Paddington 1976 TV Series "A Shopping Expedition" Review

Paddington really is a character that needs no introduction as thanks to the live action films alot of people seem to know who he is. Yet those same people nine times out of ten don't realise that there was ana animated show with the character and yet it's that show that I find to be really enjoyable so much so that I got the DVD of it for Christmas and will continue to do reviews based off of the series until it's all done and so then join me as I review the episode that sees Paddington go shopping with the episode in question being called simply just "A Shopping Expedition" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is Paddington , Mrs. Brown and Judy Brown go shopping to help find Paddington some pajamas. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good with the episodes plot being as delightfully simple as you'd expect from his show and yet this is something that doesn't hold the episode back as the episodes plot does shine in how simple it is die to the fact that it allows the characters to be charming and for the world of this show to be more charming because of it with this something that might not be possible if the episode had a more complicated plot and heck even all of the live actions films knew to keep the plot simple as that is something that would allow there characters to be simple and while yes the plots of the films do have to be epic in a sense due to the fact that they are films and we expect that from them we don't have that which is something that does mean a plot that really should be simple remains exactly that simple as a plot about someone going shopping doesn't scream high end gripping television and yet the episodes plot works due to how simple it is as alot of the British public even today can relate to going to shopping to buy any clothes not just pajamas with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Starring in this episode is of course Sir Michael Hordern with him even doing something that was totally unexpected. Which is instead of using his usual voice for all of the characters something which he would normally do for this show he does give some of the characters there own unique voices as he gives the salesclerk a more posh sounding voice whilst the store manager is given a more upper class voice but one that's not quite as posh as the sales clerks voice which is something that does make sense as this show is meant to be London and therefor the owners of these types of stores would have more posh sounding voices as would alot of the people that work for them and yet it's also something that makes you wonder why he didn't give the rest of the shows characters there own unique voices as he does nothing to alter his voice when he's playing the Brown family which is fine as he's essentially reading us a story and serving as a storyteller for the show think of the early Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends and what the storytellers on that show usually did as that's what Sir Michael Hordern is doing here in this show and it is something he does really well as he has a splendid voice for animation as his voice is one that is soothing and is relaxing for kids to hear but at the same time tho it would always help if he did give more of the characters in this episode there own unique voice as that would make it alot more easier for us the audience to work out whom is talking and when but to be fair given that he's a narrator for the show it's not really something that he has to do as the episode does work just fine the way that it is but it is something that would make the episode better as it would stop alot of the characters from sounding the same.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. With it being made clear as day that the episodes only actor is having alot of fun doing the show as you wouldn't really go to the lengths of giving the characters even if there just small one off characters there own unique sounding voice if you weren't having fun doing the show in the first place with that fun really shining through in Sir Michael Horderns performance with him quite literally being the voice for this show and the fact that the makers of this show managed to get an established actor to do this kids is something that does speak wonders to the character of Paddington Bear as a whole with the episodes best actor also of course being it's only actor as it's clear as day that Sir Michael Hordern really was the best choice to do the voice over work for this show as he speaks his lines with such passion and grace that it almost comes across as him being a fan of the character with him therefor wanting to turn in a good performance because of it and while yes it does help that he was a good actor in his own right the fact that he still managed to turn in a good performance not only in this show but in this episode is still something that is worth talking about with the acting that's in this very episode really being helped by the fact that the script for this episode is just so good that all this episodes actor has to do is just say the lines as they are written and a good performance will come out of him naturally something which does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode.

Doing the animation for this episode really is the legends and the greats that are currently over at FilmFair. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good with the episodes animation being of a really high quality in this episode with all of the 2D characters getting some really nice and fluid movements to them which was something that was kind of a surprise as it make you wonder how they animated those characters in the first place due to the fact that the world that the show takes place in is a 3D world and yet you can tell that the animator Barry Leith had alot of fun in animating Paddington and alot of the other characters in the episode all of which are things that do come through in the final episode as while there aren't any impressive shots in this episode that make you wonder how it is that they managed to pull them off the episode purely from an animation point of view still looks really good and while yes granted the episodes animation does look a little bit more dated when compared to the CGI cartoons that kids get together it's the fact that it looks dated that adds a certain charm to the episode as you can see all of the blood , sweat and tears the animators poored into each and every frame of animation in this episode with that being something that you just don't get in more modern cartoons as all of them are now done entirely in CGI and because of that they lack personality and they lack charm so say what you will about this episode and it's animation but the one thing that you can't say is that it lacks charm and personality.

Speaking of charm that's the one thing that this episode is in spades as it's a very charming episode of the show. With this stemming from the fact that the episode does technically finish of a storyline that was started in episode two of this show with Paddington finally getting to London and getting his pajamas and yet what also helps to make the episode be all the more charming is that not only do we get to see Paddington messing things up in his lovable way but we also get to see how the outside world treats him as well something which was hinted at in the previous episode as well as we get to see the sales clerk get flustered when he sees that his customer is a bear who walks and talks and with the manager who gets confused when Paddington falls asleep in shop window bottom line there is plenty of charm to be found in this episode and while yes granted the episode isn't as charming as the first or even second episode for that matter this episode still does have moments in it that remind you of just how good that this show is and could be as we get to see Paddington , Mrs. Brown and Judy Brown all get to be there typical selves which is something that is more then enough for this episode to be a charm filled episode as the characters themselves are very charming characters that you want to see more of and while granted the episode doesn't go into there characters given that this episode is also technically finishing of a plot line it really doesn't have to as both the first and second episodes of this show did all that in the first place with this episode being alot more focused on just giving us these charming characters and letting them do what they do best which in this case results in what could have been seen as being fun episode now being one that's both fun and charming due to the fact that these lovable characters are just being there lovable charming selves.

