Gordon Murray's Non-Rubovian Puppet Plays & Series
by  BBC Television Puppet Theatre, later renamed the BBC Puppet Theatre,

Points of Interest: Filmed in the same ‘tin shed’ at Lime Grove, as later used by Gordon Murray for his “Rubovian Legends” television series. Gordon Murray was the puppeteer for Spotty Dog for the first several episodes. The first ‘Watch With Mother’ series to give the puppets their own voices. Narration was minimal, with the action driven by inter-character dialogue, in complete contrast to the mute Andy Pandy where the narrator spoke directly to the young viewers, and the gibberish-talking Bill and Ben where the narrator merely told the story.

A puppet play with music.

Written and composed by John Hunter-Blair
Voices: The Queen of Livonia - Joyce Blackham; Prince Florizel of Livonia - Richard Dawson; an Indian - Forbea Robinson; Princess Almira of Lorraine - Myra Lowdon; the Sultan of Turkey - Oliver Burt; the waiting woman - Penelope Bartley.
Puppeteers: Audrey Atterbury, Molly Gibson, Joan Garrick, Elizabeth Donaldson, Elizabeth Thorndike, Gordon Murray.
Designer: Claude Whatham
Directed by Shaun Sutton.
Joyce Blackham courtesy of Sadler's Well's Trust.
Richard Dawson courtesy of Royal Opera House, Covent Gardens.

Written by Joy Martin
Produced by Gordon Murray
Voices: Violet Lamb, Peter Hawkins, Dorothy Gordon, Noel Coleman.
Puppeteers: Audrey Atterbury, Molly Gibson, Elizabeth Thorndike, Bob Bura, John Hardwick.
Music arranged by Tom McCall, and played by Winifred Taylor.
Puppets and settings by Andrew Brownfoot. 

Larry the Lamb and Danny the Dog agree to sell some of Mr. Artist's paintings in the streets of Toytown. Mr. Mayor is most impressed with the paintings that Larry has, and asks him to come to the town hall and paint his portrait. Larry does not tell Mr. Mayor that he did not paint the pictures, which puts Larry, Danny, and Mr. Artist in a tricky situation.

A Toytown play by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 
Produced by Gordon Murray
Voices: Madi Hedd, Peter Hawkins, Noel Coleman, Roy Skelton
Puppeteers: Audrey Atterbury, Molly Gibson, Elizabeth Thorndike, Bob Bura, John Hardwick.
Settings by Andrew Brownfoot, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 
Puppets by Gordon Murray, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 

A detective story that tries to discover who painted the Mayor's statue with green paint. Larry the Lamb and Dennis the dog who had been splashing about in the Arkville town fountain are prime suspects, until a trail of green paint footprints implicates Mr. Growser who is painting his shop in the same colour of green. However, Mr. Growser suggests speaking to the seller of the paint. 

A Toytown play by S.G. Hulme Beaman.
Produced by Gordon Murray
Voices: Madi Hedd, Peter Hawkins, Noel Coleman, Roy Skelton
Puppeteers: Audrey Atterbury, Molly Gibson, Elizabeth Thorndike, Bob Bura, John Hardwick.
Settings by Andrew Brownfoot, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 
Puppets by Gordon Murray, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 

A Toytown play by S.G. Hulme Beaman.
Produced by Gordon Murray
Voices: Madi Hedd, Peter Hawkins, Noel Coleman, Roy Skelton
Puppeteers: Audrey Atterbury, Molly Gibson, Elizabeth Thorndike, Bob Bura, John Hardwick.
Settings by Andrew Brownfoot, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 
Puppets by Gordon Murray, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 

Radio comes to Toytown in a big way.

A Toytown play by S.G. Hulme Beaman.
Produced by Gordon Murray
Voices: Madi Hedd, Peter Hawkins, Noel Coleman, Roy Skelton
Puppeteers: Audrey Atterbury, Molly Gibson, Elizabeth Thorndike, Bob Bura, John Hardwick.
Settings by Andrew Brownfoot, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 
Puppets by Gordon Murray, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 

A Toytown play by S.G. Hulme Beaman.
Produced by Gordon Murray
Voices: Madi Hedd, Peter Hawkins, Noel Coleman, Roy Skelton
Puppeteers: Audrey Atterbury, Molly Gibson, Elizabeth Thorndike, Bob Bura, John Hardwick.
Settings by Andrew Brownfoot, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 
Puppets by Gordon Murray, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 

A puppet play featuring Larry the Lamb.

A Toytown play by S.G. Hulme Beaman.
Produced by Gordon Murray
Voices: Madi Hedd, Peter Hawkins, Noel Coleman, Roy Skelton
Puppeteers: Audrey Atterbury, Molly Gibson, Elizabeth Thorndike, Bob Bura, John Hardwick, Hendrik Baker.
Settings by Andrew Brownfoot, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 
Puppets by Gordon Murray, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 

A Toytown play by S.G. Hulme Beaman.
Produced by Gordon Murray
Voices: Peter Hawkins, Roy Skelton, Derek Nimmo
Puppeteers: Audrey Atterbury, Molly Gibson, Elizabeth Thorndike, Bob Bura, John Hardwick.
Settings by Andrew Brownfoot, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 
Puppets by Gordon Murray, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 

Children's puppet play featuring Larry the Lamb, Dennis the Dachshund and the other inhabitants of Toytown.

