Willo the Wisp

When 'Willo the Wisp' ran at teatimes in the early 1980s, BBC television was a much better place - these charming and waspish five-minute cartoons were enhanced by the delightfully fruity tones of the incomparable Kenneth Williams telling the tale.

What it was about escapes me now but I do remember Willo was a ghost and there was a grouchy television set named Evil Edna - fabulous cartoon work on all fronts. I know the series was revived with James Dreyfus narrating but I can't imagine it would have worked. The 80s version? Pure class - one of the top ten children's TV programmes of all time.

I was sixteen when the series originally aired in the autumn of 1981, but it was one of those shows, although apparently aimed at young children, which held wide appeal. I particularly liked the characters of the Wisp, Mavis, Carwash and Evil Edna. In fact, even at my somewhat advanced age, I was a bit scared of Edna! The events in Doyley Woods were avidly followed by many of my friends and family - age range from about six to eighty-three! Kenneth Williams was excellent - his range of voices revealed a side to his talents I never knew existed - each one made the individual characters live.

Willo The Wisp is a show which now evokes powerful memories of its debut year for me - 1981, the year when Rubik's Cube was king, CB radio was made legal (in the UK), and Space Invaders were everywhere. Happy memories - wonderful show! If only Mavis Cruet could wave her magic wand and make me sixteen again!

I absolutely loved this - I used to go miles out of my way just to free up those five minutes before tea time when Willo the wisp was shown. It had all those magic ingredients that spark a child's imagination - a wicked villain (Evil Edna), an omniscient narrator (the wisp) and a flawed protagonist (Mavis the fat fairy). There was also the Moog, which inspired my friend so much that she determined to call every dog she ever owned by that fantastic name the Moog. I think to a certain extent we never quite forget the characters who by their presence on the small screen introduce us to magic and the world outside reality. They have stayed with me to the extent that now at the grand age of my mid twenties I am going to go and spend £10.99 on the complete Willo the wisp on video.

It's usually the case that you rediscover an old show that you watched as a kiddie, only to be hugely disappointed because it's not as funny or exciting as you remember it. This isn't one of those shows! Why 'Willo The Wisp' isn't shown anymore is a mystery, because it's so good!! Not exactly state of the art animation, but the short stories are often very funny, and Kenneth Williams' characterizations are spot on. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

This is a fine cartoon series, the sort which anyone of any age can enjoy, so I can't understand for the life of me why the DVD is no longer available (along with Alias the Jester, which is another comical cartoon series). The titular character, whose name is based on that curious glowing sometimes seen in forests, is a ghostly figure who narrates tales of the forest which involve the characters who live there. These involve a nutritionally-challenged fairy, a witch who looks like a TV with a face, a troll-like beast who used to be a prince and a cat called Carwash. First rate cartoon with imaginative stories and characters, and comedy film veteran Kenneth Williams is great as the voices.