Roary the Racing Car

Roary the Racing Car
Season 1 characters (from left to right): Zippee, Tin Top, F.B, Dinkie, and Mr. Carburettor (behind Tin Top), Hellie, Maxi, Big Chris, Rusty (behind Big Chris), Roary, Marsha, Flash, Cici, Drifter, Plugger, and Farmer Green.
Genre	Comedy Children's Television show
Created by	David Jenkins
Directed by	Tim Harper
Voices of	Maria Darling Tim Whitnall Marc Silk Peter Kay (UK) Dominic Frisby Kerry Shale (US) Katie Leigh (US) Phil Lollar (US)
Narrated by	Sir Stirling Moss (UK) Sam Hornish Jr. (US)
Theme music composer	Alan Coates and Kim Goody
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	5
No. of episodes	108
Production
Executive producer	Greg Lynn
Producer	Keith Chapman
Running time	10 episodes per episode (approx.)
Production companies	Chapman Entertainment Cosgrove Hall Films
Original release
Network	Five Nick Jr.
Release	7 May 2007 (2007-05-07) – 29 September 2010 (2010-09-29)
Related
Fifi and the Flowertots

Roary the Racing Car is a British stop-motion children's television series created by David Jenkins and produced by Chapman Entertainment and Cosgrove Hall Films. It follows the adventures of Roary and his four racing car friends at Silver Hatch race track.

Plot

The series follows the lives and adventures of five racing vehicles, Roary, Maxi, Cici, Drifter, and Tin Top.

Setting

Roary the Racing Car is set around a fictional motor racing circuit called Silver Hatch (a portmanteau of the names of the two British Grand Prix racing circuits, Silverstone and Brands Hatch). The majority of the action takes place at the track's pits and workshop, although we often follow the cars on their laps around the track. Occasionally, the characters venture to external locations such as the nearby beach.

Narration

Every story begins and ends with some brief narration normally from racing car driver Sir Stirling Moss. He is also used as a voice-over. The US version is narrated by American stock car driver Sam Hornish Jr.

Characters and voice cast

Main characters

• Big Chris (voiced by Peter Kay); The mechanic of Silver Hatch who is slightly absent-minded.
• Roary (voiced by Maria Darling) A Formula Ford car who is the main character of the show. He is painted red.
• Cici (voiced by Maria Darling) a French rally car who is very bubbly and friendly. She is painted pink and purple.
• Maxi (voiced by Marc Silk); An Italian Formula One car who is very hot-tempered and is obsessed with winning. He is painted yellow.
• Tin Top (voiced by Peter Kay); An American stock car who crashes a lot. He is painted dark blue with red star motifs.
• Drifter (voiced by Marc Silk); A Japanese drift car. He is painted orange with a dragon motif.
• Rusty (voiced by Dominic Frisby); An old caravan that Big Chris lives in. He is painted white with some of it rusted away.
• Marsha (voiced by Maria Darling); The racing marshal of Silver Hatch. She waves the flag when the race begins, and also is the one who takes calls from her work station.
• Mr. Carburettor (voiced by Tim Whitnall); The dramatic owner of Silver Hatch. He speaks with an Italian accent and he loves to sing opera.
• Flash (voiced by Marc Silk); A very rascally and energetic rabbit who likes to cause trouble on the race track.
• Molecom (voiced by Dominic Frisby); A mole who wears glasses. He is a skilled mechanic and banjo player.