If there's a few things that this episode gets wrong its the fact that the episode doesn't really take the time to show us how Paddington got himself confused and ended up in the shops store window in the first place. Which ranted is a very minor thing to bring up but it is something that serves as a plot point for the episode as it's due to the that that people start buying the pajamas from this one store in the first place and yet it's something that should have been shown to us the audience like maybe Paddington got himself a bit confused because of the fact that he couldn't really see where he was going and therefor chose the corridor that led to the store window in the first place as that then would have been something and it's somethin that would have made it more understandable in the first place with the other thing that the episode doesn't really get right is the fact that it doesn't show us much of the Browns in this episode which fair enough this is a show called Paddington and therefor he should of course be the main focus of all of these episodes but it still would have been nice to see both Mrs. Brown and Judy appear in more then just two scenes in the episode as that then would help to fully establish them as characters something which the episode could have done and while yes granted it might well have been this have in the book version as well which is fair enough is the show is meant to be adapting the books pretty much word for word but what works well in the books might not always work well in the show with this episode being a prime example of that as while yes this is a really good and funny episode in it's own it's those little things that make the episode feel like it could have been much more better then what it already was in the first place.

This is an episode that is the very definition of a nothing episode and yet this is not a bad thig at all as this episode is only one part of a larger story that being seeing Paddington adapt to life in his new home of London. With this episode and technically the next episode since they are both adaptions of stories from the first Paddington book called "A Bear Called Paddington" this episode is the one that does end the story as the next episode focuses on something else entirely with this episode not having that much going on plot wise as alot of it just revolves around Paddington getting some pajamas and that's it which for a kids show where the average episode of each episode was around five minuets is something that was to be expected but at the same time tho you do still expect there to be more things going on in the episode to help it earn that running time and while yes adapting the stories in order is something that does help with this as while the Browns are learning to trust Paddington so are we the audience it's not really something that goes the other way as we don't get to see Paddington learning to trust the Browns and while the episode doesn't need that as that's something that it could be argued was done in the previous two episodes given that none of this shows episodes touch upon that it still would have been nice to see them start that bond off in someway shape or form and this is the where the first movie does actually fit in really well as they do take the time to show us Paddington learning to trust in this case Mr. Brown and it's something that could have been in these first few episodes as well and while this episode does still work despite the fact that it's a nothing episode one can't help but wonder what this episode would have been like if we did get to see Mrs. Brown and Judy more in the episode and if they did get to play a more active role in the episodes plot.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly five minuets and one second. Which to be fair to this episode is pretty much the bogstandard running time for this shows regular episodes with the episode having more then plot there to cover that amount of running time in the first place as none of this shows episode really need that long of a running time in order to tell there stories as they are only adapting certain parts of the books and therefor they could tell those stories in a shorter running time and the episode would still feel like it had a very satisfactory ending to it and yet this episode really doesn't use it's running time all that wisely as the episode doesn't take the time to fully develop it's plot and while this is something that could be seen as being a bad thing it is something that does work well enough in the episodes favor as none of this shows episodes really need to fully develop each of there plots as there only adapting certain parts of the books and that's really it and to be fair those don't require plots that are well developed however the episode doesn't take the time to fully develop it's characters either which is something that the episode could have done but at the same time it also didn't need to do as it cold be argued that the other episodes did that which is something that would be fair enough but at the same time tho it would have been nice to find out something about Paddington something which would have made as this was a story from the characters debut book but at the same time it's not something that was needed in this episode tho but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho. 

So now then as this is a comedy that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. With this episode having some really funny jokes in it all of which are jokes that work really well as they feel like the kind of jokes that these characters would make which is something that does make this episodes feel very character driven with there not really being a bad joke in the episode as there all jokes that work and land really well in the episode all of which are thigs that do make this episode be all the more better and funnier then what it really had any right to be with the best joke in the hole entire episode being the entire act of the episode as we get to see Paddington get himself confused trying to find the stores dressing rooms only for him to fall asleep in the shops store window which is a really funny idea as it is something that Paddington would do given the fact that he hasn't seen one before now with the episode being filled to the brim with good jokes like Paddington giving the store clerk a hard stare when he starts to have an argument with Mrs. Brown or when he finds out that he slept in the store window he just says that he's been recognized which is a really cute joke and inface that's the best word to describe this episodes jokes as they are cute but they are cute in all of the best ways possible with the makers of this episode really making sure that all of the episodes jokes not only land but land hard in the process in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Overall this episode is a really good episode of the show as while not alot happens in this episode we still get to see the characters be there usual charming selfs as well as jokes that will make viewers both young and old laugh out loud as that's just how good that this episode and it's jokes really are in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly an 8 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from Amazon . Co . Uk and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very review being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them really being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images really are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Paddington 1976 TV Series "Paddington Goes Underground" Review

