Roary the Racing Car

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Roary the Racing Car
RoarytheRacingCarlogo.png
Genre Children's television series
Created byDavid Jenkins
Developed by Keith Chapman
Directed byTim Harper
Voices of
Narrated by
Theme music composerAlan Coates and Kim Goody
Opening theme"My Number One Star"
sung by Peter Kay (UK)/Kerry Shale (US)
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes104
Production
Executive producerGreg Lynn (S3-S4)
ProducerOwen Ballhatchet (S1-S2)
Running time10 minutes (approx.)
Production company Chapman Entertainment
Original release
Network
Release7 May 2007 (2007-05-07) 
29 September 2010 (2010-09-29)
Related
Fifi and the Flowertots

Roary the Racing Car, stylised as ROARY: The Racing Car, is a British preschool animated television series created by David Jenkins and produced by Chapman Entertainment [1] for Five and Nick Jr. that aired from 7 May 2007 to 29 September 2010. The series was animated by Cosgrove Hall Films for its first series, while Chapman took over animation production for the second series. It follows the adventures of Roary and his racing car friends at Silver Hatch racetrack.

Contents

Overview

Plot

The series follows the lives and adventures of five racing vehicles, Roary, Maxi, Cici (Zizzy in the US), Drifter (Dragga in the US), Tin Top, and the people who they work for, Big Chris the Mechanic, Marsha the Race Marshall and the owner of the racetrack, Mr. Carburettor.

Setting

Roary the Racing Car is set around a fictional motor racing circuit called Silver Hatch (a portmanteau of the names of the two British Grand Prix racing circuits, Silverstone and Brands Hatch ). The majority of the action takes place at the track's pits and workshop, although we often follow the cars on their laps around the track. Occasionally, the characters venture to external locations such as the nearby beach.

Sometimes, a race will happen, which will take up most of the episode.

Narration

Every story begins and ends with some brief narration normally from racing car driver Sir Stirling Moss, who is also used as a voiceover. The US version is narrated by American stock car driver Sam Hornish Jr.

Characters

The characters for series 1-2 (from left to right): FB (Trucksy in the US), Zippee, Tin Top, Dinkie, and Mr. Carburettor (behind Tin Top), Hellie, Maxi, Big Chris, Rusty (behind Big Chris), Roary, Marsha, Flash (Furz in the US), Cici (Zizzy in the US), Drifter (Dragga in the US), Plugger (Lugga in the US), and Farmer Green (except Molecom). RoaryTheRacingCarFullCharacters.png
The characters for series 1-2 (from left to right): FB (Trucksy in the US), Zippee, Tin Top, Dinkie, and Mr. Carburettor (behind Tin Top), Hellie, Maxi, Big Chris, Rusty (behind Big Chris), Roary, Marsha, Flash (Furz in the US), Cici (Zizzy in the US), Drifter (Dragga in the US), Plugger (Lugga in the US), and Farmer Green (except Molecom).

Vehicles

Humans

Animals

Production

Roary the Racing Car uses a combination of computer-generated imagery and stop motion animation; the latter was initially provided by Cosgrove Hall Films, the producer of Noddy's Toyland Adventures , Engie Benjy , Little Robots , Fetch the Vet , the third to sixth series of Postman Pat , Pocoyo , the original 1981 Danger Mouse series, Count Duckula , The Wind in the Willows and many other series, and later by Chapman Entertainment's own in-house studio, along with its sister show Fifi and the Flowertots .

The series was created by David Jenkins, who spent four years working in senior management at Brands Hatch Race Circuit. The idea was conceived while watching the Grand Prix on television with his then 18-month-old son, Tom. It was designed and developed by Keith Chapman, creative director of Chapman Entertainment and the creator of Bob the Builder (both 1999 and the 2015 reboot series), Fifi and the Flowertots, and later, Paw Patrol and Mighty Express , with Greg Lynn as the series' executive producer. When the show came to the U.S., HIT Entertainment handled the distribution rights, along with Fifi and the Flowertots. The theme music was produced by Alan Coates and Kim Goody. For scenes that were too difficult to film in stop motion, Chapman asked Studio Liddel to provide CGI animation. The sets and models were made using photographs of their stop motion models.

