| The Gingerbread Man | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's television series |
| Created by | David Wood |
| Written by | David Wood |
| Directed by | Martin Pullen |
| Creative director | Alan Murphy (art director) |
| Voices of | Andrew Sachs Jacqueline Clarke David Wood |
| Narrated by | Anton Rodgers (uncredited) |
| Theme music composer | David Wood |
| Composers | Peter Pontzen David Wood |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 [1] |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | David Yates |
| Producer | Kath Swain |
| Editor | Andi Sloss |
| Camera setup | Simon Paul |
| Running time | 10 minutes per episode (approx.) |
| Production companies | FilmFair Central Independent Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 24 April – 24 July 1992 |
The Gingerbread Man is a British stop motion animated children's television series about a gingerbread man and his friends, who come to life in their home on the kitchen dresser when the Big Ones are asleep. [2]
The series was written by David Wood, adapted from his two-act musical play The Gingerbread Man , which premiered in 1976 at the Towngate Theatre in Basildon, Essex, and went on to great international success. [1] The play is inspired by "The Gingerbread Man", a 19th-century fairy tale.
The screen adaptation was co-produced by FilmFair and Central Independent Television in 1991, and broadcast on ITV in 1992. Andrew Sachs voiced the Gingerbread Man, Mr Salt the Sailor, Herr Von Cuckoo and Sleek The Mouse. Jacqueline Clarke voiced Miss Pepper and Old Tea Bag. Although uncredited, Anton Rodgers voiced the narrator. David Wood and Jacqueline Clarke voiced The Big Ones.
The Gingerbread Man, Mr Salt, Herr Von Cuckoo, and Sleek are voiced by Andrew Sachs. Miss Pepper, Old Tea Bag, and the lady of the house (the female Big One) are voiced by Jacqueline Clarke. The man of the house (the male Big One) is voiced by David Wood.
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Arrival [2] " | Martin Pullen | David Wood | 24 April 1992 [3] [4] | |
The dresser folks find out that the Gingerbread Man is not finished. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Cuckoo's Cuckoo [2] " | Martin Pullen | David Wood | 1 May 1992 [5] | |
Herr Von Cuckoo has lost his voice. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Sleek the Mouse [2] " | Martin Pullen | David Wood | 8 May 1992 [6] | |
Sleek tries to eat The Gingerbread Man. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Hide and Squeak [2] " | Martin Pullen | David Wood | 15 May 1992 [7] | |
The dresser folks play hide and seek. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Poison [2] " | Martin Pullen | David Wood | 22 May 1992 [8] | |
Herr Von Cuckoo gets poisoned by The Big Ones. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Party [2] " | Martin Pullen | David Wood | 29 May 1992 [9] | |
The dresser folks have a party. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "A Pinch of Salt [2] " | Martin Pullen | David Wood | 5 June 1992 [10] | |
Mr Salt refuses to wake up. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Locked Clock [2] " | Martin Pullen | David Wood | 19 June 1992 [11] | |
Herr Von Cuckoo's clock is stuck. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Weekend Break [2] " | Martin Pullen | David Wood | 26 June 1992 [12] | |
The Gingerbread Man accidentally breaks a plate. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Old Bag in Danger [2] " | Martin Pullen | David Wood | 3 July 1992 [3] [13] | |
The Old Bag is in serious danger. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "While the Cat's Away [2] " | Martin Pullen | David Wood | 10 July 1992 [14] | |
When Mr. Salt and Miss Pepper are gone, the Gingerbread Man finds something to do. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "It's Not Fair [2] " | Martin Pullen | David Wood | 17 July 1992 [15] | |
The dresser folks have their own fair fun. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "The Gingerbread Ghost [2] " | Martin Pullen | David Wood | 24 July 1992 [16] | |
The Gingerbread Man becomes a ghost. | ||||||
In the United Kingdom, some episodes were released on VHS videocassette in the 1990s by PolyGram Video, 4 Front Video (Pocket Money Video), and distributed by Channel 5. PolyGram video released the first five episodes on VHS on 28 April 1995.
After including a portion of the series on its VHS animation compilation All Together Now (2001), Universal Studios Home Entertainment released the first five episodes on a Region 2 DVD, titled The Gingerbread Man, on 12 April 2004 (distributed by PolyGram Video and Channel 5). Abbey Home Media released the first six episodes on DVD on 27 March 2006, and the remaining seven episodes on a second DVD on 26 March 2007.