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The Wind in the Willows is a 52-episode TV series that originally aired between 1984 and 1987, based on characters from Kenneth Grahame's classic story The Wind in the Willows and following the 1983 film The Wind in the Willows. It was made by animation company Cosgrove Hall for Thames Television and shown on the ITV network. An hour-long feature, A Tale of Two Toads, aired in 1989, and further season of 13 episodes was aired in 1990 under the title Oh! Mr Toad in some countries, whilst retaining the title The Wind in the Willows in others.

The series stars David Jason as Toad, Sir Michael Hordern as Badger, Peter Sallis as Rat (replacing Ian Carmichael who voiced Rat in the original 1983 film), and Richard Pearson as Mole. Ian Carmichael remained in the series, re-cast as the narrator.

The series is sometimes misidentified as being filmed in claymation, which is incorrect. The method used by Cosgrove Hall is a stop-motion animation process using scale model sets and poseable character figurines. The figurines are composed of an articulate metal skeleton (armature) covered in latex rubber, providing the flexibility and the detail which distinguishes the series.

Stone Roses guitarist John Squire worked on this series for Cosgrove Hall.

The popular theme song - based on the original instrumental theme to the original film - was sung by British singer-songwriter Ralph McTell.

Contents 1 Episode titles 2 Cast 3 Credits 4 DVD releases 4.1 DVD (Region 2) 4.2 DVD (Region 1) 5 External links

Movie (1983)

Series One (1984)

• The Further Adventures of Toad
• The Kidnapping of Toad
• The Ghost at Mole End
• The Great Steamer
• Buried Treasure
• Mole's Cousin
• The Grand Annual Show
• The Open Road Again
• Wayfarers All
• The Weasel's Trap
• Burglary at Toad Hall
• The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
• The Yuletide Entertainment

Series Two (1985)

• Winter Sports
• Toad, Photographer
• The Rescue
• Bankruptcy
• The Storm
• Patient Toad
• The Labyrinth
• Harvest
• Auberon's Return
• The Great Golfing Gamble
• Gadget Mad
• May Day
• Fancy Dress

Series Three (1986)

• Paperchase
• Mercury of the Motorcycle
• Mr Toad's Telephone
• Toad, Astronomer
• Caught in a Maze
• School Days- The riverbank youngsters are not at school, because their teacher is indisposed. Badger decides to start a makeshift school. Toad, Mole, Ratty and himself will each take some of the children for lessons. Toad's lessons go badly wrong, and students soon start leaving his class and asking to join one of the other animals'. This is because of Toad's lack of academic knowledge- he thinks Columbus won the Battle of Trafalgar!
• Badger's Remedy
• Masterchef
• Fire at Toad Hall
• Unlikely Allies
• A Producer's Lot
• Champion of the Green Baize
• Winter Haunts

Series Four (1987)

• Auld Lang Syne
• Bricks and Mortar
• The Lost River
• The Tournament
• Lord Toad
• Hot Air
• Fighting Fit
• Hall for Sale
• Toad's Harvest
• Monster of the Wild Wood
• Remember, Remember
• Tunnels and Tremors
• Happy New Year

A Tale Of Two Toads (1989)

Series Five (1990)

• The Chief's Return
• Oarsman Toad- Toad decides to enter the "Home-Made Boat Competition" in the River Bank Regatta. However, he can't be bothered to build a boat, and therefore decides to buy one and attempt to pass it off as his own. This plan fails, and he decides to build a boat just to spite the cynical Badger. His first attempt at building a boat fails, but the Weasels offer to help him build another one. But can they be trusted?
• Midsummer Night's Disaster- Toad decides to produce the Summer Entertainment, after Badger, who usually does the job, decides to take a year off. Toad decides to do a drastically re-written version of Shakespeare's, "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The show includes Oberon, the Fairy Queen, but it turns out to be Robin Hood in disguise. Mole plays Friar Tuck, and Ratty is the Sherrif of Nottingham, but the Chief Weasel and his bumbling henchman are out to sabotage the production.
• The Compleat Bungler- Toad takes up fishing. Badger, unusually, encourages this obsession, and offers to give him a lesson in fly-fishing. Toad refuses, and goes to London to buy the finest fishing tackle money can buy. With Toad Hall unattended, the weasels decide to steal Toad's motorbike. Will Toad's attempts at fishing be up to scratch?
• Mr. Toad of 'The Times'- Annoyed that there is no mention of his speech in the local newspaper, Toad decides to write his own. He interviews his "friends", but they have nothing exciting enough for a newspaper to tell him. However, Toad finally gets the paper together and sets out to make copies of it with his new printing press. Will it work out? The action of this episode is interspersed with Toad's fantasies about when his newspaper is a success- a semi-regular character, a young rabbit named Billy, is seen shouting "Read all about it!", as he attempts to sell "The Toad Hall Times".

