Nuzzle and Scratch is a British children's television programme, shown on CBeebies from 1 Sep 2008 and ran for three series with two spin offs up to 4 Mar 2011. The show also aired on the international CBeebies channels in Poland and Australia. They showed two spin offs Hoof And Safety and Frock And Roll. The show aired on CBeebies in the UK.[1]
It stars two eponymous puppet alpacas created and developed by Barry Quinn and Alan Robinson and written by various writers.[2]
Information
The show starts with a beautiful scene of the Andes which is where Nuzzle and Scratch are originally from: (We're from high up in the Andes, we've got hooves instead of handies) Each episode follows the same format, Nuzzle and Scratch work for '2 by 2, The Any Animal Agency'. run by The Boss, a tough-talking girl. She receives a phone call from someone who is in desperate need of some assistance. Unfortunately all her hard working animals are out already and the only free hands (or hooves) available are the two alpacas Nuzzle and Scratch. The Boss knows they aren't any good so is reluctant to send them, but there is usually some misunderstanding over the phone and they end up getting the job. Nuzzle and Scratch mess up and the person rings the Boss to complain. She convinces them to 'give them another chance' and Nuzzle and Scratch normally turn things around and really impress the person who hired them. They often win a rosette or get offered a permanent job but refuse leading them to go on their next assignment.[3]
Nuzzle and Scratch like to climb mountains and will go up anything that looks like a mountain e.g. piles of clothes. However, Nuzzle is scared of heights and when he climbs to the top he gets scared and Scratch has to save him.
Alpacas like to herd. When Nuzzle and Scratch see a lot of things, or if they get scared, they say 'herd up' and begin herding.
At some point in the episode, someone will say that they need to 'start from Scratch'. Nuzzle gets upset about this and asks why can't they start from Nuzzle. Usually the person is very confused but agrees to 'start from Nuzzle' instead. In the painting and decorating episode, Scratch complains that they always 'start from Nuzzle', and they actually do 'start from Scratch'.
Nuzzle and Scratch have some catchphrases:- 'Is it snack time yet?', 'No job's too easy', 'Working can be fun'.
Both Nuzzle and Scratch are completely distinct in thoughts and are actually opposites of each other:
Nuzzle is neat, quiet, shy, nervous, and easily scared, as well as cautious.
Scratch is silly, loud, friendly, free-spirited, energetic, and optimistic.
Characters
Main characters
The main characters appear in every episode.
Nuzzle
Nuzzle (performed by Neil Sterenberg) is a white alpaca that likes to climb mountains but he is afraid of heights. He saves a lot of other characters in the episodes. He doesn't like starting from "Scratch" and wants to start from "Nuzzle".
Scratch
Scratch (performed by Dave Chapman) is a brown alpaca that mainly likes whatever. He likes telling Nuzzle what to do and usually gets Nuzzle in trouble. Unlike Nuzzle, he is energetic and optimistic.
The Boss
The Boss (played by Eve De Leon Allen) is the young girl who sends Nuzzle and Scratch to the job.
Miss Mulberry
Miss Mulberry (played by Sally Bankes) is the safety supervisor that appeared in the spin-off Hoof and Safety that trains Nuzzle and Scratch to be safe around hazards.
Captain Carrington
Captain Carrington (played by Ian Kirkby) is the owner of the Frock 'n' Roll dress shop, as well as Nuzzle and Scratch's owner, helping choose costumes for the twins with Nuzzle and Scratch testing them for a job. He brought up Nuzzle and Scratch from when he was doing his expeditions in the Andes and brought them to England when they were young.
The Twins
The Twins (played by Eva and Ella Diakite) are frequent customers at Frock 'n' Roll waiting for their costumes after Nuzzle and Scratch test them out delivering them on time.
