Fireman Sam

Fireman Sam
Created by	Dave Gingell Dave Jones Rob Lee
Written by	Nia Ceidiog Rob Lee
Voices of	John Sparkes Joanna Ruiz Sarah Hadland (2005) Lloyd Langford (2005) Steve Kynman David Carling Su Douglas Tegwen Tucker (2008-present)
Narrated by	John Alderton (1987-1994) Gareth Lewis (Welsh)
Music by	Ben Heneghan Ian Lawson
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of seasons	8
No. of episodes	121 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers	Ian Frampton John Walker
Running time	10 minutes (series) 20 minutes (Christmas special edition)
Production companies	Bumper Films, S4C, (1985-1994) Hit Entertainment (2003-present))
Original release
Network	S4C (in Welsh) BBC1 CBBC (1987-2002) CBeebies (2003-2007) Channel Five (UK TV channel) (2008-present)<br / CITV (2009-present) Cartoonito (2008-present) (United Kingdom)
Release	26 December 1985 – present

Fireman Sam (Template:Lang-cy) is a Welsh animated children's television series about a fireman called Sam, his fellow firefighters, and other townspeople in the fictional Welsh town of Pontypandy (a portmanteau of two real towns, Pontypridd and Tonypandy, which are situated approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) apart in the South Wales valleys). The original idea for the show came from two ex-firemen from the English county of Kent. They took their idea to artist/writer Rob Lee who developed the concept for them. The finished concept was then presented to S4C who saw the potential in the series and commissioned it.

Fireman Sam first appeared in Welsh on S4C in 1985 and later in English throughout the United Kingdom on BBC1 in 1987. The series finished in 1994 but remains popular well over a decade after the last episode was aired. The series was also shown in Gaelic in Scotland, where it was known as Sam Smalaidh. The series has been sold to over 40 countries, from Australia to Norway and is used across the United Kingdom to promote fire safety.

In 1996, a stage production was turned into a feature, Fireman Sam In Action and released on BBC Video.

Fireman Sam has recently been adapted into a Live musical theatre show, which will begin touring the UK in June 2011.

The new series airs on Cartoonito.

The show was broadcast in English and Welsh at the same time, but on two different channels – in English on the BBC, in Welsh on S4C. The show's Welsh title is "Sam Tân", which just literally means "Sam Fire". The theme tune (excluding the lyrics) and characters are the same.

The show's production companies were Bumper Films and Siriol Productions (2002–present), and its distributors were British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Sianel 4 Cymru (S4C).

In 2009, Fireman Sam teamed up with over 100 animated characters, such as Big Chris (from Roary the Racing Car), Bagpuss, Postman Pat, Peppa Pig, Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps, Ben 10, Thomas the Tank Engine and SpongeBob SquarePants for a Children In Need single. The single was put together by Peter Kay.

In 1988, the series was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Best Short Animated Film. The potential recipients were Ian Frampton and John Walker.

Development

The original idea for Fireman Sam came about from two ex-firemen from Kent, England – Dave Gingell and Dave Jones. They approached Mike Young, creator of Superted in Barry, Wales and asked them to further develop their concept. The idea was then brought to S4C's Director of Animation, Chris Grace, who saw potential in the idea and commissioned the series. Grace had previously commissioned Superted, which had achieved success in the UK and worldwide. The characters and storylines were created by Rob Lee, an illustrator from Cardiff, and the program was produced using stop-motion. It could take up to 4 days to produce 1 minute of this form of puppet animation. Fireman Sam has to this day been translated into over 25 different languages including Mandarin. on CBeebies

English-language version of series one to four

The series originally comprised 32 ten-minute episodes and a 20-minute Christmas special. The narration and character voices were done by John Alderton.

Sam is the protagonist in the show, and interacts with both colleagues at the fire station and local townspeople. He is seen as somewhat of a hero in the village. Being so small, and with so little activity, it sees its fair share of fires, in which Sam and his team can easily handle.

In the original television series produced by Bumper Films between 1985 and 1994, the firefighters had yellow and black uniforms, whereas in the new CGI television series produced by HIT Entertainment and Hibbert Ralph, the firefighters had yellow and blue uniforms. as seen on Living 2001-2005 of Tiny Living.