Side characters

• FB (voiced by Dominic Frisby); A second generation Ford F-Series who is Farmer Green's main vehicle. He is painted turquoise.
• Conrod (voiced by Craig Lowndes); An Australian Team Vodafone V8 Supercar. He is painted red.
• Nick (voiced by Marc Silk); a Lamborghini Gallardo police car who is the main vehicle of PC Pete.
• James (voiced by Dominic Frisby); An Aston Martin DB5 who is Mamma Mia's main vehicle. He is painted silver.
• Hellie (voiced by Marc Silk); A helicopter. He is painted red and yellow.
• Loada (voiced by Phil Lollar); A race car transporter truck.
• Zippee (no voice); A Vespa motor scooter who is Marsha's main vehicle. It is painted orange.
• PC Pete (voiced by Dominic Frisby); A police officer who is Marsha's brother.
• Plugger (voiced by Tim Whitnall); A Mitsubishi L200 tow truck.
• Breeze (voiced by Maria Darling); A Meyers Manx buggy who lives at the beach. She is painted turquoise.
• Farmer Green (voiced by Tim Whitnall); A farmer who is very humble and slightly messy. The Silver Hatch racing crew often visit his farm to buy produce.
• Mamma Mia (voiced by Maria Darling); Mr. Carburettor's mother. She is very prim and proper.

Production

The series uses a combination of computer-generated imagery and stop-motion animation; the stop frame animation was initially provided by Cosgrove Hall Films, the producer of Noddy's Toyland Adventures, the 2003 Postman Pat series, and many other shows produced by said company, and latterly by Chapman Entertainment's own in-house studio. The series was originated by David Jenkins, who spent four years working in senior management at Brands Hatch Race Circuit. The idea was conceived while watching the Grand Prix on television with his then-18-month-old son, Tom. It was designed and developed by Keith Chapman, creative director of Chapman Entertainment and the creator of Bob the Builder (both 1998 and the later 2015 series), Fifi and the Flowertots, and later, PAW Patrol, and the series executive producer is Greg Lynn.

Episodes

Series 1 (2007–2008)

Overall	Episode	Title	Description
01	01	Roary's First Day	Roary feels nervous as he waits to take part in a big race and Big Chris reminds him of his first day at Silver Hatch.
02	02	Roary Slips Up	Roary feels foolish and very oily when he forgets to clean up a mess before a big race occurs.
03	03	Big Chris Flags It Up	When Marsha suddenly comes down with a cold and gets sent home, Big Chris mistakes Marsha's flags for oil rags when he accidentally sends fuel dripping onto the ground instead of into Roary's fuel tank.
04	04	Express Delivery	Roary fetches a box of six eggs, together with a bottle of milk from the farm for Big Chris, but unfortunately, he ends up breaking the eggs and spilling the milk over and over again.
05	05	Roary's Day at the Seaside	Roary spends a day at the beach with Big Chris, Tin Top, and Plugger.
06	06	Roary Takes Off	Big Chris discovers a new way of cleaning Roary's fuel intake.
07	07	Cici Takes the Blame	Marsha's picnic blanket is badly damaged and she believes that Cici is to blame.
08	08	Big Chris' Big Workout	Big Chris tries to prove to Marsha that he is in good shape after she rescues Roary before he can.
09	09	Flash Flips Out	Flash causes a problem when Roary and the other cars test out their new turbo chargers.
10	10	Rusty Remembers	Rusty the caravan needs Roary to cheer him up, despite Big Chris being repeatedly told by Marsha to find a certificate before an inspector comes to the race track.
11	11	Easy on the Fuel	Roary tries to include Maxi in the big race, even after he runs out of fuel.
12	12	Communication Breakdown	Roary has a crash and is overheating at Hare-pin bend and Marsha and Zippee the Scooter must find a way to get him back to be fixed when the walkie-talkies break down.
13	13	Blue Light Job	Big Chris tries to fix Drifter's neon light.
14	14	Make Your Mind Up Roary	The gang prepare for a special trip, but Roary cannot decide whether the Silver Hatch crew should go to the countryside or the beach.
15	15	Workshop Roary	Roary and Tin Top offer to run the workshop while Big Chris has a nap.
16	16	Tip Top Tin Top	Tin Top impresses a visiting car designer.
17	17	Tunnel Vision	Roary helps Maxi get over a fear of the dark.
18	18	Molecom Makes Music	Molecom wants to be more musical like Big Chris.
19	19	Roary Goes Missing	Roary gets stuck at the beach, but no one knows where he is, not even Marsha.
20	20	Mamma Mia	Mr. Carburettor learns that his mother, Mamma Mia, is coming to visit.
21	21	Surround Sound	Big Chris is annoyed when his karaoke machine breaks down just when he needs to rehearse for an important competition.
22	22	Plugger's on the Case	Plugger discovers that he cannot do everything by himself - sometimes he needs his friends to help him.
23	23	Big Chris Learns to Fly	Big Chris has problems while flying in Hellie.
24	24	Musical Mayhem	Hellie the Helicopter breaks down and is unable to take Mr. Carburettor to the opera.
25	25	Breaking Promises	Maxi is angry when Roary is offered his spare tyre warmers overnight.
26	26	Secret Treasures	Roary, Tin Top and Drifter head to the beach to find some buried treasure, just like pirates.

