The Adventures of Portland Bill

Characters

• Portland Bill: lighthouse keeper
• Ross and Cromarty : his assistants
• Dogger: his dog

• Fastnet: fisherman, lives on the island
• Mrs. Lundy: owns cottage on mainland
• Grandma Tiree: makes oatcakes for the lighthousemen
• Inspector Ronaldsway: belongs to the lighthouse service
• Finisterre: owns a croft
• Eddy Stone: owns the village shop; also is the village's milkman, mayor, postman, meter-reader and policeman.
• Young Gail: lives in McGuillycuddy

  Places

• McGuillycuddy: a village on the mainland overlooking the lighthouse island: named after the real MacGillycuddy's Reeks in Ireland

  Location

Boats

• The Puffin: rowboat, belongs to Portland Bill.
• The Kipper: used by Eddy Stone and Inspector Ronaldsway.

  Animals

• Flotsam, Jetsam: two sheep
• Boulmer: bull

  Credits

• Originated by: John Grace
• Director of Animation: Barry Leith
• Designed by: John Grace, Barry Leith
• Assistant Animators: Humphrey Leadbitter, Heather Boucher
• Model Makers: Martin Cheek, Gordon Tait, Linda Thodesen
• Music by: John Grace, Mik Parsons
• Editor: Robert Dunbar
• Assistant Editor: Andi Sloss
• Production Coordinator: Barrie Edwards
• Stories Adapted for TV by: Ian Sachs
• Executive Producer: Graham Clutterbuck

• Originated by: John Grace
• Director of Animation: Humphrey Leadbitter
• Designed by: John Grace, Barry Leith
• Assistant Animator: Martin Cheek
• Model Makers: Martin Cheek, Jo Pierpoint White, Gordon Tait
• Music by: John Grace, Mik Parsons
• Lighting by: Ted Martin
• Edited by: Andrew Sloss
• Assisted by: Richard Ireland
• Producer: Barrie Edwards
• Production Assistant: Mark Woodroffe
• Executive Producer: Graham Clutterbuck

Transmission guide

• Changeable Weather – When Ross and Cromarty's efforts to paint the lighthouse end in slapstick fun, they conjure up rain and snow effects to keep Portland Bill inside.
• The Tourists – Portland Bill visits McGuillycuddy and makes the tourists' day trip a memorable one.
• The Fishing Match – When Ross and Cromarty stage a fishing match they catch more than they bargained for.
• The Seaweed Clock – How does Portland Bill manage to tell the time by his seaweed clock?
• Portland Bill's Busy Day – Portland Bill has a day off on the mainland and manages to help all his friends with their jobs.
• The Sea Monster – Laughter on the night watch when Ross and Cromarty find a sea monster in the living room.
• Bedtime For Cromarty – Portland Bill recommends an effective but most unusual remedy for Cromarty's hiccups.
• The Birthday Surprise – Eddy Stone's delivery day has a surprise in store for him at the lighthouse on the Guillemot Rock.
• The Jam Session – Cromarty and Finisterre's unexpected jam session in the lighthouse turns into musical mayhem when Portland Bill joins in on the bagpipes.
• An Inspector Calls – The assistant keepers do everything wrong when the lighthouse inspector calls but Portland Bill is pleased with his final report.
• Important Message – A misunderstood semaphore message results in a slap-up tea for the lighthouse keepers.
• Buried Treasure – Cromarty finds more than he bargained for when he embarks on a treasure hunt in the village of McGuillycuddy.
• Atmospheric Interference – Cromarty's weather forecasting kit comes in handy on the day of the cup final.
• Dogger's Best Trick – When the water pipe in McGuillycuddy is threatening to burst, Dogger the dog manages to save the day but he takes the sausages when he tries to get Eddy Stone's attention.
• A Knot For Everything – Portland Bill's ability to tie all sorts of knots is tested on his visit to McGuillycuddy.
• The Wind Powered Vacuum Cleaner – Cromarty invents a wind powered vacuum cleaner to speed up spring cleaning in the lighthouse. All is fine until the wind changes direction.
• The Good News Storm – Ross and Cromarty find out that even the fiercest storm can be good news on the Guillemot Rock.
• The Whistling Kettle – A whistling kettle helps Eddy Stone to pacify a runaway bull.
• Baking Day – Cromarty's expertise as a chef comes into question on the day that Eddy Stone's boat loses its anchor.
• Bird Watching – A penguin's visit to the lighthouse has chaotic results, but Ross and Cromarty are too busy bird-watching to notice.
• The Lost Key – The keepers search high and low for a special lighthouse key. Valencia the parrot and Dogger the dog know where it is all the time.
• Sick As A Parrot – It's riotous laughter for all when Cromarty and Valencia the parrot find that they have something in common.
• Portland Bill And The Mermaid – Ross and Cromarty refuse to believe in mermaids until they meet one face to face.
• The Big Shopping List – The order from the oil rig is the biggest that Eddy Stone has ever had but he is able to fill it with some help from Portland Bill.
• The Day The Sea Froze – The lighthouse keepers use spectacular methods to keep warm on the day that the sea freezes around the Guillemot Rock.
• The Fishermen's Ball – Poster pasting ends in fun and laughter at the fishermen's ball.

