Engie Benjy

Engie Benjy is a British pre-school children's television show, broadcast on ITV's children's strand, CITV. Engie Benjy is a blue-haired mechanic who fixes problems with the help of his friends and an assortment of living magic and vehicles. He owns a dog named Jollop and drives a breakdown van named Dan the Van. Other characters include Driver Dottie, Astronaut Al and Farmer Fred. [1]

Engie Benjy
GenreAnimation
Children's
Created byBridget Appleby
Developed byGranada plc
Written bySascha Paladino
Nathan Cockerill
Jonathan Davis
Christian Donlan
Robin Kingsland
Marc Seal
Gillian Corderoy
Anthony Hatfield
Colin Davies
Directed byChris Taylor
Lyndon Evans
StarringAnt and Dec
Les Dennis
Teresa Gallagher
David Holt
Opening theme"Engie Benjy" by Clint Boon
Ending theme"Engie Benjy" by Clint Boon (Instrumental)
ComposerRowland Lee
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series4
No. of episodes52
Production
Executive producerMark Hall
ProducersBridget Appleby
Debbie Peers
Running time10 minutes
Production companyCosgrove Hall Films
DistributorITV Studios Global Entertainment
Release
Original networkITV1 (CITV)
Audio formatMono (2002) Stereo (2004)
Original release4 September 2002 (2002-09-04) –
29 November 2004 (2004-11-29)

The main character voices were provided by television double act, Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly. In the first series, Dec voiced the title role of Engie Benjy while Ant provided the vocal effects for his dog, Jollop. In the third series after a pay dispute, another character was added for Ant to voice: Trucker Troy, Engie Benjy's cousin.[2] Astronaut Al and Pilot Pete were voiced by Family Fortunes presenter, Les Dennis, Driver Dottie by Teresa Gallagher (who also originally voiced Engie prior to Dec providing the voice), and Fisherman Fin, Farmer Fred, and Messenger Mo by David Holt.[2]

The theme tune was composed and sung by Clint Boon, the keyboard player with the Inspiral Carpets, with character voices by Ant and Dec.[3]

The show was created by Bridget Appleby at Cosgrove Hall Films, and first shown on CITV,[2] and it is also seen on Nick Jr.[1] Four series of 13 episodes were made, with first broadcasts from 2002 to 2004.[2] It has been sold in over 80 territories worldwide.

In Canada, the show was aired on YTV.

In 2009, Engie Benjy along with several other well known children's characters appeared on The Official BBC Children in Need Medley by Peter Kay's Animated All Star Band. The final episode aired on 29 November 2004. Since September 2018, reruns of the series air on ITVBe's children's block LittleBe.

Episode list

Series 1 (2002)
# Title Air Date
1"Jollop to the Rescue"4 September 2002 (4 September 2002)
Pilot Pete brings Plane to be mended by Engie Benjy, as he has the hiccups. But Jollop's cousin Jelly gives Plane the wrong hiccup mixture, sending her into a spin.
2"Sleepwalking"11 September 2002 (11 September 2002)
Bus arrives in the middle of the night without Dottie. She is 'sleepdriving', so Engie Benjy and the team must steer her home without waking her up.
3"Panic at Sea"18 September 2002 (18 September 2002)
After a big storm, Boat and Fisherman Fin are confronted with an emergency.
4"Lift Off Day"25 September 2002 (25 September 2002)
Pilot Pete has to go to Plane in a hurry, but there's a problem with the lifts. When one of his lifts goes down, the other goes up, so how will he ever get to Plane?
5"Painting Spaceship"2 October 2002 (2 October 2002)
Spaceship is having a new lick of paint and to commemorate the special event, Engie Benjy has organised a big party.
6"Plane Come Home"9 October 2002 (9 October 2002)
Pilot Pete wakes up one morning to find that Plane is missing. Engie Benjy suggests they look for her inside Sofa Mountain, where they find that Plane has a new friend to play with.
7"The Spot"16 October 2002 (16 October 2002)
Bus has a big, blue spot on her front and is very embarrassed. Driver Dottie calls on Engie Benjy for help.
8"Dirty Windows"23 October 2002 (23 October 2002)
Astronaut Al tries to clean Spaceship's windows in mid-air, but he falls out and lands inside Engie Benjy's garage. Now, Spaceship is whizzing around out of control.
9"Jollop Mixtures"30 October 2002 (30 October 2002)
Jollop accidentally breaks the Vehicle Distress Alarm and mixes up the pictures. Now Engie Benjy doesn't know if it's Farmer Fred and Tractor or Pilot Pete and Plane who are in trouble.
10"A Message for Bike"6 November 2002 (6 November 2002)
Bike feels unloved and refuses to deliver messages, so Engie Benjy arranges for Fisherman Fin, Pilot Pete and Astronaut Al to send Bike messages to tell him how much they appreciate him.
11"Job Swap"13 November 2002 (13 November 2002)
Dottie and Fred quarrel over who has the easiest job, so Engie Benjy suggests they try each other's job for a day.
12"Jollop Alone"20 November 2002 (20 November 2002)
Engie Benjy's friends plan a surprise birthday party for him in the garage, so while he is out helping his friends, Engie leaves Jollop in charge of the garage.
13"New Shoes for Spaceship"27 November 2002 (27 November 2002)
Something's wrong with Spaceship. His old shoes are worn out and, when Farmer Fred grows him some new ones, Spaceship refuses to try them on.

