The New Adventures of Blinky Bill

The New Adventures of Blinky Bill was an Australian-live action series that featured actors, interacting with puppets that ran on ABC Television from 1984 to 1987. After production ended, it remained on air in repeats until 1991. Twenty-eight 26 minute episodes were made and the producer was Richard Smith. The show was a follow on from the original Blinky Bill books by Dorothy Wall. Set in the fictional Bollygum National Park, characters include Blinky Bill, Mrs. Magpie, Angelina Wallaby and Walter Wombat from the books, and new characters such as Charlie Goanna, Eric Echidna, Sybella Snake and Kerry Bill from the neighbouring fictional Acadia Ridge park.

Episode list

Season 1 (1984)

1. 'Hello Stranger, Goodbye Ranger'
2. 'Ho-Ha at Bollygum'
3. 'Musical Wares'
4. 'Spaceship Shuttlecock'

Season 2 (1985)

1. 'Stuck On Gumleaves'
2. 'Frills and Feathers'
3. 'High Water'
4. 'Computer Capers'
5. 'Mine Too!'
6. 'Bikies from Outer Space'

Season 3 (1986)

1. 'Rock 'n' Roll Blues'
2. 'Legend in his Own Lunchtime'
3. 'Times Flies When You're Feeling Young'
4. 'Blinky Hits The Jackpot'
5. 'Not a Minute's Peace'
6. 'Twice Bitten'
7. 'The Visitor'
8. 'Food For Thought'

Season 4 (1987)

1. 'Say Snake'
2. 'Hot Wheels'
3. 'A Time Of Testing'
4. 'Operation Gumdrops'
5. 'Media Wars'
6. 'April Fools'
7. 'School's In'
8. 'Brush With Danger'
9. 'Horseplay'
10. 'Diplomatic Relations'

Characters

• Blinky Bill
• Charlie Goanna
• Eric Echidna
• Ranger Barry
• Sybella Snake
• Mr Wombat
• Kerry Koala
• Angelina Wallaby
• Mrs. Magpie

Production

At the time of shooting, the ABC network owned studios in the Sydney bush suburb of Frenchs Forest and the show was recorded using multi-camera and live sound recording on the back lot, with the puppeteers voicing the characters at the same time as operating the puppets. The only time that they would used one Camera was the scenes with Blinky Bill and Charlie Goanna talking in Blinky's Tree. Ross Browning and Alan Highfield Blinky and Charlie's Puppeteers would bet on who could complete the scene the fastest. The Outside Broadcast unit provided crew, equipment and the control room. Some sets, including the ranger's hut and Walter Wombat's general store, were built permanently on location, while others were constructed as required for each episode. Sets were raised by a metre or so, to allow space underneath for puppeteers to stand or kneel. Only one scene - featuring a rock and roll performance by Blinky, Kerry and Charlie - was shot in a studio.

The puppet performers wrote roughly half the episodes. Other writers included Heather March, Mark Page and Morris Gleitzman, who is now a well-known author of children's books.

Every time the ABC wanted to make another series they had to ask permission of Angus & Robertson to shoot the next series of episodes. ABC were asked to pay a higher licence from Angus & Robertson. ABC did not known of Yoram Gross and Angus & Robertson negotiating behind the scenes to make the animated Blinky Bill film. In 1987 after the filming of the final season of The New Adventures of Blinky Bill. Richard Smith was thinking of making a One Hour Christmas Special of Blinky Bill. But because they had finished filming the final Season. It never came to be.

In 1993, Blinky Bill returned to ABC television in the animated series, The Adventures of Blinky Bill, after which the ABC did not screen the puppet series again, a prospect that has become unlikely due to the conviction of Robert Hughes on sex offences.