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''Oscar's Orchestra'' is a British children's animated TV series that ran from 1995 to 1996 comprising a total of three seasons and 39 episodes as a BBC competitor to ITV's ''
Budgie the Little Helicopter ''Budgie the Little Helicopter'' is a British animated television series, relating to a fictional helicopter and his friends, based on a series of children's books. The characters were based on the books by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. The s ...
''. The series was produced by the popular British animation studio Tony Collingwood Productions Limited in association with
Warner Music Vision Warner Music Vision (also known as Warner Vision) was a music video company formed in 1990 by Warner Music International to make music videos from artists and bands on Warner Bros. Records, Maverick Records, Sire Records, Atlantic Records, Elektra ...
and Europe Images, and was originally shown on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #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. ...
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as part of their children's block
CBBC CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...
. It also aired on the British children's cable networks
The Children's Channel The Children's Channel, also known as TCC, was a British-based pan-European children's television channel in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which was owned by Flextech in London, England, UK. It began broadcasting on the original Eutelsat ...
(TCC) and
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 ...
and has broadcast in over more than 100 different countries worldwide such as ARD in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
France 2 France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews. Since 3:20 CET on 7 A ...
in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
and ABC in Australia. According to the first episode, The show is set in the distant future, "in the year 735 squillion, 22 million, 381 thousand, 6 hundred and 4" in a city called ''New
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
'', and is about a talking piano called Oscar, who rebels against the evil dictator of the world, Thaddeus Vent, who has banned music. Oscar and his fellow musical instruments plot against Vent and his henchmen, Lucius and Tank, and his soothsayer, Goodtooth. Their mission is to overthrow Thadius, save the world and bring back music. The voice of Oscar was provided by
Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...
. Other members of the orchestra included Monty the violin, Trevor the tuba, Sylvia the flute and Eric the triangle. Based on an idea by Jan Younghusband, ''Oscar's Orchestra'' was designed to inspire children with the delights of classical music and incorporates famous orchestrated works from the great composers in each episode such as George Frideric Handel,
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...
,
Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
and Frédéric Chopin. The programme's opening music is Mikhail Glinka's Overture to '' Ruslan and Lyudmila''. The episode titles continue the theme, for example 'Bach to the Future'.


