Mortimer and Arabel
Mortimer and Arabel is a BBC puppet comedy-drama series based on the book series of the same name by Joan Aiken that was aired on BBC One as part of the Children's BBC strand from 15 November 1993 to 21 December 1994. Some of the original books, which were illustrated by Sir Quentin Blake, had also first been seen as a part of the BBC's Jackanory programmes. The stories are about a four-year-old girl named Arabel Jones who adopts an injured raven that her Dad, a cab driver named Ebenezer Jones, brings home after finding him injured in the road and christens "Mortimer", but his only communication is to squawk "Nevermore!" when upset. The Jones family live at 6 Rainwater Crescent in Rumbury Town, London NW3½ where most of their neighbours, including Mr. Coughtrack, Mr. and Mrs. Hamstring and especially grumpy old Mr. Leggitt, cannot stand Mortimer due to all the chaos he causes, and it is always up to Arabel to keep Mortimer out of trouble, although he frequently causes chaotic upsets with his mischievous behaviour. A total of thirty-six fifteen-minute episodes were produced over four serials of varying length in two series.
Other characters include Arabel's Mum Martha Jones, Mr. Leggitt's accomplices Bill and Joe, Mayor Saddlejoy and his wife, the Town Hall's secretary Doreen, Sergeant Cutlink, P.C. Barnoff, Arabel's babysitter Chris Cross, Mr. Leggitt's pet pigeon Pianono, a Scottish odd-job woman named Flo, an Indian singer named Seleena, a Greek Professor from the island of Pollyargos, an American millionaire named Mr. Bonny, the Duchess of Skew, a farmer named Mr. Westropp, a herd of Jersey cows named Daisy, Lazy and Maisie, Ebenezer's Mum Granny Jones, Granny Jones's pet cat Augustus, Ebenezer's evil cousin Perce Jones, and a ghost named Sir Humphrey Burbage who haunted Mallards' Bank every night at Christmas until Mortimer and Arabel returned his gold, which he had hidden behind a loose brick with an "H" on in the Tower of London while he was alive, but he died owing Mallards' Bank a considerable debt.
Series 1: Mortimer's Pocket (1993)
The first series was originally shown on BBC One on Mondays at 4:15pm and Wednesdays at 4:20pm between 15 November and 22 December 1993. This series was also released on VHS under the same name as the show itself on 5 April 1994, but it is now out of print. However, both series were rereleased for download on the BBC Store in 2016.Series 2 Part 1: Mortimer's Mine (October–November 1994)
The first part of the second series was originally shown on both Mondays and Wednesdays at 4:20pm between 3 October and 9 November 1994.Series 2 Part 2: May Day in Rumbury (November 1994)
The second series' second third was originally shown on Mondays at 4:00pm and Wednesdays at 3:55pm from 14 to 30 November 1994.Series 2 Part 3: The Bank Ghost (December 1994)
The second series' final third was, again, shown on Mondays at 4:00pm and Wednesdays at 3:55pm, between 5 and 21 December 1994.Literary nod to Poe’s “The Raven”
Mortimer’s cry of “Nevermore” is a deliberate reference to Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”. Joan Aiken takes Poe’s dark, mournful refrain and reworks it as comic absurdity. In Poe’s poem, the word “Nevermore” expresses grief, memory and the permanence of loss. The raven’s repetition drives the narrator to despair, its tone gothic and tragic, filled with psychological torment.In Arabel and Mortimer, Aiken reverses this, Mortimer’s “Nevermore” is a catchphrase used for comic effect, setting off chaos and misunderstanding rather than dread. Where Poe’s bird symbolises death and loss, Mortimer is a source of slapstick trouble and affectionate nonsense. Arabel adores him despite the havoc he causes, and his role is that of a comic counterpart to Poe’s harbinger of doom.
Aiken’s use of the same word connects her stories to one of literature’s most famous poems, but her purpose is parody. The echo of “Nevermore” acknowledges Poe’s influence while transforming it into playful humour for children.
A short note to prospective editors: Aiken borrows the line, not the mood, so treat the link as literary allusion rather than adaptation.