El Nombre
| Company type | Educational television programme |
|---|---|
| Industry | Children's educational entertainment |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Children's educational television series |
El Nombre is an educational children's programme featuring a Mexican gerbil with human traits, created as part of the BBC's schools mathematics series Numbertime. This character was unique in appearing throughout every episode of Numbertime. The voice of El Nombre was provided by Steve Steen, with additional characters voiced by Sophie Aldred, Kate Robbins, and from 1999 onwards, Janet Ellis, formerly a presenter on Blue Peter. In the concluding Numbertime series in 2001, Michael Fenton-Stevens contributed voices for further characters within the El Nombre segments.
Although the name translates to "The Name" in Spanish rather than "The Number" (which would be "El Número"), it is interesting to note that in Catalan, El Nombre does indeed mean "The Number".
Setting
The narrative of El Nombre unfolds in the imaginary town of Santa Flamingo, inhabited by figures such as Little Juan, Mama, Pedro Gonzales, Juanita Conchita, along with others like Señor Gelato, the ice-cream vendor; Señor Calculo, the bank manager; and Don Fandango, a local outlaw. Frequently, El Nombre assists residents with straightforward mathematical challenges, often delivering his guidance through rhymes. His persona is a playful homage to Zorro—donning a black mask and sombrero and wielding a bullwhip—though his attempts often result in humorous mishaps.
El Nombre first appeared in 1993, demonstrating number formation by tracing numerals in desert sand accompanied by mariachi music. His popularity prompted an expansion from 1995 onwards, featuring multiple sketches per episode. Over time, he starred in 79 sketches within Numbertime, eventually leading to his own dedicated series that included more elaborate storylines and a complete ensemble cast. While continuing to impart mathematical lessons, these stories incorporated elements of minor crime-solving unrelated to numbers.
Beyond its educational audience of schoolchildren, El Nombre developed a cult status among students and parents alike due to its numerous nods to classic spaghetti Western films. This popularity culminated in the BBC releasing a three-minute theme song single in March 2004.
Characters
- El Nombre: The central figure in both the Numbertime sketches and the subsequent spin-off series. Originally adapted from the Magic Pencil segment of Words and Pictures, he instructs Juan on writing numbers, recognizing shapes, and grasping concepts such as spatial awareness, addition, subtraction, timekeeping, and handling money in everyday contexts.
- Little Juan: A young gerbil who initially has difficulty with numbers and shapes until El Nombre aids him. He encounters various daily challenges that are resolved through El Nombre’s guidance.
- Mama: Juan’s mother who typically cannot assist with his mathematical troubles until El Nombre intervenes.
- Pedro Gonzales & Juanita Conchita: Friends of Juan introduced during the second series; Pedro once boasted about being "the greatest goalkeeper in the world," while Juan inadvertently popped Juanita’s balloon on multiple occasions.
- Señor Chipito: The town’s carpenter and proprietor of The Maggot and Cactus Saloon. Though appearing from the second series onward, his name was revealed only in the sixth series. On one occasion, Juan and Pedro brought him a tricycle wheel for repair.
- Señor Manuel: The greengrocer operating "Hurrell's," introduced during the second series but named subsequently.
- Tanto: Juan’s pet tarantula introduced in the third series; notable for mumbling and winning a race against a mechanical spider.
- Maria Consuela Tequila Chiquita: Another companion introduced during the third series; her younger sister Pepita began attending school in the seventh series.
- Señora Fedora: A balloon vendor introduced at the conclusion of the fourth series who was later identified as the mayor organizing Santa Flamingo’s fifteenth annual Egg Festival.
- Miss Constanza Bonanza: Educator at San Flamingo School introduced during the fifth series; she married in the eighth series with Juan coordinating a school collection for her gift.
- Delietta Smith: A television cook parodying Delia Smith introduced in the fifth series; featured alongside Mama and El Nombre in an omelette-making segment.
- Señor Gelato: Ice-cream vendor appearing from the sixth series; once accidentally crashed into Señor Manuel’s tomato stall while trying to avoid Juan and Pedro.
- Señor Calculo & Don Fandango: The bank manager and local bandit introduced during the sixth series; Don Fandango stole gold coins but lost them when Tanto bit through his bag.
- Pepita Consuela Tequila Chiquita: Maria’s younger sister who started attending San Flamingo School during the seventh series.
- Leonardo de Sombrero: Pizza delivery boy introduced in the eighth series; his name is a pun on Leonardo da Vinci. He delivered pizza during a horror movie sleepover.
- Señor Loco: Steam train driver introduced in the eighth series; he took Juan’s class on an excursion to Santo Flamingo National Park to view the Giant Cactus.
- Señor Singalotti: Renowned opera singer appearing solely in episode fourteen of the spin-off titled "Going for a Song."
- El Presidente: The president who visited Santa Flamingo in episode twenty-five of the spin-off called "A Very Important Visit."
Additionally, Pablo—a gerbil—was introduced in the ninth series after Juan won a holiday contest. Pablo acted as their guide at Costa Fortuna resort and later managed a ring-toss booth at its fairground.
