Dom Robinson reviews
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Nostalgia at the ready! Bod is here!
Put all other DVDs aside and make way for the release of the year as the
children's TV show with the most memorable theme tune hits a quarter-century.
Maybe I missed something in the sexual reproduction part of my school Biology
lessons but is Bod male or female? I thought Bod was male but appears to wear
a dress of some kind.
All that needs to be said now is: Frank the Postman, Aunt Flo, Farmer Barlimow
and PC Copper, to complete the picture!
This DVD combines all 13 into one release including :
- Bod's Dream: Bod goes sleepwalking and falls down a hole,
taking almost everyone else with him, as he finds a big bowl of strawberries
and cream.
- Bod and the Apple: Bod throws an apple up in the air, but it
doesn't come down. Everyone else arrives to wait with him.
- Bod on the Beach: No prizes for guessing which location the gang
head down to this time, but why do the professional types still insist on
wearing their working gear on the beach?
Also included is Alberto the Frog & His Amazing Animal Band in the five
sections that appear at the end of the same number of Bod episodes, although
they can be selected individually. This is the famous point where we have to
guess what type of mmmmmmilkshake Alberto will have today. I think it's
strawberry, myself. For the completists, it's followed up with a game of
"Bod Snap".
In one of these sections, Alberto comes across a field of miserable cows.
That's nothing compared to how miserable some are feeling as foot-and-mouth
rages up and down the country!
As you'd expect, those sections, when accessed separately, are labelled from
1 to 5, but what happens for the one marked "?" You'll have to see the DVD
to find out.
The episodes included are :
As you'd expect, the programme is shot in standard 4:3. Artifacts and
print dropouts are non-existant during Alberto the Frog's section as they
were shot separately, but the Bod episodes themselves are looking a tad the
worse for wear. Still, I don't care. I've been waiting for Bod for ages!
The average bitrate is an excellent and steady 8.42Mb/s.
The sound is clear with funky theme tunes for each of the characters, all
of which are reproduced on the main menu in the background after Bod "arrives".
Alas there are no extras or subtitles, but the chaptering is fine with one
for each of the 13 episodes, plus the extra aforementioned selection to go to
the start of each of Alberto's scenes.
It's worth noting that the original Bod video releases contained no "milkshake"
parts as those were under licence from another company, so I'm very pleased
to see the programmes complete and uncut!
