Mr Pipkin was a puppet maker. Hartley Hare, Pig, Tortoise, Octavia the Ostrich and Topov were a group of puppet animals who lived with him.
Tortoise lived on the cash register of the shop and looked after the cash. Pig was an inventor and had a lab in the cellar, Topov was a mischievous (and very ugly) monkey who lived in a treehouse in the garden and Hartley Hare was the boss (or thought he was) and always craved to be the centre of attention.
This ATV series began on 30 December 1972 as a show called Inigo Pipkin, starring George Woodbridge as the titular Mr P.
Unfortunately, George died during the second season, so the show was renamed simply Pipkins and continued with Inigo’s assistant Johnny (Wayne Laryea, pictured) and the ‘animals’.
The hand up Hartley Hare was that of Nigel Plaskitt, who at the time was much loved for playing Malcolm, the poor lad who had to take his exams with a cold in the Vicks Sinex commercials. He went on to operate grown-up puppets in Spitting Image.
All the major puppets were made by Jane Tyson.
Johnny left Pipkins around 1978 to be replaced by Tom (Jonathan Kydd, son of actor Sam Kydd, pictured), who also moved on in 1980 to be replaced by Peter Potter (Paddy O’Hagan). In later years, Sue Nicholls made regular appearances as neighbour, Mrs Muddle.
Pipkins ended when ATV lost its franchise for the Midlands ITV region, was restructured and became Central Independent Television. The programme was replaced by Let’s Pretend.
Inigo Pipkin
George Woodbridge
Johnny
Wayne Laryea
Bertha
Jumoke Debayo
Hartley Hare/Tortoise/Mooney the Badger/Narrator
Nigel Plaskitt
Topov/Octavia
Heather Tobias
Lorain Bertorelli
Elizabeth Lindsay
Pig
Heather Tobias
Lorain Bertorelli
Anne Rutter
Alex Knight
Mrs P
Diana Eden Tom
Jonathan Kydd
Mrs Muddle
Sue Nicholls Peter Potter
Paddy O’Hagan
