Torchy the Battery Boy

Torchy the Battery Boy
Genre	Adventure Children's Fantasy
Created by	Roberta Leigh
Written by	Roberta Leigh
Directed by	Gerry Anderson (s. 1) Vivian Milroy (s. 2)
Voices of	Kenneth Connor Jill Freud Olwyn Griffiths Patricia Somerset
Composer(s)	Barry Gray
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	52
Production
Producer(s)	Roberta Leigh Gerry Anderson (s. 1)
Cinematography	Arthur Provis
Camera setup	Single
Running time	13 mins approx. per episode
Production company(s)	Pelham Films AP Films (s. 1) ABC Weekend Television (s. 1) Associated British-Pathé (s. 2)
Distributor	Associated-Rediffusion
Release
Original network	ITV
Picture format	Black and white
Audio format	Mono
Original release	1960 – 1961

Torchy the Battery Boy was the second television series produced by AP Films and Gerry Anderson, running from 1960 to 1961. It was another collaboration with author Roberta Leigh and was directed by Anderson, with music scored by Barry Gray, art direction from Reg Hill and special effects by Derek Meddings. The second series of 26 episodes was produced by Associated British-Pathé without the involvement of Anderson and AP Films. The show is one of several children's television programmes in the mid-1900's to exist in its entirety, without being lost or damaged. Both series have been released on DVD.

The series followed adventures of the eponymous boy doll with a battery inside him and a lamp in his head, and his master Mr Bumbledrop, voiced by Kenneth Connor (known for his appearances in the Carry On films), who also voiced a number of other characters.

Overview

Each show's titles started at night with a rocket outside a cottage and Torchy sitting inside it. It would take off with lots of sparks and then would begin the theme tune which would tell you about Torchy and his magic light as the rocket went through space. In the first episode we are introduced to Mr Bumbledrop who had lots of toys and loved children and his dog, Pom Pom, a white French poodle with straight hair which needs curlers in every night. Also to Bossy Boots, a nasty little girl who likes pulling her toys to pieces but a trip to Topsy Turvy land reforms her.

Flying kites, the bad children (Bossy Boots, her brother Bogey, etc.) playing in Mr B's garden tie their toys to the kites they are flying and a strong wind comes along and blows all of the kites and toys away as well as Pom Pom who tries to save them. The children leave and being all alone, Bumbledrop decides to make a boy for himself. In four hours it is completed and Torchy wakes up and knows Bumbledrop's name and all about his magic beam. He has to recite special words for his magic beam to find something. Torchy has a battery inside him which powers him but unlike the other toys, if it runs down even on Topsy Turvy land, he is helpless till a new one is put in.

Torchy presses the switch on his jacket and uses his magic beam which can shine anywhere to find Bumbledrop's missing glasses then he bursts into song. Out in the garden, Torchy uses his magic beam to locate the lost toys on the twinkling star. Next morning Bumbledrop builds a rocket of cardboard and such and by nightfall it is finished and Torchy flies off to the twinkling star (these are the scenes which are used at the start). In the second episode, the toys decide to stay on the twinkling star where they are safe from naughty children. As well as Flopsy the Rag Doll, there is Pilliwig the Clown. Flopsy who was Bossy Boot's doll hasn't got enough stuffing inside her because it has been pulled out so is a bit dim as her head is empty and uses the phrase "Piggle-poggle". In this magic land, there is lollipop fields, cream buns grow on trees as well as bullseye bushes.

The third episode has Torchy on the twinkling star where he meets Squish the Spaceboy (with a water pistol ray gun), who came from America and got to the twinkling star by rocket, which broke on arrival. Squish steals Torchy's rocket and manages to crash it too. Pom Pom gets to sing a song, being able to talk by the magic there. Torchy has to get back to Earth otherwise his battery will run down. We find that Torchy's magic beam allows him to talk to people it is shining on, even Bumbledrop on Earth. Episode four they go to an orchard where all the fruit is enormous and they built Frutown by hollowing out these fruits and living in them. Torchy uses a pineapple for his own house and Squish makes Flopsy a house out of a cherry.

In episodes 9 & 10, Bossy Boots wants her stuffed doll, Flopsy back so Torchy takes her to the twinkling star. It is Topsy Turvy Land where grown ups become as small as toys. Torchy lands A strange effect in the episode nine. As Torchy is singing a song, Bossy Boots fires a cannon and the picture shatters showing blackness and Torchy appears, face blackened. Bossy Boots learns her lesson there before being taken back to Earth. Other toys joined the show, notably ruler King Dithers who was as dithery as his name suggested. He lived in an orange peel palace (which looked like a normal palace) and seemed to have no soldiers. Pongo the Pirate (who had belonged to bad boy Bogie) sailed the oceans in a pirate ship made of fruit. His comical song sung by Kenneth Connor was:

"I'm Pongo the Pirate and I live in a grapefruit sloop and with my spy glass I spy and I peer and I snoop. I'm Pongo the Pirate, I love to pinch and spank. If I should catch you, I'll make you walk the plank. Pongo bad, Pongo bold. Pongo always looks for gold. Pongo bad, Pongo bold. Pongo always looks for gold. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Episode list

Series One

1. Pom-Pom And The Toys
2. Topsy Turvy Land
3. Torchy And Squish
4. The Building Of Frutown
5. Torchy And The Broken Rocket
6. King Dithers
7. Torchy Goes Back To Earth
8. Bossy Boots Goes To Topsy Turvy Land
9. Bossy Boots Is Taught A Lesson
10. A Bell For A Penny Farthing
11. A Trick On Pom-Pom
12. Torchy Is Stolen
13. King Dithers Loses His Crown
14. Pilliwig Gets A Present
15. Bad Boy Bogey
16. Torchy And The Strange Animal
17. Bossy Boots Forgets To Be Good
18. Hungry Money Box
19. The Naughty Twins
20. The Twins Learn A Lesson
21. King Dithers Goes Down To Earth
22. Torchy Escapes At Last
23. Torchy And The Man In The Moon
24. Bogey And The Statues
25. The Moon Falls Asleep
26. Torchy's Birthday

Series Two

1. Flopsy Goes On A Picnic
2. Torchy Gets A Surprise
3. Banana Bridge
4. King Dithers And Daffy
5. The Toys Get The Collywobbles
6. Bogey Learns Another Lesson
7. The Pollikan Bird Is Stolen
8. Torchy Has An Accident
9. Sparky The Dragon
10. Bogey Is Naughty Again
11. Pilliwig Cleans The Chimney
12. Pongo The Pirate
13. Pongo And The Gold Mine
14. King Dithers' Birthday
15. Washing Day In Topsy Turvy Land
16. Gluebell Wood
17. Squish Falls Down A Well
18. Flopsy In Trouble
19. The Big Storm
20. Daffy's Birthday
21. Flopsy Makes A Christmas Pudding
22. Gilly Golly In Trouble
23. King Bumble Drop
24. A New Suit For Pilliwig
25. The Obstinate Donkey
26. Pom-Pom Gets The Hiccups

External links

• Torchy the Battery Boy at the Internet Movie Database
• Torchy the Battery Boy at Fanderson, the official Gerry Anderson appreciation society
• Torchy the Battery Boy at Television Heaven