Down Under Duckula

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"Down Under Duckula" is the eighth episode of Count Duckula and was first broadcast on ITV in the UK on October 25th 1988.

Plot

In a failed attempt to fly Castle Duckula to Austria, Count Duckula, Igor, and Nanny end up in Australia instead. The castle lands in the wallaby patch of farmer, Bill Platypus. And the wallabies raid Duckula's kitchen. In an attempt to make up for landing in his property, Duckula offers the clock to Mr. Platypus after he expresses admiration for it and says his uncle Rodney the horologist would "give his eye teeth for a clock like that." Igor tries to protest but Duckula shushes him. Once Mr. Platypus has driven away with the clock in his Jeep Igor is finally allowed to speak. He explains that the clock is "an essential part of the castle's flying mechanism" and that without it they shall be unable to return to Transylvania. Duckula, Igor, and Nanny set out to rent a car to follow Mr. Platypus but hear his distress call through the radio in a nearby airplane and steal the plane to rescue him.

Mr. Platypus has run out of gas and is stranded in the bush, forced to listen to Dmitri and Sviatislav tell a series of increasingly terrible jokes about Australia.

Duckula (despite having never flown a plane before, and a weak grasp on the history of aviation) manages to get himself, Nanny and Igor out to Mr. Platypus' location to rescue him and ask for the clock back. Only before he can finish asking for the clock, Mr. Platypus begs Duckula to take it back.

They return to Transylvania only to discover all the wallabies are still in the kitchen eating of Duckula's beloved food. The episode finished in typical Duckula fashion with him screaming and the narrator giving a rendition of "Home on the Range" with creepy lyrics about hell monsters and vile slimy things slithering all day.

Background Music Pieces

• "Memories of Vienna" by Alfred A. Ralston
• "Mini Mischief" by Johnny Pearson
• "The Gay Fusilier (Waltzing Matilda)" by John Leach
• "Vamp Till Ready" by Wally Asp
• "Police Car Chase" by Jack Beaver

Trivia

• Recording date: November 22nd 1987

Quotes

• Sviatislav: Hey Dmitri, what do you get when you cross a sheep with a kangaroo?
• Dmitri: I don't know Sviatislav, what do you get when you cross a sheep with a kangaroo?
• Sviatislav: You get a woolly jumper.

• Sviatislav: Hey Dmitri, what is small, gray and has a trunk?
• Dmitri: A little elephant?
• Sviatislav: No a koala bear going on holiday.

• Sviatislav: Knock knock.
• Dmitri: Who's there?
• Sviatislav: Walt.
• Dmitri: Walt, who?
• Sviatislav: Walt-zing Matilda, walt-zing Matilda.

Credits

• Voices: David Jason, Jack May, Brian Trueman, Jimmy Hibbert
• Narrator: Barry Clayton
• Written by Jimmy Hibbert
• Music: Mike Harding
• Vocals: Doreen Edwards, Mike Harding
• Storyboard: Vincent James
• Layout: José María Zumel, Ricardo Machuca, Miguel Angel Aisa, Manolo Almela, Juan Antonio Serrano, Miguel Angel Fuertes
• Design: Chris Randall, Dan Whitworth, Margaret Riley, Paul Salmon, Vincent James, Edmund Williams
• Animation: Mariano Rueda, Ignacio Amero, Emilio Luján, Valentín Caín, Julian Tarrago, Edward Sasu, Pedro Molina, Vicente Rodriguez, Amaro Carretero, Juan Antonio Rojo, Luis L. Varela, Bujor Estefanescu, Ezequiel Martín, Chris Doyle, Francisco Tena, Alberto Conejo, Angel Jariego, Julio Diez, Pedro Mohedano, Roberto Marcano, Ventura Rodriguez, Javier Gutierrez, Russell Brookes, Manuel Galiana, Fernando Jariego, Ramon Sanchez, Juan Antonio Serrano, Marivi Rodriguez, Rob Stevenhajen, Valentín Doménech, Carmen Chenza, Paca Moreno, Manuel Doctor, Miguel Angel Fuertez
• Backgrounds: Igashi Taruma, Felix Cascajo, Milagros Banares, Miguel Angel
• Supervised by Carlos Alfonso
• Painting: María Del Mar Fernández, María Fernández, Margarita Pina, Teresa Diego, María José Álvarez, Loli Torres, Paco Villanueva, Angeles Sanz, Julia García, Delia Hernandez, Lourdes Santos, Susana Díez, Ángeles Vacas
• Supervised by Paloma Antón
• Xerox: Jose Luis Aisa, Andres Palacios
• Camera: Santiago Gomez, Victorio Gonzalez
• Special Effects: Carlos Alfonso
• Animation Line Test: Eva Moreno
• Production Control: Bob Burrows
• Film Editor: Patrick Haggerty
• Assistant Editor: Leo Casserly
• Dubbing Mixer: Ted Spooner
• Animation Directors: Carlos Alfonso, Juan R. Pina
• Associate Producer: Chris Randall
• Executive Producer: John Hambley
• Produced by Mark Hall, Brian Cosgrove
• Directed by Chris Randall
• © Cosgrove Hall Productions MCMLXXXVII

Copyright Gag

Despite this episode first being broadcast in 1988, the roman numerals in the copyright credit reads 'MCMLXXXVII', meaning it is dated in 1987.