Look and Read/Badger Girl

From LookingAndSeeing.co.uk - a website about schools broadcasting

Three city children go on holiday to a country farm and mess about with the wildlife, in particular a wild badger that they find in the farmyard. They stumble across a pair of crooks engaged in pony-rustling, spy on them to see what's going on, then have to come up with a way to stop it. Three grown-ups are also hanging around the moors: a wildlife photographer, a strange old hermit and the farmer's son. The kids have to decide who they can trust, and who has been helping steal the horses.

Stripey the 'superbadger' also appeared in some of the educational songs with his collection of -dg- badges, while the in-between bits featured Jane Miles, the environmentalist seen hanging about on the moors in the story, looking back through the project book Debbie made about her holiday.

Contents 1 The Story 2 Episodes 3 Credits 4 Broadcasts

[edit] The Story

Debbie and Kiran are sent off by their school on a holiday to the country, where they meet another city kid already on holiday, know-it-all Norman. Debbie gets nicknamed the Badger Girl because she has a badger-like streak through her hair. Exploring on the moor they meet the Badgerman, who used to be a scientist but has dedicated himself to conservation and become a hermit living in a hut. They also meet two men, Barker and Deal, who claim to be from the RSPCA but are actually out stealing ('rustling') ponies to sell for their meat in France.

Mick, the odd-job man from the farm, is helping Barker and Deal but he doesn't know they're slaughtering the ponies, and doesn't believe the kids when they tell him. The kids spy on the villains from a secret passage in a small church and call the police to catch them, but they get the wrong place and the police get bored and leave. The kids then try to stop Barker and Deal themselves and are captured, but eventually rescued by Stripey, their adopted badger, who beats up both of the (well-armed) villains.

[edit] Episodes

Episode descriptions from the Radio Times

1. Sounds in the Night
   • Debbie doesn't think much of the country at the start of her farm holiday with Kiran and Norman. But an unexpected visitor in the early morning changes all that.
2. Stripey (aka Stripey the Badger)
   • Debbie has befriended Stripey the badger. But can a badger be a pet? And shouldn't the children tell Mrs Rudge about him?
3. Running Away
   • Mick has threatened to shoot the badger, so Debbie and Kiran run off with Stripey. He leads them to a mysterious wooden hut.
4. The Badgerman
   • Norman gets lost on the moor, and meets two men on the look-out for pony-rustlers.
5. Lost on the Moor
   • 'More ponies stolen' reads the newspaper headline. But who are the crooks, Barker and Deal... or the Badgerman?
6. The Secret Passage
   • Mick leaves a map for the pony-rustlers in Cross Tor church. The children, from a secret passage, watch to see who will collect it.
7. Mick's Map
   • From Mick's map, the children know where the crooks are keeping the ponies. But maybe they've made a mistake and sent the police to the wrong place!
8. Finding the Ponies
   • The children try to set the ponies free, but Barker and Deal turn up too soon. Can anyone help them now?
9. Panic on the Lake
   • Mick and the Badgerman are rushing to save the ponies - so are the children. But they face real danger on the lake.
10. Stripey the Superbadger
    • Mick and the children have a go at saving the ponies, but they're no match for Barker and Deal. Who else can save them now?

[edit] Credits

Narrator	Gary Watson
Starring	Margo Gunn as Jane Miles Julia Millbank as Debbie West Ashiek Madhvani as Kiran Singh Kieron O'Shea as Norman Bolt John Hollis as Mr Barker James Marston as Mr Deal William Squire as Sam North, the Badgerman Nick Orchard as Mick Rudge June Marlow as Mrs Rudge Charles Collingwood as Wordy Katie Hebb as Wordy puppeteer Mary Edwards as puppeteer and Mary as Stripey

Written by	Andrew Davies
Incidental music	Peter Howell
Designers	Stephen Brownsey Tony Thorpe
Reading consultant and teaching scripts	Mary Hoffman
Assistant producer	Roger Fry
Producer	Susan Paton

Badger consultant	Ruth Murray
Graphic designer	Evelyn Small
Video effects	Nick Moore
Songs	Jonathan Gibbs Roger Limb
Lyrics	Gordon Snell
Film animation	Richard Taylor Marcus Parker-Rhodes
Studio lighting	Mike Chislett Nigel Wright Teddy Williams
Studio sound	Jim Cadman John Wilson
Costume designer	Catriona Tomalin
Make-up designer	Daphne Croker
Properties buyer	Sally Clements
Film cameraman	Andrew Dunn
Assistant film cameraman	Jeremy Humphries
Film recordist	Keith Rodgerson
Assistant film recordist	Trevor Gosling
Lighting	John Palmer
Grips	Ian McAnulty
Film editor	Dick Allen
Assistant floor manager	Alison Selby
Production manager	Ken Robertson
Production assistant	Karen Lewis
The BBC wishes to thank	The South Western Water Authority The Devon and Cornwall Constabulary Mike Minett Margaret Paton and Class 10, Eggbuckland Vale Primary School, Plymouth

Who was in which episodes:

   C A S T   D E T A I L S

starring                             EPISODES
                             ----------------------
MARGO GUNN                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
JOHN HOLLIS                       3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ASHIEK MADHVANI               1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
JAMES MARSTON                     3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
JUNE MARLOW                   1 2 3 4 5
JULIA MILLBANK                1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
NICK ORCHARD                  1 2 3 4 5 6 7   9 10
KIERON O'SHEA                 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
WILLIAM SQUIRE                      4 5   7 8 9 10
CHARLES COLLINGWOOD           1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
KATIE HEBB                    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
GARY WATSON                       3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

[edit] Broadcasts

Here is a list of all of the broadcasts of this story on the BBC. Unless your teachers managed to get the video recorder to work, this is when you would have seen it in school. See the Schedules section for precise dates and times.

• Autumn 1984, BBC2
• Autumn 1986, BBC2
• Autumn 1988, BBC2
• Autumn 1990, BBC2
• Autumn 1992, BBC2

• Summer 2003, CBBC
• Autumn 2003, CBBC
• Spring 2004, CBBC
• Autumn 2004, CBBC
• Autumn 2005, CBBC
• Spring 2007, CBBC