Willo the Wisp is a British cartoon series originally produced in 1981 by the BBC and narrated by Kenneth Williams. It became popular with children and adults, as it bridged the gap between the end of weekday children's programming and the early evening news. A second series was produced in 2005. Both series 1 & 2 were released together on DVD and Blu-ray versions in the UK during late August 2024 by Fabulous Films.

First series (1981)

The series was written and directed by Nick Spargo and produced by Nicholas Cartoon Films, in association with the BBC and Tellytales Enterprises. The character of Willo the Wisp originated in an award-winning educational animation created by Spargo for British Gas in 1975 and the stories were set in Doyley Woods, a small beech wood in Oxfordshire, near the director's home. Kenneth Williams provided voices for all of the characters. The principal narrator, Willo the Wisp, was a blue floating creature drawn as a caricature of Williams, while the name refers to the ghostly light will-o'-the-wisp from folklore. The other main characters were Arthur the caterpillar, as a gruff cockney; Mavis Cruet, a plump, clumsy fairy with an erratic magic wand; and the principal antagonist, Evil Edna, a witch in the form of a walking, talking television set, who could zap people with her aerials. Other characters included Carwash, a snooty bespectacled cat who was based on Noël Coward with the catchphrase "My eyes are not first-class, you know"; The Moog, a supposed dog who is not allowed to think for himself; Twit, a small bird; The Beast, a former human prince turned into a hairy shambling creature by Evil Edna; the Astrognats, a group of bugs who explore outer space by means of their toadstool rocket; the Bookworm; gnomes; and a regiment of toy soldiers. Each of the original 26 episodes lasted approximately five minutes and was broadcast at 5:35pm on BBC1. This continued a tradition of short cartoons, such as The Magic Roundabout and The Wombles, being shown on weekdays between the end of the main children's programming for that afternoon and the BBC Early Evening news at 5:40pm. The series was repeated on satellite channel Galaxy in 1989 and on Channel 4 during the early 1990s.

Episodes

On the Kult Kidz Gold DVD, there was an extra video "Do Not Touch" which featured the last part of "Cats and Dogs", where Evil Edna makes the screen blank. In January 2008, a promotional DVD containing all 26 episodes from Season 1 was distributed by The Times newspaper. In August 2024 the new DVD and Blu-ray versions both contained a special feature on the first series disc: the full 1975 original appearance of Willo the Wisp in the award-winning Super Natural Gas animation.

Credits

Second series (2005)

A second series of 26 episodes (5 minutes each) was produced by Bobbie Spargo in 2005, and voiced by James Dreyfus. Although it maintains the style of the original, alterations include: The second series aired on Playhouse Disney UK. The second series was finally released on home media in the UK for the first time in August 2024 together with the first series on a two disc set with both DVD and Blu-ray versions available.

Episodes