Other characters
The other characters appear in very few episodes. This is a list of other characters:
| Character name | Occupation/Role | Episode | No. of episodes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Sheen | Window cleaner | "Window Cleaner" | 1 | Played by Angus Kennedy |
| Terry Towling | Lifeguard | "Swimming Pool" | 1 | Played by Ortis Deley |
| Clarissa Snips | Hairdresser | "Hairdresser" | 1 | Played by Annemarie Gaillard |
| Mr. Sandy Bottom | Beach attendant | "Beach Attendant" | 1 | Played by Ian Kirkby |
| Nora | Dinner Lady | "Dinner Ladies" | 1 | Played by Sally Bankes |
| Mr Haddock | School Caretaker | "School Caretaker" | 1 | Played by Julian Dutton |
| David Potterfield | Magician | "Magician" | 1 | Played by Josh Elwell |
| Mr Merryweather | Scout Leader | "Camping" | 1 | Played by Andrew Barclay |
| Ms Winner | Gym Teacher | "Sports Day" | 1 | Played by Lucy Jane Bowen |
| Mr Campbell | Supermarket worker | "Supermarket" | 1 | Played by Richard Sutton |
| Whippety Whips Lady | Ice Cream Seller | "Ice Cream Van" | 1 | Played by Chizzy Akudolu |
| Mr Squeaky | Launderette Man | "Laundry" | 1 | Played by Nick Wilton |
| Pearl | Cinema Manager | "Cinema" | 1 | |
| Trevor Lodge | Hotel Manager | "Hotel" | 1 | Played by Tony Jayawardena |
| Trevor Perks | Special Celebrity | "Hotel" | 1 | |
| TBC | Mayor | "Beach Attendant" "Hotel" |
2 | The mayor appears in the two episodes but is played by different actors; played by George Claves in "Hotel" |
| Bill | Painter and decorator | "Painting and Decorating" | 1 | Played by Rod Arthur |
| Mr Parkkeeper | Park Keeper | "Park Keeper" | 1 | Played by Michael Grinter |
| Mr Summers | Theme Park Manager | "Theme Park" | 1 | Played by Aidan Cook |
| Ruby Hardback | Librarian | "Library" | 1 | Played by Charlene James |
| Mr Parkkeeper | Car wash | "Car wash" | 1 | Played by Ryan Lewendon |
Episodes
| Series One. | No. of Series Episodes |
|---|---|
| 1 | 20 |
| 2 | 13 |
| 3 | 20 |
Episode List
Nuzzle (performed by Neil Sterenberg), Scratch (performed by Dave Chapman) and The Boss (Eve De Leon Allen) appear in all of the episodes. These do not appear in the 'Other Credits' column.
| # | Title | Person Called | Job | Overview | Start From | Other Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1: 2008 | ||||||
| 1 | Window Cleaner | Bob Sheen (Window Cleaner) | Helping a window cleaner get windows clean | Nuzzle and Scratch help out window cleaner Bob Sheen and make quite a splash. When they are trying to clean the
window off the new shop, Nuzzle falls off the ladder and rubs his fur against the window, which makes it clean. |
Scratch | Bob Sheen: Angus Kennedy |
| 2 | Swimming Pool | Terry Towling (Lifeguard) | Helping get ready for a swimming gala | Nuzzle and Scratch make quite a splash when they help lifeguard Terry Towling get ready for a swimming gala. While trying to swim, Nuzzle saves the Mayor when she fell into the water, by Scratch's "herding" and the Mayor awards Nuzzle "the best lifeguard" rosette. | Scratch | |
| 3 | Hairdresser | Clarissa Snips (Hairdresser) | Getting a hairdresser ready for customers | Playing hair gel hockey and dying her customers' hair blue is not what Clarissa Snips expected when she employed Nuzzle and Scratch to help out at her hairdressing salon. But the boy is so pleased with his great hair-do he tells all his friends and the hairdressing salon soon has a long queue of children. | Scratch | Clarissa Snips: Annemarie Gaillard |