Characters

Firefighters

• Fireman Sammuel "Sam" Peyton-Jones is referred to as the "hero next door", Charlie's older brother and Bronwyn's brother-in-law. He is the archetypal fireman, who remains composed in an emergency and unfailingly offers assistance to all those in need. Sam is single, but maintains a close relationship with his nephew, James, and niece, Sarah. He lives at 3 Vale Road next to Trevor Evans. Sam spends his spare time in his "inventing shed", in which he makes devices ranging from a potato picker made from old bicycle parts to a machine capable of replacing the town band. On occasion his inventive streak can undermine his emphasis on fire safety. His catchphrase is "Great fires of London!"
• Fireman Elvis Cridlington provides a stark contrast to Sam in both competency and demeanour. His catchphrase is "Great balls of fire!" (2008–present season). Elvis holds aspirations of being a rock star, and his mind is often up in the clouds, dreaming of such an idea, something of which usually gets him into trouble from Steele. He is also notorious for being a bad cook. He is named for the Elvis Presley hairstyle he wears.
• Station Officer Basil Steele is the chief of Pontypandy Fire Station. As a former army officer, he insists upon a high standard of both hygiene and efficiency in the station. His catchphrase in the old series was "Now who needs the fire service?" but in the new series it is "Action stations men!", which fell out of use in the CGI series. Basil may be married to Doris, a character who does not appear but whom Basil mentions in "Telly Trouble" and "Barn Fire" (Series 1). His first name, however, is changed to "Norris" in the feature length "Great Fire of Pontypandy".
• Firefighter Penny Morris is the only female member of the Pontypandy fire brigade. In the original series, she only visited occasionally (hailing from Newtown fire station), although in the new series, she seems to work at Pontypandy full time. Penny doubles as a mechanic. Her ideas are often unconventional and at odds with her male colleagues, but she usually turns out to have been right. Penny is often known to go on adventures with the town's children – James and Sarah, Norman Price and Mandy Flood. A relationship between her & Elvis has been hinted more than once.
• Auxiliary Fireman Trevor Evans is a West Indian auxiliary fireman with the brigade. His other job is the town's bus driver. He is known for his fondness of cricket, his awkward manner and general bad luck streak, but nonetheless exhibits a great devotion to the welfare of others (especially Dilys). In the 2005 and 2008 seasons, Trevor is no longer an auxiliary firefighter but is still the bus driver, and the spark between him and Dilys still holds strong.
• Chief Fire Officer Boyce Hails from Newtown, visiting Pontypandy occasionally. Old friends with Station Officer Steele and offered Sam a promotion during Great Fire of PontyPandy.

Townspeople

• Dilys Price runs the town grocery store. She is a well known gossip, and has great affection for Trevor, the bus driver (something of which poor Trevor is too shy to act upon). Dilys is the mother of town mischief-maker Norman Price, but is frequently blind to her son's troublesome ways. She dotes on her only child, or "Mummy's Little Darling" as she sometimes calls him.
• Bella Lasagne is the absent-minded town cafe owner, hailing from Italy. She is not in the 2008 season, although her cafe is still visible. Bella appears to be based on the real Welsh Italians who ran cafes known as "Bracchis" in South Wales Valleys.
• Helen Flood, Caribbean born nurse and mother of Mandy Flood. (2005 season)
• Mike Flood, accident-prone handyman husband of Helen and father of Mandy. He becomes a reserve fireman in the 2008 series. (2005 season)
• Tom Thomas, a mountain rescue worker who hails from Australia. Tom is most often seen flying to the rescue in his helicopter or driving his SUV. He is one of few characters who does not have a Welsh accent. (2005 season).
• Charlie "Charles" Jones, a fisherman, husband of Bronwyn, Sam's brother, father of Sarah and James. He is also accident-prone, especially in "Poorly Penny" when he caused every single emergency except one. He also becomes a reserve fireman. (2008 season).
• Bronwyn McShell-Jones, runs the fish and chip shop/cafe, wife of Charlie, mother of Sarah and James, sister-in-law of Sam. (2008 season).
• Mr. Price – Dilys' brother, Norman's uncle, Derek's father.

