Orm and Cheep

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}

{{Use British English|date=October 2016}}

{{Infobox television

| image =

| caption =

| camera =

| runtime = 11 minutes

| creator = Tony Martin

| developer =

| executive_producer =

| voices =

| narrated =

| opentheme =

| endtheme =

| country = United Kingdom

| network = ITV

| first_aired = {{start date|1984|04|10|df=y}}

| last_aired = {{end date|1987|05|28|df=y}}

| num_episodes = 26

| list_episodes =

}}

Orm and Cheep is a 1980s British children's television series that was aimed at the younger viewers of Children's ITV. It used puppets as the main characters (Orm being a worm and Cheep being a bird) and was narrated by Richard Briers. The show was created by Tony Martin, the puppets created by Mary Edwards. There were a total of 26 episodes, which spanned between the years of 1984–1987, each episode consisting of eleven minutes. The series was aired in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada and Iran.

Plot

Cheep was an infant bird who fell from his nest, prior to learning to fly (the theme tune, "If only Cheep could fly", ensured that Cheep's difficulties in learning to fly became a recurring joke throughout the series). He befriends Orm, a worm who inhabits a subterranean home. Their acquaintances include Snail and Mouse, all friends and foes have a single-word, noun name. Their notable foes include Rat and Crow, who often scheme to consume the pair.

Episodes

=Series 1=

  • The Fall (10.04.1984)
  • A Piece of Cake (17.04.1984)
  • Cat Nap (24.04.1984)
  • Down to Earth (01.05.1984)
  • Don't Sneeze Please (08.05.1984)
  • Eye, Eye! (15.05.1984)
  • Strawberry Patch (22.05.1984)
  • Cat and Mouse (29.05.1984)
  • A House for Mouse (05.06.1984)
  • What a Rat (12.06.1984)
  • Silvery Trail (19.06.1984)
  • Cheep Skate (26.06.1984)
  • The Search Party (03.07.1984)

=Series 2=

  • Water, Water Everywhere (5.03.1987)
  • Spring Clean (12.03.1987)
  • Gone with the Wind (19.03.1987)
  • Buried Treasure (26.03.1987)
  • The Dark Wood (02.04.1987)
  • Sports Day (09.04.1987)
  • Ghosts (16.04.1987)
  • Falling Leaves (23.04.1987)
  • The Scarecrow (30.04.1987)
  • The Terrible Three (07.05.1987)
  • Cricket Tea (14.05.1987)
  • Rat Trap (21.05.1987)
  • Blow Out (28.05.1987)

Cast/Crew

First series

  • Creator - Tony Martin
  • Director - Jan Martin
  • Producer - Jan Martin
  • Executive Producer - David Hamilton
  • Artistic Director - Tony Martin
  • Puppet creator _ Mary Edwards
  • Writer - Guy Hallifax
  • Narrator - Richard Briers
  • Puppeteers - Mary Edwards, Geoff Felix and Ian Thom

class="wikitable"
Directors

| Tony Martin and Derek Oliver

Producer

| David Hamilton

Associate Producer

| Claire Derry

Writer

| Guy Hallifax

Narrator

| Richard Briers

Puppeteers

| Geoff Felix, Mary Edwards and Ian Thom

= Australian VHS releases =

class="wikitable"

!VHS Title

!Release Date

!Episodes

Orm And Cheep: Water, Water Everywhere (102992)

| align=center |4 September 2000

| align="center" |Water, Water Everywhere, Spring Clean, Gone With The Wind, Buried Treasure and The Dark Wood

Orm And Cheep: Eye Eye (102993)

| align=center |4 September 2000

| align="center" |Eye Eye, Strawberry Patch, Cat and Mouse, A House for Mouse and What a Rat

Orm And Cheep: The Fall (102994)

| align=center |4 September 2000

| align="center" |The Fall, A Piece of Cake, Cat Nap, Down to Earth and Don't Sneeze Please

DVD release

In 2019, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (as DreamWorks Classics) announced it would be releasing the entire first series on DVD (Region 2, PAL format).

References

Jedi's Children's TV. Jedi. 10 Feb. 2005.

25 Feb. 2007 [http://www.jedisparadise.co.uk/index.htm?childrenstv/Orm_and_Cheep/Orm_and_Cheep.htm]

Toon Hound. Frazer Diamond. 11 Aug. 2006. 25 Feb. 2007 [https://web.archive.org/web/20000929101337/http://www.toonhound.com/ormcheep.htm]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orm And Cheep}}

Category:1984 British television series debuts

Category:1987 British television series endings

Category:1980s British children's television series

Category:British preschool education television series

Category:British television shows featuring puppetry

Category:British English-language television shows

Category:ITV children's television shows

Category:Television series by ITV Studios

Category:TVNZ 2 original programming