Captain Pugwash

Captain Pugwash
Captain Pugwash, from the title sequence of the 1974–75 series
Publication information
Publisher	The Eagle, Radio Times, BBC
Publication date	1950 (1950)
Main character(s)	Pugwash
Creative team
Written by	John Ryan

Captain Pugwash is a fictional pirate who appears in a series of British children’s comic strips, books and television shows created by John Ryan.

The eponymous hero – Captain Horatio Pugwash – sails the high seas in his ship called the Black Pig, assisted by cabin boy Tom, pirates Willy and Barnabas, and Master Mate. His mortal enemy is Cut-Throat Jake, captain of the Flying Dustman.

History

At John Ryan’s wedding in 1950, he was introduced by a friend to Marcus Morris, who was launching Eagle, and asked the artist to create a strip for it. When John returned home, he claimed that Captain Pugwash appeared without explanation. It ran for the first nineteen issues of Eagle, which formed an ongoing story arc and featured many unnamed crew members of the Black Pig (only the Mate/Master Mate was named) and Mrs. Pugwash, Horatio’s wife who only appeared in these instalments in place of Tom the Cabin Boy. The strip was dropped due to being considered too childish, and John replaced it with Harris Tweed.

The first Captain Pugwash picture book, subtitled A Pirate Story and featuring Tom’s debut, was rejected by twelve publishers until The Bodley Head picked it up in 1957. The book became successful, and was translated around the world. That same year, the BBC commissioned the first series of animated short films, made using “caption” cut-outs. Each episode of the first three series, titled The Thrilling Adventures of Captain Pugwash and Stowaway Tom, was broadcast at least once per month, with Noel Coleman narrating the first series and Howard Marion-Crawford narrating the first four episodes of Series 2, with Peter Hawkins narrating the rest. Peter had to be hidden behind a monitor due to his facial expressions made while recording being too distracting for the animators. What this did mean was that he could write notes in his script about incidental characters and be reminded of them as they appeared onscreen. A popular and more regular Radio Times strip was launched to promote the series, running until 1965.

In 1960 the show was rebranded as simply Captain Pugwash and expanded its output to at least three times per month. In 1966 the original series concluded with one three-part story (Cruise of the Flying Pig) and two two-parters (The Man in the Iron Mask and The Curse of the Pugwashes). In 1974 a new colour series was commissioned, with Peter Hawkins reprising his roles, and wider-reaching than its sporadically produced predecessor, being broadcast four days a week, with Episode 2, Cannon Ball, being repeated for one timeslot. The following year 13 more episodes, comprising a second season, were produced after the first 18, making 30 total. Bob Bura and John Hardwick worked on both series. This iteration introduced the better-known trio of Master Mate, Willy and Barnabas, who were depicted across subsequent books, although the Mate was renamed to Mr. Mate in such media.

In June 1997, The Britt Allcroft Company purchased the rights to the character, with the intensions of producing a revival series. The new series of 26 episodes, animated traditionally, aired in 1998 with James Saxon voicing Pugwash, Mr. Mate, Stinka and new characters Lieutenant Scratchwood and Rook, with David Rintoul as Cut-Throat Jake, Colin McFarlane as Dook and new characters the Governor of Portobello and Jonah, who replaced Barnabas, Brian Bowles as Tom the Cabin Boy, Willy and Swine, Eve Karpf as new character Donna Bonanza and Adjoa Andoh as new character Toni. Nigel Davenport narrated. This series was set on the island of Portobello “somewhere in the Spanish Main”, and Pugwash was more unhappy with Tom’s heroics.

In 2005, a Noel Coleman-narrated episode was repeated on BBC Four as part of their Animation Nation season. In 2007, all 30 episodes of the 1974 series were released on DVD courtesy of HIT Entertainment. In 2016, another black-and-white episode narrated by Peter Hawkins was repeated as part of Keith Richards’s Lost Weekend, which John Ryan’s daughter Isabel said was the first episode, despite Coleman’s prior involvement.

A related book by John Ryan is Admiral Fatso Fitzpugwash, in which it is revealed that Pugwash had a medieval ancestor who was First Sea Lord but was terrified of water.

