The Slow Norris


The Slow Norris is a British children's television programme that aired on CITV from 4 September 1995 to 23 December 1999. The programme portrayed moral tales and fables through various anthropomorphized creatures. The show was produced by HTV and Hat Trick Productions for CITV.
There was also a version produced for American television by Hollywood Ventures which ran on PBS in the fall of 1997.

Main characters

  • The Slow Norris – The lead character is a large, hairy Slow loris-like creature who – although not very clever – is willing to learn and participate in stories and activities. The Slow Norris lives in a cave-like dwelling within a forest.
  • Allie – As the only human character, Allie is the group's natural leader. She travels through the woods on her bicycle to visit the Slow Norris. Allie has a magic book which shows Slow Norris what things are or an animated story featuring Jane the Fairy and her frog Ferdy. Allie is voiced by Buddie Maddicott, a relation of the show's producer Dan Maddicott
  • Ben Beetle – Ben Beetle is a wise insect who spends much of his time sat on a toadstool with his walking stick.
  • Walter the Worm – Walter the Worm lives in a house made of mud and talks with a slight stutter.
  • Jane the Fairy – An animated fairy who only appears in Allie's magic book. She wears a lilac dress and a leaf hat.
  • Ferdy the Frog – He is Jane's froggy companion. He's very sensitive and bit naughty sometimes.
  • Hodgehug – A baby hedgehog.
  • Stork – A white stork. She appears in "Things That Fly" and is only seen throughout the 1996 series.

    Episodes

Episodes include one where Allie shows the Slow Norris a story of someone baking a cake, in her magic book. In another, the Slow Norris is putting off tidying the cave where he lives. Allie shows him a story involving a fairy named Jane whose house has a leak due to a hole in the roof. Jane's friend, a frog named Ferdy is supposed to fix the roof, however doesn't. The pair go out on a train journey to have a picnic with Jane's gran; they return home to find it has rained and Jane's house is now flooded. This persuades the Slow Norris to tidy his cave. In one episode, Walter the Worm loses his tail cosy, only to find later on that the Slow Norris has it.
In a later series, the opening music gained lyrics sung by Allie.

Series 1 (1995)

  1. Making Friends – 4 September 1995
  2. Colours – 11 September 1995
  3. Things With Wheels – 18 September 1995
  4. Being Yourself – 25 September 1995
  5. Food – 2 October 1995
  6. Birthdays – 9 October 1995
  7. Feeling Poorly – 16 October 1995
  8. Schools – 23 October 1995
  9. Where We Live – 30 October 1995
  10. Being Kind – 7 November 1995
  11. Games – 14 November 1995
  12. Big And Small – 21 November 1995
  13. Being Teased – 28 November 1995
  14. 2 Legs 4 Legs 6 Legs And No Legs – 4 December 1995
  15. The Slow Norris's Party – 11 December 1995

    Series 2 (1996)

  16. Things That Fly – 9 September 1996
  17. Keeping Fit – 16 September 1996
  18. Being Worried – 23 September 1996
  19. Penfriends – 30 October 1996
  20. Things That We Wear – 7 October 1996
  21. Making Music – 14 October 1996
  22. Being Angry – 21 October 1996
  23. Things That Grow – 28 October 1996
  24. Bones – 4 November 1996
  25. Things That Swim – 11 November 1996
  26. Friends And Relations – 18 November 1996
  27. The Shape of Things – 25 November 1996
  28. Putting Things Off – 2 December 1996
  29. The Four Seasons – 9 December 1996

    Series 3 (1997)

  30. Day And Night 1 September 1997
  31. Holidays – 8 September 1997
  32. Babies – 15 September 1997
  33. Pictures And Stories – 22 September 1997
  34. Harvest Time – 29 September 1997
  35. Dreams – 6 October 1997
  36. Being Different – 13 October 1997
  37. Water – 20 October 1997
  38. Decorating – 27 October 1997
  39. Keeping Secrets – 3 November 1997
  40. Money – 10 November 1997
  41. Episode 11–17 November 1997
  42. Episode 12–24 November 1997
  43. Episode 13–1 December 1997
  44. Episodes 14–8 December 1997
  45. Sizes – 15 December 1997

    Series 4 (1998)

Series 5 (1999)

Puppeteers

  • David Barclay -
  • Mike Quinn -
  • Karen Prell – Slow Norris, Walter the Worm
  • Helena Smee
  • Katherine Smee -
  • Michael Bayliss – Allie
  • Rebecca Nagan
  • Jeremy Stockwell
  • Simon Buckley
  • Alison McGowen
  • Rebecca Clow
  • Margaret O’Flaherty

    Voices

  • Buddie Maddicott – Allie
  • Gary Martin – Ben Beetle
  • Nick Ryan – Slow Norris