Series 2 (2003)
# Title Air Date
1"Buses Need Holidays Too"9 September 2003 (9 September 2003)
Bus and Driver Dottie take all their friends to the seaside for a well-earned break. But Engie Benjy soon finds that Bus needs a holiday more than anyone else does.
2"Night Light"11 September 2003 (11 September 2003)
When Pilot Pete and Astronaut Al find Plane and Spaceship missing at night, they call Engie Benjy for help.
3"Bad Hand Day"16 September 2003 (16 September 2003)
Engie Benjy, Jollop and Dan the Van can always help...or can they? What will they do when it's Dan who needs help?
4"Check Up Day"18 September 2003 (18 September 2003)
Engie Benjy's friends bring their vehicles to the garage for a check-up. Everyone comes except Boat, who really needs help more than any of the others.
5"Pete's New Plane"23 September 2003 (23 September 2003)
Plane gets upset when Pete takes a shiny new plane out to play instead of her, so Engie Benjy has to put things right.
6"Blooming Balloons"25 September 2003 (25 September 2003)
While Engie Benjy is mending Tractor, Jollop accidentally grows a huge balloon and gets carried away!
7"Silly Bus Mood"30 September 2003 (30 September 2003)
Bus is behaving strangely, so Driver Dottie leaves her at the garage while she goes shopping. Will the Team work out the Silly Bus Mood cure in time?
8"Gobstoppers"2 October 2003 (2 October 2003)
Engie Benjy runs out of roly poly pogle balls at the worst possible time, as Spaceship and Tractor need some new ones. Luckily, he finds a substitute for them - gobstoppers.
9"Who's Been Landing on My Mountain?"7 October 2003 (7 October 2003)
Pilot Pete suspects that someone has been landing on Plane's special parking place.
10"Boat Takes a Trip"9 October 2003 (9 October 2003)
Boat feels left out because she can't go to Plane's birthday party, but Engie Benjy finds a way for her to join in the fun.
11"Astronaut Jollop"14 October 2003 (14 October 2003)
Jollop and Dan try to be helpful and manage without Engie when Spaceship has a problem to solve.
12"Ice Fishing"16 October 2003 (16 October 2003)
Boat gets frozen into the icy harbour, and Engie Benjy must warm her up. But how can the team bring her back to land?
13"Snow Fun"21 October 2003 (21 October 2003)
Spaceship is stranded when his springs fall out after too much bouncing on Sofa Mountain.

Series 3 (2004)
# Title Air Date
1"The Big Sleep"22 March 2004 (22 March 2004)
Everyone's planning a party for Trucker Troy and Big Rig's arrival, but when Big Rig is too tired to get to the garage, the team must figure out how to help him make it over the hill.
Note: This is the first episode where Engie Benjy speaks to the audience.
2"Flying High"29 March 2004 (29 March 2004)
When Plane has a crash and hurts herself, the team must help her feel better - and help her get over a fear of flying again.
3"A Horn for Spaceship"5 April 2004 (5 April 2004)
Big Rig has lost his horn.
4"Traffic Trouble"8 April 2004 (8 April 2004)
Big Rig and Bus block each end of a narrow bridge, both determined to cross first refusing to give way until Engie and the team help them learn how to take turns.
5"Sky Ball"14 April 2004 (14 April 2004)
Bike becomes upset when he can't join in the game of Skyball. Spaceship and Plane are playing around the lighthouse, so Engie and the team must figure out a way for Bike to become part of the game - by attaching rockets and wings to him.
6"Bus for a Day"19 April 2004 (19 April 2004)
Plane wants to be more like Bus, so she tries to act like her, until the team helps her figure out that she is the only one who can solve a specific crisis, by using her special skills.
7"Spaceship Blues"21 April 2004 (21 April 2004)
Spaceship is sad today because Al is leaving for the afternoon, so the team must help him come up with strategies for dealing with the separation - until Al returns with a surprise.
8"Harvest Helpers"26 April 2004 (26 April 2004)
Tractor is trying to harvest all the ice lollies before they melt, all by himself - but it's too much work for one vehicle, so the team must help him figure out how to use teamwork and share the load.
9"Boat's Fishy Friend"28 April 2004 (28 April 2004)
Fisherman Fin calls the team because Boat won't budge from a small island in the middle if the water. Boat is taking care of a fish that she's found in a small pool. But when the tide starts to go out the team must find a way to get Boat and the fish back into the water.
10"The Donut Downpour"5 May 2004 (5 May 2004)
Engie Benjy can't work out why it's raining doughnuts, until he catches Plane having great fun flying around dropping doughnuts on everyone. After the team helps Plane realise how naughty her behaviour is, Plane must make amends to Farmer Fred by helping him plant more doughnuts.
11"Double Trouble"10 May 2004 (10 May 2004)
Big Rig has got stuck in a honey puddle. Nearby, Bike has ended up caught on a purple rock. Big Rig and Bike simultaneously need Engie and the team's special skills to help get them out of their jams. At first, they shuttle back and forth trying to help Big Rig and Bike.
12"Cupcake Catchers"12 May 2004 (12 May 2004)
Tractor has accidentally sneezed all of Farmer Fred's quick growing cupcake seeds away on the wind, and they've started growing all over the place. Tractor is worried about how he's going to find all the cupcakes before it gets dark, until Engie and the team figure out how to turn it into a game - a treasure hunt!
13"Boisterous Bike"17 May 2004 (17 May 2004)
After Bike gets overexcited playing a game, Engie has to calm him down so that he can deliver his packages on time.

