Sharky & George
| Industry | Animation, Children's television |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | CinéGroupe, Label 35 |
| Defunct | 1992 |
| Products | Animated television series |
Sharky & George (original French title: Sharky et Georges) is an animated series for children created by the studios CinéGroupe and Label 35, produced between 1990 and 1992. The show comprises fifty-two episodes, each approximately 25 minutes long, although occasionally split into two separate 12-minute segments. Subsequently, it was dubbed into English and aired in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 from 1991 until 1998.
Premise
The storyline unfolds in the submerged metropolis of Seacago, where two fish detectives operate their own investigative agency. Sharky, characterized as a large pink shark with a notable nose and wearing a fedora, teams up with George, a smaller blue fish featuring a yellow face. Together, they tackle a range of antagonists menacing Seacago, including Lefty Hook, Harry Flix, the trio Nova, Scotia and Lox, the Piranhas, Fishy Ben Backstabber, Dr. Medusa (known as Dr. Jelly in the English adaptation), Ray Manta and the electric Torpedo Rays, the Fish Fry Gang, as well as Red Lobster (referred to as Colonel Klaw in English; leader of Black Crab's forces).
International presence
The English-language version of Sharky & George was broadcast on multiple UK channels such as Channel 4, Sky Channel, The Children's Channel, and Cartoon Network. Across Europe, it was shown on various stations including Ireland’s RTÉ Two, France’s Canal+, Antenne 2, FR3, and Canal J; Serbia’s RTV Politika; Italy’s Rai 1, Rai 2, and Telepace; San Marino RTV; Hungary’s Magyar Televízió; Poland’s TVP1; Singapore’s Channel 5; and Spain’s TVE.
In Latin America, Spanish-dubbed episodes were aired on Peru’s RTP (currently TV Perú) and Chile’s Megavisión (now Mega), among others. Canadian audiences viewed the series on Canal Famille, YTV, and Showcase with English dubbing.
The program also reached viewers in South Africa via SABC with broadcasts in Afrikaans alongside an English radio simulcast. M-Net featured the English dub during its children's segment K-T.V., followed by airings on Bop TV’s Teeny Bop. Additionally, Middle Eastern networks presented the show in Arabic under the title "Sharky wa George."
Home media
During the late 1990s, four VHS tapes were released but have since become unavailable. In November 2005, a French DVD containing ten episodes was issued but is no longer in circulation.
Voices
- A.J. Henderson – Sharky, Lox
- Paul Hawkins – George
- Ian Finlay
- Arthur Grosser – Dr. Jake Eel, Dr. Jelly
- Jane Woods – Sarah Prawn, Bella
- Pierre Lenoir
- Terrence Labrosse
- Pauline Little
- Teddy Lee Dillon
- Mark Hellman
- Mark Camacho – Scotia
- Dean Hagopian – Narrator, Colonel Klaw, Harry Flix, Marchello de Scampi, Fishy Ben Backstabber, Nova
UK broadcast history
- Channel 4 (4 May 1991 – 29 December 1998)
- Sky Channel (1991–1996)
- The Children's Channel (1991–1995)
- Cartoon Network (1996–1998)