Roary the Racing Car

Roary the Racing Car, written as ROARY: The Racing Car, is a British animated television series for preschoolers. It was created by David Jenkins and produced by Chapman Entertainment, airing on Five and Nick Jr. from 7 May 2007 to 29 September 2010. The first series was animated by Cosgrove Hall Films, while Chapman handled animation for the second. The show centres on Roary and his anthropomorphic racing car companions at the Silver Hatch racetrack.

The plot follows five anthropomorphic racing vehicles—Roary, Maxi, Cici (called Zizzy in the US), Drifter (Dragga in the US), and Tin Top—alongside the humans who work with them: mechanic Big Chris, race marshal Marsha, and track owner Mr. Carburettor. The setting is the fictional Silver Hatch circuit, a name combining Silverstone and Brands Hatch, two British Grand Prix tracks. Most action occurs in the pits and workshop, though the cars often lap the track, and occasionally they visit places like a nearby beach. Races sometimes fill an entire episode.

Each story opens and closes with brief narration, originally by British racing driver Sir Stirling Moss, with the US version narrated by American stock car driver Sam Hornish Jr.

The vehicle characters include: Roary, a red British-accented Formula Ford car and the main protagonist, who is young, friendly, and eager to learn, with a healthy rivalry with Maxi and a close bond with Cici and FB. Maxi, a yellow mock Italian-accented Formula One car, is hot-tempered, arrogant, and obsessed with winning, often bullying Roary but showing hidden care. Cici, a pink and purple French-accented rally car, is bubbly and playful, with a crush on Roary; she runs on oil, solar, and electric energy. Drifter, an orange mock Japanese-accented drift car, is serene and technologically advanced, rarely upset, and practices Tai Chi before races. Tin Top, a dark blue mock Southern-American-accented stock car, is accident-prone and often ends up in trouble. Plugger (Lugga in North America) is an aqua blue West Indian-accented tow truck who rescues other vehicles. Hellie is a red, purple, and yellow helicopter used for transport and emergencies. FB (Trucksy in North America) is a green West Country-accented pickup truck who helps with chores and explores with Roary and Cici.