Characters

A screen-used hand-painted Pugwash card "puppet" from the 1950s when the series was filmed in black-and-white

Captain Pugwash

The pompous but likeable captain of the Black Pig. Although he boasts of being the "bravest buccaneer", he is actually quite cowardly and stupid. His greed often gets him into trouble. Nevertheless, he usually wins the day – either with the help of Tom the Cabin Boy or by sheer luck. Despite being a pirate, he is rarely seen committing any acts of piracy.

Master Mate

A somewhat dopey character, who has a tendency to use malapropisms and to mispronounce common words. He has a teddy bear in his bunk and is quite mild-mannered. It is not entirely clear why he is the mate, as he does not appear to have any authority over the rest of the crew. He was present in the first ever Pugwash story, in which he was depicted as being constantly sleepy. Pugwash's adenoidal pronunciation of this character's name appears to be the main source of the urban legend about characters' sexually suggestive names.

Barnabas

The most aggressive of the pirates, but in reality just as harmless. He is quite rebellious and grumpy, and is perhaps marginally more intelligent than Willy, the Mate or the Captain. He was not present in the 1998 series.

Willy

A simple sailor from Wigan. He appears to be the youngest crew member (apart from Tom). He is a gentle soul, and is against using violence. He does, however, have the occasional brainwave and has been the crew's saviour (admittedly sometimes more by luck than by design). "Just you wait till we get back to Wigan – we won't half have a tale to tell!"

Tom the Cabin Boy

It might be argued that without Tom, Pugwash would have been sunk long ago. He is the most intelligent and resourceful member of the crew, the only one who can cook and the only one who can actually sail a ship. Although Pugwash would never admit it, Tom's ability to think up schemes is probably the only thing that prevents him from being a total failure as a pirate. The rest of the crew also found they were unable to operate without Tom, after he left with the captain when the crew mutinied. Tom is an expert concertina player, despite this being a 19th-century anachronism for an 18th-century pirate, and part of his repertoire is "The Trumpet Hornpipe" (the Captain Pugwash theme).

He was portrayed with a Home Counties accent in the first television adaptation, and with an Irish accent in the 1998 series.

Cut-Throat Jake

Captain Pugwash's fearsome arch-enemy, captain of the Flying Dustman (a pun on the Flying Dutchman combined with a reference to the occupation of dustman). When he is not scheming to bring about Pugwash's downfall, he is a rather more competent pirate than his enemy, and always seems to have plenty of treasure. He speaks with a stereotypical West Country accent, and is easily recognisable by his eye patch and enormous black beard.

Characters added in the later series

• Jonah

This character replaced pirate Barnabas, who was in the earlier series. His catchphrase is "No good will come of this, mark my words!" Jonah appears to be of Jamaican origin. He is the tallest of the crew so he often hits his head on the ceiling of the ship's lower deck. He is also one of the strongest of the crew as he is the Black Pig's carpenter.

• Governor of Portobello

This character lives at the top of the island in a mansion covered in vines. He talks very quietly and his head of guard, Lt. Scratchwood, usually acts as a megaphone. He is deeply in love with Donna Bonanza and attends to her every need.

• Donna Bonanza

An infamous opera singer who is the love of the Governor of Portobello and has her own group of security guards. She owns a cat named Franco.

• Toni

Tom the Cabin Boy’s best friend, who works for barber Betty, and has dreams of becoming a member of the Black Pig.

• Dook

A member of Jake’s crew who somewhat resembles Barnabas, but is less aggressive in the 1998 series. This character appeared in the original series, but was never named.

• Swine

An Australian pirate who works for Jake. He almost always has a mug of grog in his hand. Like Dook, he appeared in the original series but was unnamed.

• Stinka

A Mexican who works for Jake who speaks little English. He repeats everything that Jake says, annoying him greatly. Again, this character was unnamed in the earlier series.

• Jake’s Mum

The mother of Cut-Throat Jake, who serves as the Flying Dustman’s cook.

• Lieutenant Scratchwood Toddington

The voice for the governor and the law for the town of Portobello. In charge of the guard and collecting taxes, he also spends his time chasing thieves.

• Rook

Portobello’s merchant, who sometimes works for Cut-Throat Jake.

