Roobarb - A Short History

It all began when this chap, a Welsh Border Collie, came to live with us. Hanny and I hadn’t been married for very long when we can to live in this lovely house with its big garden, its shed and its old conker tree. Oh, and the rhubarb that grew under an old rusty bucket.

That’s about when our four-legged Welsh friend moved in and the first thing that he did was to water the rhubarb. And, from that moment on, we called him Roobarb.

I worked in an advertising agency and my ‘computer’ in those days was my layout pad and my felt tip pens - my Magic Markers. In between thinking up advertising campaigns, I used to daydream about what Roobarb might be up to. Was he in the house - still trying to catch the fly from last evening? The Bzzzzzzzz - (his word for fly). Was he in the garden watching next door’s cat on the fence. What shall we call the cat? Before I knew it, I had a pad full of drawings.

With three stories complete, I registered “Roobarb” at Lloyds Bank, Pall Mall and, with my copyright as safe as houses, I began knocking on publishers’ doors. Everyone said that they enjoyed my stories and that my Roobarb drawings were fun - but nobody wanted to print my books. I also had the idea of animating a television series. Nobody in Britain had ever done that before - so it seemed to me that there was no reason why Roobarb shouldn’t be the first.

I wrote to the BBC and explained what such a good idea it was about animating a Roobarb TV series. They were very nice and about it all and, even though they wrote and said that they didn’t think that my Roobarb stories would fit into Jackanory, I was convinced that the filming would begin within days.

After ‘phoning the BBC every week for a year, they finally said - probably just to be rid of me! - that they’d like to see a Roobarb pilot. That’s when I met Bob Godfrey - already a well known animation director - and we dicided that together we would produce a short pilot film. I gave some of my Roobarb drawings to Bob who commissioned Peter Green, a very talented Australian animator, to make a short pilot film.

Two weeks later we had 30 seconds of black and white ‘line test’. No colour, just black and white, and all over in 40 seconsd. The best piece of animation ever! Monica Simms was head of Children’s television at that time. Bob and I took the 30 second line test to the BBC Centre and Wood Green.

A projector was set up in Monica’s office and before we knew it - it was all over. “We’ll let you know”. Famous showbiz words but still no contract. Several months later, I received a ‘phone call at my home from the BBC - Monica Simms’ office. The BBC actually ‘phoned me! “We’d like to contract for 30 five-minute films.” The date was Friday the thirteenth!

During the months of waiting for news from the BBC, I spent my time drawing the characters and with Bob Godfrey, the animation director, and Peter Green, the animator, together, we produced the first five minute Roobarb film. It was my first story - “When Roobarb Made a Spike”. The beginning of what would become the series of 30 animated stories. The first animated television series to ever be made in the United Kingdom!

By now, the Selection Committee for LUCCA9 - International Exhibition of Animated Films, Rome chose “When Roobarb Made a Spike” among the best 1972-3 International Production of Animated Films. The film was also screen during the 1973 Annecy Film Festival, France. During November 1973, “Spike” was screen in London at The National Film Theatre, South Bank as “One of the outstanding short films of the year” and was included in a programmed called “The Best of Annecy”.

While Roobarb and I climbed trees, wrote stories and drew pictures, Richard Briers put his mind to how the different characters in the series would sound. For example, Custard - with his high, strangled voice - sounded like a neighbour of ours. A shadow in one story sounded like Sir John Gielgud and, after Richard told me at a recording session - “I can’t do a Scottish accent!” - I re-wrote the line as “You take the high road and I’ll take the low road,” said Custard in a terrible Scottish accent. It didn’t sound very Scottish but it is very funny.

With the series in production, my job was to write the thirty stories for the series, produce about thirty ‘key drawings’ for each episode and, be at the sound studios while Richard recorded the voices. In one story, Roobarb is dressed as a knight in armour. The sound engineer couldn’t work out how to record Richards voice with an echo - as thoguh he was speaking from inside the armour. I nipped over to the office supply shop and on my return, Richard read the script wearing a metal waste paper basket on his head. It worked a treat.

I worked in the garden studio at my home in Hertfordshire. Electricity for heat and light had been laid on however, we’d forgotten to lay a telephone line when we’d dug the trench from house to studio. This is where the duck caller came in handy. A device rather like an old fashioned motor car Claxton horn. When the rubber bulb was pressed, it made a duck quaking sound - and that’s what Hanny used to call me to the ‘phone whenever I was in my garden studio. When BBC Merchandising called one time they asked Hanny if we kept ducks!

The reason why BBC Merchandising had telephoned was because they had begun to promote Roobarb as a TV character. I was asked to provide Roobarb drawings for all kkinds of different products - from tee-shirts to chocolate and even books. BBC Merchandising issues over 40 Roobarb licenses. Marks and Spencer sold bedding with printed bones and Cadbury’s had a series of Roobarb chocolate bars. There was even Roobarb and Custard shaped soap and Woolworth’s sold Roobarb and Custard slippers. Quite an achievement on the BBC’s pioneering days of character merchandising.

Several books were published too. And, I still have these copies in quite good condition. Perhaps I should take them along to Antiques Roadshow. Roobarb’s a pop star too. Yep! Went to number three in the UK charts. Not too bad for a green dog!

Nearly 30 years after its release interest in Roobarb and Custard was as strong as ever, so I decided it was about time to set about writing a new series - Roobarb and Custard Too. Roobarb insisted on including Custard in the title and made a great fuss and a lot of noise telling everyone. Adding quietly that he is, of course, still top dog! Of course, all the old friends are there with a few new recruits adding to the slapstick mayhem. The new series premiered in 2006 to great critical acclaim. Thank you for watching over the years. I hope you carry on enjoying Roobarb, Custard and all the visitors to the garden as much as I do.