BOD

Screened during the 70s and 80s, this simple line-drawn animated cartoon was a huge hit, and is now a cult series.
More info coming soon.

Theme tune (38k)

CATEGORY: BOD
[available on DVD - click here]

1) Ceejay from South Wales: Question: What is the name of the frog who had the orchestra!!!?? No-one seems to know and it's driving me mad!!
His name was Alberto Frog and he had an Amazing Animal Band. But I had nothing at all to do with that bit of the show! The stories were written by Michael Cole and the illustrations were drawn by his wife Joanne Cole. There wasn't any animation as such. They were still drawings which the camera panned around.

2) Darragh from Dublin, Ireland: Question: Is Bod a boy or a girl?
Bod knows!! I don't actually know for sure myself, though I'd always assumed he was a boy. Maybe it was his bald head? But then he did wear something that looked suspiciously like a dress! Maybe he was refered to somewhere in the programme as being a "he", but if so I can't remember where. Anyway to me he's a boy. Perhaps part of Bod's enigma is that he/she can be whatever you want him/her to be?

3) Vanessa from California: Question: What kind of name is Bod?? Is it short for something like Ichabod??
Another question I can't answer for sure!! I know that Mike wanted him to be an "everyman" (or... er maybe everywoman?). Bod is kind of short for "body"....an every body? A lot of the inspiration for the Bod stories came from Buddist Zen tales that Mike liked a lot, and I often wondered if there was a vague reference to Bodhisattva in the name Bod, ie in Buddist thinking that would mean someone who is motivated by compassion and seeks enlightenment not only for him/herself but for everyone. I never asked Mike this so I don't know for sure. Also finally I think Mike probably wanted a name that came without connotations of other characters. A name that hadn't been used before. I don't think "Trevor" would have had the same ring! Though it would at least clear up the mystery from the previous question! We were asked this very question in a recent interview. See my next answer.......

4) Linda from Dublin, Ireland: Question: Will Bod ever be shown on TV again? I want to get merchandise also, and there's nothing in Ireland and I don't want to buy off the internet!
Don't know the answer to this either! Not much use am I?! The series may be being shown on some channel somewhere right now, but if so I'm not aware of it. I do know that therte has always been talk from time to time of making a new series. So far these talks hve never resulted in anything happening, but you never know.
Me and 2 of Mike and Jo Coles children - Ali and Lo Cole, along with the musician/composer Derek Grifiths were recently interviewed as part of Bod's fortieth anniversary. The interview, along with all of the Bod music and some narration excerpts from several episodes of the series have been released on CD by Trunk Records. You can buy or order the CD online on Amazon or in the shops at outlets like HMV. It's called BOD -Words and Music.

5) John E from derby: Question: Where did the inspiration come from for you to create Bod? And, was Bod female or male?
I didn't create Bod. The TV series was based on a series of books by Michael and Joanne Cole, first published in 1965. By the time I turned up, the BBC had already commissioned the series and a fairly rough pilot animation had been made. This version was never transmitted on TV cos the characters were then re-worked by an animator called Denise Shackell. I worked initially with Denise then later did episodes on my own and later still with another animator called Colin White. This was my first job, straight out of art college. I'd only graduated two weeks before the job came up! Pretty lucky break I think.
If you want more background detail, then you might want to get the CD I mentioned at the end of question 4. As for Bod's sex.....see question 2!

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Many thanks to Alan for his great answers, and his time and patience!