Episode list
Although individual titles were not assigned to El Nombre sketches within Numbertime, episodes from the first series were labeled simply as "Episodes 1-10" and were slightly extended in a revised edition released in September 1998. This revision included updates to both opening music and catchphrase to align with that particular series' emphasis. The standalone El Nombre spin-off comprised twenty-six episodes—thirteen aired in 2001 followed by thirteen more in 2003—with each episode given its own title as detailed below.
Series 1 (2001)
The initial six episodes were broadcast on BBC One under the CBBC banner on Fridays at 3:45 pm as double features; subsequently seven episodes aired individually on Wednesdays at the same time slot. Three episodes were later repeated on BBC Two’s CBBC Breakfast Show but no further reruns took place.
| Episode number | Episode title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Where's That Spider? | 5 January 2001 |
| 2 | Free as a Bird | 5 January 2001 |
| 3 | Sports Day | 12 January 2001 |
| 4 | All the Fun of the Fair | 12 January 2001 |
| 5 | The Phantom Tanto | 19 January 2001 |
| 6 | The Missing Birthday Cake | 19 January 2001 |
| 7 | The Great Train Robbery | 24 January 2001 |
| 8 | The Giant Cactus | 31 January 2001 |
| 9 | The Great Custard Pie Fight | 14 February 2001 |
| 10 | When the Balloon Goes Up | 7 March 2001 |
| 11 | The Great Escape | 14 March 2001 |
| 12 | The Ghost of Santa Flamingo | 21 March 2001 |
| 13 | Match of the Day | 28 March 2001 |
Series 2 (2003)
The second season was broadcast as double episodes featuring live sign language interpretation on CBeebies Channel weekends at 3:30 pm. Following its conclusion on November 29th, this season was immediately rebroadcast from episode one through January 4th, 2004. Subsequently, all thirteen episodes were aired without signing on BBC Two's CBeebies strand on Wednesdays between January and March of that year.
| Episode number | Episode title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Going for a Song | 8 November 2003 |
| 15 | Runaway Train | 8 November 2003 |
| 16 | The Tent | 9 November 2003 |
| 17 | Stuck at the Top | 9 November 2003 |
| 18 | The Great Bank Robbery | 15 November 2003 |
| 19 | The Great Sand Race | 15 November 2003 |
| 20 | The Lemon Tree | 16 November 2003 |
| 21 | Beside the Sea" | 16 November 2003 |
| 22 | "The Last Dance" | 22 November 2003 |
| 23 | "Saved by the Whale" | 22 November 2003 |
| 24 | "Up, Up and Away" | 23 November 2003 |
| 25 | "A Very Important Visit" | 23 November 2003 |
| 26 | "Winter Wonderland" | 29 November 2003 |
DVD release
In October of 2005, Maverick Entertainment issued all twenty-six episodes on DVD. Previously, BBC Worldwide had released a VHS tape titled El Nombre to the Rescue’’ in 2001 containing the first ten episodes along with an exclusive short entitled ’’Learn Your Numbers With Little Juan’’, which was compiled from early segments of ‘’Numbertime’’. Furthermore, BBC Active published three DVDs under ’’Fun with Numbers’’ in 2009 featuring selected ’’El Nombre’’ sketches alongside cell animation from revised editions of ‘’Numbertime’’ Series One, Two, Four, and Five. These collections included accompanying books focusing on themes such as counting skills, shapes recognition, time concepts, and basic arithmetic operations.
Credits
- Writer: Christopher Lillicrap
- Original Designs: Ealing Animation
- Voice Cast: Steven Steen, Kate Robbins, Sophie Aldred, Janet Ellis
- Model Makers: Fin Leadbitter, Humphrey Leadbitter, Katy Maxwell
- Prop Designers: Graeme Owen, Fin Leadbitter, Sophie Brown, Katy Maxwell
- Set Designers: Graeme Owen, Colin Armitage, Sophie Brown, Humphrey Leadbitter
- Animators: Humphrey Leadbitter, Tim Allen, Chris Mendham, Dan Sharp
- Editing & Special Effects: David Brylewski
- Facilities Provided By: Oasis Television
- Theme Tune Composer: Christopher Lillicrap
- Music & Sound Effects: Steve Marshall
- Sound Engineer: Adrian Sear
- Executive Producer: Theresa Plummer-Andrews
- Producers: Jilly Joseph, Richard Randolph
- Director: Geoff Walker
External links
- Articles with short description
- British animated television series of the 2000s
- British children's television series from the 2000s
- Television series debuts in the United Kingdom in 2001
- British television series concluded in 2003
- Preschool educational television programs from the 2000s
- Animated series targeting preschool education
- Original programming by Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- Children's television programmes by BBC
- British animated shows for children
- Preschool education series from Britain
- Stop-motion animated series produced in Britain
- Educational television designed for British schools
- Television programs in British English language
- Mathematics educational content in the UK
- Educational series focused on mathematics
- British television spin-off productions
- Television series set within Mexico
- CBeebies programming
- Animated series produced by BBC
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming