Bananaman (TV series)
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation, Entertainment |
| Founded | October 3, 1983 |
| Founder | Terry Ward (producer) |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Animated comedy series |
Bananaman is a British animated comedy program that was broadcast from 3 October 1983 until 15 June 1988. Originating from the comic strip character Bananaman, each installment lasted around five minutes and featured voice performances by the comedy group The Goodies: Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, and Bill Oddie.
The show reimagined the character with several modifications: the protagonist was renamed Eric Twinge (originally Eric Wimp), displayed a distinctive banana-shaped hairstyle instead of being bald, and introduced a romantic interest named Fiona, a newsreader who appears exclusively during his transformation.
In the United States, Bananaman was aired on Nickelodeon following Danger Mouse, serving as part of a programming block to complete a 30-minute segment.
Cast
- Tim Brooke-Taylor as Eric
- Graeme Garden as Bananaman
- Bill Oddie as Crow
- Jill Shilling as Fiona
Series overview
- Series 1: 3 October – 11 November 1983 – 12 episodes
- Series 2: 4 October – 19 December 1984 – 13 episodes
- Series 3: 7 January – 15 April 1986 – 15 episodes
Although produced during series two, the episode titled "Memory Lane" was broadcast later in June 1988.
Series 1 (1983)
| No. overall | Series no. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Bananaman Meets Dr. Gloom" | 3 October 1983 |
| 2 | 2 | "The Big Breakout" | 7 October 1983 |
| 3 | 3 | "Ice Station Zero" | 10 October 1983 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Alien Planet" | 14 October 1983 |
| 5 | 5 | "The Kidnap Caper" | 17 October 1983 |
| 6 | 6 | "House on Hangman's Hill" | 20 October 1983 |
| 7 | 7 | "Destination Danger" | 24 October 1983 |
| 8 | 8 | "Wall of Death" | 27 October 1983 |
| 9 | 9 | "Jaws of Steel" | 31 October 1983 |
| 10 | 10 | "Banana Kid" | 4 November 1983 |
| 11 | 11 | "Auntie's Back in Town" | 7 November 1983 |
| 12 | 12 | "Tunnel of Terror" | 11 November 1983 |
Series 2 (1984)
| No. overall | Series no. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1 | "Mystery at the Old Mine" | 4 October 1984 |
| 14 | 2 | "Lost Tribe of the Tapiocas" | 11 October 1984 |
| 15 | 3 | "Trouble at the Mill" | 18 October 1984 |
| 16 | 4 | "The Web of Evil" | 25 October 1984 |
| 17 | 5 | "The Mummy's Curse" | 1 November 1984 |
| 18 | 6 | "The Night Patrol" | 8 November 1984 |
| 19 | 7 | "Fog of Fear" | 15 November 1984 |
| 20 | 8 | "A Tank Full of Trouble" | 22 November 1984 |
| 21 | 9 | "Double Trouble" | 29 November 1984 |
| 22 | 10 | "The Last Banana" | 5 December 1984 |
| 23 | 11 | "Intergalactic Olympics" | 12 December 1984 |
| No. overall | Series no. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 12 | "Memory Lane" | 15 June 1988 |
| 25 | 13 | "The Final Orbit" | 19 December 1984 |
Series 3 (1986)
| No. overall | Series no. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1 | "Disaster at Devil's Cove" | 7 January 1986 |
| 27 | 2 | "Night of the Nerks" | 14 January 1986 |
| 28 | 3 | "The Snowman Cometh" | 21 January 1986 |
| 29 | 4 | "Pirate TV Station" | 28 January 1986 |
| 30 | 5 | "Battle of the Bridge" | 4 February 1986 |
| 31 | 6 | "Harbour of Lost Ships" | 11 February 1986 |
| 32 | 7 | "Visibility Zero" | 18 February 1986 |
| 33 | 8 | "Battle of the Century" | 25 February 1986 |
| 34 | 9 | "The Perils of Ping Pong" | 4 March 1986 |
| 35 | 10 | "The Great Air Race" | 11 March 1986 |
| 36 | 11 | "Cavern of the Lost" | 18 March 1986 |
| 37 | 12 | "Clown Capers" | 25 March 1986 |
| 38 | 13 | "Banana Junction" | 1 April 1986 |
| 39 | 14 | "The Crown Jewel Caper" | 8 April 1986 |
| 40 | 15 | "Operation Total" | 15 April 1986 |
Reception
Bananaman established itself as a highly popular figure among British superheroes. Initially appearing in the DC Thomson publication Nutty, the character was later transformed into an animated television series consisting of 40 episodes, each lasting five minutes. Produced by Terry Ward of Flicks Films Ltd, this series played a key role in reinforcing its status within the realm of British children's programming.