:44

And everybody always was like, what the hell is petting?

SPEAKER_02 37:47

Fingering.

SPEAKER_00 37:50

I think it encompassed a wide range of activities.

SPEAKER_02 37:54

I will I'm gonna take this moment now to talk about the so-called lost episode of Rainbow.

SPEAKER_00 38:01

Right.

SPEAKER_02 38:02

It's not a lost episode of Rainbow, it's out there, we can watch it. But the point of the lost episode of Rainbow was that the TV company that made it every year held a bloopers contest. And one year Rainbow didn't submit a blooper, they created, I think it was like seven minutes, like a seven-minute episode that is stuffed with every innuendo possible, knowing exactly what they were doing, and doing it to make the people at the studio laugh. I believe they got the prize for it.

SPEAKER_00 38:38

To be honest, that when this started, there was a part of me that assumed that's what you were showing me.

SPEAKER_02 38:44

Well, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 38:45

Until we cut to the children, and then I thought, no, I think they're real I think this is genuine.

SPEAKER_02 38:51

It opens the the the so-called lost episode with Zippy and George peeling a banana.

SPEAKER_00 38:59

Right.

SPEAKER_02 38:59

And Zippy going, one skin, two skin, three skin, four, oh Zippy! And it's it's all about blowing and playing with balls and it's very, very funny. Yeah. But I want I need the listener to know that what we're watching now, Stroking 1981, is a genuine episode that went out for children.

SPEAKER_00 39:23

Yeah. This is well, this is the thing. I was convinced when we I were watching that first thing, I was like, oh, I've heard about this this episode that where they just say naughty things. Maybe that's what Nick has sent me to watch. But but then yeah, when they cut to children, I'm like, I think we're just in a real episode.

SPEAKER_02 39:41

We are.

SPEAKER_00 39:42

And it's yeah, it's it's this is the thing, uh it's impossible in my mind to do that opening segment without them knowing that they're in Dublin Tendre, you know.

SPEAKER_02 39:56

You would think.

SPEAKER_00 39:56

You would think. And I c I mean I don't have a problem with that. I think if there's a little joke in there that makes the mums and dads laugh, it's absolutely fine. And the kids are seeing animals and you know, whatever, it's doing them no harm. But it's definitely camp. To have this level of dubl entendre, you have to you're in the camp realm.

SPEAKER_02 40:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 40:20

You're in it.

SPEAKER_02 40:21

Just in case we were confused about the direction of the episode, we cut back to the garden.

SPEAKER_00 40:25

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_02 40:27

And now suddenly Bungle is wearing a giant black blindfold.

SPEAKER_00 40:31

One of the biggest blindfolds I've ever seen.

SPEAKER_02 40:34

Jeffrey is tightening that thing as well.

SPEAKER_00 40:37

Yes. So so Bungle is having a blindfold put on.

SPEAKER_02 40:41

Yes. So that they can play a game where they have to touch something or stroke something to decipher what it is.

SPEAKER_00 40:51

Yeah. They even say at some point, I think, it was no good just touching, you need to stroke it properly.

SPEAKER_02 40:57

Zippy said those exact words because I've also written them down. Bungle felt some velvet.

SPEAKER_00 41:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:05

Oh, it feels ever so smooth. Soft. Oh. Yes. Then George feels an ice cube.

SPEAKER_00 41:15

Oh, it's so cold.

SPEAKER_02 41:17

Oh, it's ever so hard.

SPEAKER_00 41:20

Yes, he does he does mention its hardness a few times. We have to go through this uh palaver of taking the blindfold off of Michael and then putting it on George.

SPEAKER_01 41:31

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 41:31

And then finally tying it around what I believe I referred to as the cold dead eyes of Zippy. Uh so that they definitely can't see.

SPEAKER_02 41:41

Yes. I'm also I'm going to take this moment to say that Zippy is called Zippy because you can zip up his mouth.

SPEAKER_00 41:48

Oh yes, if anyone's unfamiliar.

