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Mr Benn: The Complete Collection (1971-2005)
About this film
McKee wrote and animated (with Ian Lawless) thirteen Mr Benn episodes for the BBC between 1971 and 1972. These episodes were repeated twice a year for 21 years with further repeats airing in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2000. The episodes were narrated by Ray Brooks . The music is credited as composed by Don Warren, which was a pseudonym for Duncan Lamont . Although Smasher Lagru features in The Gladiator , he does not appear in The Clown as the book in which he made his debut, 123456789Benn , was not adapted for television – thus it would have been strange that he and Mr Benn already knew each other. The Hunter was also slightly altered; the book Big Game Benn features several hunters, but only one appears in the television episode. McKee did not benefit financially to the extent he might have: "I signed a contract where I only got a one-off payment and no repeat fees, but I've done quite well from a number of other things and I'm still exhibiting paintings." According to Mr Benn's Little Book of Life , very little of McKee's original artwork created for the television episodes exists today, as most of it was thrown into a rubbish skip in the 1970s. After over thirty years, a…
Directors & creators
Zephyr Films
Subjects
cbeebies, children's bbc, cbbc, david mckee, children's shows, children's books, children's stories
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