BLABBERMOUTH & STICKY BEAK (TV)
Summary
This humorous children's drama tells the story of an
Australian girl, Rowena Batts, who is absolutely normal
except for the fact that she cannot speak. This,
however, is not her problem. Her problem is other
people's attitude towards her, and her
country-and-western-loving father who loves her deeply
but embarrasses her at every turn. The program begins
on Rowena's difficult first day at a public school. Her
fears about being isolated from the other students
become real when she gets in a fight with Darryn, the
class bully, after he ridicules her and her family.
However, she soon becomes friends with Amanda
Cosgrove, a girl who can speak some sign language.
Unfortunately, Amanda is the daughter of Mr. Batt's
nemesis, the snooty Mr. Cosgrove; and unfortunately, Mr.
Cosgrove has asked Amanda to bring Rowena as a
"community service project" to his Progress
Association's program to help the disadvantaged. At
first Rowena is enraged by the Cosgroves' condescension,
but she soon seizes the program as an opportunity to
teach the high-handed Progress Association a lesson
about "disadvantaged" people. Things start to look up
for Rowena when a romance begins between her father
and her teacher, Ms. Dunning, and when she acquires a
new pet, Darryn's foul-mouthed cockatoo Sticky Beak.
But Rowena begins to worry when Sticky Beak proves to
be a terror and returns to Darryn, and Ms.Dunning
becomes pregnant soon after her marriage to Mr. Batts.
Rowena wonders if she will be pushed to the side, with
no one who will want to speak to her in her own
language. However, Mr. Batts writes and sings a special
country-and-western song just for Rowena, that sets her
mind at ease.
(This program is the winner of the 1998 International
Emmy Award in the children's and young people's
category.)
Details
- NETWORK: Channel 4 (United Kingdom)
- DATE: November 30, 1997
- RUNNING TIME: 0:55:40
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:55299
- GENRE: Children's
- SUBJECT HEADING: Children's programs; Handicapped - Discrimination against - Drama; Handicapped children - Drama; International Collection - United Kingdom; Mutism - Drama; Speech disorders in children - Drama
- SERIES RUN: Channel 4 (United Kingdom) - TV, 1998
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Andrew Bethell … Executive Producer, Writer, Script by
- Ann Darrouzet … Producer
- Michael Robins … Associate Producer
- Julian Kemp … Director, Writer, Script by
- Morris Gleitzman … Writer, Based on the books by
- Jutta Goetze … Writer, Script by
- Helen Neville … Cast, Rowena Batts
- Michael Bishop … Cast, Kenny Batts
- Sally Cooper … Cast, Ms. Dunning
- Rhona Rees … Cast, Amanda Cosgrove
- Tony Llewellyn-Jones … Cast, Mr. Cosgrove
- Kane McNay … Cast, Darryn Peck
- Robin Cuming … Cast, Mr. Fowler
- Will Deumer … Cast, Mr. Peck
- Evelyn Krape … Cast, Mrs. Peck
- Damien Richardson … Cast, Andy Peck
- Catherine Coghill … Cast, Rowena Batt's double
- Isla Fisher … Cast, Rowena, Voice
- Michael Bishop … Voice