SPEAKER_02 41:50

Yes, you can zip up his mouth, which in itself, if you've got your mouth zipped up and a big black blindfold on, you're getting into some quite kinky territory.

SPEAKER_00 42:00

I think it's quite problematic as a species that they zip their mouths.

SPEAKER_02 42:04

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 42:05

I'm not saying there aren't people that would argue it's it would be a benefit in society, but I d I definitely think it gets into a problematic area.

SPEAKER_02 42:14

Yes. We don't see it in either of these two episodes, but it does happen.

SPEAKER_00 42:18

That they zip his mouth against his will.

SPEAKER_02 42:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:21

It's a bit wrong, isn't it? They I do is Zippy sort of like um bullied? Because they give him the worst thing to touch.

SPEAKER_02 42:30

No, I don't think Zippy's bullied. Zippy is um a git. Yeah, basically.

SPEAKER_00 42:36

Right, okay.

SPEAKER_02 42:37

He's sort of the dominant force in the house. Um so he gets to f stroke sandpaper.

SPEAKER_00 42:45

Yeah. Ooh, it's rough.

SPEAKER_02 42:48

Then it's suggested that we try it ourselves.

SPEAKER_00 42:53

Well, try play it with friends.

SPEAKER_02 42:55

Well yeah, shall we?

SPEAKER_00 42:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:57

Okay. I'd rather not. You got a blindfold?

SPEAKER_00 42:59

Yes, of course.

SPEAKER_02 43:03

How many do you need? I've got some things you can feel. Um I've just got a very full rucksack, that's all I mean.

SPEAKER_00 43:14

A few, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 43:16

Then we get an animation, and this was quite um these were quite important to Rainbow, to kind of they would just insert them for like a change in time or a change in scene or something like that. This animation is of a man having a shave.

SPEAKER_00 43:31

Yes. I wouldn't say it's particularly informative for children. No. It's literally a man's face and he's got a beard, um then there's a little squeaky noise as he gets shaved off. That's that. Yes. That's all that happens.

SPEAKER_02 43:46

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 43:47

Which takes us to Oh, but maybe maybe you would he strokes his face. He's stroking his own face after the beard is gone.

SPEAKER_02 43:55

Right.

SPEAKER_00 43:56

Stroking, you see. Oh, tying it on. I'm tying it in.

SPEAKER_02 44:00

The animation takes us into Rod Jane and Roger.

SPEAKER_00 44:03

Oh yes. There's another song coming. Well the first scene the first shot we see is of a dog.

SPEAKER_02 44:12

Yes. Mabel.

SPEAKER_00 44:13

Mabel. We know she's called Mabel because she has a huge pink heart with her name on it round her neck. She is a Yorkshire terrier. I would say on Camp Dogs. Poodles probably think they've got the whole thing sewn up. But a long-haired Yorkshire terrier really it is camp.

SPEAKER_02 44:35

It is camp, you're right. I think it's even camper when it's paired with Jane.

SPEAKER_00 44:40

Yes. Jane is handling Mabel.

SPEAKER_02 44:43

Yes, in her dungarees and rugby shirt.

SPEAKER_00 44:46

Yes, they've all got dungarees on, which I I assume now that you've told me the names r i uh Roger really doesn't suit as a look.

SPEAKER_02 44:55

Do you know what Jane later became quite famous for wearing when they were doing their own TV show and when they were on tour?

SPEAKER_00 45:02

When you said famous for, I was gonna I was gonna assume porn. But um wearing, no, I don't, please tell me.

SPEAKER_02 45:09

Fishnets.

SPEAKER_00 45:10

Really? Yeah, no. Do you know what? That doesn't surprise me.

SPEAKER_02 45:13

No, she was always in Fishnet, was Jane.

