Bertha at the Cartoon Archive
Bertha, Oh Lovely Bertha!
There were only ever thirteen episodes made of Bertha and not many people seem to remember the cartoon at all, but as a kid I loved it! Like several 'cartoons' on this site, Bertha isn't strictly speaking a cartoon, it's a stop-motion animation, with a surprising large cast of characters.
The main thing I remember about this cartoon was the theme tune, which was written by Bryan Daly and perhaps? sung by Roy Kinnear, who performed all of the male character's voices (with Sheila Walker fulfilling all the female roles).
Bertha was a huge, machine with an even bigger personality that was created and run by the Spottiswood and Co. Manufatcuring Company. The cartoon was made by Woodland Animations, who also made Postman Pat and Charlie Chalk! |
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Bertha
Bertha seems to be the only machine at the Spottiswood and Company factory. Despite looking a bit strange, Bertha was a very futuristic, hi-tec machine capapble of developing a range of goods - for example Garden Gnomes, Cuckoo Clocks, Spinning Tops, Jigsaw Puzzles etc.
Generaly each episode involved the factory being asked to produce a different item, there would then be some sort of problem (Bertha doesn't understand what's needed, or in one epsiode there are mice trapped inside her!), but by the end of the 15 minute cartoon 'Bertha always turns the goods out, always turns the goods out - we can depend upon you' |
Mr Duncan
Mr Duncan was the Foreman at Spottiswood and Company, and was the company's bureaucrat! Always seen with a clipboard he wanted everything doing by the book. |
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Panjid
Panjid was the fork-lift truck driver and was in charge of getting goods in and out of the depot. |
Miss McClackerty
Miss McClackerty was Mr Willmake's personal assistant. |
Ted Turner
Ted was the the engineer assigned to Bertha - he was normally the first to notice when something wasn't going to plan and if Bertha was upset! |
Mrs Tupp
Mrs Tupp was the heart of the operation, the Spottiswood and Co. Tea Lady. |
Tracy
Tracy was the designer, a cross between a graphics artitst and an engineer, she normally was the practical end of the Sprott/Tracy partnership. |
Mr Sprott
Mr Sprott was Bertha's chief designer. He designed all of the goods that Bertha produced, although Tracy often had a larger and more practical role to play. |
T.O.M.
T.O.M. is the talk operated machine - the Spottiswood Dogs-Body! T.O.M. is created in the first episode by Bertha (designed by Tracy) to help out around the factory. |
Roy Willing
A helpful if some what dim assistant for Ted! |
Nell
Nell works alongside Flo helping to get products ready for shipping (generally painting, wrapping and adding finishing flourishes to anything that Bertha produces). |
Mr WillMake
He's the boss! |
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Flo
Flo works alongside Nell getting everything ready to shipout of the factory. Judging on the speed thatthese two work, Spottiswood and Company wasn't a mass production outfit, but rather concentrated on quality products. |
Bertha
Sometimes Bertha looked a bit scary to me as a kid!
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Bertha: The Lyrics
Bertha, lovely Bertha, you are a lovely machine
Any anyone who works with you will know just what I mean.
Bertha, lovely Bertha, sometimes I think you're a dream, when we work out what you have to do . . .
You can always turn the goods out, always turn the goods out, we can depend upon you!
Clicking in the day and flashing in the night, your computer is shining brightly,
Some people say you've a mind of your own, and I think that's very likely, likely.
Bertha, lovely Bertha, sometimes I thing you're a dream, when we work out what you have to do . . .
You can always turn the goods out, always turn the goods out, we can depend upon you!
Bertha: Credits and Facts
Originally Aired: April 1985- June 1986
Developed By: Eric Charles and Stephen Flewers
Voices: Roy Kinnear and Sheila Walker
Produced By: Ivor Wood (Woodland Animations)
Number of Episodes: 13
Episode Length: 15mins
Music & Lyrics: Bryan Daly
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Bertha: Episode Guide
This is the first bertha episode, and it sets the pattern for the rest - Bertha is causing trouble! Bertha is making jigsaws, but deliberately keeping some pieces fro herself, so that she can make her own pictures. This means that Ted, nell and Flo have to re-assemble each jigsaw to make sure no pieces are missing. In the meantime upstairs Mr WillMake and Ms McClackerty are re-painting the manager's office at Spottiswood. Tracy decides to design a small robot helper (see T.O.M. above) to help them withthe task. Tracy designs T.O.M. and Bertha builds him.
Bertha is making money boxes that look like windmills. When you put money in the boxes they play a musical tune (if you look out for it you will see that Mr Sprott's money box plays the Postman Pat theme - which is another animation by Woodland Animations). Roy realises that once you've put the money in the box there's no way to get it out again!
Panjid finda out that all the cardboard boxes and packaging has been eaten by mice - Mr Sprott programmes Bertha to capture the culprits by making mouse traps!
Bertha has a rival - Mr Duncan brings in a new machine called the Super Bumper Compressor to make 'the most unusual toy challenge' set by Mr WillMake. However don't worry Bertha sees the competitor off!
A magnet fries T.O.M's brain and so he scares the rest of the Spottiswood factory by disappearing!
Bertha is producing Flying Bears for the factory this week, but they keep ongetting larger and larger - what is happening?
Bertha has a faulty lever, and only Mrs Tupp the Tea Lady can save the day!
Mr Duncan is walking around the factory with his clipboard trying to gain efficiencies through a time and motion study. Oblivious to all of this Bertha is making garden gnomes, which Flo and Nell are painting, including a special gnome with a turban for Panjid!
Bertha has an order for 365 springs, but Roy and Ted face some problems with the twanging steel for th esprings, meaning that they won't stop springing!
Two burgalrs are trying to steal the factory's wages, but their plans are foiled by Bertha and T.O.M. Meanwhile Bertha is making kangaroo toys, Ted set sone off, which won't stop jumping and sets all th eother boxes of kangaroos bouncing around the factory!
This week Bertha is making Cuckoo Closk, when Mrs McClackerty makes a discovery - it's Bertha's Birthday!
Bertha is making beach balls, but unfortunately she gets a cold. Bertha is so cold that the beach balls she is making look like snowballs!
This is the last episode of Bertha ever made! Mrs Tupp is angry about a new machine that gets delivered to the factory, but T.O.M. thinks he's made a new friend! |
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