Price Family

Dilys Price								Mr Price
Norman Price								Derek Price

Jones Family (2008 season onwards)

James JonesSarah Jones

Children

• Sarah and James Jones are the relatively well-behaved five-year-old daughter and son twins of Charlie, niece and nephew of Fireman Sam. They are often more sensible in an emergency than Norman. When they grow up they want to be firefighters like their uncle Sam. They started acting more like stereotypical twins in the 2008 series (i.e. insulting each other, having arguments, and sometimes being the cause of an emergency, but it is made clear they still care for each other).
• Norman Stanley Price is a seven-year-old boy with a love of practical jokes and skateboarding. Unfortunately, Norman regularly fails to set appropriate limits on his own behaviour, and has been known to cause mischief and sometimes causes havoc at the fire station, and for many of Pontypandy's residents. He has shown interest in becoming a firefighter himself one day. In the 2008 series, his intelligence went down. In the same series, he received a palette-swap cousin, Derek (see below).
• Mandy Flood, Norman's best friend. She is sort of a bridge between naughty Norman and the well behaved Sarah and James. She received a radical redesign for the 2008 series. (2005 season)
• Derek Price, Norman's cousin, Mr. Price's son. He is a palette-swap of Norman, minus the glasses & with an English accent. While he seems to be well behaved, he is actually a great joker. He appears in the 2008 episode "Double Trouble". He also appears in the 2008 movie "The Great Fire Of Pontypandy" and in the 2012 episode "Jupiter On The Loose"
• Lily Chen Daughter of Mrs Chen, the youngest character seen on Fireman Sam, younger than Sarah and James.

Vehicles

• Jupiter is a bright red fire engine driven by Fireman Sam and based on a 1974 Bedford TK(Registration J 999) (1987 to 1994 season), and also based on a 1990 Bedford 6x4 (2005 to 2008 season). It is always taken to rescues.
• Venus is a rescue tender driven by Penny Morris based on a 1982 Range Rover(Registration V 666).
• Mercury is a quad bike. (2012 Series)
• Bessie is a heritage fire engine. (2012 Series)
• Ambulance, Nurse Flood's car is driven by Nurse Helen Flood. (2005 to 2008 season)
• Mike Flood's van Mike Flood's truck is driven by Mike Flood based on a Dodge Astro (2008 season)
• Wallaby One is a helicopter flown by Tom Thomas and based on a 1980 Bell 222. (2005 to 2008 season)
• Roland rescue jeep also driven and owned by Tom Thomas and based on a 1976 Range Rover 4x4. (2005 to 2008 season)
• The Bus is driven by Trevor Evans and based on a 1975 Ford Transit(Registration BWS 493T) Dormobile.
• Neptune is driven by Penny, and is a rigid inflatable lifeboat powerful enough to tow a fishing trawler & sailing boat. (2008 season)
• Charlie's boat is a fishing trawler that belongs to Charlie Jones. (2008 season)

Animals

• Rosa is Bella's temperamental cat.
• Dusty is a stray dog, usually found hanging around the fire station. (2005 season only)
• Woolly is a lamb who Norman Price adopts after they were rescued from a mountainside. Rather bouncy and playful. (2005 to 2008 season)
• Lion is Bronwyn's pet cat who seems to have replaced Rosa. (2008 season)
• Radar The fire station's own fire dog, a dalmatian. He is very fond of Mandy. (2008 season)
• Nipper The dog of Bronwyn's sister (who has yet to appear on-screen). (2008 season)
• Lambykins Woolly's little lamb. (2008 season)

Trivia

Wooly is a lamb in the 2003 season but a proper sheep in the 2008 season.

Other

• Bentley the Robot is one of Fireman Sam's inventions that appears in the episode of the name. At one point, Norman Price swaps his control cassette for a video game cassette, discarding the former and causing Bentley to act out the game while grabbing and throwing objects within reach; one such object is a can of paraffin which rolls into the fire station and starts leaking. Eventually, the flow reaches Penny Morris, who is busy welding a locker; as she finishes, sparks from her blow torch ignite the paraffin. Meanwhile, Sarah and James find Bentley's genuine control cassette and give it to Fireman Sam, who reactivates Bentley and orders him to go inside to save Penny, who has passed out from the heat. Sarah and James receive certificates for their actions and Bentley receives a medal, who is so pleased that he malfunctions, his head spinning around while repeating the line "Delighted, I'm sure". And Also appears in Fireman Sam in Action.

