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''Pugwall'' is an Australian
children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...
which first screened on the
Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
in 1989. Based on Margaret Clark's young adult fiction novels of the same name, it revolves around the title character Peter Unwin George Wall, ''"PUGWALL"'', and his friends as they form a band. Season 2 was titled ''Pugwall's Summer''.


Premise

After receiving an electric guitar on his 13th birthday, Pugwall and his friends, Bazza, Orfo, and Stringbean form a band, but they need a lead singer. Whilst in hospital after a bicycle accident, Pugwall meets a girl called Jenny, they become friends and he asks her if she can sing. She tells him she can and he asks her to join the band; she agrees and the Orange Organics is formed. Each episode follows Pugwall's trials and tribulations as he goes about his family life, and follows the band as they attempt to secure a
recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording act (artist or group), where the act makes an audio recording (or series of recordings) for the label to sell and ...
with a
record company "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...
.


The Orange Organics

*Peter Unwin George Wall (''Pugwall'') – guitar and vocals *Jenny Fleet – lead vocals *Jeremy Bazlington (''Bazza'') – keyboard *Yuri Orfonsinski (''Orfo'') – drums *''Stringbean'' – bass guitar


Character profiles

;Pugwall Pugwall ( Jason Torrens) is a typical teenage boy, who dreams of being a rock-star and "earning a million dollars before breakfast". When he receives an electric
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
for his 13th birthday, he thinks his dreams are finally coming true, but his parents did not get him an
amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It is a two-port electronic circuit that uses electric power from a power su ...
. He forms a rock band with his friends and starts to raise money. ;Jenny Fleet Jenny (Rebecca Blomberg) meets Pugwall at the hospital at the end of the second episode after he is in an accident after dreaming of stardom while riding his bike. Jenny is a shy girl who finds herself having feelings for Pugwall, but does not know how to act on her feelings. When Jenny and Pugwall met she was in a wheelchair, it is often hinted at in the show that her accident was due to a dark secret. This was somewhat confirmed towards the end of the series when Pugwall develops feelings for her. ;Bazza Bazza (
Troy Beckwith Troy Anthony Beckwith (1975 or 1976 – 24 January 2024) was an Australian television actor, known for his roles as Bazza in '' Pugwall'' and Michael Mellop in ''The Miraculous Mellops'', as well as being the second actor to play Michael Marti ...
) is the
keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mus ...
player in the band. His real name is Jeremy James Bazzlington. He has a younger brother, Jimmy. His father, Tony is frequently absent on business trips. ;Orfo Orfo (Jay McCormack) is the Organics'
drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...
and Pugwall's best friend. His real name is Yuri Orfonsinski and is of
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
descent and lives with his parents. The band rehearse in his garage much to the annoyance of his neighbour Mrs Walker. Orfo's father makes sparing appearances in the first season, while his mother, Anatasia, who often cooks a lot of food for the band, appears frequently in the second. ;Stringbean Stringbean (Ricky Fleming) is the band's
bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
ist. He gets his nickname because he is tall and thin. His parents run a farm, and Stringbean works there each morning "mucking out the stables". His real name is never revealed on the show, but his parents are listed on the end credits of one episode as Mr and Mrs Millard, and Bashem calls him "Millard" in class. Stringbean is shown to eat a lot but still remains thin. ;Hughesy Hughesy (Gareth Morely) is responsible for the band's sound and is in charge of the recording equipment. He appears from the second season. ;Margaret ''"Supes"'' Wall ''Supes'' (Louise Hall) is Pugwall's mother. Pugwall calls his mum ''Supes'' because when she cleans the house she is like
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
, speeding around the house at super-speed. ;Frank ''"Herohead"'' Wall ''Herohead'' ( Ken James) is Pugwall's father. He works for a real estate agency and generally disapproves of Pugwall's dream of stardom and would rather he was a doctor or lawyer. ;Marion ''"Marmaloid"'' Wall Marion (Emma Snow) is Pugwall's bratty younger sister. She is a constant thorn in Pugwall's side. She keeps pestering her brother to let her join the band. He keeps telling her that she can not join the band. She loves
Caramello Koala Caramello Koala is a brand of chocolate treat currently manufactured by Cadbury Australia. It consists of a chocolate cartoon koala (named "George" in certain advertising material) with a caramel centre. The chocolate bar is sold in two sizes ...
s (a type of chocolate) and is sometimes seen to take payment in these bars in exchange for not telling her parents what Pugwall is up to. She also loves
Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978, it chro ...
, and has many of these stuffed toys and posters in her room. She can play the guitar well, and takes over for Pugwall on one song on the album when he sprains his wrist and can not play. She also has her own band, the Marmalodians, with her best friend Melissa and their friends (Pammie, Francie, Carrie and Emmie), and they featured on the Orange Organics album with "The Marmaloid Rap". ;Con Tarcopolis and Wazza (played by Peter Tzefrios and Anthony Engelman, respectively) Pugwall's primary antagonists who try invariably to make Pugwall's life a misery. More often than not their schemes will ultimately backfire on them. They have their own theme music "Bad Boys" which generally appears in any scene they are in. Con is seen as Pugwall's main rival and the brains of the outfit, whereas Wazza is his sidekick. ;Daniella Valentina (played by Marcella Toro) Pugwall's secondary nemesis who always wants to sing with the band. She becomes Orfo's girlfriend in "St. Valentina's". She works at a fish and chip shop and will not hesitate to bribe band members with offers of free food. ;Aunt Annabelle (played by Elspeth Ballantyne) Herohead's aunt, and sister to Harry. She can seem eccentric. She gives the band access to her recording studio to record their album, and finds a record company to release their album. ;Uncle Harry (played by Maurie Fields) Herohead's uncle, always turns up when he hears Annabelle is in town. His tendency to drop in on the family unexpectedly and interrupt their meals often irritates them. At the mere hint of hard work (i.e. dishwashing), Harry makes excuses to leave but ultimately changes his mind whenever dessert is mentioned. ;Dr Pongerton (played by
Frank Bren Frank Bren (7 September 1943 – 14 April 2018) was an Australian actor, playwright/dramatist, director, translator and author, who was a scholar of international film history. He has written books (on the histories of Polish and Hong Kong cinem ...
) The principal of Greythorn High who frequently lectures Pugwall and at times praises him. ;Bashem (played by Roy Edmunds) Bashem is Pugwall's stern teacher who will not hesitate to punish him or any other members of the class. In one episode he suffers a heart attack during a cross-country race and Pugwall forfeits winning to save his life. ;Summerbum (played by Jennifer Jarman-Walker) Summerbum is another of Pugwall's teachers.


