''Roary the Racing Car'' (stylised as ''ROARY: The Racing Car'') is a British-

stop-motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames ...

children's television series created by David Jenkins and produced by

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 ...

and

Cosgrove Hall Films Cosgrove Hall Films (also known as Cosgrove Hall Productions) was an English animation studio founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall; its headquarters was in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. Cosgrove Hall was once a major producer of childr ...

. It follows the adventures of Roary and his racing car friends at Silver Hatch race track.

Overview

Plot

The series follows the lives and adventures of five racing vehicles, Roary, Maxi, Cici, Drifter, 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 Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of t ...

circuit called Silver Hatch (a portmanteau of the names of the two

British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Cha ...

racing circuits, ''

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and ...

'' and ''

Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently hos ...

''). 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.

Narration

Every story begins and ends with some brief

narration Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...

normally from racing car driver

Sir Stirling Moss Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss (17 September 1929 – 12 April 2020) was a British Formula One racing driver. An inductee into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, he won 212 of the 529 races he entered across several categories of comp ...

, who is also used as a

voiceover Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non- diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations. ...

. The US version is narrated by American stock car driver

Sam Hornish Jr. Samuel Jon Hornish Jr. (born July 2, 1979) is an American semi-retired professional auto racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske in 2017. He began his top-tier raci ...

Main characters

Race cars

* Roary (voiced by

Maria Darling Maria Darling is a British voice actress who has provided many character voices for children's television programmes in the United Kingdom and the United States. Television and film * Dr Otter - Some of the Rabbit Children, Mrs. Canny Body and ...

) is a red

Formula Ford Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula For ...

car who is the titular character of the show with the mindset of a schoolboy and a heart of gold. He has a healthy rivalry with Maxi and the two of them are often at odds frequently, but they do show that they care for each other and will often hang out together. Roary is only young and inexperienced at racing, but is constantly learning things from his friends and fellow racers. He sometimes gets into trouble over something, but he always makes up for it. He is very intelligent, friend to everyone around him and eager to learn. He's both best friends with and boyfriend of Cici. * Maxi (voiced by

Marc Silk Marc Silk is a British voice actor. His character vocal work includes Aks Moe in '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'', '' Danger Mouse'', '' The Pingu Show'', ''Go Jetters'', ''Strange Hill High'', ''Chicken Run'' and US voice of ...

) is a yellow Italian

Formula One car A Formula One car (also known as an F1 car) is a single-seat, open-cockpit, open-wheel formula racing car with substantial front and rear wings, and an engine positioned behind the driver, intended to be used in competition at Formul ...

who is very hot-tempered and is obsessed with winning. He is very arrogant and snooty, often only thinking about himself. He is Mr. Carburettor's favourite race car at Silver Hatch and thinks very highly of himself. He has a healthy rivalry with Roary and the two of them often fight over who is the star car. He occasionally bullies and belittles Roary, but does show that he cares for him deep down. He is sometimes irresponsible and reckless, occasionally doing stunts that are harmful and risky. He loves to show off. * Cici (voiced by Maria Darling) is a pink and purple French

rally car Rally is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (often called ''rally racing),'' navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed time or average speed. ...

who is very bubbly and friendly. Her name is Zizzy in the US dub. * Drifter (voiced by Marc Silk) is an orange Japanese drift car. His name is Dragga in the US dub. * Tin Top (voiced by

Peter Kay Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English actor, comedy writer and stand-up comedian. He has written, produced and acted in several television and film projects, and has written three books. Born and brought up in Bolton, Kay studied ...

in the UK and

Kerry Shale Kerry Shale is a Canadian actor and writer based in London, England. Filmography Film Television Video games References External links * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shale, Kerry Living people 20th-century British male actors 20th-century Ca ...

in the US) is a dark blue American

stock car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

who is very accident prone.

Humans

* Big Chris (voiced by Peter Kay in the UK and Kerry Shale in the US) is the

mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...

of Silver Hatch who is slightly absent-minded. * Marsha (voiced by Maria Darling) is the racing marshal of Silver Hatch. She waves the flag when the race begins, and also is the one who takes calls from her workstation. * Mr. Antonio Carburettor (voiced by Tim Whitnall) is the flamboyant owner of Silver Hatch who speaks with an Italian accent. He loves to sing opera.

Side

Vehicles

* Plugger (voiced by

Tim Whitnall Timothy Charles Whitnall (born 27 June 1961) is an English actor, playwright and screenwriter. He is known for playing Angelo in the long-running CITV series '' Mike and Angelo'' and narrating the BBC children's TV programme ''Teletubbies'' f ...

) is an aqua blue

Mitsubishi L200 The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...

tow truck A tow truck (also called a wrecker, a breakdown truck, recovery vehicle or a breakdown lorry) is a truck used to move disabled, improperly parked, impounded, or otherwise indisposed motor vehicles. This may involve recovering a vehicle damaged ...

. His name is Lugga in the US dub. * FB (voiced by

Dominic Frisby Dominic Frisby (born September 1969) is a British author, comedian and voice actor. He is best known as co-host of television programme '' Money Pit''. Early life Dominic Frisby is the son of the playwright and novelist Terence Frisby, and Chr ...