Places

Fireman Sam's residence

Sam lives in a two-story house with several windows, a red door and the small bell at outside. It is at 3 Vale Road and contains seldom seen rooms:

• Hall: The hall has a big shelf, a very large hanger, and a big mirror on the wall. The walls are yellow. There are also the stairs, which connect the ground floor with first floor.
• Dining room: This room has a big table with several chairs, a shelf with photos and a phone, and the big clock.
• Kitchen: The small kitchen has a very big refrigerator, several shelves and a modern oven. There is also the big table with several chairs.
• Bathroom: The bathroom contains a big washing machine, a small shelf, a vane, a toilet, and a big mirror in the wall.
• Sam's Bedroom: Sam has a large bedroom of his own. The walls are white. Sam's bed lies underneath the window. Next to the bed, there are several shelves. The first shelf contains a black and white photograph, and a large red alarm clock with two blue lighters on the bells, which light when it rings. On the second shelf there is a big night lamp. The last shelf holds Sam's civilian clothes. The wood-framed bed is covered by white sheets and two pillows, and has an orange-red blanket with squares on it and white edging. Sam's room is seen during the introductory sequence of the show (1987-1996 season).

Dilys' shop "N.W Price"

Dilys Price runs the local grocery and general store, N.W Price (although in the 2008 series called Cut Price Supermarket), with its stocks of canned goods, outdoor displays of fruits and vegetables, and various treats and snacks. The shop contains seldom-seen rooms:

• Dilys's bedroom: Dilys's room contains a shelf with a big mirror and photo, a shelf an electrical alarm clock and night lamp, a shelf with Dilys' clothes, and the wood-framed bed with pillows and a yellow blanket with white edging.
• Norman's room: Norman's room has several shelves, toys, computer and a wood-framed bed with pillows. The bed also has an orange-pink blanket with white edging.

In the episode "Sheep On The Road" Norman's rollerskates and skateboard can be seen in his room. Norman's room is also blasted with dirty clothes and toys that have not been put away.

Bella's café

Bella's restaurant contains a large pizza oven, which is the source of at least one fire due to inadequate chimney sweeping (a birds' nest falls into the oven from the chimney and catches fire on the day the oven is installed). Bella's restaurant serves mostly Italian food, along with pastries and desserts. Bella's café was only seen in the 1987-1996 season and the 2003-2005 season. Bella's café and Bella herself were abandoned a year after the 2003-2005 season.

Whole Fish Cafe

Bronwyn and Charlie's fish and chip shop cafe, which is the source of at least one fire due to Sarah placing her wet coat over an electric fire. Another fire occurs in "Mam's Day" when an unstable candle holder made by Norman Price falls over and lights up a tablecloth. The cafe also has a basement, where was seen twice in the 2008 season, once when it was flooded, when the heater broke, and another time when Mike Flood fell down with a freezer. It is suggested that the Brown's live in the upstairs portion.

Fire station

Sam, Trevor (only in the classic series), Penny, Station Officer Steele, and Elvis (who also does the cooking) work in the fire station. It contains the following rooms:

• Main room: This room contains the big oven and gas range, a table with several chairs, TV and a shelf with firefighters' clothes. On the wall there is the fire bell.
• Steele's office: Officer Steele has a big office. It contains a fax machine (for receiving all emergency calls), several shelves, a big table with papers and a phone on it, a chair, and a small table with a teleprinter. On the wall is the fire bell. In the 2008 season, a picture of the whole crew with Jupiter (really a promotional shot for the 2003 season) is visible.
• The Garage: This is where Jupiter & Venus are parked between missions. There is a turntable for Jupiter to avoid complex backup manoeuvers.

