''Old Jack's Boat'' is a British children's television series that stars

Bernard Cribbins Bernard Joseph Cribbins (29 December 1928 – 27 July 2022) was an English actor and singer whose career spanned over eight decades. During the 1960s, Cribbins became known in the UK for his successful novelty records " The Hole in the Ground" ...

as Old Jack, the owner of a multi-coloured boat called ''The Rainbow''. In each episode Jack (Cribbins) tells a story to his dog, Salty.

Production

The series was filmed in

Staithes Staithes () is a village in North Yorkshire, England, situated by the border between the unitary authorities of North Yorkshire and Redcar and Cleveland. The area located on the Redcar and Cleveland side is known as Cowbar. Formerly a hub for f ...

in Yorkshire, and the scenery of the area is heavily featured in the episodes. Bernard Cribbins, in talking about the location, said “I’ve filmed in a lot of locations throughout my career, but there's something about the sea air, the beauty and the friendliness in Staithes that makes it a special place to be.” The first two series each had two stories written by

Russell T Davies Stephen Russell Davies ( ; born 27 April 1963), known professionally as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for being the original showrunner and head writer of the revival of the BBC sci-fi seri ...

, with whom both Bernard Cribbins and Freema Agyeman had previously worked on ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

''. This was the first time Davies had ever written for a pre-school audience. On writing for pre-schoolers Davies said "It's exciting new territory for me, writing for this age range. But this is the age when your imagination first starts! And when the call came from Bernard, asking me on board, I couldn't refuse - I'd do anything for that man!"

Reception

''Old Jack's Boat'' was positively received upon broadcast. Aislinn Kinsella, writing for ''Best British TV'', said that the program was "suitably amusing for a CBeebies show" and that it was "sure to be a hit with the little ones and one or two older folks!" Glen Chapman, writing for website Den of Geek, said of the series: "Well, come on, it's Bernard Cribbins telling stories? What more could you ask for? The man is a national treasure." The location filming was also praised, with Chapman saying that Staithes "looks every bit the idyllic location".

Cast

* Jack:

* Shelly Periwinkle:

Freema Agyeman Freema Agyeman (; born Frema Agyeman; 20 March 1979) is an English actress. She rose to fame with her role as the Doctor's companion Martha Jones in the BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' (2007–2010) and its spin-off '' Torchwood'' ...

* Captain Periwinkle:

Don Gilet Don Gilet (born 17 January 1967) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as DS Nicky Cole in ''55 Degrees North'', DI Mervin Wilson in ''Death in Paradise'', Lucas Johnson in ''EastEnders'', and Jesse Law in ''Holby City''. Early ...

* Ernie Starboard: Paul Hawkyard * Miss Bowline-Hitch:

Helen Lederer Helen Margaret Lederer (born 24 September 1954) is a British comedian, writer and actress who emerged as part of the alternative comedy boom at the beginning of the 1980s. Among her television credits are the BBC2 sketch series '' Naked Video'' ...

* Emily Scuttlebutt:

Janine Duvitski Janine Duvitski (born Christine Janine Drzewicki; 28 June 1952) is a British actress, known for her roles in the BBC television sitcom series '' Waiting for God'', ''One Foot in the Grave'' and ''Benidorm''. Duvitski first came to national atte ...

* Sam Spinnaker:

Nadine Marshall Nadine Marshall is an English television, stage, and radio actress. She became known for her performance as Sally in the British television sitcom ''The Smoking Room'' (2004–2005). Early life and education Nadine Marshall studied at Rose Bru ...

* Salty the dog: Scuzz * Young Jack: Sam Benjamin * Sailor Sue: Carolina Main

Episodes

Episodes of the show usually consist of the theme tune, then a segment (usually a few minutes) featuring Old Jack, Salty the dog and a couple of the characters doing stuff around the village and helping friends. Jack and Salty then head to the Rainbow, where Jack usually has something to do (often something to mend), but puts it off to tell the story. After the story, there is another segment featuring Jack and the characters from earlier to find out if that character was successful in whatever they were meant to accomplish. Then the instrumental version of the theme tune plays, and Jack and Salty walk off into the distance.

Spin-off

A spin-off titled ''Old Jack's Boat: Rockpool Tales'' is about adventures of sea creatures, and another, ''Salty's Waggy Tales'', is about the adventures of Salty the Dog.

References

External links

* *{{IMDb title, id=2645782, title=Old Jack's Boat 2013 British television series debuts 2015 British television series endings 2010s British children's television series BBC high definition shows BBC children's television shows British preschool education television series British television shows featuring puppetry British English-language television shows Television shows set in Yorkshire Television shows shot in Yorkshire CBeebies Television series by BBC Studios