Cosgrove Hall Films (also known as Cosgrove Hall Productions) was an English

animation Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

studio founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall; its headquarters was in

Chorlton-cum-Hardy Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of Manchester, England, southwest of the city centre. Chorlton ward had a population of 14,138 at the 2011 census, and Chorlton Park 15,147. By the 9th century, there was an Anglo-Saxon settlement her ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

. Cosgrove Hall was once a major producer of

children's television Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...

and

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

programmes/films; Cosgrove Hall's programmes are still seen in over eighty countries. The company was wound down by its then owner,

ITV plc ITV plc is a British media company that holds 13 of the 15 regional television licences that make up the ITV network (Channel 3), the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom. ITV plc is listed on th ...

, on 26 October 2009. It was mainly known for its series '' Danger Mouse'', '' The Wind in the Willows'' and '' Count Duckula''.

History

Stop Frame Productions

Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall first met while both were students at

Manchester College of Art and Design Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has over 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Educat ...

, which is now part of

Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has over 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Educat ...

. They later became co-workers at

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was its ...

, where they produced television graphics. Hall left his job in 1969 and founded his own production company, Stop Frame Productions. Cosgrove joined the company shortly after its establishment. Their first projects, for Stop Frame, included public service films and television commercials for such companies as the ''

TVTimes ''TV Times'' is a British television listings magazine published by Future plc. It was originally published by Independent Television Publications, owned by the participating ITV companies. The magazine was acquired by IPC Media in 1989, whic ...

''. From 1971 to 1972, the company released the animated series, ''The Magic Ball'', which they created in a renovated shed located in the yard of Cosgrove's father-in-law. Hall directed two animated productions for Stop Frame, ''Captain Noah and His Floating Zoo'', which was released in 1972, and the television series, ''Noddy'', which aired in 1975. The company also produced opening credits and graphics for children's TV series such as ''

Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

'' in 1972.

Cosgrove Hall Films

Stop Frame Productions halted production, and was closed, in mid 1975. However, Cosgrove and Hall were able to find new work in animation, specifically due to their earlier work on the 1972 series ''

''. The producer of ''Rainbow'',

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

, an ITV company, created a new,

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a ...

, animation studio called Cosgrove Hall Films. Thames hired and commissioned Cosgrove and Hall as lead

animators An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games ...

to create new animated programmes, for this new studio, based on their earlier work with ''Rainbow''. Thames Television also hired John Hambley as Cosgrove Hall Films' first

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...

. Its first series was ''

Chorlton and the Wheelies ''Chorlton and the Wheelies'' is an animated children's television series that ran from 26 September 1976 until 17 December 1978 on the British television channel ITV. 40 episodes were produced. The show followed the adventures of Chorlton, a f ...

'', the lead role being named after the suburb of Manchester where the company was based (the other characters were placed on wheels as this made the stop-frame animation easier). The pop singer and musician

Bernard Sumner Bernard Sumner (born 4 January 1956) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is a founding member of the bands Joy Division, New Order, and Electronic. Sumner was an early force in several areas, including the po ...

worked for Cosgrove Hall from 1976 until 1979 as a tracer. '' Danger Mouse'' was one of the studio's earliest international successes. The studio made 161 episodes between 1981 and 1992. In each one, Danger Mouse, the world's greatest secret agent, and his well-meaning but useless sidekick Penfold, outwit the evil Baron Silas Greenback and various scoundrels. In 1983, the studio made a 75-minute film, '' The Wind in the Willows'', based on

Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is most famous for '' The Wind in the Willows'' (1908), a classic of children's literature, as well as '' The Reluctant Dragon''. Both books ...

's classic story of the same name. It won a BAFTA award and an international

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

award. Subsequently, the studio made a 52-episode TV series based on the characters between 1984 and 1990. All the music and songs for the feature and series were written by Keith Hopwood, late of

Herman's Hermits Herman's Hermits are an English beat, rock and pop group formed in 1964 in Manchester, originally called Herman and His Hermits and featuring lead singer Peter Noone. Produced by Mickie Most, the Hermits charted with number ones in the UK ...

and Malcolm Rowe.

