Fabulous Films has announced that the complete series of 1970s animated series The Perishers will be coming to Blu-Ray and DVD on the 19th of May 2025. The show will appear in high definition for the first time, fully remastered from original 35mm film elements.
The release was first publicised in a pamphlet included in recent releases, but was only listed as “coming soon”.
What is The Perishers?
The Perishers began as a comic strip in the Daily Mirror, running between 1959 and 2006. It was written by Maurice Dodd and illustrated by Dennis Collins. The strip followed a group of neighbourhood children and a dog.
It was brought to television in 1979 by FilmFair and Bill Melendez Productions. The show originally aired on the BBC for a total of twenty episodes, each lasting five minutes. It was repeated regularly until 1988.
“Join Wellington, Marlon, Maisie, and Baby Grumpling—along with their loyal canine companions, BH and Boot—as they navigate the wonders and challenges of childhood. Together, they embark on exciting adventures in their neighbourhood, experiencing lifeʻs ups and downs with humour and heart.” Synopsis from Fabulous Films.
Sheila Steafel voiced the characters Maisie and Baby Grumpling, Leonard Rossiter voiced Boot, Judy Bennett voiced Wellington, and Peter Hawkins served as the narrator as well as voicing the characters Marlon and BH.
Episode Titles:
- Magic Mirror
- In the Cart
- A Life from the Ocean Wave
- A-Camping We Will Go
- A Fool and His Money aren’t as Easily Parted as You Think
- Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Bath?
- How to Train the Family Dog
- The Ugly Duckling
- Look Before It Leaps
- Spring Fever
- The Skateboard Champion
- The Wheeling and Dealing
- She May or She May Not
- Noblesse Oblige
- The War Games
- Well Blow Me Down
- Bone Champions
- The Rehabilitation of BH (Calcutta) Failed
- The Eyeballs in the Sky
- The Inch-Thick Ketchup Sandwich
Information About the Release
All twenty episodes of The Perishers have been “meticulously restored from the original 35mm film elements and are presented from high-definition masters”.
The set is presented in a nicely designed case featuring series artwork and the words “starring the fabulous Leonard Rossiter” underneath the title.
No special features have been announced thus far.
Elsewhere for Fabulous Films
Fabulous Films have been busy in the last two years issuing classic children’s TV on DVD and (occasionally) Blu-ray. They have previously issued restored editions of FilmFair’s ’70s adaptations of The Wombles and Paddington Bear.
There have also been releases from the Thames Television kids library, as Count Duckula, Danger Mouse, Wind in the Willows and Jamie and the Magic Torch.
Jamie’s Reaction
Despite being something of a hardcore fan of FilmFair’s output of the 70s and 80s, The Perishers has passed me by. It looks like a fun adaptation of the source material, with an art style seemingly similar to Peanuts and the Charlie Brown universe. This will be because the co-producer, Bill Melendez Productions, was involved in both!
The pre-order price is currently set at £14.99 for DVD and £19.99 for video. Given the amount of work that would’ve gone into restoring these five-minute shorts, I would say it was a fair price. Although I have no previous experience with this series, I may pick it up for my collection.
I’m hoping that if this release sells well, it’ll lead to more releases from the vast FilmFair library. My ultimate dream is for a proper remaster of The Herbs and The Adventures of Parsley the Lion, all tied into one set! Fingers crossed.
