Review of Stories From Chigley

Introduction

Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley are a trio of classic children`s television programmes. And they are often confused with each other since they featured common characters, and a common narrator, in the form of the legend Brian Cant. However, this is not Mr Cant`s first appearance on DVD, as he has already appeared in a music video for Oribital, on their The Altogether DVD, which is an excellent DVD. But back to this one...

The programme itself is probably best described as "innocent" and "gentle", featuring simple stories told with simple puppets. The best known characters are probably the firemen, who achieved immortality when they featured in that toytown rave "classic" A Trip to Trumpton, by Urban Hype. So many people get their names wrong, so you can watch and learn! Despite featuring firemen, this is no London`s Burning, since the "shouts" attended by this crew usually involve rescuing a cat stuck up a tree or similar!

Video

The first thing most people will notice is the video quality - it`s not great at best, and not very good at worst. However, this is a TV programme that`s 30 years old, and it`s unlikely that anyone thought that keeping pristine copies of it would be a good idea.

Don`t forget the DNR button (or similar) on your DVD player - it cleans the image up a bit in places, and it becomes slightly more watchable.

Audio

The original mono soundtrack, replayed over both channels. This sounds ok, and all of the songs come across cleanly enough. It`s no masterpiece, but it`s perfectly servicable.

Brian Cant simply has the perfect voice for narrating these stories, I can`t work out why people aren`t still using him on their programmes.

Features

Nothing at all here. A missed opportunity for an interview with Brian Cant! Or the inclusion of the music video from A Trip to Trumpton (even though it wasn`t very good).

Conclusion

Yet another classic show arrives on DVD. I`ve said it a number of times before, but I have to repeat myself. This really is a reminder of a forgotten era, when TV shows for children were about education and entertainment, not huge marketing and merchandising campaigns, and seeing how many stupid number one singles you can wring out of your characters before confining them to the scrap heap and getting children hooked on the next fad.

One for all you nostalgic types. The quality isn`t amazing, but I think it adds a bit to the charm of some of these old shows. And it`s available for £9.99 or less.