The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist Ian Brown, ...

guitarist

John Squire Jonathan Thomas "John" Squire (born 24 November 1962)Larkin, Colin (ed.) (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave'', Virgin Books, is an English musician, songwriter and painter. He was the guitarist for The Stone Roses, a rock b ...

worked on this series. '' Count Duckula'' was a spoof on the

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taki ...

legend; its title character is the world's only

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetariani ...

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

. He aspires to be rich and famous. Originally he was a villain/henchman recurring in the '' Danger Mouse'' series, but got a

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...

series in 1988 that rapidly became one of Cosgrove Hall's most successful programmes, and a Cosgrove Hall staple to spin-off characters from each successive cartoon. Both shows also aired on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

in the U.S. during the late 1980s, and were popular in the ratings for the channel. In 1989, the studio produced a full-length feature based on Roald Dahl's ''

The BFG ''The BFG'' (short for ''The Big Friendly Giant'') is a 1982 children's book written by British novelist Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It is an expansion of a short story from Dahl's 1975 book ''Danny, the Champion of the World'' ...

''. ''Truckers'', the first book in '' The Bromeliad'', was the studio's first collaboration with the best-selling author

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his '' Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first no ...

. The 1992 series follows the efforts of a group of nomes, whose spaceship crash-landed on Earth 15,000 years ago, to return home. In 1993, the ownership of Cosgrove Hall was transferred to

Anglia Television ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...

, following the removal of Thames' ITV licence and, following a series of

takeovers In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to ...

and

mergers Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspec ...

, ownership finally belonged to

. In 1997, Cosgrove Hall Films produced two series for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

based on ''

Wyrd Sisters ''Wyrd Sisters'' is Terry Pratchett's sixth ''Discworld'' novel, published in 1988. It re-introduces Granny Weatherwax of ''Equal Rites''. Plot ''Wyrd Sisters'' features three witches: Granny Weatherwax; Nanny Ogg, matriarch of a large tri ...

'' and ''

Soul Music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

'', two novels from Pratchett's ''

Discworld ''Discworld'' is a comic fantasy"Humorous Fantasy" in David Pringle, ed., ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (pp.31-33). London, Carlton,2006. book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat ...

'' series. One of the studio's specialities was producing programmes for young children, such as '' Noddy's Toyland Adventures'', '' Bill and Ben'', and ''

Andy Pandy ''Andy Pandy'' is a British children's television series that first appeared on BBC Television in summer 1950. Originally live, a series of 26 filmed programmes was shown until 1970, when a new series of 13 episodes was made. A revival of the s ...

'' for the BBC. The latter two series were based on classic characters from the 1950s. In the mid-2000s, Cosgrove Hall worked on a new version of ''

Postman Pat ''Postman Pat'' is a British stop-motion animated television series first produced by Woodland Animations. The series follows the adventures of Pat Clifton, a postman who works for Royal Mail postal service in the fictional village of Greendal ...

''. The studio also animated ''

Ghosts of Albion ''Ghosts of Albion'' is a series of fantasy films, books and role-playing games created by Amber Benson and Christopher Golden. Set in England, the storyline focuses on two siblings, Tamara and William Swift. The series started as a computer-an ...

'', the BBC's first fully animated webcast. Website visitors could learn about the production and help to develop the story. Cosgrove Hall produced ''

Scream of the Shalka ''Scream of the Shalka'' is a Flash-animated series based on the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was produced to coincide with the 40th Anniversary of the series and was originally posted in six weekly parts from 13 ...

