Torchy The Battery Boy (Series One)

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.

First UK Airdates:

• Sunday 11th January 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands)
• Sunday 21st November 1959 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 13th December 1959 – 5.30pm (Ulster)
• Tuesday 23rd February 1960 (Anglia)
• Sunday 29th April 1961 – 5.25pm (Westward)

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.

First UK Airdates:

• Sunday 25th January 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands)
• Sunday 28th November 1959 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 20th December 1959 – 5.30pm (Ulster)
• Tuesday 1st March 1960 – 4.45pm

Repeat Broadcasts (ITV):

Anglia

• Tuesday 12th March 1963 – 4.45pm

Southern

• Tuesday 12th March 1963 – 4.45pm

Torchy meets Squish the space boy toy but is worried in case his battery runs down.

First UK Airdates:

• Sunday 8th February 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands)
• Saturday 5th December 1959 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Tuesday 8th March 1960 – 4.45pm (Anglia)

Pilliwig the clown helps Torchy and his friends to build some unusual houses to live in.

First UK Airdates:

• Sunday 22nd February 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North)
• Saturday 12th December 1959 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Tuesday 15th March 1960 – 4.45pm
• Saturday 27th May 1961 – 5.25pm (Westward)

Torchy and Squish meet a new friend called the Ting-a-Ling Bird and together they begin digging for cardboard.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 8th March 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands )
• Saturday 19th December 1959 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 15th March 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North)
• Saturday 26th December 1959 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 22nd March 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North)
• Saturday 2nd January 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Saturday 20th August 1960 – 5.00pm (Southern)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 29th March 1959 – 5.05pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North)
• Saturday 9th January 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 28th February 1960 – 5.00pm (Ulster)
• Saturday 27th August 1960 – 5.00pm (Southern)

Bossy Boots is still behaving badly but Flopsy knows just what to do about it.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 5th April 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North)
• Saturday 16th January 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 3rd March 1960 – 5.00pm (Ulster)
• Sunday 1st January 1961 – 5.15pm (Southern)

King Dithers gives Torchy a penny-farthing bicycle but he needs to find a bell for it.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 12th April 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands)
• Saturday 23rd January 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 13th March 1960 – 5.00pm (Ulster)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 3rd May 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands)
• Saturday 30th January 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 10th May 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands)
• Saturday 6th February 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 2nd April 1961 – 5.20pm (Southern)

Torchy and King Dithers search for the King’s lost crown and meet a Pollikan Bird.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 30th May 1959 – 4.50pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North)
• Saturday 13th February 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 3rd April 1960 – 5.00pm (Ulster)
• Sunday 9th April 1961 – 5.20pm (Southern)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 7th June 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands)
• Saturday 20th February 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 10th April 1960 – 5.00pm (Ulster)
• Sunday 16th April 1961 – 5.20pm (Southern)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 5th July 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North)
• Saturday 27th February 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 23rd April 1961 – 5.20pm (Southern)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 19th July 1959 – 5.10pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands)
• Saturday 28th January 1961 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 30th April 1961 – 5.20pm (Southern)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 2nd August 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North)
• Saturday 4th February 1961 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)

Pongo the pirate steals Clinker’s breakfast so Torchy finds him something good to eat.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 23rd August 1959 – 5.07pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North)
• Saturday 19th March 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 14th May 1961 – 5.20pm (Southern)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 30th August 1959 – 5.05pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands)
• Saturday 26th March 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 15th May 1960 – 5.00pm (Ulster)
• Sunday 21st May 1961 – 5.20pm (Southern)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 6th September 1959 – 4.50pm (ABC North and ABC Midlands)
• Saturday 2nd April 1960 – 5.15pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 28th May 1961 – 5.20pm (Southern)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 13th September 1959 – 5.00pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North)
• Saturday 9th April 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 29th May 1960 – 5.00pm (Ulster)
• Sunday 4th June 1961 – 5.20pm (Southern)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Sunday 10th October 1959 – 4.40pm (ABC Midlands and ABC North)
• Saturday 16th April 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 11th June 1961 – 5.20pm (Southern)

Torchy takes Mr Bumble-Drop to the Moon and has a very cheesey adventure.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Saturday 23rd April 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Tuesday 26th July 1960 – 4.45pm (Associated-Rediffusion)
• Sunday 18th June 1961 – 5.20pm (Southern)

Torchy has trouble with Bad Boy Bogey and has to nurse Mr Bumble-Drop who is in bed with a cold.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Saturday 30th April 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Tuesday 2nd August 1960 – 4.45pm (Associated-Rediffusion and Anglia)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Saturday 7th May 1960 – 5.15pm (Tyne Tees)
• Tuesday 9th August 1960 – 4.45pm (Associated-Rediffusion and Anglia)

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.

First UK Broadcasts:

• Saturday 14th May 1960 – 5.00pm (Tyne Tees)
• Sunday 3rd July 1960 – 5.45pm (Ulster)
• Tuesday 16th August 1960 – 4.45pm (Associated-Rediffusion and Anglia)

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.

1. Flopsy Goes On A Picnic
2. Torchy Gets A Surprise
3. Banana Bridge
4. King Dithers And Daffy
5. The Toys Get The Collywobbles
6. Bogey Learns Another Lesson
7. The Pollikan Bird Is Stolen
8. Torchy Has An Accident
9. Sparky The Dragon
10. Bogey Is Naughty Again
11. Pilliwig Cleans The Chimney
12. Pongo The Pirate
13. Pongo In The Goldmine
14. King Dithers’ Birthday
15. Washing Day In Topsy Turvy Land
16. Gluebell Wood
17. Squish Falls Down A Well
18. Flopsy In Trouble
19. The Big Storm
20. Daffy’s Birthday
21. Flopsy Makes A Christmas Pudding
22. Gilly Golly In Trouble
23. King Bumble Drop
24. A New Suit For Pilliwig
25. The Obstinate Donkey
26. Pom-Pom Gets The Hiccups