SPEAKER_00 45:15

You know, wouldn't you say she was married to Rod and then she was married to Freddie, and nobody knows what happened in between? I'm pretty sure there's a crossover point where all of them were at him. They sing a song. Which bug do sing a song? Please tell me how it goes because I could not believe how it goes. We all love to stroke this dog. The first line was Have You Ever Stroked a Dog? Yes. Have you ever I can't remember, I don't know the tune, but Have You Ever Stroked a Dog is an insane way to open a song.

SPEAKER_02 45:47

It's I've so I've used the term word soup quite a lot before. This felt like stroke soup.

SPEAKER_00 45:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 45:55

What can we say about stroking stroking?

SPEAKER_00 45:57

You say it too many times, it loses all meaning.

SPEAKER_02 45:59

Write all the things down we can say about stroking. Write a little tune.

SPEAKER_00 46:03

Have you ever stroked a dog? They um so sh Mabel the dog, um Jane's got hold of.

SPEAKER_02 46:10

Yeah. They do one Roger gets a guinea pig.

SPEAKER_00 46:13

Well they do one verse about Mabel the dog, and and Roger brings out this guinea pig.

SPEAKER_02 46:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 46:17

The guinea pig doesn't like Roger any more than Rod and Chain do. Its little arms are straight out. I suppose they're legs, aren't they? But they seem to have hands. I don't know. I I'm not um um David Attenborough. Anyway, they have its little front limbs are straight out in a way that says, Help! Help Um but they sing a song about how much this guinea pig likes being stroked.

SPEAKER_02 46:42

It's also an albino guinea pig, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 46:44

Is it?

SPEAKER_02 46:45

Yeah, it's white with pink eyes.

SPEAKER_00 46:47

Well it's white. I didn't notice it had pink eyes, did it?

SPEAKER_02 46:49

I think yeah, I used to have an albino rabbit.

SPEAKER_00 46:52

Did you?

SPEAKER_02 46:52

Yeah, maybe I'm projecting.

SPEAKER_00 46:54

Do they still have them? Because I feel like I don't see them as much now.

SPEAKER_02 46:57

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 46:57

When I was a kid, I th every other person had one. Now, never see them. I mean I don't think it's healthy for them, so it probably means best best not to.

SPEAKER_02 47:05

I also don't think we're at the age where you had tend to have pet rabbits anymore.

SPEAKER_00 47:09

No, you're right. Yes. No.

SPEAKER_02 47:11

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 47:12

I don't I just don't meet as many people with pet rabbits. School was kind of a thing. You know, every every language lesson, hast du haus tier. That's gone in there.

SPEAKER_02 47:25

Eloquent. That's Spanish. Anyway. Rod is holding what I think is a vole. He's holding a tiny thing in his hand that well, I'm not I'm also not convinced it's real.

SPEAKER_00 47:40

I think it probably is real, which is why he can't show it to us properly. He's got really but it's it might be a hamster.

SPEAKER_02 47:47

It could be a hamster.

SPEAKER_00 47:48

Because you he he can't show us properly because it's gonna jump out of his hands. Yeah. It also may want to disappear because Mabel the Doc is eyeing up for the guinea pig and him and licking its lips. The dog is licking its lips. And Jane is having to restrain the Shorkshire Terrier from making a break to get these tiny animals. Whilst they they sing a song that goes, I'm small and soft and nice to touch, will you stroke me every day?

SPEAKER_02 48:19

We get out of the song with another animation, and this is a quintessential rainbow animation. This one popped up in most episodes.

SPEAKER_00 48:28

Not this exact story.

SPEAKER_02 48:31

Not the story. The animation of a rabbit pulling on a carrot and producing a rainbow whilst making some of the most explicit sex noises I've ever heard.

SPEAKER_00 48:42

Right. I I've jumped ahead. Yeah, the rabbit thing, fine.

SPEAKER_02 48:45

Then we get we're then we're back in the garden.

SPEAKER_00 48:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 48:48

And Geoffrey says, We're going to have a story. Tom's here today to read a story.

SPEAKER_00 48:54

Tom, is it? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 48:55

Yeah. I don't know where that man's come from.

SPEAKER_00 48:58

No, he didn't seem to belong there.

