The Adventures of Twizzle

The Adventures of Twizzle
Also known asTwizzle
Genre
Written byRoberta Leigh
Directed byGerry Anderson
Voices of
Narrated byNancy Nevinson
Music byLeslie Clair, arranged and conducted by Barry Gray
Lyrics: Roberta Leigh
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes52 (51 missing)
Production
ProducerRoberta Leigh
CinematographyArthur Provis
EditorDavid Elliott
Running time13 minutes
Production companies
Budget£23,400[1]
Original release
NetworkITV
Release13 November 1957 (1957-11-13)[1][2] –
10 June 1959 (1959-06-10)[1]
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Adventures of Twizzle is a British children's puppet television series produced by AP Films (APF) which premiered on the ITV network in 1957. Created and co-produced by author Roberta Leigh, it was filmed in Maidenhead between July 1957 and January 1958 on a budget of £23,400 (about £713,000 in 2023).[1]

Twizzle was the first series to use the marionette puppetry that would prove important in later shows developed by APF.[3] The series follows a toy doll called Twizzle, who has the ability to extend his arms and legs. He is joined on various adventures by a cat called Footso and several other toy companions. The characters were operated on carpet thread strings and had heads of papier-mâché.[1]

Fifty-two 13-minute episodes were filmed, with APF completing one episode every two days. The opening episode, "Twizzle and Footso", was first broadcast on 13 November 1957 by ITV's London franchise, Associated-Rediffusion.[1] The series also aired on the ABC network in Australia.[4] All episodes except the first are now lost. The sole surviving episode is included in the Space Patrol DVD box set.

  1. ^ a b c d e f Bentley, Chris (2008) [2001]. The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide (4th ed.). London, UK: Reynolds & Hearn. pp. 16–21. ISBN 978-1-905287-74-1.
  2. ^ Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Biography by Simon Archer and Stan Nicholls; ISBN 0-09-978141-7
  3. ^ "Adventures of Twizzle, The". Nostalgia Central. 24 June 2014.
  4. ^ Fryer, Ian (2016). The Worlds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson: The Story Behind International Rescue. Fonthill Media. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-78155-504-0.