) is a green second generation Ford F-Series

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...

who is Farmer Green's main vehicle. His name is Trucksy in the US dub. * Zippee is an orange

Vespa Vespa () is an Italian luxury brand of scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy t ...

motor scooter A scooter (motor scooter) is a motorcycle with an underbone or step-through frame, a seat, and a platform for the rider's feet, emphasizing comfort and fuel economy. Elements of scooter design were present in some of the earliest motorcycle ...

who is Marsha's main vehicle. * Rusty (voiced by Dominic Frisby) is an old

caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...

that Big Chris lives in. * Breeze (voiced by Maria Darling) is a turquoise

Meyers Manx Meyers is a surname of English origin; many branches of the Meyers family trace their origins to Anglo-Saxon England. The name is derived from the Old French name ''Maire'', meaning "mayor", or an officer in charge of legal matters. The English s ...

buggy who lives at the beach and is one of Roary's girlfriends. * Hellie (voiced by Marc Silk) is a red, purple and yellow

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

. * Loada (voiced by Dominic Frisby) is a dark orange and light green race car transporter

lorry A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructio ...

that transports and delivers packages to Silver Hatch. He speaks with an Eastern European accent. * James (voiced by Dominic Frisby) is a silver

Aston Martin DB5 The Aston Martin DB5 is a British grand tourer (GT) produced by Aston Martin and designed by Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera. Originally produced from 1963 to 1965, the DB5 was an evolution of the final series of DB4. Alth ...

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

who is Mamma Mia's main vehicle. * Nick (voiced by Marc Silk) is a blue and orange Lamborghini Gallardo

police car A police car (also called a police cruiser, police interceptor, patrol car, area car, cop car, prowl car, squad car, radio car, or radio motor patrol) is a ground vehicle used by police and law enforcement for transportation during patrols a ...

who is the main vehicle of PC Pete. * Conrod (voiced by

Craig Lowndes Craig Andrew Lowndes (born 21 June 1974) is an Australian racing driver in the Repco Supercars Championship competing in the Holden ZB Commodore for Triple Eight Race Engineering. He is also a TV commentator. Lowndes is a three-time V8 Sup ...

) is a silver and red Team Vodafone liveried

Ford Falcon Ford Falcon is an automobile nameplate applied to several vehicles worldwide. * Ford Falcon (North America), an automobile produced by Ford from 1960 to 1970. * Ford Falcon (Argentina), a car built by Ford Argentina from 1962 until 1991. * For ...

V8 Supercar The Supercars Championship is a touring car racing category in Australia, running as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regulations, governing the sport. Supercars events take place in all Australian ...

. He speaks with an Australian accent.

Humans

* Farmer Green (voiced by Tim Whitnall) is a

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer m ...

who is very humble and slightly messy. The Silver Hatch racing crew often visit his farm to buy produce. * PC Pete (voiced by Dominic Frisby) is a

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

who is Marsha's brother. His name is Officer Pete in North America. * "Mamma" Mia Carburettor (voiced by Maria Darling) is Mr. Carburettor's mother. She is very prim and proper. * Big Christine (voiced by Peter Kay in the UK and Kerry Shale in the US) is Big Chris' mother who loves dancing.

Animals

* Flash (voiced by Marc Silk) is an anthropomorphic

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit sp ...

who likes to cause trouble on the racetrack. His name is Furzz in the US dub. * Molecom (voiced by Dominic Frisby) is an anthropomorphic mole who wears glasses. He is a skilled mechanic and

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

player. * Dinkie (voiced by Marc Silk) is an old

donkey The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as ...

who lives on Farmer Green's farm.

Production

The series uses a combination of

computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The image ...

and

stop-motion animation Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames ...

; the stop frame animation was initially provided by

, the producer of '' Noddy's Toyland Adventures'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', the 2003 ''

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 ...

'' series, '' Pocoyo'' and many other shows produced by said company, and latterly by Chapman Entertainment's own in-house studio. The series was originated 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 Keith Chapman (born 1959) is a British television writer and producer, best known as the creator of children's television programmes ''Bob the Builder'' and ''PAW Patrol.'' Biography He worked for Jim Henson International, designing characters ...

, creative director of

and the creator of ''

Bob the Builder ''Bob the Builder'' is a British animated children's television series created by Keith Chapman for HIT Entertainment and Hot Animation. The series follows the adventures of Bob, a building contractor, specialising in masonry, along with ...

'' (both 1998 and the later 2015 series), ''

Fifi and the Flowertots ''Fifi and the Flowertots'' is a British stop-motion children's television series created by Keith Chapman for Five (acquired rights only) and Nick Jr. (under the "Original Series" brand). It aired from 2 May 2005 to 16 July 2010. The series ...

'', and later, ''

PAW Patrol ''PAW Patrol'' is a Canadian computer-animated children's television series, children's television series created by Keith Chapman. It is produced by Spin Master, Spin Master Entertainment, with animation provided by Guru Studio. In Canada, the ...

'', and the series executive producer is Greg Lynn. When the show came to the US,

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 ...

took the distribution rights, along with ''Fifi and the Flowertots''. The music was produced by Alan Coates and Kim Goody.

Episodes

Series 1 (2007–2009)

Series 2 (2009-2010)

References

External links

Roary the Racing Car official site with many games, activities and more
* {{IMDb title, id=1027544 2007 British television series debuts 2010 British television series endings 2000s British children's television series 2010s British children's television series 2000s preschool education television series 2010s preschool education television series Animated preschool education television series Animated television series about auto racing British children's animated comedy television series British children's animated sports television series British preschool education television series British stop-motion animated television series Channel 5 (British TV channel) original programming DreamWorks Classics English-language television shows Fictional racing cars Nick Jr. original programming Television series by Cosgrove Hall Films Television series by Mattel Creations Television series by Universal Television Treehouse TV original programming