SPEAKER_02 48:59

I don't know why he's in the house.

SPEAKER_00 49:01

He doesn't seem to belong around children.

SPEAKER_02 49:03

And Geoffrey says, Tom, what are you doing? And he's there with a magnifying glass, going, I'm pretending to be a mole.

SPEAKER_00 49:13

Yeah, he does say that. Which I I think is a bad lesson for children to learn. That if you ask somebody who's in your garden what they're doing, and that they answer, I'm pretending to be a mole, you shouldn't immediately go and get your mum and dad and get them to throw them out.

SPEAKER_02 49:30

No, you should sit for a story.

SPEAKER_00 49:32

Sit for a story. Sit for a long and boring story.

SPEAKER_02 49:36

A st well, I have issues with the story.

SPEAKER_00 49:39

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:42

So Mr.

SPEAKER_00 49:43

Mole, Colin the Mole. Yes, the mole is called Colin, which I think is a good name for a mole.

SPEAKER_02 49:50

Reads in the paper that there is a shop that is having a sale on coats.

SPEAKER_00 49:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 49:56

He decides he needs a new mole skin coat.

SPEAKER_00 50:00

Mmm. That's the first issue.

SPEAKER_02 50:02

That is the first issue. He's going to a shop that sells other skinned animals to buy himself a new coat for himself.

SPEAKER_00 50:11

Yeah. So in if if he were a human, this is the sort of shop that Hannibal Lecter would run.

SPEAKER_02 50:20

Yes. Yes, okay.

SPEAKER_00 50:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:23

He gets to the shop.

SPEAKER_00 50:24

But there is a spring sale on. So what can you say? You can't say fairer than that.

SPEAKER_02 50:29

And he's a little bit blind, so he accidentally puts his big pink tea cozy on his head to go to the shop.

SPEAKER_00 50:34

Yeah, I I think we have to say that there's no they don't mean any offence to blind people. It's just a joke on moles being short-sighted.

SPEAKER_02 50:43

He's hoping to bump into his cousin Mortimer, who works there.

SPEAKER_00 50:47

Which the fact that he's only hoping, considering he works there, he really doesn't have much sight. I might go there and not meet him at all. But you know, that happens.

SPEAKER_02 50:59

He gets greeted by a bitchy owl.

SPEAKER_00 51:02

That owl is one of the cuntiest things we have seen on this podcast.

SPEAKER_02 51:09

I'm definitely gonna have to put the explicit uh language on this one. No, I agree. I completely agree.

SPEAKER_00 51:16

The way that owl is drawn, we should just say all of this is not acted out all no. We're not in like flashback bungle uh land. This is just like the images like they were from a book. We're just looking at them.

SPEAKER_02 51:28

I don't think bungle was having a flashback to when he built the arc.

SPEAKER_00 51:32

It was a dream sequence.

SPEAKER_02 51:34

Dream sequence.

SPEAKER_00 51:34

Flashback implies that I believe Bungle was at one time Noah, which I don't as it happens.

SPEAKER_02 51:42

I've heard of past lives. So yeah, this owl is like well, the mole skin coaxer over there.

SPEAKER_00 51:50

Yeah. No customer service, real bitchy owl, but still looks like a queen, so what can you do? Just go with it.

SPEAKER_02 52:00

Then Colin the Mole proceeds to, and I I worry that I'm overstating, but I don't think I am. Colin the Mole proceeds to sexually assault a hedgehog.

SPEAKER_00 52:12

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 52:12

A frog.

SPEAKER_00 52:13

Toad.

SPEAKER_02 52:14

Toad, sorry.

SPEAKER_00 52:15

Yeah, yeah. Because he also calls him warty.

unknown 52:18

What?

SPEAKER_00 52:18

Imagine that. You've been felt up against your will, and the assailant calls you warty. Well, don't imagine it, I don't want to trigger anyone.

SPEAKER_02 52:30

But like the the the the gag of the whole thing is that he can't see and he's feeling about in the shop for coats but just keeps feeling up other animals.

