King Rollo#ep2
{{Short description|Television series}}
{{For|the tenth-century Viking ruler|Rollo of Normandy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox television
| image =
| caption =
| alt_name =
| genre = Animation
| creator =
| developer =
| writer = David McKee
| director =
| creative_director =
| presenter =
| starring =
| judges =
| voices =
| narrated = Ray Brooks
| theme_music_composer =
| opentheme =
| endtheme =
| composer = Duncan Lamont
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 13
| list_episodes =
| executive_producer =
| producer =
| cinematography =
| camera =
| runtime = 5 minutes
| company = King Rollo Films
| channel = BBC1
| first_aired = {{start date|1980|10|1|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{end date|1980|12|24|df=y}}
| related =
}}
King Rollo is a children's character, created by David McKee in 1980. He is the main character in a series of books, animations{{cite book|title=British Book News|publisher=National Book League|year=1981|page=255}} narrated by Ray Brooks, and a comic strip in the magazine Buttons. Thirteen episodes of the animation were produced in 1980 by McKee's own King Rollo Films, where the character is the company's mascot and namesake, and were originally shown as part of the pre-school 'See-Saw' strand.
Rollo himself is a childlike king who is always in need of advice and assistance from his friends. Among these are The Magician (a father figure); Cook (the king's cook, a mother figure, who was arguably the real ruler of the kingdom); his neighbour and girlfriend, Queen Gwen; King Frank; and Rollo's cat, Hamlet, who was generally portrayed as wiser than Rollo himself.{{cite book|title=Reading Time|publisher=Children's Book Council of Australia, New South Wales Branch|year=1980|page=24}}
The animations used the same colourful cut-out paper look as McKee's other works, such as Mr Benn. The 2D animation style saved on production costs.{{cite book | last = Steemers | first = Jeanette | title = Creating preschool television : a story of commerce, creativity and curriculum | publisher = Palgrave Macmillan | location = Basingstoke, England New York | year = 2010 | isbn = 9780230274600 | page=239}} The characters' legs would rotate outwards when walking until they were at right-angles to the sides of their body.{{clarify|date=March 2016}}
Episodes
{{No plot|section|date=September 2021}}
{{Episode table |background=#0BA1D7 |overall=6 |title=30 |airdate=20 |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 1
| Title = The Bread
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1980|10|1|df=y}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 0BA1D7
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 2
| Title = The Playroom
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1980|10|8|df=y}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 0BA1D7
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 3
| Title = The Bath
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1980|10|15|df=y}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 0BA1D7
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 4
| Title = The Dishes
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1980|10|22|df=y}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 0BA1D7
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 5
| Title = The New Shoes
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1980|10|29|df=y}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 0BA1D7
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 6
| Title = The Breakfast
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1980|11|5|df=y}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 0BA1D7
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 7
| Title = The Tree
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1980|11|12|df=y}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 0BA1D7
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 8
| Title = The Comic
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1980|11|19|df=y}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 0BA1D7
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 9
| Title = King Frank
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1980|11|26|df=y}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 0BA1D7
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 10
| Title = The Birthday
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1980|12|3|df=y}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 0BA1D7
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 11
| Title = The Balloons
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1980|12|10|df=y}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 0BA1D7
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 12
| Title = The Search
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1980|12|17|df=y}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 0BA1D7
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 13
| Title = The Dog
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1980|12|24|df=y}}
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = 0BA1D7
}}
}}
Books
- King Rollo and the New Shoes (1979)
- King Rollo and the Bread (1979)
- King Rollo and the Birthday (1979)
- King Rollo and the Balloons (1980)
- King Rollo and the Tree (1980)
- King Rollo and the Dishes (1980)
- King Rollo and the Bath (1981)
- King Rollo and King Frank (1981)
- King Rollo and the Search (1981)
- King Rollo and the Playroom (1982)
- King Rollo and the Breakfast (1982)
- King Rollo and the Dog (1982)
- King Rollo and the Mask (1982)
- King Rollo's Letter and Other Stories (1984): collection containing: King Rollo and the Letter; King Rollo and the Bush; King Rollo and the Present; King Rollo and the Tent
- King Rollo's Winter (1986): board book
- King Rollo's Spring (1987): board book
- King Rollo's Summer (1988): board book
- King Rollo's Autumn (1988): board book
- King Rollo and Santa's Beard (1990): also published as King Rollo's Christmas
- King Rollo and the New Stockings (2001)
=Collections=
- The Adventures of King Rollo (1982): King Rollo and the New Shoes; King Rollo and the Birthday; King Rollo and the Bread; King Rollo and the Tree
- The Further Adventures of King Rollo (1983): King Rollo and the Dishes; King Rollo and the Balloons; King Rollo and King Frank; King Rollo and the Search
- King Rollo's Playroom and Other Stories (1984): King Rollo and the Playroom; King Rollo and the Breakfast; King Rollo and the Dog; King Rollo and the Mask
- The Adventures of King Rollo (2016): collection of separate hardback books containing: King Rollo and the New Shoes; King Rollo and the Bread; King Rollo and the Birthday; King Rollo and King Frank
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|0080237}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20010726204819/http://www.toonhound.com/kingrollo.htm Toonhound]
{{Portal |Children's literature}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:1980s British children's television series
Category:1980 British television series debuts
Category:1980 animated television series debuts
Category:1980 British television series endings
Category:British children's animated adventure television series
Category:Characters in British novels of the 20th century
Category:Television shows based on children's books
Category:British English-language television shows
Category:1980s British animated television series
Category:BBC animated television series
Category:Television series about kings
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