Libel case regarding double entendres

In 1991, the Pugwash cartoonist John Ryan successfully sued the Sunday Correspondent and The Guardian newspapers for inaccurately claiming that some Pugwash character names were double entendres. The claim may have originated in student rag mags from the 1970s.

Pugwashisms

Captain Pugwash is renowned for his exclamations, owing something to the style of Captain Haddock in The Adventures of Tintin:

• "Dolloping doubloons/dolphins!"
• "Coddling catfish!"
• "Lolloping landlubbers!"
• "Suffering seagulls!"
• "Staggering stalactites!"
• "Nautical nitwits!"
• "Plundering porpoises!"
• "Kipper me capstans!"
• "Tottering turtles!"
• "Dithering dogfish!"
• "Scuttling cuttlefish!"
• "Stuttering starfish!"
• "Blistering barnacles!"
• "Shuddering sharks!"

Cut-Throat Jake has occasionally been known to utter the similar exclamation, "Scupper me skull-and-crossbones!"

Theme music

The series' signature tune was the "Trumpet Hornpipe", a folk dance that dates to at least the early nineteenth century. Some early versions of the tune refer to it as "Lascelles Hornpipe" and "Baloon Hornpipe". The composer and country of origin are unknown.

The original black-and-white episodes of Captain Pugwash used a solo rendition by the accordionist Tom Edmondson, who had learned the tune from watching Jimmy Shand's band in Northumberland as a teenager. Edmondson's version was recorded in the front room of his home in Harbottle, Northumberland, on 12 July 1954. The recording was made by the folklorist Peter Kennedy as part of the BBC's Folk Music and Dialect Recording Scheme and Edmondson was paid £1.50 (30s) for his efforts. The track was transferred to disc for the BBC Sound Library and, according to John Ryan, it was later chosen as the Captain Pugwash theme by "a genius at the BBC", whose name he could not remember.

The full recording was issued by Peter Kennedy on his Folktrax label as part of a collection entitled Scottish Accordion Music. The original tape was donated to the British Library following Kennedy's death in 2006. As of June 2020, the tape had not been digitised.

For the colour Captain Pugwash episodes, a new recording of the "Trumpet Hornpipe" was commissioned from Johnny Pearson in 1973. This version used accordion, bass and acoustic guitar, and the finished piece was retitled "Shipshape". The recording was published by KPM and was later added to the KPM Recorded Music Library which gave Pearson the composer credit.

Many online sources state that Philip Lane arranged the original version of the Captain Pugwash theme. As Lane would have been four years old in 1954, this would seem unlikely; in fact, Lane is credited on-screen with orchestrating the score for the 1998 series. Johnny Pearson was not credited on these episodes. Pearson’s arrangement of the theme also appears in two episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants: Mermaid Man vs. SpongeBob and Nautical Novice.

Captain Pugwash books

Original Series

• Captain Pugwash: A Pirate Story (1957)
• Pugwash Aloft (1958)
• Pugwash and the Ghost Ship (1962)
• Pugwash in the Pacific (1973)
• Pugwash the Smuggler (1976)
• Pugwash and the Sea Monster (1976)
• Pugwash and the Buried Treasure (1980)

Colins Cub series

• Captain Pugwash and the Ruby (1976)
• Captain Pugwash and the Treasure Chest (1976)
• Captain Pugwash and the New Ship (1976)
• Captain Pugwash and the Elephant (1976)

Strip cartoon series

• The Captain Pugwash Cartoon Book (1977)
• The Quest of the Golden Handshake (1983)
• The Battle of Bunkum Bay (1984)
• The Secret of San Fiasco (1985)

Black-and-white series

• Captain Pugwash and the Fancy Dress Party (1982)
• Captain Pugwash and the Mutiny (1982)
• Pugwash and the Midnight Feast (1984)
• Pugwash and the Wreckers (1984)
• Captain Pugwash and the Huge Reward (1991)
• Captain Pugwash and the Pigwig (1991)

Audiobooks

The first Captain Pugwash audio releases were made in Germany in vinyl form. In 1987, BBC Cover to Cover released various stories on one cassette, read by the voice of Pugwash in the television series, Peter Hawkins. In 2012, the original picture book series was released on CD, with Jim Broadbent narrating.