SPEAKER_00 52:40

Yes.

unknown 52:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:41

It's very busy because there's a sailor. Oh well yeah. But that isn't an excuse you can use, not that I've tried.

SPEAKER_02 52:47

Do you do you think the hedgehog was there for a moleskin coat?

SPEAKER_00 52:53

Discuss Well, uh uh it would be weird if the hedgehog was there for another hedgehog coat, wouldn't it? I can totally see why a hedgehog would sometimes want a softer coat, you know.

SPEAKER_02 53:07

But does that do then imply that the hedgehog is taking off its hedgehog coat to put on its moleskin coat?

SPEAKER_00 53:14

Are we in a world where the animals switch skins? But can the hedgehog shed its spiky layer?

SPEAKER_02 53:24

If we are in that world, I think we should leave immediately. So there's all sorts of dodgy feeling up and then he feels some mole schemes.

SPEAKER_00 53:40

He fills up his own cousin.

SPEAKER_02 53:41

He fills up his own cousin Mortimer. They have a good laugh about it though.

SPEAKER_00 53:44

They're fine. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 53:45

Oh, you know cousin Mortimer.

SPEAKER_00 53:47

Mortimer. An amazing name for a mole.

SPEAKER_02 53:51

Yeah, I think better than Colin.

SPEAKER_00 53:53

Yeah, maybe.

SPEAKER_02 53:54

And you know what Mortimer's got that Colin hasn't got?

SPEAKER_00 53:57

Um glasses.

SPEAKER_02 53:58

Glasses, yes.

SPEAKER_00 53:59

Yeah, that's smart. Mortimer is actually proper dandy.

SPEAKER_02 54:04

Mortimer's got his life together.

SPEAKER_00 54:06

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 54:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 54:08

But his his his glasses match his hat.

SPEAKER_02 54:11

Whereas I didn't notice that. I was blinded by the big pink tea cozy.

SPEAKER_00 54:15

Well, this is the thing.

SPEAKER_02 54:16

Which they all have a good laugh about.

SPEAKER_00 54:17

They have a good laugh about Colin wearing a tea cozy. But uh Morti apparently moles and hats is a thing. Because Mortimer has a hat which is coordinated with his glasses, which I really appreciate because I love to coordinate my glasses with um an outfit.

SPEAKER_01 54:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 54:33

So I really appreciated Mortimer. I think Mortimer is a great name for the type of mole that Mortimer is, and Colin is a great name for the type of mole that Colin is.

SPEAKER_02 54:43

Okay, they embody their names.

SPEAKER_00 54:45

They do. It's nominative determinism, it's that, it's very that.

SPEAKER_02 54:49

The story finishes.

SPEAKER_00 54:51

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 54:52

And then we get another what I would call quintessential animation, which is the Loch Ness Rainbow.

SPEAKER_00 54:57

Oh yes.

SPEAKER_02 54:58

They use that a lot.

SPEAKER_00 54:59

Right.

SPEAKER_02 55:00

You the camera goes into the Loch Ness monster's mouth and you're back. You're back in the room.

SPEAKER_00 55:06

You're back with yeah, your favourites.

SPEAKER_02 55:09

Tom's gone.

SPEAKER_00 55:10

Thank God.

SPEAKER_02 55:11

But Tom's disappeared.

SPEAKER_00 55:12

Honestly, I never want to see that.

SPEAKER_02 55:13

I'll be honest, he's not one of my favourites.

SPEAKER_00 55:15

No.

SPEAKER_02 55:16

They had is anybody's favourite? They have in some episodes other guest readers.

SPEAKER_00 55:22

Right.

SPEAKER_02 55:23

That are actually someone.

SPEAKER_00 55:26

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 55:27

They uh recurred Auntie Pat, who was the actress Pat Coombs.

SPEAKER_00 55:32

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 55:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 55:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 55:34

She would she would come and read stories.

SPEAKER_00 55:35

Is she your favourite?

