Roary the Racing Car

*Roary the Racing Car*
Roary the Racing Car
	Main Characters (from left to right): FB, Zippee, Tin Top, Dinkie and Mr. Carburettor (behind Tin Top), Hellie, Maxi, Big Chris, Rusty (behind Big Chris), Roary, Marsha, Flash, Cici, Drifter, Plugger and Farmer Green.
Created by	David Jenkins
Directed by	Roary Clarke
Voices of	Maria Darling; Tim Whitnall; Marc Silk; Peter Kay; Kerry Shale
Narrated by	Stirling Moss; Sam Hornish Jr.
Theme music composer	Alan Coates & Kim Goody
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	5
No. of episodes	108
Production
Executive producer	Greg Lynn
Producer	Keith Chapman
Production companies	Chapman Entertainment; Cosgrove Hall Films; CH5 Productions
Original release
Network	Sprout
Release	September 7, 2008 –; April 23, 2012

Roary the Racing Car is a British 3D - CGI - Stop Motion animated children's television show produced by Chapman Entertainment and HIT Entertainment. It follows the adventures of Roary and his racing car friends at Silver Hatch race track.

Overview

Plot

The series follows the lives and adventures of racing vehicles Roary, Maxi, Cici, Drifter, Tin Top and the human people they work for, Big Chris and Marsha the mechanics and the owner of the race track Mr. Carburettor. Also there's P.C. Pete, local Farmer Green, Molecom, Flash and many more. The plot sometimes revolves around other vehicle characters, such as Rusty, FB, Nick, Plugger, Zippee, Hellie, Breeze, Conrod, James and Loada.

Setting

Roary the Racing Car is set around a fictional motor racing circuit called Silver Hatch (a portmanteau of the names of the two British Grand Prix racing circuits, Silverstone and Brands Hatch). The majority of the action takes place at the track's pits and workshop, although we often follow the cars on their laps around the track. Occasionally, the characters venture to external locations such as the nearby beach.

Narration

Each story begins and ends with a brief narration from racing car driver Sir Stirling Moss. He is never seen, but is used as a voice-over. The US version is narrated by American stock car driver Sam Hornish Jr.

Production

The series uses a combination of computer-generated imagery and stop-motion animation; the stop frame animation was initially provided by Cosgrove Hall Films, the producer of Postman Pat, and latterly by Chapman Entertainment's own in-house studio. The series was originated by David Jenkins, who spent four years working in senior management at Brands Hatch Race Circuit. The idea was conceived while watching the Grand Prix on television with his then-18-month-old son, Tom. It was designed and developed by Keith Chapman, creative director of Chapman Entertainment and the originator of Bob the Builder and Fifi and the Flowertots, and the series executive producer is Greg Lynn.