Television episodes

1957–1966 series

Produced and directed by Gordon Murray (Series 1–8).

Series one (The Thrilling Adventures of Captain Pugwash and Stowaway Tom)

1. Untitled – 8 October 1957
2. Untitled – 22 October 1957
3. Untitled – 5 November 1957
4. Untitled – 19 November 1957
5. Untitled – 3 December 1957

These episodes were transmitted live and voiced by Noel Coleman. Only episode 2 exists in the BBC Archives as a 16mm film telerecording.

Series two (The Thrilling Adventures of Captain Pugwash and Stowaway Tom)

1. Untitled – 20 April 1958
2. Untitled – 18 May 1958
3. Untitled – 13 July 1958
4. Untitled – 10 August 1958
5. Untitled – 7 September 1958
6. Untitled – 5 October 1958
7. Untitled – 16 November 1958

The first four episodes were voiced by Howard Marion-Crawford with Peter Hawkins taking over from part five. These episodes all survive as 16mm film telerecordings apart from part six.

Series three (The Thrilling Adventures of Captain Pugwash and Stowaway Tom)

1. Untitled – 22 February 1959
2. Untitled – 14 June 1959
3. Untitled – 5 July 1959
4. Untitled – 26 July 1959
5. Untitled – 23 August 1959
6. Untitled – 6 September 1959

Series 3–8 exist complete as 16mm telerecordings.

Series four (1960)

1. The Firework Party – 21 February 1960
2. Surprise Attack – 6 March 1960
3. The Highwayman – 20th March 1960
4. The Captain’s Dream – 3rd April 1960
5. Gold Dust – 1 May 1960
6. Abandon Ship – 15 May 1960
7. The Flying Buccaneer – 29 May 1960

Series five (1961)

1. A New Ship – 7 May 1961
2. The Cuckoo Clock – 21 May 1961
3. The Powder Magazine – 4 June 1961
4. Ivory Cargo – 18 June 1961
5. New Sails – 2 July 1961
6. On Trial – 16 July 1961
7. The Map – 30 July 1961

Series six (1962)

1. Night Attack – 4 February 1962
2. Ghost Ship – 18 February 1962
3. The Test – 4 March 1962
4. The Secret Weapon – 18 March 1962
5. The Crown Jewels – 1 April 1962
6. The Doctor – 15 April 1962
7. Press Gang – 29 April 1962
8. Man Overboard – 13 May 1962

From 3 October 1962, series 4–6 of Captain Pugwash were repeated (skipping only "The Powder Magazine" and "Ivory Cargo"). The twenty episodes ran until 29 March 1963.

Series seven (1963)

1. King of the Barbary Pirates – 5 April 1963
2. Arctic Circle – 12 May 1963
3. The Smugglers – 19 May 1963
4. Tug-of-War – 26 May 1963
5. Solid Gold – 2 June 1963
6. Heads or Tails – 9 June 1963
7. Mobertory Bay – 23 June 1963
8. Secret Mission – 30 June 1963
9. Pleasure Cruise – 7 July 1963

Series eight (1964)

1. Black Pepper – 29 March 1964
2. Home Grown – 5 April 1964
3. Pirate Romance – 12 April 1964
4. The Fortune-Teller – 19 April 1964
5. The Wreckers – 26 April 1964
6. Twins – 3 May 1964
7. A Cure for Hiccups – 17 May 1964
8. High Society – 24 May 1964

Series nine (1965)

1. The Secret of the Stinkas – 10 March 1965
2. The Submarine – 4 April 1965
3. The Haunted Reef – 11 April 1965
4. The Moon of Muddipore – 18 April 1965
5. The Escape – 25 April 1965
6. A Hairy Affair – 2 May 1965
7. Hero Willy – 9 May 1965
8. Total Eclipse – 16 May 1965
9. The Dragon of Pop Sing Ho – 23 May 1965
10. The Vanishing Island – 30 May 1965
11. Captain Moonshine – 6 June 1965
12. Carnival – 13 June 1965

Series nine exists complete as 16mm telerecordings apart from "The Haunted Reef" and "The Escape".