SPEAKER_02 55:37

Um I don't know if I've seen enough of Auntie Pat. As a child, I particularly liked Dawn.

SPEAKER_00 55:43

Dawn?

SPEAKER_02 55:43

Dawn.

SPEAKER_00 55:45

What was her what was her vibe?

SPEAKER_02 55:48

Her vibe. She was sort of young, bit funky. Yeah. Quite sort of late 80s, early 90s, typical. You're giving me a funny look now.

SPEAKER_00 55:59

Typical what? Just from the end of the sentence.

SPEAKER_02 56:02

J just typical.

SPEAKER_00 56:04

Just very typical.

SPEAKER_02 56:05

Of that period. Yeah. Yeah. Great.

SPEAKER_00 56:07

I like it.

SPEAKER_02 56:08

She was always out for a good time, was Dawn.

SPEAKER_00 56:10

Good time, girl.

SPEAKER_02 56:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 56:11

I like 'em.

SPEAKER_02 56:12

Good time, Dawn.

SPEAKER_00 56:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 56:13

Then we have some random chatter about patting.

SPEAKER_00 56:18

Yeah, because the episode was stroking and they seem concerned that they didn't get enough pats into the episode.

SPEAKER_02 56:24

Yeah, it we lose all focus of stroking. It's like they're doing a bit of next week's script. Look at me, I'm patting a ball. Imagine. It comes back when you pat it.

SPEAKER_00 56:33

Oh yes, that's right, because Bungle's trying to bounce a ball like you would in basketball. But on the um butcher's grass it doesn't do so well.

SPEAKER_02 56:44

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 56:45

Yeah. I I I really hope that next episode wasn't patting, 'cause I feel like if there was a whole series just like stroking, patting. Where do you get to by episode you know twenty-five or two?

SPEAKER_02 57:00

Well it ran for another eleven years. And then it all wraps up very quickly. Well, it they aren't very long episodes. They're not, but I mean at least with Noah's Ark, you reach the end of the story.

SPEAKER_00 57:15

Yes, it felt more satisfying.

SPEAKER_02 57:17

This felt more like a series of sketches.

SPEAKER_00 57:20

I was gonna say collection of junk, but yes, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 57:24

You get your description of stroking sketch, you get your children sketch, you get your blindfold sketch. Yes. You get your song.

SPEAKER_00 57:35

Song, song.

SPEAKER_02 57:36

Don't forget the song. It's like old school variety, I'm telling you. You get your story, and then you get thrown out. Yeah, basically. And I think that's I find the ending of this one quite jarring.

SPEAKER_00 57:47

It's a bit jarring.

SPEAKER_02 57:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:49

But overall, as an episode, it has been a right old tour through camp.

SPEAKER_02 57:55

Oh god, yes.

SPEAKER_00 57:56

Camp for children.

SPEAKER_02 57:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:58

They wouldn't even allow it now.

SPEAKER_02 58:00

No, they wouldn't. Uh but the the thing is, is I don't think I think at the time nobody realised it was camp.

SPEAKER_00 58:07

No, that's it.

SPEAKER_02 58:08

Because it's not if I go back to my holy quadrilogy, they all look and feel much the same. I think Rainbow is the one that is heightened because it's four men, and so there are weird cross-dressing moments. Yeah. And you've got the singers that come in and we watch two very different versions of them today. You have the episode where they're integrated in, and then you also get the episode where they just pop up and sing something and you never hear from them again.

SPEAKER_00 58:45

And I think this is one of the reasons why kids TV might operate in a world of camp because it doesn't ground itself in reality.

SPEAKER_02 58:55

It doesn't try and explain itself.

SPEAKER_00 58:56

It's this swirling mass of ideas, and it knows that it can just jump from one thing that doesn't really match to another. It knows it doesn't matter if this is a real garden that we're in. We don't need the continuity of moving from this to this, we can just put in an animation. And so you're in this kind of like the this vortex of whatever happens, happens, and don't stick too much on what this reality is, which works for kids because they're more imaginative actually and more open. And I think it's sad that we don't think adults will like that ever. Like obviously it's good to have things that are grounded in reality, but not everything has to be so grounded in reality.