Characters

Vehicle characters

Roary (from United Kingdom) is a young and enthusiastic junior single-seater red Formula 1 type racing car. He is the main character in the show and is Big Chris's "number one star". Roary is new to Silver Hatch. However, with the help of his friends, he always tries to copy them. Roary wears a white baseball cap and with a number 1 emblazoned inside a red star. Roary's catchphrase is "Light 'em up!". Maria Darling voices him.
Maxi (from Italy) is an older yellow Formula 1 type racing car who was the star of Silver Hatch before Roary arrived. He is temperamental and expects the best of everything - including first use of the tyre warmers. He wears sunglasses and a blue cap and sports the number 5. Maxi is Italian and is the favourite of Mr Carburettor. Maxi's catchphrase is "Mamma Mia!" He speaks in an Italian accent, although this is de-emphasized in the US voiceover. When starting a race Maxi can make flames erupt from his exhaust. There is a healthy sibling rivalry between Maxi and Roary. He is voiced by Marc Silk.
Cici (from France) is a bright pink and purple stunt car with a number 3 painted on her front. She is an electric car and solar car and carries solar panels on her roof. She has a flirtatious attitude and is always challenging Roary to "Catch me!" Cici is French and has a high, squeaky French accent. Her catchphrase is "Race you!". She is one of Roary's best friends and the first car to talk to and race Roary on his first day. Cici seems to have crush on Maxi, though Cici is often very impressed by Roary as well; she is also known as Zizzy. She is voiced by Maria Darling.
Tin Top (from United States) is a big and powerful stock car. He often takes his corners too fast and wide and regularly ends up in either the sand trap, the tyre wall or the mud, generally in a tangled heap of disconnected parts. Tin Top's catchphrase is appropriate given his frequent visits to the workshop: "Tape me up, hammer me in and send me out!" He sports the number 88 and speaks in a mock-American accent, and is voiced by Peter Kay. Like Maxi, Tin Top can make flames come out of his tailpipes. In the US version, Tin Top speaks in a stereotypical "urban" accent, is voiced by Kerry Shale, and does not seem to have a catchphrase.
Drifter (from Japan) is a very hi-tech Drift racing car. In line with his name he can be observed to exhibit extreme oversteer handling characteristics, with his tail end swinging out wide on every corner. He has an on-board computer with a head up display in his windscreen. Drifter has a fabulous dragon on his sides and also sports blue neon undertray lighting and he wears the number 6 on the top of his front windshield and back windshield. He speaks in a mock Japanese accent. Drifter's catchphrase in the UK version is "Go-Go-Go,Nitro Boost!"; he is known as Dragga and does not have a catchphrase in the US version. He is voiced by Marc Silk.
Rusty is an old, rusty, immobile caravan who lives at Silver Hatch. He is often found to be sleeping, but rarely minds being woken up by the other characters and he enjoys reminiscing about his time as a mobile caravan. He can give useful advice, but often entirely by accident. Big Chris lives in Rusty. He is voiced by Dominic Frisby.
Plugger is a 4x4 off-road vehicle, or "mud-plugger". Plugger is the most laid-back character at Silver Hatch and he never gets rushed or panic-stricken. In the UK version, he speaks with a soft Caribbean accent; in the US version, he speaks in a mild Southern drawl. He often uses his telescopic winch to rescue Roary and Maxi from mud, gravel, or sand. Plugger can often be heard uttering his catchphrase "No need to race, Plugger's on the case!". He is also known as Lugga.
FB (short for Flat Bed) is Farmer Green's pickup truck. He is usually seen with Farmer Green, or playing with Cici and Roary. His main catchphrase is "Roary's my best friend". He is voiced by Dominic Frisby. He is also known as Trucksy.
Zippee is Marsha's motor scooter. Zippee is of indeterminate gender as the only vocalizations made by Zippee are a beeping sound, similar to a small car horn.
Hellie is a bright red and purple helicopter, who transports Mr. Carburettor around the track. He has a large headset which he uses to communicate with the ground-crew, usually broadcasting a booming "Hellie is Go!"
James is a silver classic sports car approximating an Aston Martin DB5, who takes Mamma Mia wherever she needs to go. He has several gizmos and gadgets including an ejector seat, an umbrella, water cannons and a towel. His catchphrase is, "The name's James", and he speaks with a posh British accent. He is named after James Bond and is voiced by Dominic Frisby.
Nick is the Silver Hatch police car approximating a Lamborghini Gallardo or Murciélago, who works with P.C. Pete to keep the cars safe. He enjoys playing with the other cars and he wishes he could race with them too. His catchphrase is "Wicked!" He is voiced by Marc Silk.
Breeze is a beach buggy who lives at the beach at Silver Hatch. She is good at stunts, like Cici, and loves it when the other cars come to visit. Her catchphrase is "Life's a breeze", and speaks with a very fake Australian accent. She is voiced by Maria Darling.
Loada is a transport truck who takes the cars to special occasions. He has lots of different stories from the road and he enjoys telling them to his friends. His catchphrase is "Lock n' Loada", and he has an Eastern European accent. he is voiced by Dominic Frisby.
Conrod (from Australia) is a race car who is named after the stretch of racetrack at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales. He has a big noisy V8 and arrives without warning at Silver Hatch. In the UK version, he is voiced by Australian V8 Supercar champion Craig Lowndes. In the US version, he is voiced by Marc Silk.