'', a ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'' animated story for the BBC website. In 2006, they animated the missing first and fourth episodes of the Doctor Who serial '' The Invasion'' for a DVD release. In 2008, shortly after Granada Television became the only surviving franchisee of Independent Television in England and Wales, all except four staff were made redundant by ITV, and Cosgrove Hall moved 'in house' to the Granada Television Studios in Manchester, ending 30 years of the studio in Chorlton. The company's owner, ITV Granada, was not very interested in investing in Cosgrove Hall, and a financial review decided that the company was no longer viable. The British animation production industry was struggling due to increasingly tough competition from state-subsidised production in other countries where the industry was growing and very buoyant. The company was again put under review by ITV plc in October 2009, being absorbed, and ceasing to exist, a few months later. Cosgrove Hall was developing ''Theodore'', a CGI-animated series, when ITV absorbed the company. The land occupied by Cosgrove Hall's studios, in Albany Road, Chorlton, adjacent to the town's telephone exchange, which had stood empty for two years, was finally sold in the summer of 2010 to a housing development company. The intention was to demolish the historic studios and build retirement flats. During 2012, the studios were eventually demolished as part of the above development. Urban explorers who visited the site during the demolition found and photographed some models and backgrounds used in previous productions. Coincidentally, during April of that year it was announced that during the past summer, prior to the death of Mark Hall, he and Brian Cosgrove had pitched the idea of resurrecting the brand to possible investors. Brian Cosgrove is now the executive producer at

CHF Entertainment CHF Entertainment (originally established as Cosgrove Hall Fitzpatrick Entertainment) was an animation studio formed in 2011. It was the reincarnation of the animation company Cosgrove Hall Films which closed in 2009 after 40 years. Brian Cosgro ...

, as was Hall until his untimely death. On 18 November 2011, Cosgrove Hall Films closed down due to Mark Hall’s death of cancer at the age of 75. Now, CHF Entertainment are actively working on a number of television series, including ''

Pip Ahoy! ''Pip Ahoy!'' is a British children's animated television series aimed at preschoolers following the adventures of a puppy named Pip and his best friend, a kitten named Alba, who live in Salty Cove. The series originally aired on Milkshake! on Ch ...

'', which is aimed at pre-school children and ''HeroGliffix'', which is aimed at older children.

Filmography

Films

*''

The Talking Parcel ''The Talking Parcel'' (also published as ''The Battle for Castle Cockatrice'') is a 1974 book by Gerald Durrell in which children are transported to the fantasy land of Mythologia to save it from cockatrices. They are aided by a talking par ...

'' (Thames for ITV, 1978) (TV film) *''

Ersatz An ersatz good () is a substitute good, especially one that is considered inferior to the good it replaces. It has particular connotations of wartime usage. Etymology ''Ersatz'' is a German word literally meaning ''substitute'' or ''replacement ...

'' (1978) (directed by Chris Taylor) *''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'' (Thames for ITV, 1979) (TV special) *''

The Pied Piper of Hamelin The Pied Piper of Hamelin (german: der Rattenfänger von Hameln, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The legend dates back to ...

'' (Thames for ITV, 1981) (TV special) *'' The Wind in the Willows'' (Thames for ITV, 1983) (TV film) *'' The Reluctant Dragon'' (Thames for ITV, 1987) (TV special) *''

A Tale of Two Toads ''A Tale of Two Toads'' is a 1989 hour-long feature from the 1980s stop motion animation series ''The Wind in the Willows'', which itself was based on the 1908 novel by Kenneth Grahame. The film was animated by Cosgrove Hall and broadcast on Chil ...

'' (Thames for ITV, 1989) (TV film) *''

'' (1989 film) *''

The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship ''The Flying Ship'' (Russian title ''Летучий корабль''), or ''The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship'', is a Russian fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in '' The Yellow Fairy Book'' and Arthur Ransome in '' Old Peter's Russian ...

'' (Thames for ITV, 1990) (TV special) *''

Peter and the Wolf ''Peter and the Wolf'' ( rus, Петя и Bолк, r="Pétya i volk", p=ˈpʲetʲə i volk, links=no) Op. 67, a "symphonic fairy tale for children", is a musical composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. The narrator tells a children's s ...

'' (1995) (TV special) (animation) *''BBC Children in Need - Small People'' (stop-motion segments for 1998 promo) *'' Mr Scruff'' (music video) (co-production with Four23Films)

Short films

*'' The Sandman'' (Channel 4, 1991) (short film) *''

Welcome to the Discworld A welcome is a kind of greeting designed to introduce a person to a new place or situation, and to make them feel at ease. The term can similarly be used to describe the feeling of being accepted on the part of the new person. In some contexts ...