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
1 52May 7, 2007 (2007-05-07)June 9, 2008 (2008-06-09)
2 52June 1, 2009 (2009-06-01)September 29, 2010 (2010-09-29)

Series 1 (2007–08)

OverallEpisodeTitleWritten byDescription
0101"Roary's First Day"Rachel DawsonRoary feels nervous as he waits to take part in a big race and Big Chris reminds him of his first day at Silver Hatch.
0202"Big Chris Flags it Up"Rachel DawsonWhen Marsha suddenly comes down with a cold and gets sent home, Big Chris mistakes Marsha's flags for oil rags when he accidentally sends fuel dripping onto the ground instead of into Roary's fuel tank.
0303"Flash Flips Out" ("Furz Flips Out" in North America)Wayne JackmanFlash (Furz in the US) causes a problem when Roary and the other cars test out their new turbo chargers.
0404"Rusty Remembers"Wayne JackmanRusty the caravan needs Roary to cheer him up, despite Big Chris being repeatedly told by Marsha to find a certificate before an inspector comes to the race track.
0505"Blue Light Job"Di RedmondBig Chris tries to fix Drifter's (Dragga's in the US) neon light.
0606"Roary Takes Off"Wayne JackmanBig Chris discovers a new way of cleaning Roary's fuel intake.
0707"Cici Takes the Blame" ("Zizzy Takes the Blame" in North America)Dan WicksmanMarsha's picnic blanket is badly damaged and she believes that Cici (Zizzy in the US) is to blame.
0808"Big Chris' Big Workout"Chris ParkerBig Chris tries to prove to Marsha that he is in good shape after she rescues Roary before he can after he gets stuck in mud.
0909"Express Delivery"Dave InghamRoary fetches a box of six eggs, together with a bottle of milk from the farm for Big Chris, but unfortunately, he ends up breaking the eggs and spilling the milk over and over again.
1010"Roary's Day at the Seaside"Di RedmondRoary spends a day at the beach with Big Chris, Tin Top, and Plugger (Lugga in the US).
1111"Communication Breakdown"Chris ParkerRoary has a crash and is overheating at Hare-Pin Bend and Marsha and Zippee the Scooter must find a way to get him back to be fixed when the walkie-talkies break down.
1212"Workshop Roary"Dave InghamRoary and Tin Top offer to run the workshop while Big Chris has a nap. However, it proves to be harder than it looks.
1313"Tip Top Tin Top"Dave InghamTin Top impresses a visiting car designer named Hugo Amarillo.
1414"Mama Mia"Wayne JackmanMr. Carburettor learns that his mother, Mama Mia, is coming to visit.
1515"Drifter's Last Day" ("Dragga's Last Day" in North America)Rachel DawsonThe cars worry that Drifter (Dragga in the US) is to be taken to the scrapheap for good.
1616"Make Your Mind Up Roary"Dan WicksmanThe gang prepare for a special trip, but Roary cannot decide whether the Silver Hatch crew should go to the countryside or the beach.
1717"Molecom Makes Music"Wayne JackmanMolecom wants to be more musical like Big Chris.
1818"Big Chris Learns to Fly"Rachel DawsonBig Chris has problems while flying in Hellie.
1919"Musical Mayhem"Chris ParkerHellie the Helicopter breaks down and is unable to take Mr. Carburettor to the opera.
2020"Out of Juice"Chris ParkerBig Chris takes delivery of special rainwater to make the cars run more smoothly, but Maxi drinks it all and nearly causes a bad accident.
2121"Roary Slips Up"Wayne JackmanRoary feels foolish and very oily when he forgets to clean up a mess before a big race occurs.
2222"Easy on the Fuel"Di RedmondRoary tries to include Maxi in the big race, even after he runs out of fuel.
2323"Tunnel Vision"Chris ParkerRoary helps Maxi get over a fear of the dark after he breaks down in Ton-Up Tunnel.
2424"Roary Goes Missing"Wayne JackmanRoary gets stuck at the beach, but no one knows where he is, not even Marsha.
2525"Stars 'n' Cars"Dave InghamBig Chris is invited to sing karaoke on television, but Roary and the other cars are worried the fame might get to his head.
2626"Plugger's on the Case" ("Lugga's on the Case" in North America)Dan WicksmanPlugger (Lugga in the US) discovers that he cannot do everything by himself - sometimes he needs his friends to help him.
