*** TRAINSPOTTING *** (Ivor The Engine)

Member Name: W Shakespeare

Product:	Ivor The Engine
Date:	30/06/01 (192 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good for Welsh tourism

Disadvantages: Could attract trainspotters

"Not very long ago, in the top left-hand corner of Wales, there was a railway. It wasn't a very long railway or a very important railway, but it was called The Merioneth and Llantisilly Rail Traction Company Limited, and it was all there was. And in a shed, in a siding at the end of the railway, lives the Locomotive of the Merioneth and Llantisilly Rail Traction Company Limited, which was a long name for a little engine so his friends just called him Ivor..."

And so it all began in 1959 when Ivor The Engine and his driver Jones the Steam appeared on our screens for the first time in black and white. This may come as a surprise to all of you who remember Ivor in the 1970’s and 1980’s in glorious colour, piping out his characteristic 'Pur-Pur'. In actual fact, the first three series, comprising 32 episodes, were all in black and white and were created for Associated Rediffusion (AR) from 1959 until 1968, when AR ceased to be. After seven, long Ivor-free years, Smallfilms remade the stories in colour – adding a few more of their own – ultimately producing 40 in total which appeared on the BBC up until the mid 1980’s.

'Ivor the Engine' always had a slightly mystical fascination; a hypnotic Oboe solo as a theme tune, a green steam engine who communicated by tooting his whistles, an engine driver who indulged his every whim, a family of Welsh dragons that made a lot of spooky wailing noises, and exotic sounding Welsh place names that made you bring up phlegm if you tried to pronounce them.

The show featured a veritable range of regular catchphrases, some of which involved nothing more than Ivor tooting his whistles. These included:

'Pur-Pur' – Ivor often let this rip when he was about to get moving. (The steam engine equivalent of breaking wind.)

'Cheer-cuff, cheer-cuff…' – Ivor’s in motion now, building up a head of steam... r>
'Come on, Ivor!' – Jones the Steam’s novel tactic for getting Ivor to get moving, in an apparent effort to save on coal.

'Where is my Alice?' – You don’t get many elephants in Wales, but Alice was one, and what’s more, she was always doing a bunk.

The cut-out animation looks dated now, but the programme still retains its olde-worlde charm. Ivor's adventures became increasingly bizarre, including joining a choir, helping deliver a baby dragon and a trip to the seaside where his friends built a track into the sea so he could have a paddle – madness (beach holidaying in Wales, that is).

In addition to the loveable Ivor, the regular characters included:

Jones the Steam – Ivor’s trusty driver with the thickest Welsh accent known to man. He had a snazzy line in orange jackets and a distinctive peaked cap. A stereotypical trainspotter who was harmless but who really needed to get out more.

Dai Station – The station master of Llaniog station. He was basically a bit of a misery guts with a very guttural Welsh accent who was obsessed by regulations. All in all, not a very good advert for 1960’s Welsh station masters.

Evans The Song – Choirmaster of the Grumbly & District Choral Society who, in a stroke of musical genius, invites Ivor to sing bass in the choir, despite the fact he can only play three notes. (Although, it never stopped Boyzone.)

Mrs Porty and her donkey Bluebell – Mrs Porty was a mad, rich old woman who probably drank too much sherry. Bluebell is a close friend of Ivor, despite the fact they have no known means of communication. Sounds like the recipe for a perfect marriage.

Idris the Dragon – As dragons go, Idris was a bit of a ladies’ man. Having hatched out in Ivor’s firebox, he eventually met up with a female dragon called Olwen. Despite being permanently red-hot, they so
mehow managed to couple and produce twins, Gaian and Blodwen. Where are they now?

Bani Moukerjee – Employed by (Charlie) Banger’s Circus, Bani’s extremely suspect Indian accent was perhaps acceptable in an age where 'Mind Your Language' was at the top of the ratings. It is only excusable on the basis that people trying to impersonate a Welsh accent very often end up sounding more Indian than Welsh. Oh yes, and he had an elephant called Alice who was a bit temperamental.

Mr Hughes the Gasworks – Mr Hughes’ starring role seems to have been to look after Alice the elephant. Gasworks? Elephants? Yes, I know, I know...

Mrs Griffiths – Chairperson of the Antiquarian Society who thinks Jones the Steam is a raving lunatic for spending so much of his time gassing with a train which he claims communicates with donkeys and dragons. Understandable, really.

Meredith Dinwiddy - A gold-miner who looks a bit like Rolf Harris will in 20 years time.

Ivor the Engine was an icon of the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s, doing for green Welsh steam engines what Roland Rat did for vermin in the 1990’s.

An excellent children’s programme which will live forever in the memories of anyone lucky enough to have watched it, either in childhood or as an adult.

Now, admit it...you’ve been practising Ivor's tooting noises!