Series 4 (2004)
# Title Air Date
1"Share and Share Alike"6 September 2004 (6 September 2004)
When Plane and Bike run out of engine juice, Engie takes them to an engine juice fountain where the pair learns how to share the juice with one another.
2"Hide and See Saw"13 September 2004 (13 September 2004)
Everyone's playing hide and seek today, but Big Rig is really upset. He's too big to hide anywhere so he keeps getting found. It's up to Engie and the team to help Big Rig find the perfect hiding place.
3"The Sea Sneezes"20 September 2004 (20 September 2004)
Engie is called to Fin's, where Boat is having trouble playing because she has the sea sneezes.
4"The Great Race"27 September 2004 (27 September 2004)
Engie is called by Pete, because Pete wants him to give Plane a tune-up for her big race with Spaceship. During the race, Spaceship zooms around overconfidently, while Plane flies steadily with determination.
5"Splish Splash Bus"4 October 2004 (4 October 2004)
It's raining outside, and the harbour is overflowing to the point where Mo's house is about to get flooded. Fisherman Fin needs his Water Woosher to bail out the water. Bus and Dottie are supposed to deliver it, but Bus is afraid to go outside in the rain.
6"Jollop in the Driving Seat"11 October 2004 (11 October 2004)
When Engie gets a new Smart Cart to help with repairs, Jollop can't wait to try it out. But when Jollop takes off in the Smart Cart without waiting for Engie to teach him how to use it, it's up to Dan and Engie to rescue him.
7"Night of the Sherbert Stars"18 October 2004 (18 October 2004)
Everyone is going to the top of Sofa Mountain to see the Sherbert Stars, which only come out once a year. Engie and the team are called out to help Bike with a simple problem, but things get complicated when Dan and Jollop argue and won't work together.
8"Big Rig's Big Mess"25 October 2004 (25 October 2004)
Everyone wants to go to the Barnacle Barbecue at the harbour, but they can't get there because a big mess is blocking the road. Big Rig has dumped his things out of the trailer and doesn't want to tidy up.
9"The Big Kite Flight"1 November 2004 (1 November 2004)
When Spaceship gets a new kite all the other vehicles want to use it. Spaceship agrees to share but when the vehicles all want to go first the kite takes off, with Bike tangled up in it!
10"The Night Flight"8 November 2004 (8 November 2004)
Engie and the team are called to Pilot Pete and Plane's as Plane is about to take his first night flight. The team discover that there's nothing wrong with Plane, but Pete is afraid of the dark.
11"Lost Horizon"15 November 2004 (15 November 2004)
Driver Dottie and Bus are lost in the cotton candy fog with Pete and Al as passengers.
12"Dan Day"22 November 2004 (22 November 2004)
Dan gets stuck in the ice on his birthday, so Engie comes up with a plan to get him to his party on time.
13"Snow Daze"29 November 2004 (29 November 2004)
It's a snowy day, and Engie and the team are called to the top of Sofa Mountain to help Spaceship. The team solve the problem easily but Jollop sleds down the mountain and gets stuck in a tree. Engie must help Dan overcome his fear of sledding in order to rescue Jollop.

DVD and VHS releases

Six VHS tapes and DVDs of all the episodes were issued between 2003 and 2005 by VCI and Granada Ventures.

References
  1. "Engie Bengy". Nick Jr - Shows. Nickelodeon UK Ltd. 2005. Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  2. Diamond, Frazer. "TV Toons - Engie Bengy". Toonho. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  3. "Newsletter". The Clintboon.com Experience. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
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