Bonny!

1 9 7 4 (UK)
10 x 25 minute episodes

BBC Scotland produced this silly kids’ show featuring Flora Havers (Scottish comedienne Una McLean), the prim postmistress of the Highland village of Ballikillern who had an alter ego called Captain Bonny.

Each evening Flora – who had a voice like fingernails down a blackboard – would close the Post Office and go home to write blood and thunder adventure stories about pirates on the high seas.

Through her imagination, viewers joined Flora on her flights of fantasy and discovered the other village characters also in pirate guise, with supermarket owner Mr Black (Ian Collier) playing her arch enemy Blackbeard.

With the imaginary help of Mr Knott (Walter Carr) the postie and Clyde – her budgie turned pirate parrot – Captain Bonny foiled Blackbeard’s diabolical schemes.

Also featured in the series were Auld Jock (Alex McAvoy) the local shepherd who became Toothy the pirate; 11-year-old Billy (Gordon Belbin) a local lad-turned-cabin boy; the Reverend Swash (John Yule) as Swashbuckle, and the musical talents of Alastair McDonald.

The series was filmed on location at the Loch Lomond village of Luss, Killearn in Sterling, Rowallan Castle in Kilmarnock, and the Aviemore area in the Cairngorms National Park.

Flora Havers/Captain Bonny
Una McLean
Mr Knott/Granny Knott
Walter Carr
Auld Jock/Toothy the pirate
Alex McAvoy
Mr Black/Blackbeard
Ian Collier
Rev. Swash/Swashbuckle
John Yule
Billy/Billy Bones
Gordon Belbin