A Toytown play by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 
Produced by Gordon Murray
Voices: Margaret Ward, Noel Coleman, Peter Hawkins, Ivan Owen 
Puppeteers: Audrey Atterbury, Molly Gibson, Elizabeth Thorndike, Bob Bura, John Hardwick.
Settings by Andrew Brownfoot, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 
Puppets by Gordon Murray, from illustrations by S.G. Hulme Beaman. 

Adapted by Gordon Murray from the story by Hans Christian Anderson.
Voices: Peter Hawkins & Derek Nimmo.
Puppeteers: Audrey Atterbury, Molly Gibson, Elizabeth Thorndike, Bob Bura, John Hardwick.
Music composed and conducted by Reginald Redman.
Puppets and production by Gordon Murray

Point of Interest: In his Memories of Rubovia  (see excerpt from Prehistory of Trumptonshire in the Production section), Andrew Brownfoot recalled that when telerecording and colour TV was being developed, The Emperor's Nightingale was selected by the BBC's Head of Design as an example of the glories of colour. Andrew believes that somewhere in the BBC archives there may still exist this one full-colour example of the BBC Puppet Theatre's work, complete with specially composed orchestral music performed live in the TV studio.

Produced by Gordon Murray.

Source: DoP;
BBC Infax

1st tx from TR: 27th April,  1958

The fairytale classic in which a vain Emperor spends all his money on clothes.

Marionette play.
Written and produced by Gordon Murray.
With Bob Bura, John Hardwick, Roy Skelton, John Cronin, David Sutton, James Beattie, Stanley Platts, Fanny Carby.
Settings and costumes by Andrew Brownfoot.
Puppets by Gordon Murray.
A BBC Telerecording.

From Hans Christian Andersen's story. 

A Toytown play by S.G. Hulme Beaman.
Produced by Gordon Murray

The Winkleburg Armourer,
hammer in hand, at his anvil.

Set in an imaginary village somewhere in Europe, this play tells the story of a famous armourer, who is renowned for his magnificent workmanship, but whose great energy and skill is due to a steady consumption of doughnuts. When the armourer gets a big contract from the Emperor, his supply of doughnuts happens to get cut off, with unfortunate results.  

Written & produced by Gordon Murray
Puppet Players: Audrey Atterbury, Pamela Binns, Violet Lamb, Noel Coleman, Derek Nimmo, James Beattie, Roy Skelton, David Sutton, Peter Sutton.
Music by Josef Strauss, played by Patrick Harvey.
Settings & costumes by Andrew Brownfoot.
Puppets by Gordon Murray.

BBC Programme
No. LCH7253S

A marionette operetta for television by composer Richard Arnell

Words by Bryan Guiness
Singers & Puppet Players: Dorothy Dorow, Trevor Anthony, Raimund Herinex, Howard Davies, Barbara Howitt, Roy Skelton, Audrey Atterbury, John Hardwick, Bob Bura, James Beattie
Music played by The Victorian Ensemble
Conducted by the composer
Piano, Tom McCall
Flute, clarinet, bassoon, percussion, celesta, violin, cello
Settings & costumes by Andrew Brownfoot
Musical Advisor: John Hunter-Blair
Puppets & production by Gordon Murray, for BBC Children's TV

Adapted by Gordon Murray
Puppet Players:  Audrey Atterbury, John Hardwick, Bob Bura, Violet Lamb, Roy Skelton, James Beattie, Noel Coleman
Music by Tom McCall
Settings & costumes by Andrew Brownfoot
Puppets, and direction by Gordon Murray

Puppet Players:  Audrey Atterbury, John Hardwick, Bob Bura, Dorothy Gordon, James Beattie, Roy Skelton, Noel Coleman
Music by Tom McCall
Clarinet, Frederick Lowe
Settings & costumes by Andrew Brownfoot
Puppets, production, and direction by Gordon Murray

Puppeteers:  Audrey Atterbury, John Hardwick, Bob Bura
Voices: Roy Skelton, James Beattie, Derek Nimmo, Noel Coleman
Music composed by Richard Arnell
Costumes by Andrew and Margaret Brownfoot
Settings by Hazel Martingell
Puppets, production, and direction by Gordon Murray

Puppeteers:  Audrey Atterbury, John Hardwick, Bob Bura
Voices: Pamela Binns, Violet Lamb, Eric Shilling, Hamilton Dyce, Roy Skelton, Noel Coleman
Music composed by Freddie Phillips
Costumes and settings by Hazel Martingell
Puppets, production, and direction by Gordon Murray