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The Herbs | |
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Genre | Children's television |
Created by | Michael Bond |
Written by | Michael Bond |
Directed by | Ivor Wood |
Narrated by | Gordon Rollings |
Theme music composer | Tony Russell |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Production | |
Executive producer | Graham Clutterbuck |
Producer | Ivor Wood |
Running time | 15 minutes |
Production company | FilmFair [1] |
Original release | |
Network | BBC1 |
Release | 12 February – 6 May 1968 |
Related | |
The Adventures of Parsley (1970) |
The Herbs is a television series for young children made for the BBC by Graham Clutterbuck's FilmFair company. It was written by Michael Bond (creator of Paddington Bear), directed by Ivor Wood using 3D stop motion model animation and first transmitted from 12 February 1968 in the BBC1 Watch with Mother timeslot. There were 13 episodes in the series, each one 15 minutes long. [2]
A spin-off series entitled The Adventures of Parsley was transmitted from 6 April 1970 in the five-minute period between the end of children's TV and the BBC Evening News. This had 32 episodes, some of which were released on VHS as Parsley the Lion and Friends.
The Herbs consisted of a fantasy mix of human and animal characters inhabiting the magical walled garden of an English country estate. At the beginning of each episode, the narrator (Gordon Rollings) spoke the magic word, "Herbidacious", which caused the garden gate to open.
As with The Magic Roundabout , the sophisticated writing style and narrative delivery of The Herbs meant that the appeal was somewhat broader than was originally intended, and much of Parsley's droll humour undoubtedly went over the heads of the age group that was its main target. Consequently, it still retains a following among those who watched it when it was first broadcast.
Each character was the personification of a herb. It is said[ by whom? ] that Bond used quotes from Nicholas Culpeper's 17th-century book, Culpeper's Complete Herbal , to find the herbs whose botanical traits he could best reflect in the individual characters. As each character appeared in the show, they were introduced by a little signature song, which varied slightly from one episode to the next.
The major character was Parsley the Lion. In the original series Parsley did not actually speak (although he did have his own signature tune: "I'm a very friendly lion called Parsley...") but his thoughts were voiced by the narrator. Rollings' dead-pan style became a feature of the programme, and was similar to that used by Eric Thompson in his characterisation of Dougal the dog in the English version of The Magic Roundabout .
Regulars (appearing in almost all episodes)
Semi-regulars (appearing in some episodes):
Minor / one-off characters (appearing in only a few episodes):
A comic strip based on the series was drawn by Bill Mevin and published in Pippin. [3]
There were 13 episodes of The Herbs and 32 of The Adventures of Parsley. The entire collection is available on DVD in a two-disc set. [4]
No. | Title | Original air date | |
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1 | "Parsley's Tail" | 12 February 1968 | |
Parsley's tail is blown off by Sir Basil's gun and during this time, everyone is trying to help Parsley by finding him a new tail. Eventually, it is found when Sage the owl is blown out of his tree and it is all over his eyes. | |||
2 | "Sage's Nest Blows Down" | 19 February 1968 | |
Sage is still out of his tree which leads to trouble with Constable Knapweed. It is up to Pashana Bedhi to save the day for Sage. | |||
3 | "Belladonna the Witch" | 26 February 1968 | |
An evil witch named Belladona comes to the herb garden, and turns some of the Herbs into weeds with a magic potion. As more Herbs fall victim to her power, the only hope is for the transformed Parsley to wake up a sleeping Dill. | |||
4 | "Tarragon and the Eggs" | 4 March 1968 | |
After Bayleaf accidentally creates a giant plant in the garden, Parsley is sent climbing to the top, and returns with a giant egg that a reluctant Sage has to help hatch. | |||
5 | "The Chives Catch Colds" | 11 March 1968 | |
The Chives, belonging to Mr. Onion and his wife, catch a cold during a lesson, prompting Parsley to search for a cure for them. | |||