Characters

* Oscar the Piano – Oscar the Piano is a blue talking grand piano, who is a so-called 'illegal instrument.' Thaddeus hates him because Oscar was once Vent's piano and Oscar refuses to not play music. Oscar is the leader of his orchestra and is constantly thinking of plans to avoid Thaddeus and bring music back to the world. He is best friends with Eric the triangle, and cares a lot for all his Orchestra, especially Rebecca and Monty. Oscar's favourite composer is Mozart. Oscar has a brave, strong personality, and was voiced by
Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...
and later by David Holt in season 3. * Rebecca and Mr. Crotchet – Rebecca (aged 10) and her grandfather, Mr. Crotchet, are good humans in this story, and they hide Oscar and his Orchestra in their house. They are constantly having to think of new ideas to avoid Thaddeus Vent. They used to run a diner before Oscar and his orchestra came into their lives. Rebecca is very good with technology, and some of her creations include the Bam gun and a robotic bull. Rebecca has a crush on Tobias Vent, who is Thaddeus' nephew. Mr. Crotchet has a curiosity workshop located in their house, where he fixes broken things. Inside their house is an entrance to the metrodome, a series of underground tunnels and rooms. * Thaddeus Vent – Thaddeus Vent is an evil dictator and Oscar's arch-enemy. He has banned music, and is helped by his hapless henchmen, Goodtooth, Lucius and Tank. Vent is a small, middle-aged man, who wears a Georgian-style wig and has a heart-shaped mole on his cheek. He also talks to his teddy bear, who is called 'Teddy.' Vent's evil schemes are always foiled by Oscar, and his orchestra. It is revealed in the first episode that his hatred for music and Oscar stemmed from when he was six years old and was too impatient to practice playing Chopin music on Oscar. When it came for him to do a recital for the audience, he threatened Oscar to play for him and fool them, but it all went wrong when Oscar accidentally revealed he could play by himself and Thadius suffered great humiliation. * Lucius – Lucius is the deputy of Thaddeus Vent. He is a small man with green skin, greasy hair and a moustache. Lucius always thinks of new ideas, and patrols the streets of New Vienna to find illegal instruments. It is highly likely Lucius only helps out Thaddeus in his schemes because he hopes to be his heir to the throne. His pet is Tank, a savage. He is ruthless and shrewd, but seems to care for Tank on some level. Lucius' catchphrase is 'How exhilarating!' * Tank – Tank is a savage. He is Lucius' pet, and has pink skin. Tank always helps Lucius with his schemes, but often ruins them because of his non-existent intelligence. Tank sleeps in Lucius' bedroom in Vent's palace, chained to the end of Lucius' bed. Tank will at least try to eat nearly anything, including wood, cement, and even metal. It is revealed in My Kingdom for a Tank that if Tank were more intelligent, he would prefer to be called Clifford. * Goodtooth – Goodtooth is Thadius Vent's soothsayer. He sometimes introduces himself as 'It is I! Goodtooth, the soothsayer! Bringer of portents and potions!' He will typically introduce himself using that format. Usually whenever Goodtooth arrives, he frightens Vent after saying, 'It is I!,' who screams. Then, Goodtooth replies to Vent by saying 'Goodtooth, the soothsayer' Goodtooth is named that because of the fact he only has one, rotten tooth. Goodtooth is a coward, as he's scared of fighting, being near fighting, or seeing fighting. He prefers to use his inventions to help Thaddeus and fire from a distance. Other characters in Oscar's Orchestra are the instruments that are part of Oscar's orchestra, who include Monty the Violin, Eric the Triangle, who is Oscar's best friend and a very avid talker (actually a Bermuda Triangle capable of creating a portal through space and time by touching his two ends together), Trevor the Tuba, Sylvia the Flute, who has a crush on Oscar, Louis the Oboe, who joined the Orchestra from
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, and Jan and Stan the Cymbals. Other instrument characters not in the orchestra include Ken the Keyboard (created by Tim Wall the winner of a '' Blue Peter'' competition, to design a new character), Hannah the Harp, Monty's American brother Murray the Violin, Viiola the Viola, Mañana the Guitar, a
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
friend of Monty's who likes his siestas, the
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
castanets, Captain Den the Pirate Drum and his two instrument pirate mates, who run a pirate radio station, Scheherazade the Violin from New Arabia, Chordelia the piano, a pink/purple grand piano who Oscar is implied to have a crush on, Chordelia's grandfather Claude, and Sammy the piano, a turquoise small grand piano who is younger than Oscar and Chordelia. Other human characters include the townspeople of
Old Vienna Old Vienna (OV) is a brand of beer. It was first brewed and bottled by The Koch Beverage and Ice Company in the early 20th century in Wapakoneta, Ohio by Henry Koch and his son Karl J. Koch. The Koch brewery went bankrupt, but production was cont ...
, who are on Oscar and his Orchestra's side, Thaddeus's nephew Tobias Vent, who seems to reciprocate Rebecca's feelings for him and joined the Orchestra's side during the episode Star Crossed, Thaddeus's
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
Vice Dictator, Big Sam the boss of
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, Ali Babwa and his forty thieves, Rheena, who's an opera singer, Thadius's old piano teacher Kevin, who was one of the only people to treat Oscar as a friend when he was Vent's piano, Thaddeus's mother Thadweena, who is the former ruler of the world, and William Tell and his father William Tell. Other characters in the show include Reg the bumblebee, Plutons (aliens on
Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Sun. It is the largest ...
), an alien from
Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandth t ...
, Martians(aliens on
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
), mechonomen, or robots, created and programmed by Goodtooth for the purpose of destroying Oscar's Orchestra, giant tunnel rats and the Rat King, who allied with Thadius Vent in exchange for smelly cheese and live in the underground tunnels underneath
Old Vienna Old Vienna (OV) is a brand of beer. It was first brewed and bottled by The Koch Beverage and Ice Company in the early 20th century in Wapakoneta, Ohio by Henry Koch and his son Karl J. Koch. The Koch brewery went bankrupt, but production was cont ...
, the Mountain King who lives in the mountain underneath Thadius Vent's castle, and the inhabitants of Count Jugula's castle.
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...
,
Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
, and
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
have all appeared in the show as humans in the past, when Oscar and his Orchestra go back in time via Eric.


