Dear Diary

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<infobox> <title source="name"><default>Dear Diary</default></title> <image source="image"/> <label>Production #</label> <label>Producer(s)</label> <label>Story by</label> <label>Script</label> <label>Directed by</label> <label>IMDb Ref</label> <label>Episode</label> <label>Original air date</label> <label>Previous Story</label> <label>Next Story</label> <label></label><default>Source</default> </infobox>

"Dear Diary" is the seventeenth episode of Count Duckula and was first broadcast on ITV in the UK on January 3rd 1989.

Summary

Count Duckula is writing in his diary and suspects nothing out of the ordinary, when Igor comes along and tells him that Duckula's diary reminded him of the previous Count and the fact that he himself, kept a diary. This lifts Duckula's interests for a moment or so, long enough to decide to take this book straight to the presses to have printed out.

As luck would have it, Dr. Von Goosewing, up to his usual vampire-snagging tricks, decides to see whether or not he can disguise himself as a publicist so as to infiltrate Castle Duckula. As he looks for a reporter's disguise in his trunk he stumbles upon the diary of his great-uncle, Dr. Von Gosling.

Von Goosewing studies it well, for in this diary is a design on how to destroy a vampire with a device disguised as a camera, loaded with a wooden stake. As all of this happens, we see many a flashback from both the Count and Von Goosewing's parts.

Duckula tries to get Nanny and Igor to tidy up the castle, and as this happens, Nanny and Igor both inform the Count that they, too, have diaries. This plays up to an important level later on for all three.

Background Music Pieces

"Maybe Danger" by the Spooky Halloween Players
"Intense Danger" by James Clarke
"Berlin" by John Leach
"Agitato No. 1" by Derek Laren
"Unease" by Dick Walter
"Whodunnit 2" by Ivor Slaney
"Funny Little Man" by Wyn Henry

Voice Cast

David Jason as Count Duckula and the Innkeeper
Jack May as Igor, Reinfelt, and the 2nd Peasant
Brian Trueman as Nanny and the 1st Peasant
Jimmy Hibbert as Dr. Von Goosewing, Dr. Von Gosling, and the Radio Announcer
Barry Clayton as the Narrator

Credits

Voices: David Jason, Jack May, Brian Trueman, Jimmy Hibbert
Narrator: Barry Clayton
Written by Jimmy Hibbert
Vocals: Doreen Edwards, Mike Harding
Music: Mike Harding
Design: Chris Randall, Margaret Riley, Paul Salmon, Vincent James, Dan Whitworth, Ed Williams, Andy Roper
Design Assistant: Andrea Hough
Storyboard: John Stevenson
Layout: Barry Parker
Animation: Rosemary Welch, Roy Jackson, Rich Cox, Gillian Holton, Reg Lodge, Patsy Simmonds, Dick Horne, Patrick Savage, Andrew Smith, Janet Nunn, Mike Williams, Sarah Vincent, Malcolm Bourne
Backgrounds: David Scutt
Special Effects: Alexy Allen
Camera: Les Hall, Tony Green
Painting: Dee Lodge, Alina Bailey, Peter Knight, Ceri Griffen, Pat Petronio, Greer Eve, Corina Poore, Shaun Sewter, Lucy Owen, Deborah Thaine
Supervised by Alice Clayton
Xerox: Brian Scoble
Animation Line Test: Trevor Biggs
Production Controller: Bob Burrows
Film Editor: Nigel Rutter
Assistant Editor: Karen Brumell
Dubbing Mixer: Ted Spooner
Animation Director: Barry Parker
Associate Producer: Chris Randall
Executive Producer: John Hambley
Produced by Mark Hall, Brian Cosgrove
Directed by Chris Randall

Copyright Gag

Despite this episode first being broadcast in 1989, the roman numerals in the copyright credit reads 'MCMLXXXVIII', meaning it is dated in 1988. Given that this was first broadcast at the beginning of January 1989, it's hardly surprising.