This BBC2 comedy series starred deadpan Norman Lovett (Holly from Red Dwarf), who also co-wrote the episodes with Rab C Nesbitt creator Ian Pattinson.
Norman was a social misfit and eccentric inventor whose inventions landed him in a series of comedic situations. He shared his home and his quirky ideas with Dirk, a cynical talking dog (a specially-built puppet voiced by Geoffrey Hughes). There was also a talking horse painting (voiced by Leon Sinden).
Norman’s inventions included a helmet that recorded his dreams, heated toilet paper, a flying machine, and a hair restorer.
Although his life was littered with obstacles to his success, and the neighbours – Darren (Dicken Ashworth) and Una (Sara Corper) – thought he was crazy, his days were never dull.
Guests in the series included Bernard Cribbins (as a dying snowman), Jean Alexander (Coronation Street‘s Hilda Ogden as a 99-year-old ghost called Elsie Mittens), Arnold Brown, Russell Hunter and Magnus Magnusson.
A pilot aired in 1989, but it wasn’t until 1993 that a six-part series was commissioned and produced in Glasgow by BBC Scotland.
Norman
Norman Lovett Dirk
Geoffrey Hughes Horse
Leon Sinden Darren
Dicken Ashworth Una
Sara Corper Spider
Mary Riggans
Episodes
The Snowman | Crime & Punishment | Baldy | Romance | Imagine | The Marrow
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