It really doesn't need to be said at this point as it's something that's becoming more and more obvious with each passing revie but i'm really loving this classic Paddington series. As the show does have alot of charm in all of it's episodes this is despite the fact hat the episodes are no longer then five minuets in length with the episode that i'm going to be talking to you all about today being a good example of an episode that makes alot of use out of having only handful of characters and really one main location and so then join me as I review the episode that sees Paddington try to go on a train with the episode in question being called simply "Paddington Goes Underground" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is when he , Judy and Mrs. Brown decide to go shopping they find that just getting down to the London tube station underground is more challenging for Paddington. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good with the very thing that makes this episodes plot as good as it is being the fact that it's simple as all the main plot of the episode is is just Paddington trying to get down the Escalator at Paddington Station and that's really it and that's all that it needed to be as that set up alone is more then enough to carry the plot of entire episode and with this show only adapting portions of certain Paddington books it does make sense that every once in a while you'd get a plot that's nothing more then just the basic set up for the episode and really nothing more then that and yet in saying this tho it would have helped the episode out a bit more if the plot of this episode was a bit more stronger not that it's weak by any means it's just that for an episode called "Paddington Goes Underground" we see very little of him on the London Underground with the episode more focused on showing us him struggling to get down the Escalator there in the first place which is still a good idea but at the same time tho it's also one that doesn't really allow for alot of plot to happen in the first place with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Starring in this episode is the shows only voice actor Sir Michael Hordern with it being made quite clear in this episode that he was the right choice to be the narrator for this show. As he does have kind of soothing voice that does fit the character of Paddington quite perfectly and while he doesn't really change his voice all that much when he's voicing the other characters he does enough to make it obvious that he's not talking as Paddington with that being something that does come up quite a bit in this episode as we see him give the female characters a more high pitched voices and yet he gives some of the Underground guards more of east end of London type of voice all of which are things that do fit there respective characters and yet at the same time tho this is a show that could have used more actors in it just to give him someone to bounce off of and while that's not needed as the show works just fine with him as the main actor but it is something that would have helped the other characters have more of a distinct voice as alot of the time you can tell that it's just the one man playing these characters which is something that does take you out of the episode and yet if the episode did have even just one more voice actor in it then it would have helped to make the world that this show takes place in feel more unique as it would have added more voices to the show but when all is said and done there was a reason why the makers of this show went with Michael as he does process a voice that is calming which in turn makes it feel like that he's reading us the audience a bedtime story and not just reading us the script to a TV show.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. With this films one and only actor doing a really good job of playing all of these different characters and yet making them all sound unique enough from another that not only will us the audience be able to tell just who is talking but so will the shows kid audience with Michael really being the best that the makers of this show could have got to play these character as he really is just so good not only in this episode but in the show as a whole with it being made obvious that he is a fan of the Paddington books with him even being the episodes best actor which granted he was always going to do as he's the shows only actor but it is something that does speak to his skill as an actor that he makes you believe that this bear is real and that's going on all of these adventures all the while he's still telling us this fun and charming story in a really smooth and calming voice when it would have been very easy for him to go over the top with his voices and really play up to the shows kid audience and yet episodes like this one do proof that you really don't need to play up to that audience with the acting that's in this episode really being helped by the fact that the script for this episode is just so good that all this episodes actor has to do is just say the lines as they are written and a good performance will come out of him naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode.

Doing the animation for this episode is the legends and the greats that really are currently over at FilmFair. Now then interms of what Impersonally thought / felt about the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good with this episodes animation more then matching up to the already high quality of animation that was seen in the previous two episodes something which was completely shocking as this whole first series was basically animated by the shows director Ivor Wood and yet there's not a dip in quality be it in the animation or in the shots that we get in the episode as while the shows 2D characters aren't given that much in the way of fluid movement that's only because of the fact that they don't really move alot in this episode with alot of the episodes human characters either just standing still or are shown from behind and yet when it comes to Paddington himself that's where the episodes animation really does begin to shin as he does have these really fluid movements to him that make it look like that he was actually there interacting with these human characters which were added in after the episode was finished with the episode even giving us some really creative shots that would have been very hard to get given the time that this show was being made which is something that does show you that the makers of this show really did know how best to show off there animation as alot of the shots in this episode are all about showing off the episodes animation.

What makes this episode stand out from alot of the other episodes of this show is the fact that for alot of this episode. We are just in the one location with only a very small amount of characters and yet at the same time the episode doesn't feel claustrophobic at all as we are meant to just see the top and the bottom of the escalator and that's it with this being something that does work well enough in the episodes favor as it allows for the episodes more charming nature to shine through as while other episodes of this show have more of a verity of locations for the characters to visit which is something that dies allow for more comedic antics to take place here we just have the one main location with the episode really milking it for all it's worth so much so that the 2014 Paddington movie even dedicated a small amount of it's running time to the same set up of this episode and while it could debated on who did it better it's a set up that does work as it allows us to see that Paddington is still adjusting to life in London and is still trying out things that we take for granted for the very first time with all of the charm coming from how he interacts with the inspector and the guard all the while both Mrs. Brown and Judy are trying to catch up with him with this idea of having one major location for the entire episode working so well that it makes you wonder why the makers of this show didn't use that idea more as surely there are more Paddington books that only use one main location that they could very easily adapt into episodes of the show and yet thus far anyway it does seem like that this is the only episode that has this unique set up to it and while it would have been ice if we got to see more locations just for the comedy of it all having the one major location is one that still works as it allows the characters to be there usual charming selves.