2727"Braking Promises" ("Breaking Promises" in North America)Wayne JackmanMaxi is angry when Roary is offered his spare tyre warmers overnight, so he tries to get Roary into trouble.
2828"Secret Treasures"Di RedmondRoary, Drifter (Dragga in the US) and Tin Top head to the beach to find some buried treasure, just like pirates.
2929"Roary on Thin Ice"Rachel DawsonOn a cold day at Silver Hatch race track, Roary must find a way to warm everyone up in time for an important race.
3030"Roary Loses a Friend"Wayne JackmanBig Chris accidentally throws away Roary's lucky teddy, and sets out to retrieve it before it reaches the rubbish dump (garbage dump in the US).
3131"Roary's Wake Up Call"Wayne JackmanFarmer Green has problems getting up in the mornings, so Roary finds a way to help.
3232"Big Chris Says Sorry"Wayne JackmanBig Chris thinks that Marsha is cross with him after he accidentally tells Mr. Carburettor that she made a mistake.
3333"Maxi's New Engine"Wayne JackmanMaxi's engine needs to be rebuilt, so he has to use a tractor engine, much to his horror.
3434"Busy Day for Big Chris"Wayne JackmanBig Chris struggles to find time to relax, because, every time he sits down, someone at Silver Hatch race track wants his help.
3535"Tin Top Gets Scared"Wayne JackmanFlash (Furz in the US) the rabbit decides to play a mischievous trick on Tin Top.
3636"Surround Sound"Dan WicksmanBig Chris is annoyed when his karaoke machine breaks down just when he needs to rehearse for an important competition.
3737"Spooky Forest"Rachel DawsonMaxi and his friends think that the spooky forest is haunted.
3838"FB in the Fast Lane" ("Trucksy in the Fast Lane" in North America)Chris ParkerFB (Trucksy in the US) competes against Roary at the racetrack - along with disastrous results!
3939"Roary Goes Back to School"Wayne JackmanRoary is abusively forced back to school to brush up on his safety skills.
4040"Rabbit That Yelled Stop"Rachel DawsonFlash (Furz in the US) challenges Roary to take part in a race. However, Flash (Furzz in the US) decides to cheat in order to win.
4141"Cici Gets Fired Up" ("Zizzy Gets Fired Up" in North America)Di RedmondSilver Hatch Race Track suffers a fuel crisis, so everyone relies on solar-powered Cici (Zizzy in the US).
4242"Crash Test Roary"Dave InghamRoary is nervous about racing after crashing into a tree while racing with Maxi.
4343"Rusty Takes a Trip"Wayne JackmanRoary and his friends plan a surprise for Rusty.
4444"Big Chris Forgets"Chris BowdenMarsha celebrates her birthday, but Big Chris forgets all about the occasion.
4545"Computer Calamity"Chris BowdenMr. Carburettor announces he wants to move with the times and be more modern. But Big Chris, fed up with Mr. Carburettor's irrationality and nonsense, decides to quit his job, leaving Roary and everyone else shocked, broken-hearted and highly depressed, and also fed up with Mr. Carburettor.
4646"Roary Sees Red"Di RedmondRoary and Cici (Zizzy in the US) have an argument and fall out. And while helping Farmer Green and FB (Trucksy in the US) with their annual hay harvest, Cici (Zizzy in the US) gets stuck in the mud.
4747"Roary Cleans Up His Act"Rachel DawsonRoary tackles a water shortage at Silver Hatch race track to make sure that he and the gang are ready in time for a tremendously important photo shoot!
4848"Green-Eyed Roary"Chris ParkerMaxi chooses Cici (Zizzy in the US) as his training partner, making Roary jealous.
4949"Big Chris Babysits"Wayne JackmanBig Chris looks after Roary and Cici (Zizzy in the US), but it seems that he is the one who needs babysitting!
5050"Roary and Nigel"Dave InghamRoary makes friends with Nigel the crab, who lives in a rock pool on the beach.
5151"Roary Gets it Wrong"Di RedmondFarmer Green asks Roary to deliver parcels around the track, but in spite of his singing that he does while driving around the track, Roary gets the parcels all mixed up. What a muddle!
5252"Roary Digs Deep"Tim HarperRoary faces his demons when he races against Maxi.

