Roger and the Rottentrolls
(1996-2000)

TV Series

Country: UK

Genre: Children's, Comedy

Synopsis

A thousand years ago, in a strange valley where the rocks are all slightly mad, Merlin was trying to create a ski resort for King Arthur, when he picked up some strange Norwegian trolls in a snow cloud... Ever since, they have awaited their leader whose name they found mystically carved on a rock - Roger Was Ere. So when Roger Becket (aged 10?) stopped one day at the bottom of the valley and shouted "Roger Was 'Ere" the Rottentrolls knew that they had found their King. As well as ruling over the Rottentrolls, Roger teaches them about things such as sport and politics, and, in return, learns a few lessons himself. In Season 3, his little stepsister Kate becomes the Rottentroll's Princess, taking over the day-to-day running of the valley from the now overworked Roger.

Notes

• Comprising 36 roughly 10-minute episodes spread over four seasons, plus an 'Election Special'
• Written by Tim Firth, and based on characters created by his father Gordon Firth. A book, "The First Adventures of Roger and the Rottentrolls", by Tim Firth, was published by Stave House in 1994. It was commissioned by EMI and WH Smith, and intended as the first volume of a series, though later volumes never materialised.
• The pilot for this series was filmed in and around the old lead mines of the Yorkshire Dales by multi-award winning documentary director and cameraman Paul Beriff, as a gesture of support for the project.
• The first season of this series won the 1997 BAFTA for Best Children's Entertainment Show.
• This series had two television spin-offs: a half-hour special for the BBC named "Combat Sheep" (2001), based around the Rottentrolls character of Commander Harris; and a series for pre-school children called "Ripley and Scuff" (2002-2003), based round the eponymous pair of young Rottentrolls.

Reviews and Other Resources

• Watch the First Episode on YouTube
• Rottentrolls Fansite