"Here is a box, a musical box,
     wound up and ready to play..."
 

     The first in what became a trilogy of series based in Gordon Murray's imaginary
     county of Trumptonshire, Camberwick Green is the anithesis of ye olde English
     country village with a scattering of quaint and colourful shops and homes
     tossed around a small green. Living in and around Camberwick Green are Mrs
     Dingle the postmistress, Micky Murphy and his family bakery, Dr Mopp the village
     doctor with his stove-pipe hat and olde world jallopy. Jonathon Bell is a 'go-ahead'
     farmer with mostly modern machinery, like forklifts. Then there's Peter Hazel the
     postman, Mr Crockett's garage and no village would be complete without a little
     village gossip which is provided by busy Mrs Honeyman, with her babe in arms. 
     Songs and music play an important role in this green-hilled vale, with each of the
     Trumptonshire characters having a particular ditty associated with their name
     and profession. Funnily enough, Camberwick Green's most famous residents
     don't actually dwell in the village at all...

     Pippin Fort stands out in the Trumptonshire hills. It's the olde castle base for
     Captain Snort, Sgt Major Grout and company. These soldiers still wear
     traditional Red-Coat suits. When e'er the villages need assistence the soldiers
     are only a telephone call away. One quick bugle blast later and the men are all
     onboard their 'humpity bumpity army truck', off to aid the needy...

     And then there's Colley's Mill, the windmill home and business of Camberwick
     Green's most famous resident Windy Miller. Like so many Camberwick folk,
     Windy still wears a traditional costume, his being a blue miller's smock and
     quaker hat. Cheerful Windy uses his windmill to grind corn and barley in the
     age-old way...

          

     Ah, Camberwick

     Each episode presents us with a new Camberwick character, revealed within
     a musical box. Once a courteous greeting is out of the way we are off
     to the Green to witness a day in life of the star and his or her encounters with
     the folks around Trumptonshire. In keeping with the theme, episodes are
     simply named after the characters, that's different from Trumpton and Chigley
     where more story-specific titles are employed.

     Ah, Trumptonshire

     Camberwick Green, Trumpton, and Chigley were supremely realised little
     hamlets and villages, blending an olde worlde nostalgia with more modern
     elements. They still represent a quintissential British way of life, where
     everyone has a specific role and can be comfortable within in it, where folk
     always have the time to help one another, lend a hand, offer a cheery smile
     and a wave and has the time and freedom to enjoy their enriching lifestyle.
     Indeed, the Trumptonshire 'message' is even more important now, forty-plus
     years on when day-to-day pressures have become immense, jobs are
     fractured, fragile things with no clear outlook ahead and there is so much bad
     air around us to make us frown at the world. It certainly explains why Camberwick
     Green and Trumpton and Chigley are in demand on DVD, and so popular
     in the form of those collectible figures and pieces from Robert Harrop...
 
     Trumptonshire creator Gordon Murray previously brought us the puppets
     of Rubovia. He later created Skip And Fuffy and The Gublins. Animators
     Bura And Hardwick also brought us the delights of  Toytown featuring Larry
     The L-L-Lamb whilst scriptwriter Alison Prince  had previously written the
     adventures of Joe...

    

     Quaker Oats Adverts

     In 2005, that most famous of millers, Windy Miller and PC McGarry returned 
     to our screens via an advertising campaign for Pepsico Quaker Oats. The four ads
     were produced by Loose Moose, through AMV BBDO Ltd, and you can barely see
     the join. The only difference now being that Charlie Higson replaced Brian Cant
     for the narration. The playful ads also introduced new characters in the form
     of Molly the Barmaid, the Jogger, and the rather over-exposed Uncle Guber
     (he's a naturist!). There was also a print campaign running alongside the
     commercials featuring windy, PC McGarry, Trumpton's Mayor and an
     unnamed new Nurse character...

     The four TV adverts
    Supergrain
    The Jogger
    Windy's Day Off
    Uncle Guber

 

    At ease, soldier!

 

     Broadcast info

     The series premiered on BBC1 with  "Peter the Postman"  which aired
     3rd January 1966. The series continued each week for thirteen weeks,
     concluding 28th March....

 
  
     Trumpton on DVD


      Camberwick Green: The Complete Collection
                Region 2 / all 13 episodes / Universal / May 2006

      Camberwick Green: Stories From Camberwick Green
                 Region 2 / 12 episodes / Firefly / June 2004

      The Complete Collection
                 Trumpton / Camberwick Green / Chigley / 3 disc set / April 2003

 

     Camberwick Green created by Gordon Murray

     scripts:         Gordon Murray, Alison Prince
     songs:          Gordon Murray, Freddie Phillips, Alison Prince
     animation:    "Bura and Hardwick"
                         Bob Bura, John Hardwick, George Debouch,
                         Pasquale Ferrari, Colin Large, Len Palace
     sets:             Andrew Brownfoot, Margaret Brownfoot
     narration
     and voices:   Brian Cant

 

      On the web

       Trumptonshire Web
       The Trumptonshire Web. The search engines favourite and The Hound's
       too, stuffed with info and interviews with all the main creative personnel,
       production sketches, a Trumptonshire map, a cuddly toy...Well, you get
       the gist. There's a stack of information to sift through here. Informative and
       definitive, really - you won't find better!...

 
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