Joshua Jones is a Welsh stop-motion children's television series, made by Bumper Films (the creators of Rocky Hollow and Fireman Sam). It ran from 1991 to 1992.
The series is about a cheerful fellow named Joshua Jones who lives on a canal boat with his canine companion Fairport. They take trips up and down Clearwater Canal, delivering items and carrying out tasks for the folks at Biggott's Wharf and generally having a fun time on the water. Joshua's bosses are Bapu Karia, a retired Indian Admiral, Dakasha "Datsa" Karia, Mr Cashmore's co-worker and Bapu's daughter-in-law, and the get-rich-quick Wilton Cashmore. Joshua's friends are Joe Laski, the Hungarian farmer who owns a horse named Trojan, Ravi Karia, Mrs. Karia's son (Admirable's grandson) and Fiona, Mr. Cashmore's not-so-money-hungry daughter. His co-workers are Sharon, a blonde girl who owns a catering van, Spanner, Sharon's lazy boyfriend and Daphne Peacock, the vet who takes care of sick and injured animals.
Characters[]
Adults[]
- Joshua Jones - A young man who lives in the Karia's Residence
and travels by his canal boat with his dog Fairport. His main job is to transport goods along the canals but he is more than willing to utilize his boat to help out others in a crisis.
- Admiral Bapu Karia - A retired Indian admiral who served in
the Royal Navy and is always putting his experience to good use in everyday tasks. He is Datsa's father-in-law and Ravi's grandfather.
- Dakasha "Datsa" Karia - Admirable's daughter-in-law and
Ravi's mother. She is a very cheerful woman and her first name is only mentioned in the episodes "Tortoise" and "Boomer". Ravi's father never appears, implying that Datsa may be divorced or a widow.
- Joe Laski - A Hungarian-born farmer who lives on a farm on a hill near the tunnel and he takes care of his horse Trojan.
- Daphne Peacock - The local vetarinian who is often called in
to take care of sick animals and she is the only character who is seen to drive a car.
- Wilton Cashmore - A local rich busybee who likes to boss his
staff around, especially Spanner. He goes to great lengths to try to impress his own boss, the unseen Mr. Biggott. He is a very nasty person sometimes especially in episode The Silver Key when he didn't get his delivery speedboat engine delivered by Joshua, Sometimes when Spanner has some lunch at Sharon's Café when Cashmore spots him Spanner sometimes says Here Comes Trouble. He is the father of Fiona, but his wife and Fiona's mother is never seen or mentioned on the show, implying that Mr. Cashmore may be a widower or divorced.
- Mr. Biggott - Wilton's boss. Although he never appears, Mr.
Cashmore speaks to him on the phone in almost every episode. The closet we get to seeing the Biggotts is in the episode "Haywire".
- Mrs. Biggott - Mr. Biggott's wife and like her husband, she never appears. She is only mentioned in the episode "Haywire".
Teenagers[]
- Sharon Cope - A dizzy blonde girl who sells food from her bistro wagon by the canal.
- Spanner Wilkins - Sharon's boyfriend; an 18-year-old lazy
accident-prone orange-haired chap who does odd-jobs for Cashmore and various other characters. He often skives off work to go and eat at Sharon's cafe.
Children[]
- Ravi Karia - An eight-year-old boy, Datsa's son and Admirable's grandson.
- Fiona Cashmore - An eight-year-old girl, Wilton Cashmore's daughter.
Animals[]
- Fairport - A Terrier crossbreed dog, Joshua's faithful animal friend.
- Trojan - Joe's brown horse.
- Boomer - A colourful parrot who was once loaned to Admirable.
- Tearaway Trevor - Ravi's pet tortoise.
Episode list[]
- 1. Horseplay (25 February 1991 (production), 7 January 1992 (TV) (W:17 September 1991) - When Trojan the horse falls into the canal, Joshua Jones comes to the rescue.
- 2. Haywire (4 March 1991 (production), 14 January 1992 (TV) (W:24 September 1991) - There's a
storm brewing and Spanner is helping Joe Laski fetch his hay. Meanwhile Mr Cashmore is organising a buffet for Mr Biggott.
- 3. Treasure (11 March 1991 (production), 21 January 1992 (TV) (W:1 October 1991) - Spanner,
Cashmore and Sharon go digging for treasure when they find a supposed "treasure map".
- 4. Boomer (18 March 1991 (production), 28 January 1992 (TV) (W:8 October 1991) - Josh rescues
Ravi and Fiona from the weir when they get lost while looking for Boomer the parrot, who has escaped.
- 5. Tortoise (25 March 1991 (production), 4 February 1992 (TV) (W:15 October 1991) - One of Spanner's meat pies is mistaken for Ravi's tortoise.