Soundtracks

A soundtrack featuring all of the music heard in the show was released for each series on vinyl and cassette. This was nominated for the
ARIA Award for Best Children's Album The ARIA Music Award for Best Children's Album is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording Ind ...
in 1990.


''Pugwall''


Track listing

# A1. "Opening Theme" – 5:02 # A2. "A Rock and a Roll." – 4:08 # A3. "Dogs" (Instrumental) – 4:06 # A4. "There's No Reason Why" – 3:42 # A5. "Pugwall Instrumental 1" – 5:17 # A6. "I'm in Love" – 2:59 # A7. "Na Na Na" – 2:21 # A8. "It Must Be Love" – 2:44 # A9. "Pugwall Instrumental 2" – 1:24 # B1. "Party Song" – 2:03 # B2. "Was There Something" – 3:17 # B3. "Supes" – 0:47 # B4. "Only Ewe" – 1:47 # B5. "Pugwall Instrumental 3" – 2:00 # B6. "B B Boppin'" – 1:14 # B7. "Belly Dance" – 1:34 # B8. "You So and So" – 2:31 # B9. "I'm Gonna Tell Your Mama" – 0:56 # B10. "Uptown Tokyo" – 1:54 # B11. "Closing Credits Theme" – 1:30


''Pugwall's Summer''


Track listing

Source:


=Side 1

= # Pugwall's Summer (Instrumental) – Orange Organics # True Blues – Orange Organics # Bad Boys – Marcee Jones # Hoochie Coochie – Maurie Fields # Uptown Tokyo – Orange Organics # Marmaloid Rap – Emma Snow, Aimee Robertson and the Marmaloidians # Mix It Up Pugwall – Andrea Lees # Single Word – Orange Organics # His Eyes – Orange Organics # Pugwall's Summer (Slow) –
Darryl Cotton Darryl Grant Cotton (4 September 1949 27 July 2012) was an Australian pop, rock singer-songwriter, television presenter and actor. He was a founding member of Australian rock group Zoot in 1965, with Beeb Birtles, and were later joined by Rick ...


=Side 2

= # Lately – No Justice # A Rock and a Roll – Maurie Fields # Somebody To Love – Orange Organics # Ever Be The Same – Rebecca Blomberg # It's Alright – Orange Organics # Baby Let's Dance – Simone Robertson # The Things People Do (Environment Song) – Orange Organics # Pugwall's Summer – Darryl Cotton # Party Song – Orange Organics


DVD release

''Pugwall'' series 1, a two-disc set, was released on PAL Region 4 DVD in Australia while ''Pugwall'' series 2, ''Pugwall's Summer'', was later released on DVD. These are available at EZY DVD, Sanity.com.au and other Australian online retailers.


International broadcasts

The series was primarily broadcast in the UK on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
in the mornings during the school holidays and sometimes on Sundays, and also on
TCC TCC may refer to: Companies * Taiwan Cement Corporation * The Clearing Corporation *Trammell Crow Company * Travancore Cochin Chemicals, Kochi, Kerala, India Organizations *Tanana Chiefs Conference *Theory of Cryptography Conference * Technol ...
. Trouble also aired the show for several weeks in 1998. It was also broadcast in South Africa in the early 1990s on KTV – channel M-Net, and again a few years later on Tube – channel SABC2.


External links


''Pugwall'' at the National Film and Sound Archive
*
''Pugwall'' – "Hollow Drums"
at
Australian Screen Online The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting, and providing access to a national c ...


References

{{reflist Australian children's television series Nine Network original programming Works by Alan Hopgood 1989 Australian television series debuts 1991 Australian television series endings Australian television shows based on children's books Musical television series Australian television series about teenagers Television shows set in Melbourne