Crapston Villas

Crapston Villas was a British animated television series, in which the characters were made from plasticine and filmed with stop motion clay animation. It was a comedy satire on inner-city London life, directed at a mature audience. It featured a set of characters, living in a grim apartment building in the fictional postcode of SE69, who were plagued by various dilemmas. Foul language, sex and violence are present.[1]

Crapston Villas
Created bySarah Ann Kennedy
StarringVoice cast:
Morwenna Banks
Felix Dexter
Jane Horrocks
Claire Jennings
Polly Kemp
Alistair McGowan
Etela Pardo
Lesley Sharp
Liz Smith
Alison Steadman
Steve Steen
John Thomson
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes20 (over 2 series)
Production
Running time10 minutes per episode
Release
Original networkChannel 4
Original release1995 (1995) –
1997 (1997)

Production

It was made by the Spitting Image Productions company and was originally broadcast on the UK's Channel 4 from 1995 to 1997. It was written by Sarah Ann Kennedy, who was also director (series 1) along with Peter Boyd Maclean (series 2). The music for the show was composed by Rowland Lee.

Voices were provided by a range of British actors and comedians, including Jane Horrocks, John Thomson, Alistair McGowan, Morwenna Banks, Felix Dexter, Lesley Sharp, Liz Smith and Alison Steadman.

The show was cancelled after its second series by the incoming new head of Channel 4 Television, Michael Jackson, who then bought US import South Park to fill the late Friday night slot vacated by Crapston Villas.

Availability

Each series comprised ten episodes. Series 1 was subsequently issued on video, edited together as a single 100 minute piece ("Crapston Villas – City of Slummington"), while Series 2 was similarly released, but on two videos ("Health Hazard" and "Culture Shock"). In the USA five episodes from Series 1 were released on DVD by the independent production/distribution company Troma Entertainment, but so far no DVD releases of either series have occurred in the UK.

As of January 2012, all 20 episodes of Crapston Villas are available to watch on Channel 4's digital on-demand service 4oD (now called All 4). Reruns of the Series are also available to watch on G.O.L.D. late at night.

Awards
  • 1996 Broadcast Awards: Best New Program

References
  1. Jasper Rees (28 October 1995). "TELEVISION Crapston Villas (Channel 4) - Arts & Entertainment". The Independent. Retrieved 25 August 2013.


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