- 6. Sting (1 April 1991 (production), 11 February 1992 (TV) (W:22 October 1991) - When some
chemicals infect Fairport's eyes, Josh organises a sponsored walk for the ointment his dog needs. Cashmore sponsors Spanner knowing he won't get far, but some treacle pudding and a swarm of wasps prove him wrong.
- 7. Spook (8 April 1991 (production), 18 February 1992 (TV) (W:29 October 1991) - Ravi and
Fiona believe there's a ghost in Joe's barn. Meanwhile Wilton Cashmore's new burglar alarm is proving unpopular.
- 8. Plum Crazy (15 April 1991 (production), 25 February 1992 (TV) (W:5 November 1991) - Admirable Karia needs to find an easy way to pick the plums from his plum tree.
- 9. Paperwork (22 April 1991 (production), 3 March 1992 (TV) (W:12 November 1991) - After
decorating her cafe van, Spanner takes Sharon on a picnic, but the wind teaches them not to throw litter around.
- 10. Photo Finish (29 April 1991 (production), 10 March 1992 (TV) (W:19 November 1991) - Josh
has made a raft for Ravi, but disaster strikes when Cashmore borrows it to fish out Mr Biggott's birthday present from the canal.
- 11. Snake Chase (6 May 1991 (production), 17 March 1992 (TV) (W:26 November 1991) - Daphne
Peacock is looking after a grass-snake but mayhem ensues when it meets Trojan the horse.
- 12. The Silver Key (13 May 1991 (production), 24 March 1992 (TV) (W:3 December 1991) -
Admirable Karia is determined to win "The Lock Competition". Meanwhile Joshua and Joe have trouble with a runaway tyre.
UK VHS Releases[]
The series had two videos from BBC in United Kingdom and three videos from Reel Entertainment in Australia.
| VHS Title | Release Date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Joshua Jones - Horseplay (BBCV 4806) | 1 June 1992 | Horseplay, Haywire, Treasure, Boomer |
| Joshua Jones 2 (BBCV 4993) | 5 July 1993 | Tortoise, Sting, Spook, Plum Crazy |
DVD Releases[]
- In 2005, Reel Entertainment in Australia released two (PAL Region 4) DVDs containing six episodes each. A two disc boxset was also released featuring all 12 episodes.
Books[]
Several paperback books were published by Heinemann Young Books in 1992. The stories were written by Mary Risk and illustrated by The County Studio.
- The C.C. Club
- Josh's Special Delivery (0434948454)
- Duck Tunnel (0434948438)
- Happy Birthday Josh! (0434948411)
- Out of Action (0434962252)
- The Lock Competition (0434962244)
- Vet's Order's
- Piggy In The Middle
- A Party For Bapu
- Heatwave
Eight numbered titles were published by Buzz Books in 1993. The stories were written by Olivia Madden (developed from scripts by Bob Wilson) and illustrated with stills taken from the TV series.
- 1. Horseplay (1855911396)
- 2. Going Haywire (1855911388)
- 3. A Parrot Called Boomer (185591137X)
- 4. Treasure Trove
- 5. Photo Finish (1855912333)
- 6. Snake Chase (1855912341)
- 7. Tortoise Trail (185591235X)
- 8. Night Watch (1855912368)
Credits[]
- With the Voices of: Barbara Flynn and George Layton
- Originated & Designed by: Rob Lee
- Developed & Written by: Bob Wilson
- Model Makers: Brian Collins, Tania MacDonnell, Sean Millar, Andy O'Neil, John Parsons, Katharine Scott Kevin Simth
- Vehicles: Alun Jones, James Nevill
- Puppet Makers: Alison Fairholm, Ian Frampton, Cindy Friers, Alison Hall
- Engineering Consultant: Mel Grigg
- Set Design: Beverley Knowlden Janice Shakespeare Barry Zafar Peter Linz
- Music & Lyrics by: Ben Heneghan, Ian Lawson
- Sung by: Maldwyn Pope
- Sound/Firework Fx: John Cross, Tom Logan
- Edited by: William J. Oswald, Jane Murrell, Elen Lewis, Patrick McHugh
- Animated by: John Walker, Brian Anderson, Timon Dowdeswell
- Executive Producers: Christopher Grace, Theresa Plummer-Andrews
- Produced & Directed by: Ian Frampton, John Walker
- Produced by Bumper Films for S4C, BBC, Prism Art and Design
- © Rob Lee MCMLXXXIX
- © S4C MCMXCI
Repeats[]
Joshua Jones has been repeated several times on BBC1 and BBC2 in the 1990's, CBBC on Choice have also repeated the series premiering on Sunday 21st May 2000 at 8.20am, 11.35am, 2.50pm and 6.05pm continuing until Saturday 1st July 2000. It returned in a weekday slot on Wednesday 4th October 2000 at 9.20am, 12.20pm, 3.20pm and 6.20pm until Friday 20th October 2000.