This ITV series – written by Richard Carpenter and produced by Central Television – aired in the 5.20 pm teatime slot and was carefully targeted at both children and adults.
The story featured five intrepid Australian travellers from the Gullagaloona Backpackers Club – Adelaide (a tomboy wallaby), Darwin (a dozy wombat), Sydney (a snooty ostrich), Frazer (a laid-back fruit bat) and Bruce (a bespectacled redback spider) – who arrive in London and hook up with a bad-tempered clapped-out magic campervan that can speak and fly (the “Winjin’ Pom” of the title, voiced by Michael Robbins of On The Buses fame).
The Aussies are in Britain to claim a half million-pound inheritance left to them by the founder of the Gullagaloona Backpackers Club, Kerry Packhorse III, but soon lock horns with evil mobster J.G. Chicago (a Hammond organ-playing vulture), his camp sidekick Howard the hyena, and his henchmen (er, henchcrows) Ronnie and Reggie – the notorious crow twins (voiced by the Oblivion Boys, Mark Arden and Stephen Frost).
The latex puppets were reminiscent of Spitting Image (they were created by the same team), but truth be told, it was an unfocused disaster of a show, confused of plot and bereft of humour.
The Winjin’ Pom
Michael Robbins Sydney
Adele Anderson Adelaide
Kate Robbins Frazer
Nigel Pegram Bruce
Alison Jiear Darwin
Peter Spraggon JG Chicago
Roger Blake Howard
William Todd-Jones Ronnie and Reggie – The Crow Twins
Mark Arden
Stephen Frost
The Aussies are in Britain to claim a half million-pound inheritance left to them by the founder of the Gullagaloona Backpackers Club, Kerry Packhorse III, but soon lock horns with evil mobster J.G. Chicago (a Hammond organ-playing vulture), his camp sidekick Howard the hyena, and his henchmen (er, henchcrows) Ronnie and Reggie – the notorious crow twins (voiced by the Oblivion Boys, Mark Arden and Stephen Frost).