Series 2 (2008–2009)

Overall	Episode	Title	Description
27	27	Roary on Thin Ice	On a cold day at Silver Hatch race track, Roary must find a way to warm everyone up in time for an important race.
28	28	Drifter's Last Day	The cars worry that Drifter is to be taken to the scrapheap for good.
29	29	Out of Juice	Big Chris takes delivery of special rainwater to make the cars run more smoothly, and Maxi drinks it all without sharing.
30	30	Roary's Wake Up Call	Farmer Green has problems getting up in the mornings, so Roary finds a way to help.
31	31	Big Chris Says Sorry	Big Chris thinks that Marsha is cross with him after he accidentally tells Mr. Carburettor that she made a mistake.
32	32	Maxi's New Engine	Maxi's engine needs to be rebuilt, so he has to use a tractor engine, much to his horror.
33	33	Busy Day for Big Chris	Big Chris struggles to find time to relax, because, every time he sits down, someone at Silver Hatch race track wants his help.
34	34	Tin Top Gets Scared	Flash the rabbit decides to play a mischievous trick on Tin Top.
35	35	Roary Loses A Friend	Big Chris accidentally throws away Roary's lucky teddy, and sets out to retrieve it before it reaches the rubbish dump.
36	36	Spooky Forest	Maxi tricks the friends into thinking that the forest is haunted.
37	37	FB in the Fast Lane	FB competes against Roary at the racetrack - along with disastrous results!
38	38	Roary Goes Back to School	Roary heads back to school to brush up on his safety skills.
39	39	Rabbit That Yelled Stop	Flash challenges Roary to take part in a race.
40	40	Cici Gets Fired Up	Silver Hatch Race Track suffers a fuel crisis, so everyone relies on solar-powered Cici!
41	41	Stars 'n' Cars	Big Chris is invited to sing karaoke on TV.
42	42	Crash Test Roary	Roary is nervous about racing after crashing into a tree while racing against Maxi.
43	43	Roary Sees Red	Cici gets stuck in the mud during a rainstorm while helping Farmer Green and FB with their annual hay harvest.
44	44	Rusty Takes A Trip	Roary and his friends plan a surprise for Rusty.
45	45	Roary Cleans Up His Act	Roary tackles a water shortage at Silver Hatch race track to make sure that he and the gang are ready in time for a tremendously important photo shoot!
46	46	Green-Eyed Roary	Maxi chooses Cici as his training partner, making Roary jealous.
47	47	Big Chris Forgets	Marsha celebrates her birthday, but Big Chris forgets all about the occasion.
48	48	Big Chris Babysits	Big Chris looks after Roary and Cici, but it seems that he is the one who needs babysitting!
49	49	Roary and Nigel	Roary makes friends with Nigel the crab, who lives in a rock pool on the beach.
50	50	Roary Gets It Wrong	Farmer Green asks Roary to deliver parcels around the track, but in spite of his singing that he does while driving around the track, Roary gets the parcels all mixed up. What a muddle!
51	51	Computer Calamity	Mr Carburettor announces he wants to move with the times and be more modern.
52	52	Roary Digs Deep	Roary faces his demons when he races against Maxi.

