Mongrels , formerly known under the working titles of We Are Mongrels and The Un-Natural World, is a British puppet-based situation comedy series first broadcast on BBC Three between 22 June and 10 August 2010, [1] [2] with a making-of documentary entitled "Mongrels Uncovered" broadcast on 11 August 2010. [3] [4] The series revolves around the lives of five anthropomorphic animals who hang around the back of a pub in the Isle of Dogs, London. The characters are Nelson, a metrosexual fox (voiced by Rufus Jones, performed by Andy Heath); Destiny, an Afghan hound (voiced by Lucy Montgomery, performed by Richard Coombs); Marion, a "borderline-retarded" cat (voiced by Dan Tetsell, performed by Warrick Brownlow-Pike); Kali, a grudge-bearing pigeon (voiced by Katy Brand, performed by Iestyn Evans); and Vince, a sociopathic foul-mouthed fox (voiced by Paul Kaye, performed by various puppeteers). [5] [6]
Mongrels originally began as an unbroadcast pilot when it was known as We Are Mongrels. Differences between the pilot and the series included a different voice actor and puppet to portray Marion (Ray Panthaki), Destiny and Kali are also portrayed by different puppets, Vince doesn't swear constantly and the appearance of a sixth character, Debbie the suicidal chicken, who was eventually dropped from the show. Following from this pilot a full series was commissioned. [7]
The first series consisted of eight episodes and the making-of special. A second series was also commissioned. [8] [9] On 18 January 2012 it was announced via Twitter that Mongrels had not been renewed for a third series by the BBC. [10] The series was created and directed by Adam Miller. The producer for the series is Stephen McCrum. [6]
| Series | Episodes | Original broadcast | DVD release | Blu-Ray release | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series premiere | Series finale | |||||
| 1 | 8 | 22 June 2010 | 10 August 2010 | 16 August 2010 [11] | ||
| 2 | 9 | 7 November 2011 | 19 December 2011 | 10 October 2012 | N/A | |
| No | Ep | Title | Directed by | Written by | Air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Nelson the Online Predator" | Adam Miller | Daniel Peak, Jon Brown | 22 June 2010 | |
Nelson discovers the harsh reality of interspecies dating, Marion gets himself adopted after his previous owner dies, Destiny bites her owner so she can attend dog obedience classes and Kali implicates DJ Toby Anstis in one of her evil schemes. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Destiny the Reluctant Sniffer Dog" | Adam Miller | Jon Brown | 29 June 2010 | |
Destiny learns of the power of bottom-sniffing, Kali is reunited with an old partner in crime, Nelson adopts one of Vince's cubs and Marion overdoses on catnip. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Marion the Young Lover" | Adam Miller | Jon Brown | 6 July 2010 | |
Springwatch comes to film on the Isle of Dogs and Nelson is horrified to discover all the animals are, in fact, actors. Destiny becomes a guide dog, Marion attempts to win love by staying alive for one more day, and Kali reveals she used to nest in Amy Winehouse's hair. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Nelson the Stroke Virgin" | Adam Miller | Jon Brown | 13 July 2010 | |
Destiny enjoys a taste of life in the limelight after being awarded Animal of Courage 2010, but it is Marion who is the real hero. Nelson tries to be stroked by a human and Kali develops a crush on a crow that turns out to be female. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Kali the Genetic Engineer" | Adam Miller | Jon Brown | 20 July 2010 | |
Nelson's French penfriend Christian arrives for a visit, but brings rabies with him. Destiny discovers that her new boyfriend is a pimp organised by her owner Gary to get her to produce pups. When Kali is caught up in a pigeon cull, she resolves to take revenge on humankind. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Destiny the Infection Risk" | Adam Miller | Jon Brown | 27 July 2010 | |
Nelson falls in love with Sandra, a mangy, flea-ridden fox whom he meets at the rubbish tip while rescuing Marion. Gary angers Kali after he erects anti-pigeon spikes on the pub walls, but Destiny is overjoyed when he enters her into a competition. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Marion the Superfluous Feed Character" | Adam Miller | Jon Brown | 3 August 2010 | |
Nelson organises a rooftop picnic to celebrate Vince's birthday, but things go badly wrong when an accident with a party popper puts Vince in a coma. Meanwhile, Destiny tries dating a bossy sheepdog and Kali plots her revenge on Harry Hill after seeing her mum getting electrocuted on You've Been Framed. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Nelson the Naughty Arsonist" | Adam Miller | Jon Brown | 10 August 2010 | |
It's the worst time of the year for the animals - Bonfire Night (aka 5/11). After failing in his job last year as a fire warden, Nelson faces an angry mob led by Marion demanding an end to the event for good. Kali has her wings clipped and discovers she is suddenly an easy meal for Vince. Destiny decides to pursue a modelling career. | ||||||
| No | Ep | Title | Directed by | Written by | Air date | UK viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Marion and the Force-Field" | Adam Miller | Jon Brown | 7 November 2011 | 0.35 (BBC Three) | |
Celebrity guests: N/A Song: Just A Little Tap On The Nose | |||||||
| 10 | 2 | "Kali and the Rickshaw Inferno" | Adam Miller | Jon Brown | 7 November 2011 | 0.35 (BBC Three) | |
Celebrity guests: Ainsley Harriott, Richard O'Brien, Russell Tovey Song: Die Evil Zombies | |||||||
| 11 | 3 | "Destiny and the V.E.T.S" | Adam Miller | Jon Brown | 14 November 2011 | N/A | |
Celebrity guests: Zoë Ball (as Zoe Ball), Danny Dyer Song: Immigration Rag | |||||||
| 12 | 4 | "Nelson and the C***'s Speech" | Adam Miller | Jon Brown, Dan Tetsell | 21 November 2011 | N/A | |
Nelson's thrilled to be best man. All he has to do is say one nice thing about Vince. | |||||||
| 13 | 5 | "Marion and the Myocardial Infarction" | Adam Miller | Daniel Peak | 5 December 2011 | N/A | |
Kali seeks revenge when her put-downs are outclassed by Destiny's bitchy new friend. | |||||||
| 14 | 6 | "Kali and the Psychological Warfare" | Adam Miller | Daniel Peak | 12 December 2011 | N/A | |
Kali embarks on a campaign of psychological warfare against Vanessa Feltz. | |||||||
| 15 | 7 | "Nelson and the AMAZING Nuts" | Adam Miller | Jon Brown | 28 November 2011 [fn 1] | N/A | |
Marion becomes a YouTube sensation after getting his head stuck in a car tyre. | |||||||
| 16 | 8 | "Vince and the Helpful Horse" | Adam Miller | Jon Brown, Daniel Peak | 19 December 2011 | 0.09 (BBC HD) | |
Nelson and the gang must solve the mystery of what-the-hell happened on New Year's Eve. | |||||||
| 17 | 9 | "Miquita and the Obligatory Clips Show" | Adam Miller | Jon Brown | 19 December 2011 | 0.09 (BBC HD) | |
Miquita Oliver presents this clip show in this hilarious celebration of Mongrels. | |||||||