It really is hard to find any real faut with this episode as while it is continuing the story of the first few episodes and it's story doesn't really get resolved until the very next episode. This is more due to the fact that the makers of this show are adapting the various Paddington books pretty much word for word with that being why this show and these characters are well beloved in the first place as the books themselves are really well loved as well and when something is already perfect in the first place why change it with the only thing that could have been changed being the fact that they could have cut down the underground bit of the episode and combined it with the next episode just to tell one whole story of Paddington going on the train to go shopping something which they very easily could have done as we don't need to see him going up and down the escalator several times in the episode but this would also have the add on effect of making what is a really funny episode in it's own right seem all the less funny because of the fact that instead of setting up and paying of joke rather quickly the episode would now have to be more focused on telling one whole story which is fine when your episodes are twenty two minuets an episode and yet when you episodes are allot less then that it does mean that you have to take an entirely different approach to the episode which in this case does mean splitting up a story that you very easily could have told in one episode and making it into two episodes and while the episode doesn't fully flesh out it's story by doing that as it really doesn't need what it does do is create a charming plot with a really simple setup and that's great as that's all that it really needed to do. 

Just for future reference all of the review for this series will now be based off of the newly released complete series version of the show where all the episodes plus the three episodes have been remastered. With the colors of all of the characters looking really sharp and having all of the colors that you'd expect them to have as well something which was a bit of an issue on the complete series version of Worzel Gummidge where they made a character alot more orange in skin tone here you can see that none of that has happened with it being made clear as day that the team behind the restoration have put in alot of thought and effort into making this show look as good as it possibly could be whilst i'll be using the DVD version just because of the fact that that means I can now watch this show anywhere in the world it would be very easy to picture this show and this episode looking really good on Blu-Ray just due to the higher resolution that Blu-Ray has when compared to DVD but either way there was alot of love and attention put into this show and put into making look as good as it did back when it first aired in the seventies with this being a good example of why studios should keep an eye on what they've done in the past as there will always be someone out there who wants these old shows restored to there former glory heck just look at how well that the new Tom And Jerry restored Blu-Rays have been doing as proof of that and yet for one reason or another we get alot of sloppy restorations alot of the time which is something that does do more harm then good and right now Fabulous Films who released both this and the whole Worzel Gummidge fully restored seem to be one of the few companies in the UK that are looking at these classic properties and restoring them back to there former glory and putting them out there for us all to enjoy once again.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly four minuets and forty three seconds. Which is pretty much the exact bogstandard running time for alot of this shows episodes in the first place with this episode even having more then enough there interms of plot to full cover that amount of running time in the first place as this episode really doesn't need a long running time in order to tell it's story as it's basically just telling one half of a story and to the episodes credit the episode does use it's running time as wisely as it perhaps could have done as the episode really doesn't need to fully develop it's plot all that much as there's not much there interms of plot in the first place as all the episode is is just Paddington using an escalator and that's really it and to be fair that is something that doesn't require of plot development as it's not even telling a full story which means that it really doesn't need that much development in the first place with the episode not really fully developing it's characters which is something that does make sense as this is a plot that doesn't really allow for character development as all this show is is just seeing Paddington get from one misadventure to the next and that is something that doesn't really require character development and while that is still a bad thing as it doesn't give us much of a reason to care for the characters in this episode due to the events of the previous episodes the characters are already likable in the first place but it still would have been nice if we did get to see Paddington get some character develo0pment in this episode as the only thing that he really learns is that he like Paddington Station and that's really it but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho.

So now then as this is a comedy that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. With the episode having alot of moments in it that not only laugh out funny but are also really cute as well with all of this episodes jokes working because of the fact that characters like Paddington are made to be these characters that you want to cheer for with them being presented as characters that are likable and can have these more out there jokes with the best joke in this episode being a toss up between Paddington pretty much causing a bunch of dogs to chase after him because of the fact that he has a beacon sandwich sticking out of his suit case or the entire segment with Paddington trying to use an escalator and constantly missing both Mrs. Brown and Judy but always bumping into the inspector as both jokes work as they feel true to the character of Paddington as you do believe that he would leave a beacon sandwich in his suitcase just for emergencies as that does feel true to his character but if push does indeed come to shove then the best joke in the episode has to be the one with the dogs as again it does feel like something that Paddington would do as it plays into his more childlike and innocent nature with the episode on the whole basically being one big joke as the episode is all about the build up to Paddington getting to the station and yet it still has all of these more smaller jokes in it that work really well as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Overall this episode is a really fun episode that does remind us the audience as to why Paddington not only did work as a character but still does work as a character as he is a really charming character with this being something that does come through in this episode as this episode is just as charming if not more so then it's title character is in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly an 8 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in his very review from Amazon . Co . Uk and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very review being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Paddington 1976 TV Series "A Bear In Hot Water" Review