| 4 | Beach Attendant | Mr. Sandy Bottom (Beach Attendant) | Getting ready for a sandcastle competition | Helping beach attendant Mr. Sandy Bottom is more like a holiday than working as far as Nuzzle and Scratch are concerned, especially as they're able to get Mr. Sandy Bottom to do most of the work. While Nuzzle and Scratch are thinking what sandcastle to make for the competition the mayor loses his gold chain. Nuzzle eventually finds it. | Scratch | Mr Sandy Bottom: Ian Kirkby |
| 5 | Cinema | (Cinema Manager) | Getting a cinema ready for a school visit | Nuzzle and Scratch help out at the local cinema, but when they treat the new film as a frisbee, they decide to make their own film. | Scratch | |
| 6 | Dinner Ladies | Nora (Dinner Lady) | Helping a dinner lady make lunch | Nuzzle and Scratch help a dinner lady make lunch, but then put furballs in the food. | Scratch | Nora: Sally Bankes |
| 7 | Laundry | (Laundrette Man) | Helping out at the laundrette | Nuzzle and Scratch help out at the laundrette. They wash the dry-clean only fancy dress costumes and they shrink. But the Boss is happy as the costumes are just the right size for her. | Scratch | Launderette Man: Nick Wilton |
| 8 | The School Caretakers | Mr Haddock (School Caretaker) | Helping a school caretaker | While trying to help the school caretaker, Nuzzle and Scratch get in trouble. They buff the school floor too much and make it really slippery. | Scratch | Mr Haddock: Julian Dutton |
| 9 | Hotel | (Hotel Manager) | Getting a room ready for a special celebrity | Nuzzle and Scratch help at the Hotel Majestic. They get a room ready for a celebrity, but "mess" it up. When the celebrity walks in, she loves it. | Scratch | Hotel Manager/Special Celebrity: Tony Jayawardena Mayor: George Glaves |
| 10 | Magician | David Potterfield (Magician) | Helping a magician | When the Boss hears that magician, David Potterfield, can make anything disappear she is more than happy to send Nuzzle and Scratch along to help out. | Scratch | Magician: Josh Elwell |
| 11 | Camping | Mr Merryweather (Scout Leader) | Helping a camp leader | Adventure camp leader Mr. Merryweather finds himself getting very muddy and covered in fur balls when Nuzzle and Scratch are employed to be his new assistants. However, when the camp leader oversleeps, he wakes to find that Nuzzle and Scratch have done all the activities with the children and he is very pleased. | Scratch | Scout Leader: Andrew Barclay |
| 12 | Sports Day | Ms Winner (Gym Teacher) | Getting ready for a sports day | Nuzzle and Scratch are supposed to be organizing the school sports day, but one of their first hurdles is what type of egg to use for the egg and spoon race. Should it be fried or scrambled? The last race is the pupil/teacher race which so far, the sports teacher has always won, however Nuzzle substitutes for one of the children and wins the prize. | Scratch | Ms Winner: Lucy Jane Bowen |
| 13 | Painting and Decorating* | TBA (Painter and Decorater) | Painting the Boss's flat | Nuzzle and Scratch are employed to help decorate the Boss's flat - they had better not mess up this time! They cause so much trouble the painter cannot get the work done and when the Boss arrives to inspect the work, Nuzzle and Scratch quickly try to paint the whole room but flick paint splatters all over the wall, the Boss however, loves it as it matches her new picture she bought. | Nuzzle
|
Painter and Decorator: Rod Arthur |
| 14 | Ice Cream Van | Whippety Whips Lady (Ice Cream Seller) | Working an ice-cream van | When Nuzzle and Scratch work the ice cream van, they get a little more ice cream than they'd bargained for. The Whippety Whips lady is pleased with them until she opens the ice cream van door and gets covered in ice cream. | Whippety Whips Lady: Chizzy Akudolu | |