Series 2 (2009–10)

OverallEpisodeTitleWritten byDescription
5301"Cici Spectacular" ("Zizzy Spectacular" in North America)Chris BowdenRoary tries to ease Cici's (Zizzy's in the US) nerves when Mr. Carburettor asks her to perform one of her stunts in front of a big crowd.
5402"Dodgems"Rachel DawsonMarsha tries her best to be the mechanic for the day while Big Chris takes a nap.
5503"Flash the Marshall" ("Furz the Marshall" in North America)Dave InghamMr. Carburettor wants Flash (Furz in the US) to get out of Silver Hatch race track forever, but Flash (Furz in the US) is given a second chance to stay by becoming a race marshall.
5604"Tall Story Roary"Chris ParkerThe Silver Hatch team must find a way to bring Roary back to the race track after the loud-speakers break down, and he has an accident.
5705"Hot Stuff"Chris ParkerThe cars go on a day trip to the beach.
5806"Car Boot Sale"Chris BowdenBig Chris tries to get rid of his junk at Farmer Green's car boot sale.
5907"Testing Time for Maxi"Chris BowdenPC Pete (Officer Pete in the US) and his important police car Nick visit Silver Hatch to give the cars their road tests, but Maxi fails every single one. Oh, no!
6008"Horse Powered Dinkie"Rachel DawsonMaxi and Drifter (Dragga in the US) have an accident and they both become stuck in a ditch. FB (Trucksy in the US) and Dinkie the Donkey come to their rescue.
6109"Flash's Tea Party" ("Furz's Tea Party" in North America)Wayne JackmanFlash (Furz in the US) the rabbit invites everyone for afternoon tea, but he forgets to tell them to bring a dish.
6210"FB's Sleepover" ("Trucksy's Sleepover" in North America)Wayne JackmanFB (Trucksy in the US) is invited to a sleepover at the workshop with the cars.
6311"Hellie's a Winner"Rachel DawsonMaxi accuses Hellie of cheating when he joins the cars out on the track, but soon learns the error of his ways after Hellie rescues him.
6412"Cry Cold"Chris BowdenBig Chris catches a cold, and enjoys being fussed over so much that he decides not to tell everyone when he starts to feel better.
6513"Motormouth"Wayne Jackman and Greg LynnA commentator (Murray Walker) is invited to commentate for a very big race, much to Big Chris' fury.
6614"Demolition Derby"Rachel DawsonTin Top keeps crashing into things, and Big Chris tries to help him focus his energy into something productive.
6715"Manners, Please"Rachel DawsonFarmer Green and FB (Trucksy in the US) are nervous about going to Mamma Mia's garden party, so James and the other cars teach them how to behave at the event.
6816"Big Bangs"Wayne JackmanTin Top overcomes his fear of fireworks.
6917"Plugger's New Job" ("Lugga's New Job" in North America)Chris BowdenJames breaks down, causing Mamma Mia to ask Plugger (Lugga in the US) to drive her around, but when the pair have fun together, the out-of-action chauffeur begins to get jealous.
7018"Silver Hatch Fun Run"Rachel DawsonBig Chris is uncertain about taking part in a fun run, so Roary and Plugger (Lugga in the US) try to make sure he trains for it without realising (realizing in the US).
7119"Silver Hatch Heroes"Dave InghamA film director visits Silver Hatch to record his new movie, except all he wants to film is crashes.
7220"Nick Solves the Case"Wayne JackmanNick solves the case of the missing bio fuel.
7321"Crash Landing"Chris BowdenHellie breaks down and has a crash. Despite everyone's efforts, Hellie won't fly again - what could the problem be?
7422"High-Tech Overload"Wayne JackmanDrifter's (Dragga's in the US) computer breaks down and Drifter (Dragga in the US) becomes stranded in the countryside. Meanwhile, he starts to enjoy the peace and quiet.
7523"The Silver Hatch Stars"Rachel DawsonConrod and Roary rescue Breeze when she gets stuck on a cliff edge.
7624"New Juice"Wayne JackmanConrod and Maxi have a race to test out some biofuel.
7725"Simply the Best"Chris ParkerPlugger (Lugga in the US) rescues Molecom, and Roary tries to beat his best lap time.
7826"Heavy Loada"Wayne JackmanLoada gets stuck in the sand on the beach and realizes that sand and lorries (trucks in the US) don't mix!