To say that Paddington is a British institution would be like saying that Doctor Who is a good science fiction show. As the bear with a disturbing Marmalade addiction is a huge part of British pop culture and with the review of the first episode having gone down well it only made sense to review the second episode in his most famous animated TV series and so then join me as I review the episode that sees Paddington having to deal with the trails and tribulations of having a bath with the episode in question being called simply just "A Bear In Hot Water" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is after finally arriving at his new home Paddington has to take a bath something which is easier said then done. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good with this episodes plot being a direct continuation of the first episodes plot as now we get to see what Paddington can get up in his new home with the plot of this episode being one that much like the rest of this shows plots is delightfully simple in it's approach to things as all the amin crux of the episode is is just Paddington trying to take a bath and that's it and that's great as this is a character that doesn't really demand deep and thought provoking plots to make his adventures work rather he just needs the basic set up for an episode and that's really it and that's something that this is episode does wonderfully and while yes it would have been better if there was more to this episode outside of that one set up and that's really it and to this episodes credit it does pull of this set up wonderfully so much so that it was even adapted into the 2014 live action Paddington film as well with the smallness of the episodes plot really being a testament to how well that these stories hold up as while yes granted next to nobody has a bath anymore it is still a timeless tale with the way that this episode handles it being charming in it's own unique way with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. 

Starring in this episode is Sir Michael Hordern as the episodes narrator with this episode making good use of him as a narrator. As he does describe everything that's going on including what the character is thinking which is something that does make this episode feel all the more charming then what it already is as it comes across as him reading us the story instead of him being paid to tell us the story which is something that is very easily could have done and it could even be argued that his narration helps to add a certain charm to the episode that might have been lost if someone else was doing it as he does add that extra special something to the episode and while yes it could be argued that the episode would work just as well without the narration as heck the two live action Paddington films work without a narrator this was the first time that the character had appeared in any other media and so he wasn't as well known back then as he was now and therefor giving the show a narrator does help to lend the episode some credibility as he was a fairly well known classically trained actor with it being helped by the fact that he does have the kind of silky smooth voice that is just perfect for narrating a kids TV show with his voice having a warm and kind hearted nature to it that works well for this show and while yes he does still use the same voice for alot of the characters in this episode here it was a lot less confusing as the episode was more about narration then it was about giving the characters a voice something which wasn't true for the previous episode where the episode relied more on the characters voices to tell the story and not the narration.

Now then as for what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. With the fact that this episodes acting being as good as it is not really being all that surprising as Sir Michael Hordern was as previously mentioned a classically trained actor and therefor of course his acting in all of this shows episodes this one included was going to be that good and while he doesn't give the characters a lot of different voices in this episode something which is still a bit confusing he does try to do an accent with him giving Mrs. Bird a slight Scottish accent which is something that does pull off really well in the characters one scene in the episode with him by default being the episodes best actor as while he doesn't give the characters much in the way of different voices he does try to make his voice sound a bit more youthful when it comes to characters like Jonathan and Judy and yet when it comes to Mr. Brown he's a bit more stern sounding with Mrs. Brown being somewhere in the middle which are great things as even tho there small things to include they do help to make it easier to tell just which character is talking and heck it could be argued that Paddington has his own unique voice with him sounding more like a typical British gentlemen or rather how a foreigner thinks a British gentlemen might sound and it is sis something that does work for Paddington with the acting that's in this episode really being helped by the fact that this episodes script is just so good that all this episodes actor has to do is just say the lines as they are written and a good performance will come out of him naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode. 

Doing the animation for this episode really is the legends and the greats that are currently over at FilmFair. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good with the episode doing a really good job of mixing stopmotion 3D animation with 2D animation really well with there being alot of scenes in this episode that make you wonder how they managed to pull it off with the best example of this being the taxi at the start of the episode as not only can you see Mrs. Brown a 2D character in the backseat but if you look closely the taxi also casts a shadow and has a 2 D driver which combined should make it a pain of a shot to pull off let alone look good and yet that is a shot that does look really good as it blends together two very different elements and makes them look quite seamless with the episode having more of a focus on stopmotion animation this time around as alot of the episode does focus on Paddington with the stopmotion looking really good granted it's not on the same level as anything from Aardman but for the time that this show was being made and the fact that they pretty much had one person doing all of the stop motion that being Barry Leith with the episodes stop motion shockingly not taking a step down in quality from the first episode as it is something hat does look really good with the episodes stop motion actually looking alot more better then the episodes 2D animation does. 

Whilst this episode could be seen as being a nothing episode as nothing that's all that important happens in this episode what it does do is introduce the characters of Jonathan Brown and Mrs. Bird. As those characters were of course not in the previous episode and yet even tho this is there introduction episode neither character gets alot of time to showcase just what it is that there all about with Jonathan getting a little bit more screen time then Mrs. Bird as he runs the bath for Paddington and then warns the Browns when Paddington as left the bath running for far to long but that's really it as the last thing that Mrs. Bird does in this episode is say that she's going to make Paddington a Marmalade sandwich and that's it and to be fair given how little a plot that this episode has in the first place it does make sense that the new characters wouldn't get alot of screen time in this episode as the episode has to get along to the next plot point and to be fair to this episode the fact that all of it's character are fairly simple characters in there own right is something that does make them charming in the first place but in saying this it still would have worked really well if we he had gotten to see Paddington interact more with Mrs. Bird and with the other members of the Brown family as then we could have seen both sides trying to adjust to the new living situation something which the 2014 film would actually take the time to do as Mr. Browns arc for that film is trying to adjust to Paddington now being in his life and yet in this episode none of that was needed even tho it would have been fun to see what Mrs. Bird someone who is very no nonsense would think of Paddington in the first place.

