Mop and Smiff
| Mop and Smiff | |
|---|---|
| Genre | animation/Children's |
| Created by | Mike Amatt |
| Written by | Mike Amatt |
| Directed by | Sid Waddell |
| Voices of | Timothy West (Mop), Prunella Scales (Smiff) |
| Theme music composer | Mike Amatt |
| Opening theme | "Two of a kind" |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Producer | David Brown |
| Running time | 15 minutes (Series) |
| Production company | BBC Manchester |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC1 |
| Release | 1985 – 1986 |
Mop and Smiff is a children's pre-school television programme, the first episode "The Hang Glider" was broadcast on 4 April 1985 on BBC1, the final episode "The Snow" aired on 1 January 1986. Repeats of the programme were shown on BBC2 until 1988. The show creator Mike Amatt also stars as himself with his dog Mop and cat Smiff.
Characters
Mop is a shaggy-haired sheepdog.
Smiff is a bright-eyed tabby cat.
Mike, their owner, is an artist and storyteller.
Setting
The show used a portmanteau format with a small cartoon show embedded inside a narrative. The show starts with detailing a day of Mike, Mop or Smiff in real camera recording format. When they return home later, Mike would use the day's events for artistic inspiration to draw a cartoon. The show cuts into Mike's imagined animated sub-story with Mop and Smiff as talking friends who care for each other and go on their own adventure.
Mike, Mop and the Moke
A spin-off series, Mike, Mop and the Moke, was produced in 1985, and featured Amatt and Mop driving to various seaside towns in an Austin Champ.[1]
Episodes
- The Hang Glider (4 April 1985):[2] Mop wishes a friend would drop in and Smiff goes chasing butterflies.
- The Seaside (18 April 1985):[3] Mop takes a boat trip and Smiff wishes he had kittens.
- The Special Day (2 May 1985):[4] Mop watches a wedding and Smiff dreams up a surprise.
- The Camp (9 May 1985):[5] Mop plays hide and seek and Smiff learns to be a guide.
- The Carnival (16 May 1985)[6]
- The Treasure (23 May 1985):[7] Mop turns detective and leads Smiff on a false scent.