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Dom Robinson reviews
Complete Series 1
PT Video
- Cert:
- Cat.no: PTDVD 8089
- Running time: 145 minutes
- Year: 1976
- Pressing: 2001
- Region(s): 0, PAL
- Chapters: 13
- Sound: Mono
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: None
- Fullscreen: 4:3
- 16:9-Enhanced: No
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £9.99
- Extras: None
Director:
- Chris Taylor
Producer:
- Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall
Written by:
- Jo Kemp and Brian Trueman
Music:
- Joe Griffiths
Narrator:
- Joe Lynch
# “Jump in, we’ll take you for a spin and show you round theWheelie world!” #
The cult of kids TV arriving on DVD continues with a series of stop-frameanimation from the late 70s which ran for three series. Fenella, the wickedwitch in Spout Hall who sounds like she might be the mother of Nige fromChannel 4’s late-night review show, Vids (albeit with less foul language),has drained all the colour and laughter from the usually-happy landof the Wheelies and you know someone’s been dropping a tab of somethingconspicuous when help arrives in the form of orange dragon Chorlton, as helands in a brightly coloured egg. He’s so-called because he comes from theManchester area of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, despite having a Yorkshire accent.
This DVD contains the entire first series of 13 episodes, including :
- Happiness is hatched: Chorlton makes his grand entrance and wakesup Wheelie World from its enforced slumber. Everyone’s spellbound, but is thatbecause their saviour hails from ‘oop North?
- Many Happy Returns: It’s been a whole year since Chorlton came totown and everyone’s celebrating. Well, everyone apart from Fenella.
- Chorlton’s Gift of Happiness: Chorlton attempts to instill some sense of Christmas cheer intowicked witch Fenella when she doesn’t warm to the festive period.
The episodes presented here are :
1. Happiness is hatched
2. Happiness is Dragon-shaped
3. Chorlton says it with Flowers
4. The Lost Wheelie
5. Chorlton and the Crime wave
6. Chorlton gets his Wheels
7. The Great Drought8. The Wheel Hockey Derby
9. Many Happy Returns
10. The Dancing Lesson
11. The Day of the Grand Race
12. When the Band Played On and On
13. Chorlton’s Gift of Happiness
The picture is in 4:3 fullscreen with some minor print defects and, in acouple of episodes, a slightly jerky picture, but on the whole it looks verygood for a 25-year-old programme.The average bitrate is a fairly steady 6.55Mb/s.
The sound is in mono which comes across clearly in some episodes, while otherssound rather muffled.
There aren’t any subtitles but the disc does have a neat animated menu with theclassic theme tune and Fenella “pops up” all over the place as ever. There’sone chapter apiece for each of the 11-minute episodes.
Sadly, there’s no extras at all to be found on this DVD but I can overlookthat given the low price so it’s still a must-buy.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
0OVERALL
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.