David Pearce – Popular Culture and Personal Passions

Here is a Box, a Musical Box
Wound up and ready to play
But this box can hide a secret inside
Can you guess what is in it today?

Camberwick Green was made in 1966 and was the first of the Trumptonshire Trilogy, followed by Trumpton in 1967 and Chigley in 1969. To my mind, it is the children’s TV equivalent of the first three albums by The Police. Outlandos D’Amour was a great start, Regatta De Blanc was the standout and Zenyatta Mondatta had great moments but did not hit the height of the first two. That is why you will see Trumpton in this series of posts but not Chigley. Why not put them together as a trilogy? Well, I did think of that, but all three series were self contained and very different from each other in tone and characters. Also, it would have made the blogpost too long. So, what makes Camberwick Green so special? Well, the elements I remember most vividly, before rewatching some of the episodes, are the opening and closing credits and Windy Miller.

If I may digress for a minute, I was interested by a poll I saw in my research for this post. Neither Camberwick Green nor Chigley were able to earn a place in the Channel 4 100 Greatest Kid’s TV Shows poll from 2001, which saw Trumpton at Number 22, and it would be unlikely to be remembered at all by many voters if they re-ran the poll now. It is a fascinating list, but the top spot was taken by The Simpsons showing that the voters had no clear idea what a Kid’s TV show really was. The Simpsons definitely isn’t my idea of a kids show, and I think it was only the fact that it was a cartoon that led voters to that conclusion.

Getting back to Camberwick Green, the programme was, like almost all Watch With Mother programmes, a series of 13 episodes, allowing for 4 different programmes in each daily slot throughout the year, first shown between January 3 and March 28 1966. It was repeated until 1985 and has been released in a number of versions on VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray. The latest, and presumably last, of these releases includes the original master tapes found in writer and producer Gordon Murray’s attic. It is however for the purists given it is over £40 for the DVD and £50 for the Blu-Ray at full price!

Episode 1 Peter Hazell The Postman

The lovely tune, the clown that rotates the opening credits, the music box that opens to reveal the central character of the story, and the unmistakable voice of Brian Cant are instant nostalgia for any child brought up in the UK in the 60s, 70s or 80s. The first story centres around Peter Hazell, the postman for Camberwick Green. Like all the characters, Peter has a song of his own which starts with a strong whistle, a sound that you used to hear from many postmen or milkmen on their rounds, and indeed many men in a range of jobs. He has a song for emptying the post boxes and a variation of the song to tell him who to deliver the letters to. Once he has got the letters sorted he starts dancing with Mrs Dingle, for no adequately explored reason! He goes first to Mickey Murphy the baker, then to Dr Mopp whose beard and top hat made him instantly recognisable to many children of the era. Poor Dr Mopp finds himself being talked at by Mrs Honeyman the village busybody. Then it’s on to Windy Miller with that iconic windmill, the sails turning making a sound I recognised instantly. Windy has the smock and hat that mill workers probably stopped wearing over a century ago. Then, it’s off to Pippin Fort under the command of Captain Snort. Peter gets into trouble for calling the men to collect their letters while they are on parade. As Brian Cant observes, ‘You must never do that’! That is it for the story in Episode 1. Back goes Peter Hazell into the music box and the closing credits are turned by the clown. The lack of action or storyline would almost certainly baffle children these days, but the appeal to those of us of a certain age is more about the characters and the village, which was very similar to the villages you could see in the UK in the 60s and 70s in particular. My grandparents lived in one such village, Felsted in Essex, with many characters who were identifiable chiefly by their professions. It is a throwback to quieter and more socially structured times that is now so far away from our modern lives as to be unfathomable to many.

Episode 2 Windy Miller

We meet Windy at his mill, preparing to grind some corn. We learn that many farmers now take their corn to the large modern mills rather than to the old windmill. Farmer Jonathan Bell brings his corn to Windy and suggests that he get himself a modern mill so he can increase his business. Windy is adamant, saying that the mill was good enough for his father and grandfather and is therefore good enough for him. In any case, as Windy points out, the modern mills don’t make such a nice sound! In a very interesting detail, given that this was made in 1965 before it became socially unacceptable, Jonathan refuses Windy’s offer of home brewed cider as he is driving. Maybe the subtle message influenced a generation of drivers without them knowing it, as I remember that in my generation drinking and driving was definitely frowned upon, whereas for my parents’ generation it was not really a big deal even when it became illegal. Windy, however, has a drink as he likes cider but as it is very strong it sends him to sleep! While he is sleeping the sails stop turning. Mickey Murphy, whose tune is an Irish jig, requires a lot of flour for a flood of orders from Captain Snort and Mrs Honeyman. So, Mickey and his children drive to Colley’s Mill to pick up some flour. They wake Windy up, but there is no wind to power the sails. Windy says that all you need to do is whistle for the wind so he, Mickey and the children try to do this. We then go to Pippin Fort where the soldiers are off to Camberwick Common to play tracking games! They are all roped in by Windy to whistle for the wind and this time it works! Mickey Murphy gets his flour and we wave goodbye to Windy.

Episode 4 Dr Mopp

The family Doctor who visited patients is very much a thing of the past, but Dr Mopp is one such Doctor in his car that requires a handle to start it. This would have been old fashioned even in the 60s, so he is very much a throwback. First of all, Dr Mopp visits the bakery to tend to Mickey Murphy’s children who have bad colds. Luckily Dr Mopp has pink medicine for that, so that’s a relief! Mrs Honeyman sees him go into the bakery and sees the chance for a good gossip. She leaves her baby under the watchful eye of Peter Hazell, but when she looks at her baby in the pram she sees that there are red spots all over its face. What she doesn’t see is one of the soldiers from Pippin Fort on a ladder right above the baby using red paint! Dr Mopp goes to Windy Miller’s mill in a hurry, because, it turns out, he is a keen photographer and Windy has spotted two thrushes building a nest. The doctor remembers that he needs to be at Pippin Fort for a medical inspection of the men, helped by Sgt Major Grout who gives the order to the men to stick their tongues out! Then it’s off to Jonathan Bell whose wife is unwell. He hears a very deep cough which Farmer Bell tells him has been going on for two days. It turns out not to be his wife who has the cough. As Farmer Bell says, ‘Oh no, it’s not my wife, it’s the old cow’!! Definitely a joke for the adults watching 🤣🤣 His final job of a busy episode is to tell Mrs Honeyman that the baby’s red spots are paint.

Final Thoughts

This is an absolute joy of a programme, that looks at old fashioned ways with a wry humour, while indicating that more modern approaches may not always be an improvement. There is real care taken with the stop motion animation and the detailed buildings and backgrounds. People are kind to each other, help each other out whenever needed and are even patient with the gossipy Mrs Honeyman. This vision of a Britain that might only have existed in Trumptonshire is still one that has a power to draw us in. It is an analogue world with community life at its centre and a clear expectation of each person according to their position and profession. Tolerance is the watchword in Camberwick Green, and although very little of any real importance seems to happen, you know that everything is helping to keep their small village in perfect equilibrium. You are safe in Camberwick Green, safe with Brian Cant’s gentle and humorous narration and safe in the little music box which only gives you pleasant secrets.

It’s abiding cultural impact can be shown most clearly by TV series Life On Mars and the rock band Radiohead. Enjoy the two links below, which are dangerous in a way Camberwick Green could never be, but dangerous in a way that would certainly have given Brian Cant a chuckle.