Q Pootle 5


Q Pootle 5 is a 2013 animated television series based on the books Q Pootle 5 and Q Pootle 5 in Space by author Nick Butterworth. It revolves around the title character Q Pootle 5 and his friends, and is set on and around the fictional planet Oki Doki.

Development

Author and executive producer Nick Butterworth chose Q Pootle 5 from amongst his other children's books as the character to develop into an animated series because, as an alien, he would not be culturally tied to any one location. He developed the series with his son Ben, who suggested they form their own production company. Together with Nick's wife Annette they added additional characters and locations to those already seen in the books, before producing a pilot clip with animation studio Blue-Zoo from which a series was commissioned.
Music is an important element of Q Pootle 5. Producer Ben Butterworth says ″When we started to consider the music for the programme we didn’t want music to be just an accompaniment to the story, we wanted people’s experience to be enhanced by the music. The score had to be integral to the storytelling – creating atmosphere, adding nuance and subtlety, underpinning the emotional content of a story, driving the action of a scene, or making us laugh.″

Characters

Main characters

  • Q Pootle 5, known as "Pootle" to his friends, is a friendly green alien and the lead character in the show. He enjoys stargazing on top of the camper van where he lives and spending time with his friends.
  • Oopsy is Pootle's best friend. She is pink and has a lot of hair that sticks straight up. Oopsy lives in an upside-down rocket, and enjoys drawing and spending time with Pootle.
  • Eddi is a Conjoined twin purple alien. He talks to himself a lot, and is less confident than the other characters. Eddi enjoys tinkering with his rocket, and adding to his string collection.
  • Stella is yellow and wears pink Wellington boots. She lives in a treehouse and loves gardening most of all, but she also likes to play her bagpipes whenever there's an opportunity to do so.
  • Ray is a blue major bird. He lives with Stella, and can sometimes be a bit grumpy. He has a fear of heights, and an intense dislike of Stella's bagpipes.
  • Groobie is the oldest of the gang. He is orange with thick purple eyebrows, and can be a bit forgetful. He lives in a shack in front of a junk yard full of scrap items which he occasionally restores. Everyone likes to gather at Groobie's because he makes the best smoothies in the galaxy.
  • Bud-D is Groobie's robot. He is enthusiastic and well-intentioned, but often malfunctions.
  • Planet Dave lives within view of Oki Doki. He is big enough for everyone to land their ships on when they visit him, and is very old indeed.

Additional characters

  • Roy is a turquoise major bird, seen in the episode A Friend For Ray.
  • Maurice is a caterpillar who Stella finds on a plant that Pootle has given her in the episode Maurice.
  • Planet Roger is not seen in series one, but in the episode Groobie to the Rescue, Groobie reads out a letter sent to Planet Dave from Planet Roger.
  • Comet Gordon visits Planet Dave once every 3 million years.

Episodes

There are 52 episodes of the Q Pootle 5 series. Each episode has a running time of approximately 11 minutes. Additionally, there is one 26-minute long Christmas special episode called Pootle All The Way.
No.
in
series
TitleDirected ByWritten ByOriginal air date
1The Great Space RaceGary Adams, Adam ShawDave Ingham29 July 2013
2The Evenfruit PicnicGary Adams, Adam ShawNick Butterworth, Dave Ingham30 July 2013
3Groobie Woogie on Planet DaveArnfinn MosengNick Butterworth, Dave Ingham31 July 2013
4Pootle's house GuestDan ChambersNick Butterworth, Dave Ingham1 August 2013
5The Picture PuzzleGary AndrewsNick Butterworth, Dave Ingham2 August 2013
6Officer Bud-DArnfinn MosengNick Butterworth, Dave Ingham5 August 2013
7Where's Ray?Dan Chambers, Adam ShawLee Pressman6 August 2013
8Eddi's HatGary Andrews, Adam ShawBen Butterworth7 August 2013
9Oopsy's New DoDan ChambersBen Butterworth8 August 2013
10Sports DayArnfinn MosengBen Butterworth9 August 2013
11Groobie to the RescueGary AndrewsNick Butterworth12 August 2013
12Rocket bird OopsyArnfinn MosengNick Butterworth13 August 2013
13A Day With RayDan ChambersLisa Akhurst14 August 2013
14Map MuddleGary Andrews15 August 2013
15Two Places At OnceArnfinn MosengDarren Jones16 August 2013
16Asteroid AlertDan Chambers23 September 2013
17Phew! What a ScorcherGary Andrews24 September 2018
18Hitting The High NoteDan Chambers25 September 2013
19The Biggest Picture EverArnfinn Moseng26 September 2013
20Oopsy's Backwards DayGary Andrews27 September 2013
21The Flying DisplayArnfinn Moseng30 September 2013
22Oopsy's MegaphoneDan Chambers1 October 2013
23Pootle the ExplorerGary AndrewsLaura Beaumont, Paul Larson2 October 2013
24Rocking not RollingArnfinn MosengDarren Jones3 October 2013
25The Visitor From SpaceDan ChambersJustin Trefgarne4 October 2013
26Groobie's Space WashGary Andrews7 October 2013
27The Singing ValleyGary Andrews8 October 2013
28Flower PowerGary Andrews10 October 2013
29A Friend for Ray
30The Foggy Day
31The Eight-Eyed Thingy from Galaxy 7
32Groobie's Mighty Magnet
33Spaceship Hiccup
34Strange Sounds In The Night
35Birthday Mix UpDarren Jones
36Pootle's New Spaceship
37The Cosmic Whipple
38Beat Box Bud-D
39Boing Boing Boing
40Pootle Phone Home
41Maurice
42Planet Dave in a Spin
43Bet-E
44Runaway Rocket
45Groobie's Day OutDarren Jones
46Oopsy's Fairy Tale
47It Came From Outer Space
48The Bubble Craters
49Bud-D Gets a Rocket
50Waiting for Gordo
51Rocket RemoteDarren Jones
52A Very Special Place---