SPEAKER_02 59:42

I think and it has only come to me as we've been discussing it, but there I sort of said it jokingly before, but there is an element of variety to it, and an element of I don't want to over-intellectualise by saying there's an element of musical, but like it is a series of things, and those like the animations are like your little front cloth bits where they bring the cloth in and they sort of reset and then you go and do something else, and the pieces of set look like pieces of set you would have in like a little sort of sketch thing.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:15

I I no, I totally get that, and it is it's like where it does just enough to convey what it needs to convey for that moment in time. Yes, it's not taking us into a world for the duration of whatever, it's like here's a little thing, see what you make of it, and then here's something else. Yeah, and there's something quite nice about that, and yeah, I think it works for children because they're they're happy to engage with whatever they're seeing next, you know, they're happy to just take that and run with it. And for adults, even though their brains should be able to take a lot more, we tend to feel like that we uh everything, you know, every gap has got to be filled for them, everything's got to be explained or accurate or whatever it is. And it is really interesting to think about camp in the terms of in terms of this because it is like the detachment from reality, the focus on like colours and silliness, and then also the fact that there's a kind of knowingness that's operating underneath it. There's a lot of different things that sort of like elevate it into a fun space that I think I think makes it campy. But but also just makes it work really well for children. Like I a lot of kids TV now seems seem it seems to be like they do a lot of animations that are actually like digital and whatever.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:45

Well, there's barely any of it being made anymore, for one thing.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:49

And the stuff that is being made tends to be really for those early years kids.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:55

And I I think that's probably what Rainbow was for.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:59

It was meant to be for early years, but I think like the older brothers and sisters could sit and watch it and be perfectly Because I think there's another layer to it. There's another layer. And I quite like the idea of a kids' TV show where there is like an odd bloke who's too old to be there that just turns up. Like you you the kids need to be exposed to these things I was gonna say. But like they need to realise it's not all digital animations of you know um fluffy bunnies um that sometimes weird blokes turn up in your garden. No, but like no, I think it's good for them to engage with the naff.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:37

And engage with like the weirdness of you know, stories being told to you in all different ways and yeah, just just creepy old blokes being part of the world. Can't stop saying it.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:52

I went to see so I have two godsons and I went to see a stage show with them that was a like a stage production of a character on YouTube. Essentially, they make short form videos on YouTube, and what struck me about it was how polished it was for a piece of like essentially kids' theatre. And I think kids absolutely deserve like quality putting into their start. But sort of looking back at the shows that I went to see when I was a kid, they were certainly I mean I'm sure they weren't cheap at the time, but it wasn't quite as wasn't operating on quite the same scale, I think.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:36

I also like things where they're not quite polished because in terms of your own access to it, when you can, you know, see the strings on the puppet or whatever, you kind of get that feeling of I understand this and how this operates, and it's quite nice for a kid to feel like they're growing into a person that's figuring that out. You know, they didn't realise it when they first watched it, but then they they they grow with it and understand how that's been constructed for them. That's actually quite a nice thing that we we want to take away and hide all that and make out everything is just totally real in a very unreal way. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:16

Yes, uh yeah, I I follow. I follow.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:18

I'm getting on a whole rant now.

unknown 1:04:20

Woo!

SPEAKER_02 1:04:21

So that was the rainbow episode of Camp Icons. Would you like to watch some more?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:26

Um I've actually got to get going, sorry.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:30

It's your house.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:32

Damn, I forgot.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:36

Uh thank you very much for listening. If you have enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe, leave us a review. It really helps to get us out to other listeners. You can also follow us on social media. We are at Camp Icons Podcast on Instagram and TikTok, and our Facebook page is Camp Icons Podcast. Thank you very much, Liz. Thanks, Nick. Thank you very much for listening, and we'll see you next week. Bye.