Directors: various
First aired: 1989 to 1990
Contains spoilers
This was the second series based on the vegetarian vampire duck, Count Duckula (David Jason) and I previously looked at the first series set here. The basic premise around the show is that Transylvania is home to a lineage of vampire Ducks.
If the Count Duckula is killed, by one of the standard vampire killing methods ie stake through the heart or sunlight, he can be resurrected through a ceremony that can take place but once a century. Unfortunately this time the reincarnation process went awry when Duckula’s manservant Igor (Jack May) called for blood and the dim-witted Nanny (Brian Trueman) brought tomato ketchup instead. The resultant Duckula is a vegetarian who cannot stand blood. The advantage gained from this is that he can also stand sunlight and doesn’t bear fangs, although he still casts no reflection. Note, that during this series, Igor tricks Duckula into signing a contract that forces him to wear false fangs and pace the battlements screaming every Tuesday night.
The series was shorter than season 1, 7 hours over 2 discs or 19 episodes. I do have to mention the episode with the best title ever: Return of the Curse of the Secret of the Mummy’s Tomb Meets FrankenDuckula’s Monster and the Wolf-Man and the Intergalactic Cabbage… An absolute genius of a monster mash that also includes vampire hunters, a village mob and a lake monster. You just don’t get episodes or titles like that anymore.
All the main characters are back, Igor, Nanny – of course Duckula himself – and Doctor Von Goosewing makes sporadic, amusing appearances – still believing that he has an invisible assistant called Heinrich when no-one is there. There are the assorted villains – the crow gang and the French master criminals, plus a whole plethora of incidental characters appearing. Barry Clayton still does the intro and outro voiceovers.
The episodes are all stand alone, zany moments and silly stories that anyone who watched the show as a kid will find fills them with nostalgia. The show has travelled well though, I found my son coming in and watching it with me, chortling away, as I watched the set. What has not aged that well is the actual transfer, this season, like season 1, has not been remastered and it makes the cartoon look that much older.
There isn’t much else to say, that wasn’t covered in the review for the first season as this is more of the same. If you liked that, you’ll like this and it scores the same nostalgic 7 out of 10. The imdb page is here.
First aired: 1989 to 1990
Contains spoilers
This was the second series based on the vegetarian vampire duck, Count Duckula (David Jason) and I previously looked at the first series set here. The basic premise around the show is that Transylvania is home to a lineage of vampire Ducks.
If the Count Duckula is killed, by one of the standard vampire killing methods ie stake through the heart or sunlight, he can be resurrected through a ceremony that can take place but once a century. Unfortunately this time the reincarnation process went awry when Duckula’s manservant Igor (Jack May) called for blood and the dim-witted Nanny (Brian Trueman) brought tomato ketchup instead. The resultant Duckula is a vegetarian who cannot stand blood. The advantage gained from this is that he can also stand sunlight and doesn’t bear fangs, although he still casts no reflection. Note, that during this series, Igor tricks Duckula into signing a contract that forces him to wear false fangs and pace the battlements screaming every Tuesday night.
The series was shorter than season 1, 7 hours over 2 discs or 19 episodes. I do have to mention the episode with the best title ever: Return of the Curse of the Secret of the Mummy’s Tomb Meets FrankenDuckula’s Monster and the Wolf-Man and the Intergalactic Cabbage… An absolute genius of a monster mash that also includes vampire hunters, a village mob and a lake monster. You just don’t get episodes or titles like that anymore.
All the main characters are back, Igor, Nanny – of course Duckula himself – and Doctor Von Goosewing makes sporadic, amusing appearances – still believing that he has an invisible assistant called Heinrich when no-one is there. There are the assorted villains – the crow gang and the French master criminals, plus a whole plethora of incidental characters appearing. Barry Clayton still does the intro and outro voiceovers.
The episodes are all stand alone, zany moments and silly stories that anyone who watched the show as a kid will find fills them with nostalgia. The show has travelled well though, I found my son coming in and watching it with me, chortling away, as I watched the set. What has not aged that well is the actual transfer, this season, like season 1, has not been remastered and it makes the cartoon look that much older.There isn’t much else to say, that wasn’t covered in the review for the first season as this is more of the same. If you liked that, you’ll like this and it scores the same nostalgic 7 out of 10. The imdb page is here.
2 comments:
Thanks so much!
Now i must remember. and find the series!
No probs - you can actually get the three seasons as seperate sets or get a complete 3 seasons set
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