Nuzzle and Scratch
Nuzzle and [|Scratch] is a British children's television programme, shown on CBeebies from 1 September 2008, that ran for three series with two spin offs up to 4 March 2011. The show also aired on the international CBeebies channels in Poland and Australia. They showed two spin offs, Hoof And Safety, and Frock And Roll. The show aired on CBeebies in the UK.
It stars two eponymous puppet alpacas created and developed by Barry Quinn and Alan Robinson and written by various writers.
Information
The show starts with a beautiful scene of the Andes which is where Nuzzle and Scratch are originally from: Each episode follows the same format, Nuzzle and Scratch work for '2 by 2, The Any Animal Agency'. run by [|The Boss], a tough-talking girl. She receives a phone call from someone who is in desperate need of some assistance. Unfortunately all her hard working animals are out already and the only free hands available are the two alpacas Nuzzle and Scratch. The Boss knows they aren't any good so is reluctant to send them, but there is usually some misunderstanding over the phone and they end up getting the job. Nuzzle and Scratch mess up and the person rings the Boss to complain. She convinces them to 'give them another chance' and Nuzzle and Scratch normally turn things around and really impress the person who hired them. They often win a rosette or get offered a permanent job but refuse leading them to go on their next assignment.Nuzzle and Scratch like to climb mountains and will go up anything that looks like a mountain e.g. piles of clothes. However, Nuzzle is scared of heights and when he climbs to the top he gets scared and Scratch has to save him.
Alpacas like to herd. When Nuzzle and Scratch see a lot of things, or if they get scared, they say 'herd up' and begin herding.
At some point in the episode, someone will say that they need to 'start from Scratch'. Nuzzle gets upset about this and asks why can't they start from Nuzzle. Usually the person is very confused but agrees to 'start from Nuzzle' instead. In the painting and decorating episode, Scratch complains that they always 'start from Nuzzle', and they actually do 'start from Scratch'.
Nuzzle and Scratch have some catchphrases:- 'Is it snack time yet?', 'No job's too easy', 'Working can be fun'.
Both Nuzzle and Scratch are completely distinct in thoughts and are actually opposites of each other:
Nuzzle is neat, quiet, shy, nervous, and cautious.
Scratch is silly, loud, friendly, energetic, and optimistic.
Characters
Main characters
- Nuzzle is a white fluffy alpaca who likes to climb mountains, but he is afraid of heights. He dislikes starting from "scratch" and wants to start from "nuzzle". He is nervous and cautious.
- Scratch is a brown scruffy alpaca who mainly likes whatever. He likes telling Nuzzle what to do and usually gets Nuzzle in trouble. Unlike Nuzzle, he is energetic and optimistic.
- The Boss is a young girl who sends Nuzzle and Scratch to the job.
- Miss Mulberry is the safety supervisor who appeared in the spin-off Hoof and Safety who trains Nuzzle and Scratch to be safe around hazards.
- Captain Carrington is the owner of the Frock 'n' Roll dress shop, as well as Nuzzle and Scratch's owner, helping choose costumes for the twins with Nuzzle and Scratch testing them for a job. He brought up Nuzzle and Scratch from when he was doing his expeditions in the Andes and brought them to England when they were young.
- The Twins are frequent customers at Frock 'n' Roll waiting for their costumes after Nuzzle and Scratch test them out delivering them on time.
Other characters
This is a list of other characters:
| Character name | Occupation/Role | Episode | No. of episodes | Notes |
| Bob Sheen | Window cleaner | "Window Cleaner" | 1 | Played by Angus Kennedy |
| Terry Towling | Lifeguard | "Swimming Pool" | 1 | Played by Ortis Deley |
| Clarissa Snips | Hairdresser | "Hairdresser" | 1 | Played by Annemarie Gaillard |
| Mr. Sandy Bottom | Beach attendant | "Beach Attendant" | 1 | Played by Ian Kirkby |
| Nora Pie | Dinner Lady | "Dinner Ladies" | 1 | Played by Sally Bankes |
| Mr Haddock | School Caretaker | "School Caretaker" | 1 | Played by Julian Dutton |
| David Potterfield | Magician | "Magician" | 1 | Played by Josh Elwell |
| Mr Merryweather | Scout Leader | "Camping" | 1 | Played by Andrew Barclay |
| Ms Winner | Gym Teacher | "Sports Day" | 1 | Played by Lucy Jane Bowen |
| Mr Campbell | [|Supermarket] worker | "Supermarket" | 1 | Played by Richard Sutton |
| Whippety Whips Lady | Ice Cream Seller | "Ice Cream Van" | 1 | Played by Chizzy Akudolu |
| Mr Squeaky | Launderette Man | "Laundry" | 1 | Played by Nick Wilton |
| Pearl Endean | [|Cinema] Manager | "Cinema" | 1 | Played by Kate Dyson |
| Trevor Lodge | Hotel Manager | "Hotel" | 1 | Played by Tony Jayawardena |
| Trevor Perks | Special Celebrity | "Hotel" | 1 | Played by Tony Jayawardena |
| TBC | Mayor | "Beach Attendant" "Hotel" | 2 | The mayor appears in the two episodes but is played by different actors; played by George Claves in "Hotel". |
| Bill Gloss | Painter and decorator | "Painting and Decorating" | 1 | Played by Rod Arthur |
| Alfred Shearer | Park Keeper | "Park Keeper" | 1 | Played by Michael Grinter |
| Mr Summers | [|Theme Park] Manager | "Theme Park" | 1 | Played by Aidan Cook |
| Ruby Hardback | Librarian | "Library" | 1 | Played by Charlene James |