'' (1996) (short film) (co-production with Carrington Productions International) *''Blink'' (2001) (short film) *''One Night'' (2001) (short film, directed by Brian Demoskoff) *''The Trojan Horse'' (2001) (short film) (followed by Tindersticks: Dying Slowly)

Television series

1970s

*''The Magic Ball'' (Granada for ITV, 1971-1972) *''

'' (Thames for ITV, 1972-1976) (animated sequences) *''

Captain Noah and His Floating Zoo Captain Noah and His Floating Zoo (1970) is a children's cantata composed in a popular style for unison or two-part voices and piano, with optional bass and drums. The libretto by Michael Flanders is an adaptation of the Biblical tale of Noah foun ...

'' (Granada for ITV, 1972) *''Sally and Jake'' (Thames for ITV, 1973-1974) *'' Noddy'' (Thames for ITV, 1975) *''

'' (Thames for ITV, 1976-1979) *'' Jamie and the Magic Torch'' (Thames for ITV, 1976-1980) *''Grandma Bricks of Swallow Street'' (animation made for ''

'') (1976-1977) *'' The Kenny Everett Video Show'' (Thames for ITV, 1978-1981) (''

Captain Kremmen ''Captain Kremmen'' was a British science fiction comedy radio serial set in the early 21st century. (The pilot opens in 2005.) It was written and performed for Capital Radio by the DJ Kenny Everett, beginning in 1976. It was also broadcast on Liv ...

'' shorts)

1980s

*''

Cockleshell Bay Cockleshell Bay is a stop-motion children's television series which was shown at lunchtime on ITV during the early 1980s. It was made by Cosgrove Hall for its parent company, the ITV broadcaster Thames Television. Other children's programmes i ...

'' (Thames for ITV, 1980–1986) *'' Danger Mouse'' (Thames for ITV, 1981-1992) *'' The Wind in the Willows'' (Thames for ITV, 1984-1987) *''

Alias the Jester ''Alias the Jester'' is a British animated series created by Cosgrove Hall Films, airing in 13 episodes on ITV starting on 13 November 1985. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation aired the show in 1987 during their after school timeslot and ...

'' (Thames for ITV, 1985-1986) *''

Creepy Crawlies ''Creepy Crawlies'' was a stop motion animation series created by Cosgrove Hall. The series consisted of 52 ten-minute episodes, which were broadcast on Children's ITV between 1987 and 1989. All episodes were written by Peter Reeves and directed ...

'' (ITV, 1987-1989) *'' Count Duckula'' (Thames/Central for ITV, 1988-1993)

1990s

*'' Oh, Mr. Toad'' (Thames for ITV, 1990) *'' Victor & Hugo: Bunglers in Crime'' (Thames for ITV, 1991-1992) *''

Truckers A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driv ...

'' (Thames for ITV, 1992) *'' Noddy's Toyland Adventures'' (Children's BBC, 1992-2000) *''On Christmas Eve'' (1992) (TV special) (co-production with Grasshopper Productions) *'' Avenger Penguins'' (Granada/Anglia for ITV, 1993–1994) *'' Opéra imaginaire'' (1993) ("Pêcheurs de perles" short) *''The Mutinearlys'' (Children's BBC, 1994-1996) (co-production with

BBC Enterprises #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

) *''

Oakie Doke ''Oakie Doke'' is a British children's television programme that was broadcast from 1995 to 1997 on the Children's BBC block of the BBC. It was produced by Cosgrove Hall Films and was animated with stop-motion animation. The show ran for two ...

'' (Children's BBC, 1995-1996) *''

Fantomcat ''Fantomcat'' is a British animated series produced by Cosgrove Hall Films. It was first broadcast in 1995, and was animated by Alfonso Productions, a Spanish animation studio also responsible for animating and bringing Cosgrove Hall's shows '' ...