• The Guided Tour – Ross and Cromarty await the Lighthouse Inspector only to find they're besieged by tourists.
• Beach Combers – Miss Shannon so longs to own her own pottery, what can Portland Bill do to help?
• The Foggy Day – Bill jokes that the incoming fog will bring King Neptune to the lighthouse.
• Kite Flying – It's a windy day in the village of McGuillycuddy, ideal kite flying weather.
• Football Pie – After mistaking a pumpkin for a football, Ross and Cromarty have a surprise treat for tea.
• Gone Fishing – Ross and Cromarty have a fishing match but what they catch certainly isn't edible.
• Bad Dogger – Dogger is acting very strangely, barking at everybody, what can be wrong?
• The Garden Party – Bill invites all his friends to a Garden Party at the lighthouse, but he doesn't have a garden.
• A Quiet Night – Being on nightwatch at the Lighthouse can be a bit boring, except when something goes wrong.
• The Phantom Piper – Strange music is heard in the village, could the Legend Of The Phantom Piper be true.
• Forty Winks – Eddie Stone is so tired he falls asleep, but he's at sea and there's a storm blowing.
• Last Jam Tart – Whoever finishes their work first gets the last Jam Tart, but who will it be?
• Penguins – Bill's orders to Ross are, Don't feed the penguins, but surely one little biscuit can't hurt.
• Super Sale – Eddie Stone decides to have a Super Sale at his shop.
• Painting The Lighthouse – Cromarty tries his hand at being an artist.
• Hot Gossip – A Royal welcome is in store for Valencia the parrot, when she's mistaken for a Princess.
• Good Ideas – Cromarty has a list of chores to do before Bill and Ross get back from the mainland.
• Sky High – Ross and Cromarty take a ride of a lifetime when they open a package they shouldn't.
• Weather Forecast – Whatever day Cromarty chooses to do the washing it always seems to rain.
• Dogger To The Rescue – Dogger hates having a bath, but loves a swim in the sea, which is just as well for Bill.
• St. Bozo's Treasure – Ross and Cromarty decide to go out hunting for treasure.
• The Runaway Sheep – Chaos is caused the day Finisterre's sheep escape in the village.
• The Sea Chest – When Ross and Cromarty have a fishing match, Cromarty decides to cheat.
• The Big Catch – Fastnet bets he can catch more in his fishing nets than Bill, but can he?

  Trivia

• The series was narrated by actor of Spooner's Patch and Big Jim and the Figaro Club, Norman Rossington.
• In the US, the show was redubbed in 1990 by Canadian voice actor Garry Chalk, and was broadcast on Disney Channel
• The show also aired on ABC in Australia. However, whereas two episodes were shown back-to-back in the UK, each episode was screened individually in Australia.
• Each broadcast consisted of two episodes back-to-back connected by a song. Unfortunately, the songs are not featured on the VHS and DVD releases, but one song, 'Eddy's Song' has been uploaded on YouTube.

  VHS releases

DVD Releases