Voice talent cast

* Oscar the Piano –
Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...
(seasons 1–2), David Holt (season 3) * Thadius Vent, Tank –
Colin McFarlane Colin Andrew Ignatius Peter McFarlane (born 15 September 1961) is a British actor, narrator and voice actor. He is best known for his role as Gillian B. Loeb in two films of Christopher Nolan's '' The Dark Knight Trilogy'', Ulysses in the STAR ...
* Rebecca – Elly Fairman * Mr. Crotchet –
Michael Kilgarriff Michael Kilgarriff (born 16 June 1937) is an English actor, author and pianist from Brighton. As an actor, he is well known for his rich voice and height. His film and television roles include ''The Dark Crystal'' (1982) as the General, and ...
* Trevor the Tuba, Louis the Oboe – Stefan Lander * Monty the Violin – John Baddeley * Sylvia the Flute – Eve Karpf * Eric the Triangle – Eric Meyers * Goodtooth – Sean Barrett * Lucius –
Murray Melvin Murray Melvin (born 10 August 1932) is an English actor. He is best known for his acting work with Joan Littlewood, Ken Russell and Stanley Kubrick. He is the author of two books: ''The Art of Theatre Workshop'' (2006) and ''The Theatre Roya ...
* Kevin – Richard E. Grant * Young William Tell –
Rik Mayall Richard Michael Mayall (7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was an English actor, stand-up comedian and writer. He formed a close partnership with Ade Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University and was a pioneer of alternative ...
* Narrator –
David de Keyser David de Keyser (22 August 1927 – 20 February 2021) was an English actor and narrator. Life and career Born in London in August 1927, in the mid-sixties de Keyser worked twice with the writer, actor and director Jane Arden. Their first coll ...


Episodes


Series 1

* The Battle Begins * Bach to the Future * Flight of the Bumblebee * Star Tours * Battle on Ice * The Four Seasons * Oscar Cracks a Nut * 1812 * Star Crossed * My Kingdom for a Tank * Viva España! * Once Upon a Ragtime * The Ring


Series 2

* The Queen of Sheba * Radio Oscar * Dance of the Forty Thieves * Back to Bach * Carnival of the Animals * Hall of the Mountain King * Black Keys * Sleeping Beauty * A Fight at the Opera * A Tale of Two Tales * Fangs But No Fangs * World Tour * Four of our Notes are Missing


Series 3

* The Lost Chords * Out of Tune * Knight in Shining Armour * Musical Exercise * Raiders of the Lost Park * Soothsayer's Convention * Water Music * Return of Scheherazade * Maestro Thadius * Inside Job * Lieder of the Pack * Greensleeves * The Toy Symphony


VHS / DVD / Music album releases

Series 1 & 2 were released on DVD in 2010: * Oscar's Orchestra Vol. 1 (2-disc set) : Episodes 1 to 13 (292 min) * Oscar's Orchestra Vol. 2 (2-disc set) : Episodes 14 to 26 (299 min) Oscar's Orchestra 3rd Series (Episodes 27 to 39) : No record to date of these being released on DVD.


References


External links


Oscar's Orchestra page at Collingwood & Co
*{{IMDb title, 0309193, Oscar's Orchestra BBC children's television shows British children's animated adventure television series British children's animated comedy television series British children's animated fantasy television series Classical music television series 1995 British television series debuts 1996 British television series endings 1990s British animated television series 1990s British children's television series Nickelodeon original programming Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming RTÉ original programming Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios English-language television shows Television shows set in Vienna