Crumbs! Danger Mouse is Back!

He’s amazing! He’s fantastic! He’s Danger Mouse! In 2015, the world’s greatest secret agent, and Penfold, the world’s most hopeless hamster, spring into action once more after 20 years off the air. But does the cult following the one-eyed white wonder left behind truly justify a comeback?

 

Oh ’eck! The CGI revival strikes again. Yes, Cosgrove/Hall’s favourite animated rodent and his faithful but incompetent sidekick are to return to our TV screens after being commissioned by the BBC. Now seems as good a time as any to take a look back at the original series. Was he really as amazing as we all thought?

 

Danger Mouse began in 1981, initially with a batch of short ten minute episodes. Though amusing, these episodes didn’t really exploit the show’s full potential. It felt as though the writers were still finding their feet. By 1982, and the premiere of the second season’s 20 minute episodes (split into segments for broadcast), the show’s humour was fully realised, without being condescending for younger viewers. Danger Mouse appealed to all audiences, with episodes such as ‘Custard’ showcasing a silly, surrealist and very British humour. In retrospect, the second season was perhaps where the series peaked. While subsequent seasons were still very well-written, knowing this, a revival sounds less than promising.

 

The seasons that followed saw a mix of 10 and 20 minute episodes between 1983 and 1987. Although they were amusing – some of them downright hilarious – the latter entries in particular appeared to be somewhat less engrossed in the surreal and fast-paced humour characteristic of the programme at its peak. The final two seasons of 1991 and 1992 really conveyed how tired and familiar the show had become. The animation quality had improved, but the humour was decidedly lacking. The series bowed out on a surprisingly low note with the disappointing ‘The Intergalactic 147’, which saw the planets transformed into coloured balls for an elaborate snooker game. Much like the game itself, this episode was insipid (sorry, snooker fans).

 

Yet, even in the worst episodes, there were at least a few laugh-out-loud moments. Perhaps the quality of individual episodes didn’t matter so much. Rather, it may have been the familiar characters and the chemistry between them that encouraged a following. David Jason was perfect in the role of the white wonder, while the late Terry Scott truly encapsulated the cowardly comic sidekick. But they won’t be around for the new series, and this may detract from the show’s overall appeal as a result.

 

Regardless, whether we want them to or not, next year our intrepid duo is to be awakened by the call of duty once again. It wouldn’t be fair to criticise a show before seeing it. Until then, I’ll reserve judgement. In the meantime…

 

“Penfold… Shush!”