The New Adventures of Billy Bean and his Funny Machine, The Further Adventures of Billy Bean and his Funny Machine, The Adventures of Billy Bean and his Funny Machine
Billy Bean and His Funny Machine is a UK children's TV series which was first broadcast by the BBC in 1953.[1] It concluded in 1957 after 36 episodes.[2]
The show featured a puppet called Billy Bean, who operated a large machine which possessed devices such as a Dorset-Faucet (named after the inventor, Mr. Faucet of Dorset) and a Mixerator. Billy could produce anything he drew on the "cartoonerator", although misunderstanding led to many mistakes made with humorous results.
Billy was accompanied by Yoo-Hoo the Cuckoo, who always laid an egg at least once every episode, which would be rolled down the machine via zig-zag chutes, and Lester, the unseen engine room operator.
Production
Based upon Chuck Luchsinger's American children's show "Jolly Gene & His Fun Machine", like Jolly Gene, Billy Bean also ran a train and was dressed as an American locomotive engineer (train driver). John Wright made the puppets and equipment, the series was written by Lisa Lincoln, with Reginald Jeffryes drawing what was seen on the cartoonerator, and the puppeteers were Jane Tyson and Elizabeth Donaldson. The show was produced by Vere Lorrimer.
The first series of six episodes[3] featured Dick Vosburgh as Billy Bean and Gaylord Cavallaro as Yoo-Hoo, broadcast twice per month. For series 2 onwards Peter Hawkins took over as Billy, with Ivan Owen as Yoo-Hoo. Series 4-6 went under various names, including The New Adventures of Billy Bean and his Funny Machine, The Further Adventures of Billy Bean and his Funny Machine and The Adventures of Billy Bean and his Funny Machine respectively.
The show is now considered lost media since there is no surviving footage of the show.
Episodes
Series 1 (1953)
Untitled – 9 July 1953
Untitled – 20 July 1953
Untitled – 3 August 1953
Untitled – 17 August 1953
Untitled – 31 August 1953
Untitled – 14 September 1953
Series 2 (1954)
Untitled – 30 June 1954
Untitled – 12 July 1954
Untitled – 28 July 1954
Untitled – 11 August 1954
Untitled – 23 August 1954
Untitled – 8 September 1954
Series 3 (1955)
Untitled – 4 April 1955
Untitled – 18 April 1955
Untitled – 2 May 1955
Untitled – 19 May 1955
Untitled – 1 June 1955
Untitled – 6 July 1955
Untitled – 20 July 1955
Untitled – 3 August 1955
Untitled – 17 August 1955
Untitled – 31 August 1955
Series 4 (The New Adventures of Billy Bean and his Funny Machine, 1956)
Not a Sausage – 9 January 1956
The Atomic Train – 23 January 1956
The Giant Beanoscope – 6 February 1956
Yoo-Hoo Takes the Air – 20 February 1956
Billy's Day Off – 5 March 1956
The Secret of the Machine – 19 March 1956
Series 5 (The Further Adventures of Billy Bean and his Funny Machine, 1956)
The Great Clean-Up – 6 September 1956
The Jet Propelled Cuckoo – 27 September 1956
Billy's Bonfire Night – 5 November 1956
The Atomic Power House – 19 November 1955
Nuts and Crackers – 3 December 1956
Santa Billy – 17 December 1956
Series 6 (The Adventures of Billy Bean and his Funny Machine, 1957)
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