6 | "Pashana Bedhi the Snake Charmer" | 18 March 1968 | |
Pashana Bedhi's snake escapes from his basket, and everyone confuses him with Bayleaf's garden hose. | |||
7 | "Miss Jessop Tidies Up" | 25 March 1968 | |
Miss Jessop's constant tidying is upsetting everybody and it soon decided that she needs a husband. But Bayleaf is not happy when he hears who the first choice is. | |||
8 | "Parsley and the Circus Lion" | 1 April 1968 | |
Another lion roams around the Herb Garden, which leads to everyone mistaking Parsley for the rogue party, followed by Parsley deciding to imitate the lion's example. | |||
9 | "Sage's Singing Lesson" | 8 April 1968 | |
Sage wants to learn to sing, and attends lessons with Senor Solidago. But he fails miserably. | |||
10 | "Strawberry Picking" | 15 April 1968 | |
Sir Basil, Lady Rosemary, and Bayleaf are busy with the annual strawberry picking, but when they finish for the day, they find all the fruit has disappeared. | |||
11 | "Sir Basil's Fishing Expedition" | 22 April 1968 | |
Sir Basil's Fishing Expedition is ruined in the end. | |||
12 | "The Show" | 29 April 1968 | |
The other herbs put on a show for Sir Basil and Lady Rosemary, but chaos ensues. | |||
13 | "Parsley's Birthday Party" | 6 May 1968 | |
All the Herbs, except Belladonna the Witch, come together to secretly celebrate a special day, but Parsley is not allowed to know about it for some reason. |
In 1989, Tempo Video released three videos of the Herbs, each with four episodes and omitting Strawberry Picking.
Title | Release Date | Episodes |
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The Herbs: 4 Timeless Stories (V9233) | April 1989 |
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The Herbs: 4 Stories from the Classic T.V. series (V9234) | April 1989 |
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The Herbs: 4 Herbadacious Stories (92352) | November 1989 |
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In October 1989, the Strawberry Picking episode of The Herbs appeared on the BBC video release of "Watch with Mother the Next Generation" (BBCV 4280) along with Tales of the Riverbank , Pogles' Wood , Mary, Mungo and Midge and Barnaby the Bear .
On 14 June 1993, Castle Communications Plc released three videos of The Herbs with exciting episodes on each one in a slightly different combination than the earlier Tempo tapes, including Strawberry Picking, but omitting Parsley's Birthday Party.
Title | Cat. No. (Castle Vision) | Cat. No. (Playbox) | Episodes |
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The Herbs: 4 Exciting Episodes (Parsley's Tail) | CVS 4043 | PVC 148 |
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The Herbs: 4 Exciting Episodes (The Chives Catch Colds) | CVS 4044 | PVC 149 |
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The Herbs: 4 Exciting Episodes (Sage's Singing Lesson) | CVS 4045 | PVC 150 |
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In 2008 Abbey Kids released a DVD set containing all 13 episodes of the Herbs along with the 32 episodes of The Adventures of Parsley.
Chives, scientific name Allium schoenoprasum, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae that produces edible leaves and flowers.
Dill is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is native to North Africa, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula; it is grown widely in Eurasia, where its leaves and seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavouring food.
Tartar sauce is a condiment made of mayonnaise, chopped pickles or relish, capers, and herbs such as tarragon and dill. Tartar sauce can also be enhanced with other herbs, lemon juice, and olives. It is most often served with seafood dishes such as fish and chips, fish sandwiches, fish fingers, fried oysters, and calamari.
Fines herbes designates an important combination of herbs that forms a mainstay of French cuisine. The canonical fines herbes of French haute cuisine comprise finely chopped parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil. These are employed in seasoning delicate dishes, such as chicken, fish, and eggs, that need a relatively short cooking period; they may also be used in a beurre blanc sauce for seasoning such dishes. Fines herbes are also eaten raw in salads.