Human characters

Big Chris is Silver Hatch race track's mechanic. He occasionally commentates, and starts races. He lives in Rusty the caravan, and looks after the race track and cars. Big Chris has a typically northern catchphrase, "You bend it, you mend it." (The US version, much less mellifluous, is "You bend it, you fix it.") Big Chris is portrayed as being very messy and absent-minded, often "losing" objects directly in his line of sight, and eternally surprised by his own walkie-talkie. While working on the cars, he often practices his karaoke with an out-of-tune version of a song called "Motor Man". He is voiced by comedian Peter Kay.
Marsha is a race marshal and the unofficial administrator of the Silver Hatch race track. She loves things to be tidy and organised, which often puts her into conflict with Big Chris. She is very fit and enjoys a good run. She speaks with a thick British accent and her UK-version catchphrase is "Gears to go, brakes to slow!", while in the US version she has no catchphrase. She is voiced by Maria Darling.
Mr. Carburettor is the flamboyant owner of Silver Hatch race track. In the original UK version, he speaks with a pronounced Italian accent, while his US counterpart has a New York accent. His favourite car is Maxi, who he considers to be the greatest car in all the world. He has a gold tooth, which sparkles in the sun when he smiles. He has a quick temper, often turning red, making steam come out of his ears and yelling that the object of his anger is "driving me up the ceiling!" He is a perfectionist who sometimes berates Big Chris for tardiness, although Marsha often covers for Big Chris in front of Mr. Carburettor. Mr. Carburettor often likes to watch his cars race around the track, usually cheering for Maxi, although he does congratulate the winner (not Maxi), whoever it may be. He shares the same catchphrase as Maxi, "Mamma Mia", and he can often be heard singing opera. For some reason Mr. Carburettor can't say Tin Top's name right. His first name has been revealed to be Antonio. He is voiced by Tim Whitnall.
Farmer Green owns the farm located just to the side of the Silver Hatch race track. He often waves as the cars zoom past. He owns Dinkie the Donkey, and likes to invent bio-fuels, which sometimes work, but often don't. His UK catchphrase is "Green by name, green by nature!", though like many of the other characters, his US counterpart has no catchphrase. He is voiced by Tim Whitnall.
Mama Mia is Mr. Carburettor's mother and the owner of James. When she first visited Silver Hatch, it was thanks to Flash that she enjoyed the race (which resulted in every car except Roary crashing). Now she is a regular visitor to the racetrack. Her catchphrase is "Home James", and she speaks with an Italian accent. She is voiced by Maria Darling.
PC Pete is the Silver Hatch policeman and Marsha's younger brother. When he sees one of the race cars speeding away from the track, he calls to his police car, Nick to follow them. His catchphrase is "Follow that car", and he is voiced by Dominc Frisby.
The Track Inspector is an unnamed inspector who sometimes comes to the track to be shown around the track. When he first visited the track, the cars went through ice at "Skid Slope" and began skating around and Mr. Carburettor believed it was a disaster, but the inspector didn't think it was bad. He later appears in "It's Go Go Go at Silver Hatch" He is voiced by Dominic Frisby.
Hugo Amarillo is a racing car designer who once came to the track to be shown around. Marsha has a crush on him. Big Chris repaired Tin Top in time for Hugo's visit and during the visit, when Mr. Carburettor showed him Maxi racing, the latter crashed and lost a tire, causing it to roll backwards toward everyone and Tin Top rushed to stop it and ended up crashing, but Hugo was impressed and decided to design a car like Tin Top. Big Chris, after being introduced to him, says "Is this the way to Hugo Amarillo?", referencing "Is This the Way to Amarillo", which his actor Peter Kay is known for performing. Hugo is voiced by Dominic Firsby.
Pizza Boy is a boy who delivers pizza to Big Chris as seen in "Silver Hatch Fun Run". Pizza Boy is by Dominic Firsby.

