The adventures of a boy doll who travels by rocket to Topsy Turvy Land where toys can walk, animals can talk and cream buns grow on trees.
AP Films/Pelham Films/Associated Rediffusion
Produced: 1958-59
First UK broadcast: 11th January 1959
26 episodes x 13 minutes
Producer: Roberta Leigh
Director: Gerry Anderson
Director of Photography: Arthur Provis
Art Director: Reginald E. Hill
Music and Lyrics: Roberta Leigh
Music Arranged and Conducted by Barry Gray
| Episodes List | |
|---|---|
| 1 |
Pom-Pom And The Toys When the children’s toys and Pom-Pom the poodle are blown away by a gust of wind, Mr Bumble-Drop makes Torchy the Battery Boy to help him find them. Torchy’s magic beam locates Pom-Pom and the missing toys on a twinkling star. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 11th January, 1959, 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands) |
| 2 |
Topsy Turvy Land Travelling to the twinkling star in the cardboard rocket made by Mr Bumble-Drop, Torchy arrives in Topsy Turvy Land where animals can talk and toys can walk. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 25th January 1959, 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands) |
| 3 |
Torchy And Squish Torchy meets Squish the space boy toy but is worried in case his battery runs down. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 8th February 1959, 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands) |
| 4 |
The Building Of Frutown Pilliwig the clown helps Torchy and his friends to build some unusual houses to live in. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 22nd February 1959, 5.00pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North) |
| 5 |
Torchy And The Broken Rocket Torchy and Squish meet a new friend called the Ting-a-Ling Bird and together they begin digging for cardboard. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 8th March 1959, 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands ) |
| 6 |
King Dithers Torchy’s search for cardboard to mend his rocket takes him to the Orange Peel Palace where he meets King Dithers, the dithery king of Topsy Turvy Land. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 15th March 1959, 5.00pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North) |
| 7 |
Torchy Returns To Earth Torchy’s battery is running low and he cannot operate the rocket to take him back to Earth. Pom-Pom the poodle comes to the rescue. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 22nd March 1959, 5.00pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North) |
| 8 |
Bossy Boots Goes To Topsy Turvy Land Torchy meets Bossy Boots, a little girl who is rude to grown-ups, who wants her rag doll Flopsy back. Torchy takes her to Topsy Turvy Land in the cardboard rocket. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 29th March 1959, 5.05pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North) |
| 9 |
Bossy Boots Is Taught A Lesson Bossy Boots is still behaving badly but Flopsy knows just what to do about it. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 5th April 1959, 5.05pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North) |
| 10 |
A Bell For A Penny Farthing King Dithers gives Torchy a penny-farthing bicycle but he needs to find a bell for it. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 12th April 1959, 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands) |
| 11 |
A Trick On Pom-Pom Torchy and Flopsy are so cross at Pom-Pom’s conceit when she refuses an invitation to tea that they decide to teach her a lesson and ask Squish and Pilliwig to help them. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 3rd May 1959, 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands ) |
| 12 |
Torchy Is Stolen During a visit to Earth Torchy is found in the road by Mrs Meanymouth who takes him home, but Mr Bumble-Drop and Pom-Pom come to the rescue. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 10th May 1959, 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands ) |
| 13 |
King Dithers Loses His Crown Torchy and King Dithers search for the King’s lost crown and meet a Pollikan Bird. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 30th May 1959, 4.50pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North) |
| 14 |
Pilliwig Gets A Present Pilliwig is unhappy because no one will laugh at his jokes. On an island, Torchy and Flopsy meet Ena the laughing hyena who cannot help laughing at Pilliwig. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 7th June 1959, 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands) |
| 15 |
Bad Boy Bogey Torchy learns that Bad Boy Bogey is behaving very badly so Torchy takes him to Topsy Turvy Land where Daffy the donkey helps to give him a lesson in good manners. London Broadcast Premiere: Tuesday, 31st May 1960, 4.45pm (Associated-Rediffusion) |
| 16 |
Torchy And The Strange Animal Torchy, Flopsy and Pom-Pom meet some toys who are living in fear of a terrible monster but Torchy discovers that it is just a baby dragon called Sparky. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 19th July 1959, 5.10pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands) |
| 17 |
Bossy Boots Forgets To Be Good Torchy shines his magic beam down to Earth and finds that Bossy Boots has forgotten how to be good. He decides to teach her a lesson. London Broadcast Premiere: Tuesday, 14th June 1960, 4.45pm (Associated-Rediffusion) |
| 18 |
The Hungry Money Box Pongo the pirate steals Clinker’s breakfast so Torchy finds him something good to eat. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 23rd August 1959, 5.07pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North) |
| 19 |
The Naughty Twins The twins, Bobby and Babs, are behaving so badly that Mr Bumble-Drop sends them to Topsy Turvy Land in the rocket for a lesson in good manners. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 30th August 1959, 5.05pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands) |
| 20 |
The Twins Learn A Lesson The naughty twins are taught to be good by the Pollikan Bird after they lock King Dithers in the dungeons of the Orange Peel Palace. London Broadcast Premiere: Tuesday, 5th July 1960, 4.45pm (Associated-Rediffusion) |
| 21 |
King Dithers Goes Down To Earth King Dithers and the Pollikan Bird set off for Earth to return the rocket to Torchy, but they lose their way and land on the Moon by mistake. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 13th September 1959, 5.00pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North) |
| 22 |
Torchy Is Saved At Last Waiting on Earth for King Dithers and the Pollikan Bird to arrive with his rocket, Torchy uses his magic beam to find out why his friends have been delayed. Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 10th October 1959, 4.40pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North) |
| 23 |
Torchy And The Man On The Moon Torchy takes Mr Bumble-Drop to the Moon and has a very cheesey adventure. London Broadcast Premiere: Tuesday, 26th July 1960, 4.45pm (Associated-Rediffusion) |
| 24 |
Bogey And The Statues Torchy has trouble with Bad Boy Bogey and has to nurse Mr Bumble-Drop who is in bed with a cold. London Broadcast Premiere: Tuesday, 2nd August 1960, 4.45pm (Associated-Rediffusion) |
| 25 |
The Moon Falls Asleep Torchy and the toys notice that the Moon is not shining. Torchy and Flopsy go to the Moon to find out why but they both have to be rescued by the Moon Man. London Broadcast Premiere: Tuesday, 9th August 1960, 4.45pm (Associated-Rediffusion) |
| 26 |
Torchy's Birthday Torchy is upset that he has been left all alone, but the other toys are preparing a special surprise for his birthday with the help of Mr Bumble-Drop. London Broadcast Premiere: Tuesday, 16th August 1960, 4.45pm (Associated-Rediffusion) |
| 27 |
Series Two A further 26 episodes were produced by Associated British Pathe for Roberta Leigh. Gerry Anderson and AP Films were not involved in the production of these later episodes.
|
| Cast List | |
|---|---|
| Torchy | Olwyn Griffiths |
| Mr. Bumbledrop | Kenneth Connor |
| Flopsy | Jill Raymond |
| Bossy Boots | Jill Raymond |
| King Dithers | Kenneth Connor |
| Narrator | Jill Raymond |
| Other Voices | Olwyn Griffiths and Patricia Somerset |