Magic Rabbits
Peter Nutbein
Magic Rabbits the other night got me to thinking - "what do we actually know
about the Magic Rabbits?"
Well, despite being a Brookyite since birth (it's - not mine) this is the
extent of my knowledge...
1. The theme tune is heard approx every 6 months
2. It's popular with men in particular - Terry Sullivan and Sinbad were avid
viewers with Gordon Collins being an occasional viewer during his low period
(much to Paul's and Annabel's chagrin)
3. It used to be scheduled just before or just after "Meadowcroft Park" (and
what happened to that - or is that another thread...?)
4. AFAIK there has only actually been one reference to the title of the
programme - an act of exasperation by Sinbad under circumstances I can't
recall with certainty but think had something to do with him trying to
provoke Terry out of the torpor he was immersed in after the death of Sue??
Alas, that's it. Come on Brookyites - get your thinking caps on. Do we have
any Magic Rabbits afficionados out there? Has the theme tune ever been
released?
Pete.
:-))
Robert Hampton
> It's been a while, but hearing young Anthony delighting in watching the
> Magic Rabbits the other night got me to thinking - "what do we actually
> know about the Magic Rabbits?"
Well, here's the inside scoop from the "Total Brookside" book:
=============================================================================
When it comes to Television, the residents of Brookside Close are very
particular about what they view. It used to be their favourite soap,
Meadowcroft Park, but lately it seems that the only programme anyone sits
down to watch is a children's romp with musical rabbits. This has not been
missed by the audience at large and hardly a week goes by without Mersey
Television receiving at least one enquiry about the Magic Rabbits.
Phil Redmond reveals their origins: "One of the biggest problems we have is
copyright. Any music or soundtrack in the background is too expensive because
you have to buy it off the rights holders. Years ago, I said why don't we
make some of our own programmes for use on screen and Nick Prosser, one of
our directors, went off and made these rabbit glove puppets and did this
kiddies' show. The clip just sits in the library until every now and again a
director gets out the magic bunnies and puts them on screen. It's almost like
a bit of folklore for ourselves. We get letters from people saying the
rabbits should have their own show!"
=============================================================================
> Alas, that's it. Come on Brookyites - get your thinking caps on. Do we have
> any Magic Rabbits afficionados out there? Has the theme tune ever been
> released?
Well, the theme tune is probably off a CD of library music so it can be
played on TV without paying royalties. Come to think of it, it was probably
the same CD used for the endlessly looped muzak in Bar Brookie a few years
ago. I don't think those library CDs are available to the public.
--
Robert Hampton, Liverpool, UK r_ha...@blueyonder.co.uk
uk.media.tv.brookside site: www.fabland.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/and_also/umtb/
Manxcat
"Robert Hampton" wrote :
>
> Well, here's the inside scoop from the "Total Brookside" book:
>
>
============================================================================
=
> When it comes to Television, the residents of Brookside Close are very
> particular about what they view. It used to be their favourite soap,
> Meadowcroft Park, but lately it seems that the only programme anyone sits
> down to watch is a children's romp with musical rabbits. This has not been
> missed by the audience at large and hardly a week goes by without Mersey
> Television receiving at least one enquiry about the Magic Rabbits.
>
> Phil Redmond reveals their origins: "One of the biggest problems we have
is
> copyright. Any music or soundtrack in the background is too expensive
because
> you have to buy it off the rights holders. Years ago, I said why don't we
> make some of our own programmes for use on screen and Nick Prosser, one of
> our directors, went off and made these rabbit glove puppets and did this
> kiddies' show. The clip just sits in the library until every now and again
a
> director gets out the magic bunnies and puts them on screen. It's almost
like
> a bit of folklore for ourselves. We get letters from people saying the
> rabbits should have their own show!"
So that's where Paul T's Nick comes from. Well, don't you just learn
something new every day.
Manxcat
JNugent
> Well, here's the inside scoop from the "Total Brookside" book:
> "When it comes to Television, the residents of Brookside Close are very
> particular about what they view. It used to be their favourite soap,
> Meadowcroft Park, but lately it seems that the only programme anyone sits
> down to watch is a children's romp with musical rabbits. This has not been
> missed by the audience at large and hardly a week goes by without Mersey
> Television receiving at least one enquiry about the Magic Rabbits.
> "Phil Redmond reveals their origins: "One of the biggest problems we have
is
> copyright. Any music or soundtrack in the background is too expensive
because
> you have to buy it off the rights holders. Years ago, I said why don't we
> make some of our own programmes for use on screen and Nick Prosser, one of
> our directors, went off and made these rabbit glove puppets and did this
> kiddies' show. The clip just sits in the library until every now and again
a
> director gets out the magic bunnies and puts them on screen. It's almost
like
> a bit of folklore for ourselves. We get letters from people saying the
> rabbits should have their own show!""
> > Alas, that's it. Come on Brookyites - get your thinking caps on. Do we
have
> > any Magic Rabbits afficionados out there? Has the theme tune ever been
> > released?
> Well, the theme tune is probably off a CD of library music so it can be
> played on TV without paying royalties. Come to think of it, it was
probably
> the same CD used for the endlessly looped muzak in Bar Brookie a few years
> ago. I don't think those library CDs are available to the public.
You are right - library recordings are not (generally) available to the
public. But the concept of library recordings is that the record/CD is
provided free of charge to potential professional users (TV studios, radio
stations, film production companies, advertising agencies, etc) and a charge
is only made when a piece of music is actually *used* (the opposite of what
you seemed to understand) - with repeat fees charged every time - definitely
not the cheapest way to add music to a TV programme (though cheaper than
commissioning a composer and hiring an orchestra and recording studio).
There are some "library CDs" floating round that are "free at point of use"
(I have one or two of them), but they are intended for semi-pro use
(background music for holiday and wedding videos and the like), and the only
way in which they can be "royalty-free" is that they are charged-for in the
first instance (no idea on prices - I didn't pay for mine...). Such CDs
contain music that is noticeably lightweight as compared to the output of
Chappell, Zomba, Bruton, Music-House, etc.
As for Brookside and the Magic Rabbits... I'm fairly sure that such
undemanding fare will have been written/recorded "in house".
The Magic Rabbits
> undemanding fare will have been written/recorded "in house".
I always assumed so - that Steve Wright or the Roylance chappie had a hand
in it. As some of you know, I particularly used to like the "Who Do You
Love" song, with its catchy eighties riff. Alas, in these enlightened days
of Marquess it seems that the Brookside theme and the Magic Rabbits tune are
the only survivors of those far off days.
When I read the question about whether it had been released on CD, I
immediately set about trying to knock up a MIDI version of the tune - no
doubt a thinly veiled attempt to gain acceptance and recognition within the
forum. However, this exercise ultimately proved as fruitless as it was
sacriligious, and had to be abandoned for another day.
As for my nickname... I have no idea what you're talking about! ;o)
Paul T.
Sarah Barratt
"The Magic Rabbits" <NOpogl...@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:2S3E6.119561$HR6.13...@nnrp4.clara.net...
> I always assumed so - that Steve Wright or the Roylance chappie had a hand
> in it. As some of you know, I particularly used to like the "Who Do You
> Love" song, with its catchy eighties riff.
How about the one that goes "set me free why don't you"...? I wonder how
any times that's been aired over the years.