7927"Marsha's Wonderful Life"Rachel DawsonMarsha overhears her friends and she believes that she is bossy, so, she decides to take Zippee and depart Silver Hatch for good. But she soon discovers Silver Hatch is not the same without her.
8028"Silver Hatch Shapes Up"Chris ParkerConrod is having trouble with his engine and Loada has a rattling sound in his engine.
8129"Silver Hatch Pizza"Wayne JackmanMr. Carburettor wants pizza for lunch, but what's he going to do when the pizzeria is closed?
8230"Homesick Tin Top"Chris BowdenThe cars try to cheer up Tin Top when he feels homesick.
8331"How the Hatch Was Won"Rachel DawsonBig Chris and Tin Top are watching a cowboy film (movie in the US), while Flash (Furz in the US) is causing trouble on the race track!
8432"Law and Order" ("Rules are Rules" in North America)Wayne JackmanMr. Carburettor is fed up with the cars running amok on his track and summons PC Pete (Officer Pete in the US) and Nick to restore order to the track. But might our overzealous policeman overstep the mark?
8533"Mum's the Word" ("Mom's the Word" in North America)Wayne JackmanBig Chris' mum (mom in the US) is visiting Silver Hatch, so is Mama Mia.
8634"FB for Football" ("Trucksy for Soccer" in North America)Dave InghamBig Chris and his friends decide to play football (soccer in the US) on the beach.
8735"Save Our Tree"Dave InghamMr. Carburettor wants to cut down Flash's (Furz's in the US) tree to build a new control tower, so he tries to stop it happening.
8836"Cici Wins the Day" ("Zizzy Wins the Day" in North America)Rachel DawsonCici (Zizzy in the US) is fed up of never winning, and decides not to take part in the big race. Can Roary make her change her mind?
8937"Big Chris Gets Lucky" ("Big Chris' Lucky Vest" in North America)Chris ParkerBig Chris loses his lucky vest before a big race, and all the cars are nervous.
9038"Putting on a Show"Wayne JackmanRoary is very nervous about a big race, so he goes off for a practice lap, and ends up crashing. This leads to all the other cars crashing too.
9139"Workshop Chaos"Wayne JackmanBig Chris is furious after Marsha and Molecom tidy up his workshop while he is gone.
9240"Pit Stop Perils"Chris BowdenWhen Roary and Maxi keep arguing over who is the fastest car, Mr. Carburettor organises a big race with pit stops to settle their argument.
9341"Mr. Carburettor's Birthday Suit"Dominic FrisbyOn a rainy race day, Mr. Carburettor's suit gets wet. What will he wear now?
9442"Dancing Queen" ("Queen of the Dancefloor" in North America)Rachel DawsonWhen Big Christine cannot go to a dancing contest because of her partner cancelling, the Silver Hatch gang prepare a surprise to cheer her up.
9543"Big Chris' Big Jump"Dave InghamBig Chris does a parachute jump for charity.
9644"Go Gadget James and Maxi"Rachel DawsonMaxi is jealous of James' gadgets, so he persuades Molecom to give him some, with hilarious results.
9745"Mr. Carburettor or Bust"Dave InghamA statue of Mr. Carburettor is to be unveiled, but it gets destroyed.
9846"Let's Hear it for Big Chris"Wayne JackmanThe Silver Hatch gang prepare a surprise for Big Chris being the longest-serving member of the Silver Hatch staff.
9947"Funny Business"Chris ParkerBig Chris gets a box of jokes, which leads to all the cars playing tricks on each other.
10048"Home is Where the Hatch Is"Rachel DawsonRoary and Breeze swap places for one night. However, Roary misses Silver Hatch, and Breeze misses the beach.
10149"It's Go, Go, Go at Silver Hatch"Wayne Jackman and Greg LynnMurray Walker returns to Silver Hatch to commentate for a stunt display.
10250"PC Roary" ("Officer Roary" in North America)Chris BowdenPC Pete (Officer Pete in North America) makes Roary a police car for the day, but Roary soon goes a little too far.
10351"Winter Breeze"Chris BowdenBreeze visits Silver Hatch to help them get ready for Mama Mia's winter festival, but she keeps messing up.
10452"Brassless Band"Rachel DawsonMr. Carburettor wants a brass band to open a parade, so Roary and the gang make up their own music.

References

  1. "Toonhound - Roary the Racing Car (2007-)". www.toonhound.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2022.