• Toad in Motion
• Piano-Roll Toad
• Gypsy Toad
• Hip-Hip Soirée!- Unimpressed by Badger's intellectual slide show, Toad decides to hold a soiree at Toad Hall. He starts with a game of charades, but when his opening "Three Musketeers" charade goes wrong, he calls a halt and suggest they play "Pin The Tail On The Donkey" instead. This plan goes awry when a blindfolded host falls down a flgiht of stairs. Badger suggests an impressions game, but Ratty's impression of Toad offends him, and he storms off to bed, vowing never to speak to them again. He then has a strange dream.
• Happy Birthday!
• A Toad in Time- Toad decides to build a time machine. His "friends" think that his latest project is doomed to failure. Undaunted, Toad sets to work. He falls asleep and dreams of being Robin Hood, and then Julius Caesar. His "friends" wake him up, but he is convinced he realy did go back in time.
• Toad in Love- Toad falls in love with a singer he sees at a music hall- Lottie D'Urbeville (who never actually appears). Badger discovers that she is married- how can he break it to Toad gently?
• Toad: Film Maker

• The Narrator (Ian Carmichael)

Main Characters

• Mole (Richard Pearson)
• Rat (Peter Sallis)
• Toad (David Jason)
• Badger (Michael Hordern)
• Chief Weasel (David Jason)
• Weasel Henchman (Brian Trueman) - the Chief's second-in-command; known for his catchphrase, "Very nice, very nice!".

Recurring Characters

• Otter
• Portly
• Billy Rabbit (David Jason) - A young rabbit who lives in the Wild Wood.
• Auberon Mole - Mole's cousin; in the series, is a well-known playwright, and the focus of the episodes "Mole's Cousin" and "Auberon's Return".
• Ms Carrington-Moss (Beryl Reid) - The magistrate in the movie; she appears in the episodes, "The Grand Annual Show" and "Burglary at Toad Hall".
• Reggie and Rosemary - The owners of the stolen motor car in the movie; they appear in the episodes, "The Grand Annual Show" and "Burglary at Toad Hall".

• From the Book by: Kenneth Grahame
• Written by: Brian Trueman, Rosemary Anne Sisson
• Voices: Richard Pearson, Peter Sallis, Sir Michael Hordern, David Jason
• Narrated by: Ian Carmichael
• Other Voices: Delia Corrie, Daphne Oxenford, Brian Southwood, Kate Lee, Brian Trueman, Jimmy Hibbert
• Animators: Andrea Lord, Paul Berry, Barry Purvis, Stewart Sutcliffe, Sue Pugh
• Model Characters Designed and Sculpted by: Brian Cosgrove, Bridget Appleby
• Model Characters Constructed by: Peter Saunders, Noel Baker, Colin Batty, Peter Bentley, Clare Elliott, Marcia Pidgeon, Bridget Smith, Ian Mackinnon
• Models, Sets and Props: Chris Walker, Graham G. Malden, Jim Bridge, Pippa Greenwood, Rick Kent, Paul Simpson, Jeff Spain, Rowena Watson, Jerry Andrews
• Costume Design: Nigel Cornford
• Costume Assistant: Helen Plaumer
• Illustration: Beverley Bush
• Stills Photography: Richard Smiles
• Music Composed by: Keith Hopwood, Malcolm Rowe
• Arranged by: Brian Ibbetson
• Wind in the Willows Sung by: Ralph McTell
• Lighting Camera: Jerry Andrews, Joe Dembinski
• Model Camera and Firework Effects: Bryan Parsley
• Rostrum Camera: Frank Hardie
• Dubbing Mixer: Ted Spooner
• Film Editor: Nibs Senior
• Assistant Editor: Leo Casserly
• Associate Producer: Chris Taylor
• Executive Producer: John Hambley
• Produced by: Mark Hall, Brian Cosgrove
• Directed by: Jackie Cockle, Francis Vose
• © Cosgrove Hall Productions Ltd

• The Movie (1983)
• The Four Seasons - A 4-disc boxset, split into the four seasons, with three episodes for each season, selected from the first four series of the show.
  • Spring - The Great Steamer, The Lost River, Paper Chase
  • Summer - Grand Annual Show, Toad: Photographer, The Great Golfing Gamble
  • Autumn - The Harvest, Monster of the Wild Wood, Remember, Remember
  • Winter - Winter Sports, The Rescue, The Yuletide Entertainment
• The Complete Series 1 - released on 26th March 2007
• The Complete Series 2 - released on 25th June 2007

• The Movie (1983)
• A Tale of Two Toads (1989)
• The Feature Films Collection - A compendium of The Movie and A Tale of Two Toads.
• The Complete First Series
• The Complete Second Series
• The Wind in the Willows Four-Pack - Includes both feature films, and the complete first and second series.

• The Wind in the Willows at the Internet Movie Database

• Willows and Beyond Fan Site

• Cosgrove Hall Animation Studio Site (under construction)