Lovage is a tall perennial plant, the sole species in the genus Levisticum in the family Apiaceae, subfamily Apioideae. It has been long cultivated in Europe and the leaves are used as a herb, the roots as a vegetable, and the seeds as a spice, especially in southern European cuisine. Its flavour and smell are reminiscent both of celery and parsley, only more intense and spicier than either. The seeds can be used in the same way as fennel seeds.
Green sauce or greensauce is a family of cold, uncooked sauces based on chopped herbs, including the Spanish and Italian salsa verde, the French sauce verte, the German grüne Soße or Frankfurter grie Soß, the British mint sauce and greensauce, and the Argentinian chimichurri.
The bouquet garni is a bundle of herbs usually tied with string and mainly used to prepare soup, stock, casseroles and various stews. The bouquet is cooked with the other ingredients and removed prior to consumption. Liquid remaining in the bouquet garni can be wrung out into the dish.
Spice mixes are blended spices or herbs. When a certain combination of herbs or spices is called for in a recipe, it is convenient to blend these ingredients beforehand. Blends such as chili powder, curry powder, herbes de Provence, garlic salt, and other seasoned salts are traditionally sold pre-made by grocers, and sometimes baking blends such as pumpkin pie spice are also available. These spice mixes are also easily made by the home cook for later use.
A carminative, known in Latin as carminativum, is a herb or preparation intended to combat flatulence either by preventing formation of gas in the gastrointestinal tract orfacilitating its expulsion.
Wheat Thins is a brand of baked whole grain snack food crackers distributed in the United States and Canada by Mondelez International. The product is also available in Australia through wholesaler USA Foods. Vegetable Thins, Oat Thins, Pita Thins, and Rice Thins, which are all spinoffs of Wheat Thins, are available in Canada and some regions of the United States. Wheat Thins themselves come in many flavors and varieties. Nabisco first introduced the product in 1947.
Cacciatore or cacciatora refers to an Italian meal prepared with onions, herbs, usually tomatoes, often peppers, and sometimes wine.
Rough Point is one of the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, now open to the public as a museum. It is an English Manorial style home designed by architectural firm Peabody & Stearns for Frederick William Vanderbilt. Construction on the red sandstone and granite began in 1887 and was completed 1892. It is located on Bellevue Avenue and borders the Cliff Walk and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. The original gardens were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted’s firm. The home's last owner was Doris Duke and it is currently owned and operated by the Newport Restoration Foundation.
The traditional kitchen garden, vegetable garden, also known as a potager or in Scotland a kailyaird, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden – the ornamental plants and lawn areas. It is used for growing edible plants and often some medicinal plants, especially historically. The plants are grown for domestic use; though some seasonal surpluses are given away or sold, a commercial operation growing a variety of vegetables is more commonly termed a market garden. The kitchen garden is different not only in its history, but also its functional design. It differs from an allotment in that a kitchen garden is on private land attached or very close to the dwelling. It is regarded as essential that the kitchen garden could be quickly accessed by the cook.
Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distinguishes herbs from spices. Herbs generally refers to the leafy green or flowering parts of a plant, while spices are usually dried and produced from other parts of the plant, including seeds, bark, roots and fruits.
The Adventures of Parsley is a 32-episode children's television series animated in stop motion. Produced by FilmFair, The Adventures of Parsley was a spin-off of The Herbs. Its opening credits featured either Parsley the lion roaring or Dill the dog barking with their head in a circle, in a parody of Leo the Lion. Unlike in The Herbs the animal characters talked, a typical episode featuring a dialogue between the overenthusiastic Dill and the more laid back, deadpan Parsley. Other characters from The Herbs made occasional appearances. As in The Herbs the narration was provided by actor Gordon Rollings.
An herb spiral is a three dimensional garden bed for the cultivation of culinary herbs. The herb spiral is an example of permaculture design. It enables a variety of plants with different needs to grow in a small space and makes it possible to cater to the smallest space habitat requirements of plants of different climatic zones.