'' (Anglia for ITV, 1995-1996) *'' Sooty's Amazing Adventures'' (Meridian for ITV, 1996-1997) *''

Brambly Hedge ''Brambly Hedge'' is a series of illustrated children's books by Jill Barklem, recounting the adventures of a community of mice who live together in the tranquil surroundings of the English countryside. The writer described ''Brambly Hedge'' as ...

'' (episodes 1-4) (Children's BBC, 1996-1997) (co-production with

HIT Entertainment HIT Entertainment Limited (commonly written as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sop ...

) *''

'' (Channel 4, 1997) (co-production with Carrington Productions International) *''

Captain Star ''Captain Star'' is a 1997 animated series created by Steven Appleby based on Appleby's comic ''Rockets Passing Overhead''. It stars Richard E. Grant as the voice of Captain Jim Star. The show as produced by Cosgrove Hall Films and HTV. 13 ...

'' (HTV for ITV, 1997-1998) (co-production with

Teletoon Teletoon (stylized as TELETOON) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon". The channel primarily broadcasts an ...

and Nickelodeon UK) *'' Enid Blyton's Enchanted Lands'' (Children's BBC, 1997-1998) *''

The Animal Shelf ''The Animal Shelf'' is a British 1997–2000 children's television series produced by Cosgrove Hall Films and based on the books written and illustrated by British writer Ivy Wallace about a group of talking toy animals who live in Timothy's b ...

'' (Anglia for ITV, 1997–2000) *''Father Christmas and the Missing Reindeer'' (1998) (TV special) (co-production with

Millimages Millimages is a French independent animation studio based in Paris which develops, produces and worldwide distributes high quality family entertainment on all media. In 2016, Millimages has been nominated for an International Emmy Kids Award ...

) *''

Rocky and the Dodos ''Rocky and the Dodos'' is a stop motion animated television series seen on CITV in 1998 and 1999. The show was animated by Cosgrove Hall Films and created by Isabell Mills and Shanii Novak. Rocky And The Dodos aired on then-new channel Toons & ...

'' (Central for ITV, 1998-1999) *''

Lavender Castle ''Lavender Castle'' (also known as ''Gerry Anderson's Lavender Castle'') is a British stop motion/ CGI science fantasy television series created by Rodney Matthews and produced by Gerry Anderson. It was produced in 1997 through a collaboration b ...

'' (HTV for CITV, 1999) (co-production with Carrington Productions International and Gerry Anderson Productions) *'' Rotten Ralph'' (CBBC, 1999-2001) (co-production with Italtoons UK and Tooncan Enterprises Ltd) *''

The Foxbusters ''The Foxbusters'' is a British animated TV series very loosely based on the Dick King-Smith book ''The Foxbusters''. It was made by Cosgrove Hall, and consists of two series of thirteen 11-minute episodes each, made between 1999 and 2000. The ...

'' (Anglia for CITV, 1999-2000) (co-production with United Productions) *'' The Noddy Shop'' (PBS, 1999) (Series 2, additional Noddy animation in live-action scenes) *''Timekeepers of the Millennium'' (development for a series produced by The Foundation for ITV in association with NMEC, 1999)

2000s

*'' The Tales of Little Grey Rabbit'' (HTV for

CITV CITV (short for Children's ITV, also known as the CITV Channel) is a British free-to-air children's television channel owned by ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive and acquisitions, every day from 6 am to 9 pm which ...

, 2000) *'' Fetch the Vet'' (2000-2001) (co-production with Flextech Television) *'' Vampires, Pirates & Aliens'' (2000) (co-production with

and France Animation) *'' Bill and Ben'' (2001-2002, Co-production with Ben Productions LLC and BBC Worldwide) *''

'' (Remake, 2002, Co-production with Ben Productions LLC and BBC Worldwide) *''

Engie Benjy ''Engie Benjy'' is a British stop motion pre-school children's television show, broadcast on ITV's children's strand, CITV. Engie Benjy is a blue-haired mechanic who fixes problems with the help of his friends and an assortment of living magic a ...

'' (2002-2004, Co-production with

Granada Kids CITV (short for Children's ITV, also known as the CITV Channel) is a British free-to-air children's television channel owned by ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive and acquisitions, every day from 6 am to 9 pm which ...

