Jo and Petunia

Another very old, very beloved series of PIFs.

Jo and Petunia, the stars of four animated PIFs in the late '60s and early '70s, were a chalk - and - cheese northern couple who slightly resembled a dimmer Hyacinth and Richard Bucket. Their appeal lay in being so inept they'd show you what not to do at the beach, in the countryside or when driving down a mountain road. They appeared in "Coastguard" (1968), "Flags" (1970), "Country Code" (1971) and "Worn Tyres" (1973), being killed off in the last film when Jo's failure to check their car's tyres results in a fatal road accident. Peter Hawkins, who provided the voices of Bill and Ben the Flowerpot Men and the original Daleks and Cybermen (among others) was the voice of Jo, while Petunia was voiced by Wendy Craig and later Brigit Forsyth for "Worn Tyres". The films were commissioned by the COI to Nicholas Cartoons, which was also behind the very successful children's show Willo the Wisp. "Coastguard" is probably the best known of the series, and was briefly revived in early 2006 for the COI's 60th anniversary. Digitally remastered and reworked, the new version cut some of the hilarious interaction between Jo and Petunia and turned Jo into a Burberry - clad chav, while Petunia now had an iPod and a copy of Hello magazine and the coastguard seemed to be too busy playing with his computer to worry about people in danger at sea. You can see all four of the films on the first Charley Says DVD. "Coastguard" and "Country Code" are available at the National Archives website: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/films/1964to1979/filmindex.htm, and there are detailed transcripts here http://625.uk.com/pifs/jp_coastguard.htm and here http://625.uk.com/pifs/jp_countrycode.htm, or you can go to The Mocks Factory and see their 2006 comeback: http://tmf.ecwhost.com/extra/media/PIF-PIFS-JOANDPETUNIA-COASTGUARD-2006.rm

Reginald Molehusband

You knew it was only a matter of time, didn't you?

Reginald Molehusband was the star of a 1967 PIF about safe parking, and the film itself describes him best:

"This is the story of Reginald Molehusband, married, two children, whose reverse parking was a public danger. People came from miles just to see it. Bets were laid on his performance. What he managed to miss at the back, he was sure to make up for at the front. Bus drivers and taxis changed their routes to avoid him. Until the day that Reginald Molehusband did it right. Not too close, far enough forward ... come on, Reginald ... and reverse in slowly ... come on ... and watching traffic ... and park perfectly! Well done! Reginald Molehusband, the safest parker in town."

Reginald's misadventures in his Austin 1100 are so well - remembered that his name still serves as a byword for bad drivers, but sadly, the original film is no more. Neither the COI, BBC, National Archives or Film Images has a copy, and a BBC appeal to the public couldn't find one either, even when the now - retired Ian Gardiner (who played Reginald) stepped forward. Finally, it was decided some action had to be taken, and now aged 77, Molehusband rode again! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4770268.stm The BBC remade the film with Gardiner, despite the implication that pensioners can't drive, and received a hearty cheer from PIF fans everywhere, including me.