Animal characters

Flash AKA Furz is an anthropomorphic rabbit, who lives under a tree on the edge of the track at "Hare-Pin Bend" (a play on 'hairpin turn'). He regularly tries to cause mischief, from small things like hiding equipment to intentionally trying to cause accidents by moving traffic cones around to divert the racing cars the wrong way. Flash really wants to be a racing driver and often challenges the Silver Hatch cars to race against him as he rides his high-powered skateboard. When Flash is caught getting up to no good you will often hear his catchphrase: "Flash must dash!" In the US, he has several catchphrases: "Furz...must fly!" and "Chew my carrots!" being two oft-repeated ones. He is voiced by Marc Silk.
Molecom is a bespectacled mole who is often found clearing up the mess left behind after Flash has tried to cause havoc. Being a mole, he lives underground, and often digs out, causing molehills to appear when he comes up. By some kind of sixth sense, Molecom never seems to dig out through the track, although is often seen digging out through the concrete pit stop area. His catchphrase is "I'm a mole with a role". Voiced by Dominic Frisby.
Dinkie is an old, grey donkey who is often seen at the side of the race track (and occasionally on it), with his ears flapping after the cars race past him. His vocal effects are performed by Tim Whitnall.

Episodes

Season 1

Episode	Title	Description	Airdate
01	Roary's First Day	Roary feels nervous as he waits to take part in a big race and Big Chris reminds him of his first day at Silver Hatch	7 May 2007
02	Roary Slips Up	Roary feels foolish and very oily when he forgets to clean up a mess before a race occurs.	8 May 2007
03	Big Chris Flags It Up	Big Chris makes a mistake	9 May 2007
04	Express Delivery	Roary fetches a batch of eggs from the farm for Big Chris	10 May 2007
05	Roary's Day at the Seaside	Roary gets stranded with Big Chris, Tin Top, and Lugga at the beach just when Mr. Carburettor has arrived at Silver Hatch to watch an important race.	11 May 2007
06	Roary Takes Off	Big Chris discovers a novel way of cleaning Roary's fuel intake	14 May 2007
07	Cici Takes the Blame	Marsha's picnic blanket is damaged and she believes Cici is to blame	15 May 2007
08	Big Chris' Big Workout	Big Chris has a race with Marsha	16 May 2007
09	Flash Flips Out	Flash grows tired of the constant roar of engines and decides to divert the cars off the track	17 May 2007
10	Rusty Remembers	Rusty the caravan needs his friends to cheer him up	18 May 2007
11	Easy on the Fuel	Roary tries to include Maxi in the big race even after he runs out of fuel
12	Communication Breakdown	Marsha forgets to charge the walkie-talkies, and everyone struggles to stay in touch just when Roary has an accident.
13	Blue Light Job	Big Chris tries to fix Dragga's neon light

Season 2

Episode	Title	Description
01	Make Your Mind Up Roary	The gang prepare for a special trip, but Roary can't decide where they should go
02	Workshop Roary	Roary and Tin Top offer to run the workshop while Big Chris has a nap
03	Tip Top Tin Top	Tin Top impresses a visiting car designer
04	Tunnel Vision	Roary helps Maxi get over a fear of racing
05	Molecom Makes Music	Molecom wants to be more musical like Big Chris
06	Roary Goes Missing	Roary goes off for the day without telling anyone where he is heading, causing Big Chris to panic
07	Mama Mia	Mr Carburettor learns that his mother is coming to visit
08	Surround Sound	Big Chris is annoyed when his karaoke machine breaks down just when he needs to rehearse for an important competition
09	Plugger's on the Case	Plugger realises he can't do everything by himself - sometimes he needs his friends
10	Big Chris Learns to Fly	Big Chris has problems while flying a helicopter
11	Musical Mayhem	Hellie breaks down and is unable to take Mr Carburettor to the opera
12	Braking Promises	Maxi is angry when Roary is offered his spare tyre warmers overnight
13	Secret Treasures	Roary, Tin Top and Dragga head to the beach to find buried treasure
14	Roary on Thin Ice	Roary desperately tries to warn everyone about ice on the track at Silver Hatch, but they don't listen to him.
15	It's Go Go Go at Silver Hatch	A commentator (Murray Walker) is invited to reporton a stunt display by the cars, but he has other ideas, and confesses he has always dreamed of racing himself
16	Demolition Derby	Roary keeps crashing into things, and Big Chris tries to help him focus his energy into something productive
17	Manners Please	Farmer Green and FB are nervous about going to Mama Mia's garden party, so James and the other cars teach them how best to behave at the event
18	Crash Landing	Hellie has trouble getting airborne again after making an emergency landing
19	Plugger's New Job	James breaks down, causing Mama Mia to ask Plugger to drive her around, but when the pair have fun together, the out-of-action chauffeur begins to get jealous
20	Silver Hatch Fun Run	Big Chris is undecided about taking part in a fun run, so Roary and Plugger try to make sure he trains for it without realising
21	Silver Hatch Heroes	A film director visits Silver Hatch to record his new movie