) *'' Albie'' (2002-2004, co-production with

) *''Adventurers: Masters of Time'' (2002) (co-production with SBAF Berlin Animation Film GmbH) *''

Little Robots ''Little Robots'' is a British stop-motion animated children's television series, produced by Cosgrove Hall Films for Create TV & Film and broadcast on CBeebies (the BBC's children's channel). The series was based on the eponymous book by Mik ...

'' (2003-2008) (co-production with Create TV and Film Limited) *''Shadow of the Elves'' (2003) (co-production with SBAF Berlin Animation Film GmbH) *''

'' (Series 3-6, 2004–2008) (co-production with

Entertainment Rights Entertainment Rights PLC (formally known as Sleepy Kids) was a British multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate that specialized in TV-shows and cartoons, children’s media, films, and distribution. In May 2009, the company was ...

) *''The Oddkinsons - A United Family'' (2003) (co-production with Manchester United Ltd) *''

'' ( BBCi, 2003) (webcast) *''Sixty Second Lovestory'' (2003) (short film, directed by Brian Demoskoff) *''Cosmorados'' (2003) (co-production with BBC Three's Animation Unit and BBC Talent) *''Sorted'' (2004) (3 minute animated fill-ins made for the show, produced by Libra Television for Discovery Kids) *'' Pocoyo'' (Series 1, 2005) (co-production with Zinkia Entertainment and

) *''Blue Dog Blues'' (2005) (short film) *'' Fifi and the Flowertots'' ( Nick Jr. and

Milkshake! ''Milkshake!'' (stylised as milkshake!) is a British children's television programming block on Channel 5 and is currently aimed at children aged 3–7. History The block debuted on Channel 5's first full day on air, at 7.30am on 31 March 1 ...

, 2005-2010) (co-production with

Chapman Entertainment Chapman Entertainment was a British television production company founded by Keith Chapman and Greg Lynn and based in London, England. History The 2001-2008 Era The company was founded by Greg Lynn in London in 2001, together with Keith Chapman a ...

) *''Kid Clones'' (2005) (co-production with Toon Factory Ltd and Agogo Media) *''The Wumblers'' (2006) (co-production with Peak Entertainment and The Silly Goose Company) *'' The Likeaballs'' (

CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 7–16 ...

, 2006) (produced by Cosgrove House and Animated Adventures & Pictures) *'' Rupert Bear, Follow the Magic...'' (

, 2006-2008) (co-production with

and Express Newspapers) *''

Roary the Racing Car ''Roary the Racing Car'' (stylised as ''ROARY: The Racing Car'') is a British-stop-motion children's television series created by David Jenkins and produced by Chapman Entertainment and Cosgrove Hall Films. It follows the adventures of Roary ...

'' ( Nick Jr. and

, 2007-2010) co-production with

) *''Eddie Retractorhead'' (

, 2008) *''

Rocket Boy and Toro ''Rocket Boy and Toro'' () is a animated cartoon series that originally aired on CBBC in 2008 to 2009. The show was set in space and the main characters consisted of Rocket Boy, Chrystella, Vector, Grandpa Sat, and Toro, Rocket Boy's sheep assi ...

'' (CBBC, 2008) *'' Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service)'' (2008, series 1) (co-production with

) *''Theodore'' (2009-2010) (qas about to be developed for ITV during their absorption with the company)

Pilots

*'' SuperTed'' (1975) *''Trash'' (Nickelodeon, 1989) *''The Crowville Chronicles'' (Nickelodeon, 1989) *''The Mutinearlies'' (1993) (co-production with BBC Enterprises Ltd) *''Mungie'' (1996) (co-production with BBC Animation Unit) *'' The Story of Odysseus'' (1996) (co-production with Carrington Productions International) *''The Wot-a-Lots'' (later known as

The Beeps ''The Beeps'' is a CGI animated pre-school children's television series of 65 x 11-minute episodes. The show was initially broadcast in the UK on Channel 5 Milkshake! segment. Subsequently transmitted worldwide. The series details the cheerf ...

