The Black Pig sets sail with Peter Hawkins voicing every character from the pompous Captain Pugwash to his arch-rival Cut-Throat Jake. John Ryan created the tubby buccaneer for the Eagle comic in 1950, but the BBC commissioned the first animated shorts in 1957 using a cutout technique with levers behind the drawings. Hawkins recorded hidden behind a monitor so his facial contortions would not distract the animators, scribbling notes to remind himself which incidental voice came next.
Pugwash boasts of being the bravest pirate alive yet never commits actual piracy, relying instead on cabin boy Tom, the only crew member who can cook or navigate, to save the day. The mate mispronounces words, Barnabas grumbles, and simple sailor Willy from Wigan avoids violence altogether. Cut-Throat Jake captains the Flying Dustman, invariably richer and more competent, but still outwitted by luck rather than skill.
The black-and-white series ran sporadically until 1966, accompanied by Tom Edmondson’s 1954 solo accordion recording of the folk tune “Trumpet Hornpipe.” A colour revival in 1974 added 30 new episodes with Johnny Pearson’s fresh arrangement retitled “Shipshape.” Gullane Entertainment’s 1998 version introduced 26 traditionally animated stories, replacing Barnabas with Jamaican carpenter Jonah and giving Tom an Irish accent. Vivid Imaginations flooded toy shops with plush figures, yet Ryan’s daughter recalls her father’s wry observation that American children found the captain “too innocuous” to sell.
Production Details
BBC One / 2 Seasons / 88 Episodes / 1957
Created by: John Ryan
Main Cast
Peter Hawkins as Captain Horatio Pugwash / Master Mate
