| Crystal Tipps and Alistair | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Cartoon |
| Written by | Graham McCallum and Hilary Hayton |
| Directed by | Richard Taylor |
| Composer | Paul Reade |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 50 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Michael Grafton-Robinson |
| Animators | Althea Battams and Maggie Clarke |
| Running time | Five minutes |
| Production company | Q3 London |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One |
| Release | 28 February 1972 – 1974 |
Crystal Tipps and Alistair is a British cartoon produced for the BBC [1] . The main series aired between 28 February 1972 [2] and 1974 on BBC One.
The cartoon began as an entry to a European Broadcasting Union (EBU) collaborative project seeking wholly dialogue-free animations. [3] The resulting 5-minute film, titled Hide and Seek, aired in 1971 [4] and became the pilot for the series.
The series has no dialogue but is accompanied by a full musical soundtrack composed by Paul Reade. However, when shown on Captain Kangaroo in the U.S. in the 1970s the series did have voice-over narration by Cosmo "Gus" Allegretti in his high-pitched "Mister Moose" voice.[ citation needed ]
The title characters are a girl who is called Crystal Tipps and her dog who are joined by their friends Birdie and Butterfly. [5]
In addition to the pilot, there are 50 five-minute episodes and a 20-minute Christmas special, all first shown between 1972 and 1974. [3] It was regularly repeated until 1980. Between 1985 and 1987 the programme aired on Children's ITV (with its BBC TV/Q3 credit replaced by a "Children's ITV" endboard on the 4pm broadcast). [6] In 1990, the BBC claimed back the rights with continued airings until 1994. [7] It was created by Hilary Hayton and Graham McCallum. Michael Grafton-Robinson, a BBC producer went independent, setting up Q3 of London to produce the series. [3] The animation was done by Richard Taylor Cartoons, who were also contracted to make the Charley Says and the Protect and Survive public information films for the Central Office of Information.
| Title | Original release date |
|---|---|
| "Hide and Seek" | 10 June 1971 |
| No. | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Bird" | 28 February 1972 |
| 2 | "Butterfly" | 29 February 1972 |
| 3 | "Flying" | 1 March 1972 |
| 4 | "The Art Gallery" | 2 March 1972 |
| 5 | "Keep Fit" | 3 March 1972 |
| 6 | "Fishing" | 6 March 1972 |
| 7 | "Party Time" | 7 March 1972 |
| 8 | "Decorating" | 8 March 1972 |
| 9 | "Sowing Seeds" | 9 March 1972 |
| 10 | "Trip to the Seaside" | 10 March 1972 |
| 11 | "Yo Yo" | 13 March 1972 |
| 12 | "The Postman" | 14 March 1972 |
| 13 | "Dressing Up" | 15 March 1972 |
| 14 | "Music Makers" | 16 March 1972 |
| 15 | "Snow" | 17 March 1972 |
| 16 | "It's Quicker by Tube" | 20 March 1972 |
| 17 | "Zoo Time" | 21 March 1972 |
| 18 | "Spring Cleaning" | 22 March 1972 |
| 19 | "Boots" | 23 March 1972 |
| 20 | "Chimney Sweep" | 24 March 1972 |
| 21 | "The Circus" | 27 March 1972 |
| 22 | "On Wheels" | 28 March 1972 |
| 23 | "Tennis Time" | 29 March 1972 |
| 24 | "The Swimming Pool" | 30 March 1972 |
| 25 | "Picnic Time" | unknown |
| 26 | "Surprise" | unknown |
| 27 | "Bubbles" | unknown |
| 28 | "Pussy" | unknown |
| 29 | "Gardening" | unknown |
| 30 | "Still Life" | unknown |
| 31 | "Sailing" | unknown |
| 32 | "Golf" | unknown |
| 33 | "Waterworks" | unknown |
| 34 | "Eastern Magic" | unknown |
| 35 | "Dough" | unknown |
| 36 | "The Fortune Teller" | unknown |
| 37 | "The Monster" | unknown |
| 38 | "Hotel" | unknown |
| 39 | "The Dog House" | unknown |
| 40 | "Trampoline" | unknown |
| 41 | "Knitting" | unknown |
| 42 | "Bump in the Night" | unknown |
| 43 | "Vacuum Cleaner" | unknown |
| 44 | "Professor" | unknown |
| 45 | "Cricket" | unknown |
| 46 | "Kitten Care" | unknown |
| 47 | "The Farm" | unknown |
| 48 | "Sculptures" | unknown |
| 49 | "Topiary" | unknown |
| 50 | "The Magician" | unknown |
| Title | Original release date |
|---|---|
| "Crystal's Christmas Special" | 25 December 1974 |