While this episode does have alot of things that are working for it it does also have some things that are actively working against it. Like the fact that the episodes plot isn't the best that it could have been as it's just a continuation of the first episodes plot which is not a knock on that episodes plot it's just that that episode kind of wrapped up things rather nicely and granted it might have been done this way for both this episode and the following two episodes as they might have been done that way in the book that those stories are being adapted from which in this case is A Bear Called Paddington but what works in a book might not work in a TV show with the fact that the plot is a direct continuation being an example of this fact. With the other thing that doesn't really work all that well in the fact that none of the Browns offer to help Paddington when he's trying to work out how to take a bath as the kids tell him what to do and that's it and the parents aren't seen for the vast majority of the episode when one of them should have been there to help Paddington out as this would have been the first time that he's seen let alone taken a bath in the first place and so of course he wouldn't know either what to do or how to act in that situation and while it was fun seeing him constantly getting distracting while the bath was still running it is something that in the world of the show should have been stopped just by having someone by it a member of the Brown family or Mrs. Bird help Paddington out with this being something that would have hit home the fact that they all a bunch of loving and caring people in the process and yet the episode makes out that everything that happens in the episode is Paddington's fault and while that is true the rest of the family aren't blameless either. 

One of the oddest things that this episode does is have the vast majority of the episode all take place inside of the Browns bathroom. As while we do yes get to see the Browns living room and hallway and the outside of there house that's all we get to see in this episode and yet that is something that does oddly work for this episode as while it does make the episode look cheap given the fact that it was mostly being animated by one man having alot of the episode just focus on Paddington in this one location is something that most likely was done to save him doing extra work but in saying this tho it still would have been nice if we got to see more of the Browns house even if it was just in passing as then we could get to see where the bathroom is in relation to the families respective bedrooms thus making the scene where the bathroom does start to flood all the more dramatic as now we have to worry the families bedrooms and i could have had the added impact of making the house seem alot more bigger then what it actually as right now the house feels alot more small due to the fact that we don't get to see that much of it with this being something that could have been by having the Brown children showing Paddington where the bathroom is something which they do anyway as there in the bathroom with him when Jonathan starts the bath but we never get to see the landing we only get to see the bathroom and that's really it when it would have made more sense if the family were shown showing Paddington where the bathroom is and we actually got to see them doing it and yet for ne reason we don't get that and while it doesn't hurt the episode it is something that does make the Browns house feel alot more smaller.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly five minuets and three seconds. With this being a solid running time for this episode to have as this episode doesn't need that long of a running time in order to tell it's plot as this is a plot that has the right amount of plot there to cover that amount of running time and doesn't need to be longer then what it is with this episode even using it's running time very wisely as the episodes plot is as well developed as it was even going to be as the episode doesn't have that much there in the way of plot in the first place and therefor it doesn't need to be that well developed as the only thing that needs to be developed is the set up and that's really it and to be fair to this episode that's all it needed to be developed as this is a plot that along with the first episode and up to the fourth episode is telling one big story of Paddington getting used to life in London with this episode being nothing more then a small chapter in that story with the episode even developing it's characters as well as it possibly could have done as the episode doesn't really leave alot of room for the characters to get that much development in the first place and yet what little development a character like Paddington does indeed get works really well as we see go from not really knowing how to use a bath to using one in his own unique way which was something that did work for the episode with none of the human characters not really needing any character development as this is an episode that doesn't really require it from them but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho.

So now then as this is a comedy that really does mean that I have t actually talk about the actual comedy thats actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. With this episode having alot of really cute and funny moments in it with the idea of Paddington trying and failing to use a bath being something that does allow for alot of really funny moments in it and to be fair to this episode it really does take as fully advantage of it's set up as is humanly possible by giving us alot of funny moments that do feel true to the character of Paddington with the best joke in the episode being at the end when after failing struggling to take a bath in his duffle coat because he wanted to keep himself dry Paddington again tries to take a bath only this time it's a dry bath with not water in it which is a really cute joke to have and is something that does feel true to the character of Paddington as he wouldn't know how to take a bath and therefor he would of course with the most ridiculous solution after struggling to take a bath in the first place and heck it could be argued that the whole episode is one big joke as there alot of moments in the episode that are cute and funny like Paddington falling in the sink or him deciding to use toothpaste to make his ears white after being told to clean them because there black with all of this episodes jokes working as well as they do because of the fact that Paddington himself is such a likable character in the first place which is something that really does make all of this jokes work really well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Overall this episode really is one that whilst it really can be skipped over by Paddington fans is one that really shouldn't be skipped over due to the fact that we really get to see Paddington really being his usual charming self and the fact that we really get to see key side characters introduced with the episode itself being a really charming and funny episode in it's own right in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad thigs that are in this very episode in this very review that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly an 8 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally sued in this very revie well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from Amazon . Co . Uk and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very review being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Paddington 1976 "Please Look After This Bear" Review

When it comes to British TV there very few characters that can rightfully claim to be a British Institution. With the character of Paddington Bear being one of them and while his fame has grown over the past ten years due three successful live action films and an upcoming stage musical it's this animated series that alot of people myself included grew up with and so then join me as I review the episode that introduced a new generation of kids to Paddington Bear with the episode in question being called simply just "Please Look After This Bear" enjoy.