The Floods' residence

Mandy, Helen and Mike Flood live in a two-story house. It contains seldom seen rooms:

• Kitchen: Seen most often, has a toaster, old radio and a couple of chairs next to the counter, where the Floods have breakfast.
• Living Room: Seen at least once, when Mike Flood injures his hand, and Radar rescues him. Also when Norman price set light to the cutains on halloween.
• Workshop: This is where Mike Flood does much of his work.

Mountain Rescue

This is where Tom Thomas works, it has a radio, and stairs that go to a 2nd floor balcony, where Tom can see PontyPandy Mountain from. It has the helicopter on the attached landing zone, and SUV parked outside.

Boat House

The home of Neptune, on the quayside. (2008 season)

Bingles Department Store

This is seen in the episode Home From Rome (1994 season) and according to an announcement on the shop's loudspeaker, is located in Cardiff (Probably based on either Howells or David Morgans of Cardiff.) Bella and Rosa end up getting stuck in the lift and have to be rescued by Fireman Sam, Elvis and Station Officer Steele. A mock floor directory can be seen in the lift and on the walls and it indicates that the store has 4 levels in total. It also has a basement level which is used as a storage area (Rosa runs off and is found here surrounded by cat food). Additionally the Fire Exit signs read ALLANFA DÂN (Fire Exit in Welsh) It is also mentioned in Quarry Rescue (1994 Season)

2003–2005 series

Between 2003 and 2005, a new "Fireman Sam" series was produced by Siriol Productions (now known as Calon TV), comprising twenty-six episodes, each ten minutes in length. These episodes used more modern techniques of stop-motion animation including mouths that move with the dialogue. The new series features all the original characters, but also adds some new faces, such as Tom Thomas, the Australian pilot of rescue helicopter Wallaby One. The series premiered on 1 November 2004 and was also known as "Sam, o pyrosvestis" in Greece (the transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title). The aspect ratio was 1.85 : 1.

Unlike the original series, in which all of the characters were voiced by one person, the new series employed three principal voice artists; however, original voice-actor John Alderton was not one of them. In the new series, the voice of Sam and other male characters was provided by comedian John Sparkes. The other voice artists were Joanna Ruiz and Sarah Hadland.

2008–2009 series

In 2008, a new computer-generated series was produced by Hibbert Ralph Entertainment, creators of Tractor Tom and Spider.

Pontypandy is now a seaside town instead of a village set deep in the hills as in the early series. Another change in this series is that the twins' parents appear for the first time; their new-age mother, Bronwyn, and fisherman father Charlie, Sam's brother, who run a cafe/fish-and-chip shop – The Whole Fish Cafe.

Many characters also had aspects of their personalities made more apparent. Norman Price is far more mischievous and inconsiderate than in the 2004 series, where his pranks were often planned out and his accidents were due to badly planned ideas rather than outrageous schemes. For example, in the episode Pontypandy Extreme, Norman gets trapped down a wishing well after attempting to climb down in order to retrieve the coins that have been thrown down there. Additionally, in the episode "Floating Cart", Norman constructs an unsafe Go-Kart without proper brakes and ends up falling into the quay.

Other examples are Station Officer Steele's strictness and maturity and Elvis's decrease in general competence. For example, in one episode where a first aid training exercise is taking place, Elvis is told off by Steele for dancing with the dummy that is being used.

Other changes include the removal of Bella, although her cafe can still be seen opposite Dilys' shop, now a 7-Eleven-esque convenience store called the "Cut Price Supermarket". It seems the Whole Fish Cafe and Bronwyn and Charlie have replaced them. Penny also now has another string to her bow, as she is a trained lifeguard and the driver of Neptune (the town's lifeboat). Also Rosa and Dusty have been replaced by Lion and Radar.

To follow up the series, the show saw its first feature length episode, The Great Fire of Pontypandy, released straight to DVD and shown in select cinemas during 2010. It was also released on the UK iTunes Store on 6 April 2010.

Screenshots:

File:Firemansampantypandythu.jpg The 2009 series was written by Matthew Kane and Jack Anders.

Theme tune

The series had a theme tune composed by Ben Heneghan and Ian Lawson. The lyrics were written by Robin Lyons, and sung by Maldwyn Pope. A full-length version was also released on BBC Records.

The verse of the song alternates between notes a fifth apart – the intention being to suggest the sound of a fire engine siren.