) (directed by Sarah Ball) (1997) *''Meet the Frankensteins'' (1998) *''The Little Grey Men'' (written by Steve Walker) (1998) *''

Winnie the Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character w ...

'' (1999) (pilot for a stop-motion direct-to-video version of the popular Disney adaption by Bridget Appleby) *'' Eloise'' (2000) (co-production with The itsy bitsy Entertainment Company and

Cartoon Saloon Cartoon Saloon is an Irish animation film, short film and television studio based in Kilkenny which provides film TV and short film services. The studio is best known for its animated feature films '' The Secret of Kells'', ''Song of the Sea'', ...

) *''Mouth and Trousers'' (2000) *''The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew'' (2001) *''Porter and Daughter'' (2001) (Engie Benjy pilot, co-production with ITEL) *''Junglekids'' (2001) *''F1: Race for the Future'' (2001) *''Saturday Night Livestock'' (2001) *''The Inbreds'' (2002) (pilot for adult animated series, once launched an official website) *''The Kittens'' (2002) (Failed pilot for an

Atomic Kitten Atomic Kitten is an English girl group formed in Liverpool in 1998, whose current members are Liz McClarnon, Jenny Frost and Natasha Hamilton. The group was founded by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) members Andy McCluskey and Stuart ...

animated series) *''Shelltown'' (2003) *''CodeWarriors'' (2004) (co-produced with Granada) *''The Rag Pack'' (2004) (co-production with VGI Entertainment) *''The Slums'' (2004) (co-production with Streetplay Design Ltd) *''Super Hero High'' (2004) *''Harold's Planet'' (2004) *''Beat Freaks'' (2004) (co-production with Spin Entertainment and Mainframe Entertainment) *''Octopus and Worm'' (2005) *''The Carrotty Kid'' (2005) (once launched an official website) *''Wobbly Horse'' (2005) *''The Mystics'' (2005) *''

The Boy Who Kicked Pigs ''The Boy Who Kicked Pigs'' is a short novel by actor Tom Baker. The novel is subtitled, "A grotesque masterpiece", and is illustrated with line drawings by David Roberts. Plot The novel begins by announcing that today will be the day that a ...

'' (2005) *''Hamster in a Cage'' (2006) *''A Break From The Old Routine'' (2007) (co-production with

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking ...

) *''My Neighbour is an Evil Genius'' (2007) *''Roger to the Rescue'' (2007) *''The Princess Bumblees'' (2007) *''Squidge and the Hardnuts'' (2008) *''Ruby to the Rescue'' (CBeebies, 2009) (co-production with

Nelvana Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...

)

Other

*'' I Love 1981'' (2001) (Danger Mouse's interview animation for BBC documentary) *''The Oddkinsons - A United Family'' (2003) (webcast, co-production with Manchester United) *''

'' (2003 - 2007) (''

'' webcast, an animated reconstruction of '' The Invasion'' and the televised serial '' The Infinite Quest''.) *''

'' ( BBCi, 2003) (''Legacy'' webcast) *''Sorted'' (2004) (3-minute animated fill-ins for Libra Television and Discovery Kids UK) *'' Love on a Saturday Night (2004) (additional animated fill-in graphics for LWT) *''Top 10 Conspiracy Theories'' (2004) (animated graphics for Liberty Bell and Channel 5)

References

* Some text modified from the Animation Gallery of the

National Media Museum The National Science and Media Museum (formerly The National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, 1983–2006 and then the National Media Museum, 2006–2017), located in Bradford, West Yorkshire, is part of the national Science Museum G ...

External links

Official Cosgrove Hall Films Site
{{Authority control British companies established in 1976 British companies disestablished in 2009 British animation studios Culture in Manchester Defunct companies based in Manchester Defunct film and television production companies of the United Kingdom Entertainment companies established in 1976 Mass media companies established in 1976 Mass media companies disestablished in 2009 Entertainment companies disestablished in 2009 1976 establishments in England 2009 disestablishments in England 1994 mergers and acquisitions 2000 mergers and acquisitions 2004 mergers and acquisitions