Series ten (1966)

1. Cruise of the Flying Pig: Part 1 – 8 May 1966
2. Cruise of the Flying Pig: Part 2 – 15 May 1966
3. Cruise of the Flying Pig: Part 3 – 22 May 1966
4. The Open Day – 29 May 1966
5. The Man in the Iron Mask: Part 1: The Three Musketeers – 5 June 1966
6. The Man in the Iron Mask: Part 2: Battle Royal – 12 June 1966
7. The Curse of the Pugwashes: Part 1: Ghastleigh Grange – 19 June 1966
8. The Curse of the Pugwashes: Part 2: Family Fortune – 26 June 1966

Series ten exists complete as 16mm telerecordings. From 1 January 1973 to 19th April 1974 20 episodes dating from series 6-10 were repeated, preceding the 1974-1975 series.

1974–1975 series

1. Down The Hatch
2. Cannon Ball
3. Monster Ahoy
4. Mouse Amidships
5. Showboat
6. Flood Tide
7. Pirate Picnic
8. Fishmeal
9. Mutiny on the Black Pig
10. The Great Bank Robbery
11. A Shot Across The Bows
12. Wedding Bells
13. Stung!
14. The Golden Trail
15. Diamonds on Ice
16. Birthday Cake
17. Witches Brew
18. Six Foot Deep
19. Riddle of the Rubies
20. Pirate of the Year
21. Easy Money
22. The Plank
23. A Fair Exchange
24. Voyage of Discovery
25. Smugglers Cove
26. The Flying Buccaneer
27. Island of the Dodos
28. Caught in the Act
29. A Tell Tale Tail
30. Off With His Head

1998 series

1. The Stowaway Sheep
2. The Portobello Plague
3. The Doubledealing Duchess
4. The Emperor's New Clothes
5. The Boat Race
6. The Dingly Dangly Crab
7. Chest of Drawers
8. The Vanishing Ship
9. Hot Chocolate
10. The Fat Cat
11. The Pandemonium Parrot
12. The Brush With Art
13. A Hair-Raising Day
14. Fiddle De Diamonds
15. The Melodious Mermaid
16. The Titanic Teapot
17. The New Cabin Boy
18. Treasure Trail
19. Peppercorn Pistols
20. Sticky Moments
21. Muddling Monsters
22. The Megamango Monkeys
23. King Pugwash
24. The Devil's Dog
25. Perfumes of Arabia
26. The Admiral's Fireworks

Planned film

In May 2017, a live-action film adaptation was announced, to be directed by John Hay, produced by Atticus Films and starring Nick Frost as Captain Pugwash and Jason Flemyng in an unknown role. Production was set to begin in 2018, with the plot following Captain Pugwash travelling to Botany Bay, where he eventually finds himself at the helm of The Black Pig on a mission to rescue Tom the Cabin Boy's father, who is marooned on a volcanic island. In March 2021, Frost said that he believes the film will be unlikely to be produced because of budget issues.

Stage adaptations

On 17 December 1973, a theatre show, Captain Pugwash, written by Ryan and John Kennett, opened at the King's Road Theatre in Chelsea, London. Directed by John Ingram and designed by John Marsh, the entertainment for children played twelve performances a week (twice daily, Monday to Saturday) until 12 January 1974. Edward Philips as Pugwash headed a cast of live actors playing characters including Tom and Cut-Throat Jake. In 2008 a new show was performed with Richard Alan in the title role.

Toylines

In 1981, Corgi Toys produced a model of the Black Pig, complete with stand-up figures of Pugwash and Tom the Cabin Boy. For the 1998 series, Vivid Imaginations created many more toys, including miniatures and plushies, both in eight inches and fourteen inches. Six inch Happy Meal plushies were also available as part of the Children’s Favourites line.

See also

• List of animated television series

External links

• Pugwash website by HIT Entertainment
• Captain Pugwash (1957) at IMDb
• The Adventures of Captain Pugwash at IMDb
• Toonhound Captain Pugwash page
• Captain Pugwash at Nostalgia Central
• Captain Pugwash at Don Markstein's Toonopedia