The plot of this special is when there at Paddington Station Mr , Mrs and Judy Brown come across a bear with a love for Marmalade Sandwich's. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty i in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good with the episodes plot being simple but delightfully so as this is a show that really doesn't require a deep and thought provoking plot inorder to make it work rather it just requires the characters just being there charming selves and that's really it and to that degree this is an episode does work really well but in saying that tho this is a plot that could have been a little bit stronger as we the audience have no idea why Mr Brown and Mrs Brown are waiting for Judy and yet that's something of a key plot point of the episode as then they wouldn't have met Paddington but in saying that tho the whole idea behind this show was to just adapt certain bits of the books for the shows episodes and to this degree it is possible that things like that could have been left out of the script writing stage as it wouldn't have been funny enough to include in the episode with this being a good way to adapt kids stories as kids don't care about thought provoking plots they want nine tomes out of ten more simpler plots that are very easy to follow and that is something that this episodes plot is in all of the best ways possible with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Like alot of kids shows from around this time this show and this episode only has one person in it with that person being Sir Michael Hordern. With him also being the main storyteller for the whole show with this being something that really doesn't do the show any kind of favors as he really doesn't give any of the characters any voice of there own with him just using his normal speaking voice for all of the shows characters which is fine at first but then the more you get into the episode the more the characters voices do start to blend together thus making it harder and harder to tell who is saying what which in all fairness does force you to concentrate more on the episode but at the same time a kid would have difficulty picking up who is saying what as kids don't focus that much on the show and will go off and do several different things but in all fairness to him his voice is perfect for telling these stories as he does have a really carming voice that makes you want to follow along with the episodes plot willingly rather then feeling like you have to do it with him adding a certain charm to the show that would have been lost if someone younger had been cast in the role or if the makers of the show went and cast more people to do the voices for the characters as while the story would still be very pleasant to listen to the charm of just having one actor doing all of the voices and telling us this story is what partially what makes this show so charming in the first place and with alot of kids shows from around the same time only using one voice actor it does make sense that there would only be one person doing all of the voices for this episode as well.

Now then interns of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in his very episode was in all honesty really good. With it being quite hard to judge this episodes acting as there's only one actor in the whole episode that being of course Sir Michael Hordern who does do a good job in this episode from an acting point of view but is a much more better storyteller then he was a voice actor in this episode with this being due to the fact that he doesn't change his voice for any of the characters which as was mentioned does start to get a little bit confusing when your trying to work out who is talking with the only thing that could have fixed this was if he at least tried to give the characters different voices with it feeling more like he was only doing this show because he had kids or younger relatives and he wanted to show them something he was in and not because he had a love for the characters which could be completely false but that's how it appears on screen whereas if you look at actor Bernard Cribbins when he did The Wombles where he played the same role as Sir Michael Hordern does here he at the very least gave all of the characters very distinct sounding voices so you can still tell who is talking even when your not looking at the screen with Sir Michael Hordern by default also being the episodes best and only actor as he is still really good in this episode there's just a few improvements that could have been made to help to make his performance all the more better with the acting that's in this very episode really being helped by the fact that this episodes script is just so good that all this episodes actor has to do is just say the lines as they are written and a good performance will come out of him naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode.

Doing the animation for this episode is the legends and the really greats that were currently over at FilmFair. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good which is not really all that surprising as the animation was being directed by Barry Leith who also did the same role on The Wombles with the thing that makes this show standout from an animation point of view being the fact that it's basically being animated in two completely different styles with them both blending together almost perfectly with the all of the other characters in the episode being animated in traditional 2D animation and Paddington himself being a stopmotion characters with all of the sets being in 3D and yet they both work together so well as they give this show and this episode a look that's unique to it as no other show really before or after this one dared to do something that's this complex as it is a complex thing as when a character is holding something that object then ha to be in 2D but when they pass it over to Paddington it has to become 3D and the transition has to seamless because if not the illusion is lost and it is something that does work well for this episode as well with there being wonderfully animated shot where we see the whole of Paddington station from inside of a Buffet place only for the camera to then move back and reveal both Mr Brown and Paddington with that being a good example of not only how charming that this episodes animation is but also how good that it is as well. 

