Brum (TV series)

Brum

Company type	Children's television programme
Industry	Television production
Founded	1991
Founder	Anne Wood
Headquarters	Birmingham , United Kingdom
Products	Children's television series
Parent	Ragdoll Productions, WildBrain Media (revivals)

Brum is a UK-based children's television programme centered on the escapades of a small, anthropomorphic vintage automobile named Brum. Initially narrated by Toyah Willcox, who provided voices for Brum and all other characters, the series originally aired three seasons from 1991 to 2002, followed by two CGI-animated revivals on YouTube in 2016. It debuted on BBC One during the Children's BBC segment and was later broadcast on CBeebies.

Set in Birmingham, England—referred to as the "Big Town" within the show—and produced by Ragdoll Productions, Brum was created by Anne Wood with Toyah Willcox as the original narrator. The third series featured silent characters accompanied by children’s commentary. The 2016 revival, aimed at preschool audiences, employed CGI animation.

Plot and setting

The series Brum depicts a small, sentient yellow replica car that escapes from a motoring museum to explore the Big Town when unobserved by its owner. Each episode begins and concludes with Brum departing from and returning to the museum. The musical style transitioned from traditional themes in earlier seasons to jazz-inspired tunes in later ones, complemented by a refreshed title sequence directed by Nigel P. Harris.

Brum expresses itself through mechanical signals such as opening doors and flashing lights. The use of mime and off-screen narration allows the programme to be easily adapted for international viewers without linguistic obstacles.

Although the setting is Birmingham—nicknamed "Brum" after "Brummagem"—later episodes refer exclusively to the Big Town and feature identifiable city streets and landmarks.

Writers contributing to the show included Anne Wood (series 1), Tom Poole, Dirk Campbell, Andrew Davenport, Morgan Hall (series 2), and Nigel P. Harris alongside the Ragdoll creative team in subsequent series.

The vehicle itself is a half-scale replica of a late-1920s Austin 7 Chummy convertible, designed by Rex Garrod. It is exhibited at the Cotswold Motoring Museum in Gloucestershire, where filming was conducted.

1990s

• Museum Owner (Mike Cavanagh): Custodian of the car museum; appears in every episode but remains unaware of Brum’s exploits. Cavanagh owned the museum until 1999.
• The Lollipop Lady (Shirley-Anne Bohm): Assists pedestrians crossing roads; featured throughout series two.
• WPC Truncheon (Deborah Grant): Police officer serving in Big Town.
• Mr. and Mrs. La-Di-Dah (Brian Wilson and Lesley Stanier): Aristocratic couple mainly appearing in series two.
• Mr. and Mrs. Doolally (Mark Barnsley et al.): Forgetful couple seen in early episodes.
• Vicky Spoon (Catherine Mathers): Brum’s close friend during series two.
• Micky Mender (Hugo Whyte): Handy worker in series two.
• Two Big Town Bullies (Shazad Mahmood and Georgina Treharne)
• The Scrap Dealers (Dave Evans and Mark Walter)
• The Newspaper Boy (Daniel Brocklebank)

Townspeople

• Traffic Policeman (Mark Powlett): Law-abiding officer aspiring to become a pop musician.
• Granny Slippers (Linda Kerr Scott): Elderly woman who adores slippers; owns a kitten named Lucky.
• Visiting Man (Jos Houben): Tourist recognized for photography skills and balancing records.
• Mr. Brillo (Robert Thirtle): Neighbour known for his large collection of garden gnomes.
• Gorgeous Gordon (Enoch White): Conceited hairdresser.
• Bob & Job (Kevin McGreevy & Adam Schumacher): Comedic duo assisting Big Town.
• Scruffy: Brum’s canine companion.
• Big Town Mayor (John Woodford)
• The Visiting Lady (Iona Kennedy / Carole Davies)
• The Mayoress (Lesley Stanier)
• Additional townsfolk including celebrities and police personnel.

Thieves

• Two Masked Bank Robbers (Robert Goodman and Barry Robinson)
• The Big Town Robber (Andrew Davenport)
• Robert & Nick (Dan Carey and Jason Segade): Known for pilfering various items around town.
• Bubble & Squeak: Jewel-obsessed thieves appearing across multiple episodes.
• Big Bad (Paul Filipiak) and associates
• The Shadow (Miles Anthony)
• Pickpocket Polly (Catherine Marimer)
• Penny Pincher (Julia West)
• Cake Gang: Group of teenagers involved in theft
• Magic Paul (Andy Dawson)
• The Beady-Eyed Robber (Heather Tyrrell)

Series 1 (1991)

Comprised 13 episodes broadcast from September through December 1991, showcasing Brum’s initial adventures.

Series 2 (1994)

Included thirteen episodes aired between October and December 1994 with extended durations of 15 minutes; these were later shortened for rebroadcasts until 2001.

Series 3 (2001-02)

The format changed to portray Brum as a superhero automobile thwarting criminals, featuring no narrator but instead commentary from children. Forty episodes aired during 2001-2002 on Children's BBC and CBeebies, supported by VHS/DVD releases.

Bag of Gags

Short comedic segments focusing on slapstick humor were included on UK DVDs and half-hour Series 3 broadcasts without narration.

Development

Initially intended to produce 80 episodes, only 40 were completed for Series 3. In June 2001, Ragdoll extended its Home Video agreement with Video Collection International alongside securing BBC broadcast rights. The new season launched in September 2001 with subsequent VHS/DVD releases.

The programme was introduced internationally at MIPCOM 2001; the Australian Broadcasting Corporation acquired rights for ABC Kids broadcasts starting December 2001 or early 2002. Further distribution deals brought Brum to Norway, Sweden, Singapore, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany, and the United States, where Discovery Communications aired it on TLC’s Ready Set Learn! block beginning February 2003.

In January 2002, Ragdoll announced Brum as part of the UK’s CBeebies channel launch lineup. By April that year, sales expanded to Dutch broadcaster KRO’s Z@ppelin channel; additional agreements followed with TV3 New Zealand and RTÉ Network 2 Ireland.

WildBrain Media revivals

In February 2016, WildBrain unveiled a CGI reboot set against a white backdrop featuring new characters. Its first episode premiered on YouTube in March 2016. A total of twenty-five CGI episodes were produced with a second season following thereafter.

A spin-off animated using Toon Boom Harmony titled "Brum & Friends" premiered on WildBrain’s channel in September 2017.

Kiddie ride

Amutec Ltd manufactured coin-operated kiddie rides themed around Brum’s music from both the original series and its rebooted versions.

UK VHS/DVD releases

Multiple VHS/DVD collections were released from 1991 through the early 2000s, including compilations such as The Very Best of Brum, notable for featuring the episode "Brum and the Pickpocket."

Reception

Deirdre Sheppard of Common Sense Media awarded the series three out of five stars, highlighting its brisk pace as suitable for children with shorter attention spans and parents seeking energetic programming while cautioning viewers to be ready to supplement narrative gaps.