Rent a Butler

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"Rent a Butler" is the eighteenth episode of Count Duckula and was first broadcast on ITV in the UK on January 10th 1989.

Summary

After realising that his castle is understaffed, Count Duckula goes to Rent-A-Butler Inc. to look for some new employees for Castle Duckula. However, since it transpires that butlers and nannies are in high demand and earn very high wages, Duckula decides to sell his last two loyal employees, Igor and Nanny, to the agency instead.

Without anybody to cook for him or look after him, Duckula accepts an invitation to a dinner hosted by the 'Nouveau Riche' family. It turns out that the Nouveau Riche's house is where Igor and Nanny are now serving. Duckula decides to go disguised as his second cousin, the honourable Lobelia, to avoid being recognised, but things do not go according to plan.

Trivia

'Nouveau riche' is a French term which means 'new rich'. It is a term that was often used in a disrespectful manner to describe people whose wealth and property had been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance or through ranks of nobility (like Duckula's aristocratic vampire family).
Lobelia is taken from the name of the flowering herb, which was named for the Belgian botanist Matthias de Lobel (1538-1616). It was used by the author J. R. R. Tolkien in his novel The Lord of the Rings (1954), Lobelia Sackville-Baggins.

Quotes

Count Duckula: Mrs. Grab? I know your unmarried sister, Miss Take.

Count Duckula: (after he is thrown out) And I never had the dessert! (immediately gets a pie thrown at his face)

Credits

Voices: David Jason, Jack May, Brian Trueman, Jimmy Hibbert, Ruby Wax
Narrator: Barry Clayton
Written by Brian Trueman
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: José María Zumel, Ricardo Machuca, Miguel Angel Aisa, Manolo Almela, Juan Antonio Serrano, Miguel Angel Fuertes
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
Special Effects: Carlos Alfonso
Camera: Santiago Gomez, Victorio Gonzalez
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
Line Test: Eva Moreno, Sergio Alfonso
Production Control: Bob Burrows
Film Editor: Patrick Haggerty
Assistant Editor: Jane Hicks
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

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.