Series 3 (2009)

Overall	Episode	Title	Description
53	01	Cici Spectacular	Roary tries to ease Cici's nerves when Mr Carburettor asks her to perform one of her stunts in front of a big crowd.
54	02	Dodgems	Marsha tries her best to be the mechanic for the day while Big Chris takes a nap.
55	03	Flash The Marshall	Mr Carburettor wants Flash to get out of Silver Hatch race track forever, but Flash is given a second chance to stay by becoming a race marshall.
56	04	Tall Story Roary	The Silver Hatch team must find a way to bring Roary back to the race track after the loud-speakers (voiced by Big Chris) break down, and he has an accident.
57	05	Hot Stuff	The cars go on a day trip to the beach.
58	06	Car Boot Sale	Big Chris tries to get rid of his junk at Farmer Green's car boot sale.
59	07	Testing Time For Maxi	PC Pete and his important police car Nick visit Silver Hatch to give the cars their road tests, but Maxi fails every single one. Oh no!
60	08	Horse Powered Dinkie	Maxi and Drifter have an accident and they both become stuck in a ditch.
61	09	Flash's Tea Party	Flash the rabbit invites everyone for afternoon tea, but he forgets to tell them to bring a dish.
62	10	FB's leepover	FB is invited to a sleepover at the workshop with the cars.
63	11	Hellie's a Winner	Maxi accuses Hellie of cheating when he joins the cars out on the track.
64	12	Cry Cold	Big Chris catches a cold, and enjoys being fussed over so much that he decides not to tell everyone when he starts to feel better.
65	13	Motormouth	A commentator (Murray Walker) is invited to commentate for a very big race.
66	14	Demolition Derby	Tin Top keeps crashing into things, and Big Chris tries to help him focus his energy into something productive.
67	15	Manners, Please	Farmer Green and FB are nervous about going to Mamma Mia's garden party, so James and the other cars teach them how to behave at the event.
68	16	Crash Test Roary	Hellie the Helicopter has trouble getting airborne again after breaking down and crashing.
69	17	Plugger's New Job	James breaks down, causing Mamma Mia to ask Plugger to drive her around, but when the pair have fun together, the out-of-action chauffeur begins to get jealous.
70	18	Big Chris' Fun Run	Big Chris is uncertain about taking part in a fun run, so Roary and Plugger try to make sure he trains for it without realising.
71	19	Silver Hatch Heroes	A film director visits Silver Hatch to record his new movie.
72	20	Nick Solves the Case	Nick solves the case of the missing bio fuel.

Series 4 (2010)

Overall	Episode	Title	Description
73	01	Crash Landing	Hellie makes an emergency landing. Despite everyone's efforts, Hellie won't fly again - what could the problem be?
74	02	Hi-Tech Overload	Drifter's computer has overloaded and he became stranded in the countryside. Meanwhile, he starts to enjoy the peace and quiet.
75	03	Silver Hatch Stars	Conrod and Roary rescue Breeze when she gets stuck on a cliff edge.
76	04	New Juice	Conrod and Maxi have a race to test out some biofuel.
77	05	Simply The Best	Plugger rescues Molecolm, and Roary tries to beat his best lap time.
78	06	Heavy Loada	Loada gets stuck in the sand on the beach and released that sand and lorries don't mix!
79	07	Marsha's Wonderful Life	Marsha overhears her friends and she believes that she is bossy, so, she decides to take Zippee and depart Silver Hatch for good.
80	08	Silver Hatch Shapes Up	Conrod is having trouble with his engine and Loada has a rattling sound in his engine.
81	09	Silver Hatch Pizza	Mr Carburettor wants pizza for Lunch, but what's he going to do when the pizzeria is closed?
82	10	Homesick Tin Top	The cars try to cheer up Tin Top when he feels homesick.
83	11	How The Hatch Was Won	Big Chris and Tin Top become cowboys, but someone is causing trouble on the race track!
84	12	Law and Order	Mr Carburettor is fed up with the cars running amok on his track and summons Bill and Nick to restore order to the track. But might our overzealous policeman overstep the mark?
85	13	Mum's The Word	Big Chris' mum is visiting Silver Hatch as is Mamma Mia
86	14	FB For Football	Big Chris and his friends decide to play Football on the beach.

External links

• Roary the Racing Car official site with many games, activities and more
• Roary the Racing Car at IMDb