Season 3

Episode	Title	Description
01	Roary on Thin Ice	Roary tries to warm everyone on an icy day at the track
02	Dragga's Last Day	The little car worries that Dragga is to be taken to the scrapheap
03	Out of Juice	Big Chris takes delivery of special rainwater to make the cars run more smoothly
04	Roary's Wake Up Call	Farmer Green has problems getting up in the morning, so Roary finds a way to help
05	Big Chris Says Sorry	Big Chris thinks Marsha is cross with him after he corrects a mistake made by Mrs Carburettor
06	Maxi's New Engine	Maxi's engine needs to be rebuilt
07	Busy Day for Big Chris	Big Chris struggles to find time to relax because every time he sits down, someone wants his help
08	Tin Top Gets Scared	Flash decides to play a mischievous trick on Tin Top
09	Roary Loses a Friend	Big Chris accidentally throws away Roary's lucky teddy, and sets out to retrieve it before it reaches the rubbish dump
10	Spooky Forest	Maxi tricks the friends into thinking the forest is haunted
11	FB in the Fast Lane	FB the flatbed truck competes against Maxi at the racetrack - with disastrous results
12	Roary Goes Back to School	Roary heads back to school to brush up on his safety skills
13	The Rabbit That Yelled Stop	Flash challenges Roary to take part in a race
14	Cici Gets Fired Up	Silver Hatch suffers a fuel crisis, so everyone relies on solar-powered Cici
15	Stars and Cars	Big Chris is invited to sing karaoke on TV
16	Crash Test Roary	Roary is nervous about racing after crashing into a tree while racing Maxi.
17	Roary Sees Red	Roary and Cici get stranded during a rainstorm while helping Farmer Green and FB with their annual hay harvest.
18	Rusty Takes a Trip	The cheerful racing car and his friends plan a surprise for Rusty.
19	Roary Cleans Up His Act	The colourful car tackles a water shortage at Silver Hatch to make sure the gang are ready for an important photo shoot!
20	Green Eyed Roary	Maxi chooses Cici as his training partner.
21	Big Chris Forgets	Marsha celebrates her birthday, but Big Chris forgets all about the occasion!
22	Big Chris Babysits	The mechanic looks after Roary and Cici, but it seems he's the one who needs babysitting!
23	Roary and Nigel	Roary gets taken away by a cockatoo.
24	Roary Gets It Wrong	Farmer Green asks Roary the little car to deliver parcels around the track!
25	Computer Calamity	Mr. Carburettor announces he wants to move with the times and be more modern.
26	Roary Digs Deep	Roary faces his demons when he races against Maxi.

Season 4

Episode	Title	Description
01	Cici Spectacular	Roary tries to ease Cici's nerves when Farmer Green asks her to perform one of her stunts in front of a big crowd.
02
03
04	Tall Story Roary	Silver Hatch's loudspeaker system breaks, just as Roary is about to perform a dangerous stunt!
05	Hot Stuff	The cars go on a day trip to the beach.
06	Car Boot Sale	Big Chris tries to get rid of his junk at Farmer Green's car boot sale!
07	Testing Time for Maxi	P.C. Pete and Nick visit Silver Hatch to give the cars their road tests, but Maxi fails every single one! Oh no!
08
09	Flash's Tea Party	Flash invites everyone for afternoon tea, but forgets to tell them each to bring a dish.
10
11	Hellie's a Winner	Hellie is accused of cheating when he joins the cars on the track!
12	Cry Cold	Big Chris catches a cold, and enjoys being fussed over so much that he decides not to tell everyone when he starts to feel better!

Season 5

Episode	Title	Description
01
02
03
04	Simply The Best	Plugger rescues Molecom, and Roary tries to beat his best lap time.
05
06
07
08
09	How the Hatch Was Won	Big Chris tries to cheer up a homesick Tin Top, but someone is causing trouble on the track!

References

External links