Roobarb, Roobarb, Roobarb... (Roobarb & Custard)

Member Name: W Shakespeare

Product:	Roobarb & Custard
Date:	01/07/01 (707 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funky Theme Tune

Disadvantages: Evil Birds

And you thought The Magic Roundabout was weird.

Written by Grange Calveley (a man who sounds more like a stately home than a scriptwriter), 'Roobarb and Custard' was first aired on the BBC in October 1974 and appeared regularly until the end of the 1980’s. The scripts were originally based on Calveley’s pet dog Roobarb, and the next door’s cat who, coincidentally, wasn’t called Custard. The show was produced and directed by Bob Godfrey who was also the man behind the equally quirky Henry’s Cat.

With its surreal characters, psychedelic colours and bizarre plots, 'Roobarb and Custard' was the televisual equivalent of LSD for the Under 10’s and just as addictive.

In fact, you could have been mistaken for thinking you’d just been slipped an illegal substance as you sat through its relentlessly jerky animation, which almost threatened to jump off the screen, as it wobbled from side to side like a 20-stone marathon runner.

And surely Johnny Hawksworth’s ear-splitting electric anthem can only have been dreamed up while under the influence of some illicit substance (and I’m not talking about the coffee in the BBC canteen)?

The show followed the adventures of a greeny brown dog called Roobarb who enjoyed spending his time concocting weird and wonderful inventions in his shed (the dog equivalent of Heinz Wolff on 'The Great Egg Race').

Roobarb’s next-door neighbour was Custard, a bright pink, rather smarmy, devilish feline with a whiny voice who spent most of his time sitting on the fence smirking (the cat equivalent of Gary Lineker on 'They Think It’s All Over') while keeping an eye on the pond. Custard’s primary goal in life was to obstruct, belittle or double-cross Roobarb, preferably without leaving the comfort of his garden fence.

Narrated by Richard Briers (famous for The Good Life, Ever Decreasing Circles
and an extremely bad pair of false teeth) the opening titles featured Roobarb (but notably, not Custard) clawing his way out his front door and then sprinting westwards towards a tree. Now, instead of sniffing around the tree three times and cocking his leg in the traditional manner, Roobarb very courteously skidded to a halt and jumped into its branches. And of course, all the characters were lovingly coloured in with marker pens.

In true Hitchcock style, the supporting cast included some very creepy and suspicious looking birds. Never particularly helpful towards Roobarb, they revelled in his failures when they would whoop and chuckle on their branches. There was an occasional cameo performance by a mole, fish or rabbit but thankfully humans were never allowed in on the action. The Sun was a character of sorts, who would occasionally appear with a pair of sunglasses, glowing cheeks and a handkerchief on his head if it was particularly hot. While he didn’t have any lines, he was an integral part of the show – a bit like the late, great Big Ron on Eastenders.

The sheer eccentricity of it all is summed up by the titles of 8 episodes recently released on video: 'When Roobarb Made A Spike', 'When Roobarb Didn't See The Sun Come Up', 'When Roobarb Was Being Bored Then Not Being Bored', 'When The Tree Fell To Pieces', 'When Roobarb Found Sauce', 'When It Was Night', 'When It Was Christmas' and 'When The Sun Was Just Right'.

Writer Grange Calveley has actually written 26 new 'Roobarb and Custard Too' episodes and is currently trying to get that elusive commission. So if you see a green dog and a pink cat looking extremely pleased for themselves, check your Radio Times right away.

I’ve always hated rhubarb and custard since I was a child (it’s something to do with tanins) and often sat out my lunchtimes at infants school being kept in by
an old bat whose idea of fun was force-feeding school puddings to small children. However, I’d recommend a healthy portion of 'Roobarb and Custard' after any main meal – even school dinners.

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