Dear Diary
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"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
- © Cosgrove Hall Productions MCMLXXXVIII
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.