There is no way that any one could do a review about not only this episode or about this show and not talk about Paddington himself. As he really is such a charming character with it being easy to spot why he has remained in the public consciousness for as long as he has done as he's just so innocent and so pure with the character always being very polite to people with him only referring to Mr and Mrs Brown as exactly that with the same thing going for all of the people that he meets in not only this episode but in the show as a whole with him also displaying a knack for getting himself into trouble like when he spots Mrs Brown and Judy when he and Mr Brown are in the Buffet with him getting up onto the table to let them know where they are which is just such a sweet and innocent thing to do and yet you totally buy into it because of how charming that not only Paddington as a character is but also how likable he is and how much like a child he is but also just due to how charming that this show is as well with that being the best word to describe Paddington as a character as he really is just a charming character that you like right from the moment that you see him on screen with him being done in 3D stopmotion only serve to making him look more charming as now then makers of the episode can make him look like a child's teddy bear which granted might have been done by accident but it does also add to the child like and more friendly nature of the character and yet at the same time he does know when to stick up for himself like when he gives the Taxi Driver a hard stare because of the fact that he's know charging the browns more money because of the fact he's there and is covered in buns and cream which does feel like something that he would do.

Something that does make this show unique is the fact that it is pretty much adapting all of the books word for word with this episode being based on the first chapter of the book A Bear Called Paddington. With the idea for adapting the stories being that they would only adapt moments in the books that were funny and yet they also don't loose the heart and the character of the books either as while i've not read the looks it is easy to see from this episode alone why the books were as popular as were as the episode does have alot of character and charm in it's story and while the episodes plot isn't as a good as it perhaps could have been this is one that really didn't need to be that good as the way that it was being adapted always meant that bits that might have been important in the original story were always going to be cut out which was mostly likely done just to cut down on certain characters and locations however whilst this episode does end rather abruptly there is a reason for that as the show was adapting the stories in five minuet chunks with the remaining parts of the story being adapted in the first five episodes of this show which is a rather unique way to adapt the stories as take for example Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends for the first several years of that shows existence they adapted the stories that the episodes were based off of out of order alot of the time and they only adapted certain parts of certain books where as here the whole book is being adapted but in more manageable sizes that make it easier to digest which is a good way to do things as it keep the spirit of the book intact whilst also introducing the story to kids who like myself didn't grow up with the Paddington books.

The Browns in this episode were really quite bare bones which is something that does make sense as here not the main stars of the show Paddington is. However for the first episode there really should have been more thought but into there characterization as there's not really all that much to them as characters heck Judy doesn't even have that many line of dialog in this episode with her only showing up towards the end of the episode and that's really it with the rest of the episode just setting up the relationship between Mr Brown and Paddington which is fair enough but there is a way that the makers of this show could have done that without sacrificing giving more depth to the browns as characters as we could have shown Mr Brown and Paddington outright not get along at first thus showing that Mr Brown whilst he is still a kind and patient person does still have his limits and while Judy isn't important to this episode there could have been something that gives us a hint as to what her character is meant to be with the same ting also being true for Mrs Brown since as things stand Mrs Brown comes across as being nothing more then a kind and caring person as she willingly takes Paddington back home with her , Mr Brown and Judy which is fair enough but it does also make her look like someone that could get pushed around alot as well whereas if there was something to her character it would have made her character alot more interesting with the only good character in the episode being rightfully Paddington himself which is something that does make as he is the star on the show but it still would have been nice to see some of the character show us what it is that makes them charming and not just what it is that makes Paddington charming.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly four minuets ad fifty seven seconds. Which to be fair is more then enough running time for this episode to have as this is an episode that really does have the right amount of plot there to really cover that amount of running time with this episode even using it's running time really wisely in all respects as due to how this show was adapting it's stories it really doesn't need to develop it's plot right away as the story is being told over several episodes with the same thing also being for the characters character development as well as it happens over the course of the first five episodes of the show which is something that does allow us the audience to get to know that characters and therefor we get the chance to like them as characters as well and while it would have been nice for both the plot and the characters to get some development in this episode it would have been far to early in the show for that to happen as not every show needs to have it's development right away as sometimes taking the slow and steady approach will work best which is something that is the case for this episode as here due to how simple the plot is and how simple the characters are as they don't really need character development to be interesting as all they have to do is just be there usually charming selves and that's it with that also applying for the episodes plot as well and both of them work really well as a result of that with this being the very thing that modern kids shows as they don't have charming characters or tell charming stories and as such they don't last all that long in people's memories but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho. 

So now then as this is a comedy that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. With the episode having alot of really cute jokes all of which do work due to how charming that the characters are in this episode with Paddington getting alot of really funny moments in the episode be it him falling on the table in the Buffet and landing on some buns or him carrying a jar of Marmalade in his suitcase all of which work due to how likable that he is as a character however tho the episodes best joke has to be when he gives the taxi driver a hard stare which works as no only does it feel true to the character as he is the type of character who will stick up and defend his friends but it also plays on the fact that the taxi driver is feeling embarrassed because of it which is something that helps to make that joke as funny as it does and yet it's something that does really well with the same thing also being true for all of the jokes in this episode as they all feel true to the character of Paddington bear and they all help to make him a really charming character due to the fact that those jokes are apart of what makes Paddington Paddington with all of this episodes jokes being very character driven jokes and therefor are the kinds of jokes that you could imagine these saying which is something that really does help to make these jokes land all the more harder in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.   

Overall if you haven't done so already go out and check this episode from the 1976 Paddington TV series out as it really is one that's worth watching as it's really just a charming episode to watch and is one that will guarantee to please people be they adults or little Timmy as that's how good that this episode really is in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bas things that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly an 8.5 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from Amazon . Co . UK , Wikipedia and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very review being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.