| 15 | Orchestra | Mr. Barton Pete Gallagher | Playing in an orchestra. | Nuzzle and Scratch are employed to play in an orchestra, but the conductor is unimpressed when they play their instruments. The conductor accidentally gets trapped and misses the performance. Nuzzle and Scratch are trying to swot a fly and unintentionally conduct the orchestra beautifully. | The Menuhin Hall | |
| 16 | Park Keeper | TBA (Park Keeper) | Getting rid of moles in the local park | Nuzzle and Scratch are employed to help rid a park of moles, but the park keeper soon realizes he has added to his pest problems. In the end, they realize that the moles don't like noise and they complete the task that was set. | Park Keeper: Michael Grinter | |
| 17 | Rugby | (Car wash) | Helping a Car wash | Nuzzle and Scratch are supposed to be doing the Car wash for all other adults to clean cars | Rugby Coach: Wayne Forester | |
| 18 | Supermarket | Mr Campbell (TBA) | Helping on the checkouts | Nuzzle and Scratch dream of working on the checkouts at the supermarket, but they need to earn their happy helper badges first. | Mr Campbell: Richard Sutton | |
| 19 | Theme Park | Mr Summers (Theme Park Manager) | Helping out at a theme park | When a special celebrity (Mr Tumble) arrives to open the theme park, Nuzzle and Scratch certainly give him the ride of his life. | Mr Summers: Aidan Cook | |
| 20 | Library | Ruby Hardback (Librarian) | Helping at the library | Nuzzle and Scratch enjoy working at the library, but the librarian is not quite sure about them when she catches Scratch trying to file the books with a nail file. The children love Nuzzle and Scratch story time and the librarian begs them to stay, but they never do as they have to get back to the Boss to 'help' her out with more jobs. | Ruby Hardback: Charlene James | |
| Series 2: 2010 | ||||||
| 21 | Hot Stuff | TBA | ||||
| 22 | Gnomes and Gardens | TBA | ||||
| 23 | Yucky Stuff | TBA | ||||
| 24 | Water, Water Everywhere | TBA | ||||
| 25 | On the Road | TBA | ||||
| 26 | Sharp Objects | TBA | ||||
| 27 | Pens, Doors and Soggy Paws | TBA | ||||
| 28 | Here's Looking at Chew | TBA | ||||
| 29 | In the Car | TBA | ||||
| 30 | Highs and Lows | TBA | ||||
| 31 | Slips and Trips | TBA | ||||
| 32 | At the Supermarket | TBA | ||||
| 33 | On the Buses | TBA | ||||
| Series 3: 2011 | ||||||
| 34 | Police Officers | TBA | ||||
| 35 | Gnomes | TBA | ||||
| 36 | Town Criers | TBA | ||||
| 37 | Sheepdogs | TBA | ||||
| 38 | Superheroes | TBA | ||||
| 39 | Explorers | TBA | ||||
| 40 | Nurses | TBA | ||||
| 41 | Knights | TBA | ||||
| 42 | Robots | TBA | ||||
| 43 | Princesses | TBA | ||||
| 44 | Bakers | TBA | ||||
| 45 | Cowboys | TBA | ||||
| 46 | Astronauts | TBA | ||||
| 47 | Lollipop Ladies | TBA | ||||
| 48 | Dancers | TBA | ||||
| 49 | Builders | TBA | ||||
| 50 | Train Guards | TBA | ||||
| 51 | Cheerleaders | TBA | ||||
| 52 | Carrots | TBA | ||||
| 53 | Pantomime Horse | TBA | ||||
Spin-off
A spin-off called Hoof and Safety With Nuzzle and Scratch premiered airing on CBeebies on 1 March 2010. It ran for 13 episodes every day except Wednesday until 22 March 2010. Nuzzle And Scratch learn how to be safe with the help of Miss Mulberry (Sally Banks). A Second spin-off Nuzzle and Scratch: Frock and Roll premiered on CBeebies on 7 February 2011. It ran for 20 episodes and ended on 4 March 2011. Nuzzle and Scratch have landed a Job at the Frock And Roll Fancy Dress Shop owned by Captain Carrington (Ian Kirkby). With Costumes for every occasion mostly for the Twins (Eva and Ella Diakite), each day brings a new opportunity for adventure. They also Aired On CBeebies.
References
- ^ "Nuzzle and Scratch get jobs at fancy dress shop in series 3 of Nuzzle and Scratch: Frock N Roll". Media Update. South Africa. 9 March 2015.
- ^ "PB Nuzzle and Scratch". sterenberg-puppets.co.uk.
- ^ "Nuzzle and Scratch". BBC.