The same composers wrote a new arrangement of the theme tune for the 2005 remake, although this time in straight quavers rather than the 'swung' twelve-eight of the original theme. Robin Lyons also updated the lyrics. This version was sung by Cameron Stewart, singer and lead guitarist with the Cardiff-based band Session.

The theme song from the 2003 version was re-used for the CGI Series, albeit shortened.

Ben Heneghan and Ian Lawson also wrote a number of other Fireman Sam-related songs that were released on a cassette by BBC Records. These songs were later used in the touring stage show.

Episode List and Movies

Main article: List of Fireman Sam episodes

Broadcasting

Main article: Fireman Sam: Broadcasting

Critical response

The ABC website said of the series, "All the characters blend together into an appealing mixture of fun and entertainment for children everywhere."

At IMDb, the 2004 version of Fireman Sam was given an overall rating of 6.7/10, based on 22 votes, 2 user reviews and 3 critic reviews.

At IMDb, the 1987–1991 version of Fireman Sam was given an overall rating of 7.1/10 based on 89 votes and 4 user reviews.

The Entertainment Store Group described the show as, "The ultimate rescue show for preschoolers [that] has been on-air for over 16 years and can be seen in over 80 countries worldwide in 31 different languages. Particularly strong with boys aged two to six years, Fireman Sam promotes responsibility, respect for others and a can-do attitude." They added that "Entertainment Store Group is proud to represent Fireman Sam exclusively in Australia!"

Fireman Sam: The Great Fire of Pontypandy was given a critical analysis on the website Raising Children Network. The film was rated G, and was advised for children aged 5 and up. The genre was children's animated adventure, the length was 63 minutes and the release date was 28/10/2010. It commented on the prevalent themes, namely "the threat of fire; accidents and rescues". The review continued by stating some of the scenes which could potentially scare or disturb children under 5, such as when "Mike falls off the roof of a house into the harbour, and struggles to stay afloat". The review concluded by stating some discussion points for parents with their children: "The main messages from this movie are about helping people in need and pulling together as a community. The movie also looks at the bad things that happen when you do the wrong thing. Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include selflessness, and care and concern for others. This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues such as stealing, lighting fires, and ignoring safety instructions."

Fireman Sam (2004) was given an analysis at commonsensemedia. It was advised for ages 3 and up, and was given a rating of 4/5 stars. The show was given a "The Good Stuff" rating of 3/5, which the site stating, "Sam shows how to stay calm in a crisis. He also relies on his team to help him solve problems." Under the section entitled "violence & scariness", the site comments that "Some of the fires and other crises that Sam faces may frighten the youngest viewers, but everyone is always safe in the end." The site explains that parents need to know that "Young viewers will be delighted by the stop-motion animation (which creates soft visuals), the colorful backdrops of the charming Welsh village, and the funny dialogue. Sensitive viewers may need a parent nearby to help them understand that all of the characters are safe in the end." On a potential language barrier, the site comments, "The distinctly Welsh characters, community, accents, and expressions may pose some minor comprehension problems for kids on this side of the pond, but overall it's good exposure to another part of the world."

FIREMAN SAM: Cat Magic was given a negative review at website Trick or Treat Tales, "Cat Magic, from the last season, sees the stop-motion replaced with generic, poorly-executed CGI animation, and the series loses all interest (the stop-motion was the main draw of the series in the first place). The new voice work is particularly grating, as well. And worst of all: this story has zero to do with Halloween or trick-or-treat...You can skip Trick or Treat Tales."

The 1987 set Fireman Sam To the Rescue! (released on DVD on 1 July 2008 by HIT Entertainment) was given a review at DVDTOWN.com, summarised with "If you have a toddler or preschooler who likes Bob the Builder, there's a chance this one will also be a hit. Though there are less vehicles, there are more children, and the plots are just as rescue-based." The DVD was assessed on 4 qualities: Video (7), Audio (7), Extras (1) and Film value (7).

External links

• Official Fireman Sam website
• Fireman Sam at IMDb
• Fireman Sam at ClassicKidsTV.co.uk
• Watch Fireman Sam videos and play games on Cartoonito
• Fireman Sam on Toonhound