The Adventures of Twizzle

Lore & Background

The series was the first major commission for Anderson Provis Films (AP Films or APF), founded by Gerry Anderson and Arthur Provis in mid-1957. It had been conceived as a puppet show by Roberta Leigh, who contracted APF to make 52 episodes budgeted at £450 each. Filmed in a converted ballroom at Islet Park House in Cookham, Berkshire between July 1957 and January 1958, the production consciously incorporated dynamic shots and three-dimensional sets to challenge audiences' preconceptions that puppet shows favoured static cameras and flat backgrounds. The marionettes were operated from a bridge several feet above the studio floor, and during filming, the puppeteers' actions were guided by a form of video assist involving a slave camera that flopped the live picture and relayed it to a nearby TV monitor.

The opening episode, 'Twizzle and Footso', was first broadcast on 9 November 1957 by ITV's London franchise, Associated-Rediffusion, and aired its last episode on 3 June 1959. The series also aired on the ABC network in Australia. Only the first episode is known to survive; the sole surviving episode is included in the 'The Adventures of Twizzle' DVD release or as a bonus on some Gerry Anderson collections. A British annual called 'More Twizzle Adventure Stories' was brought out in 1960 by Brin Brothers Ltd, containing 91 pages of text and comic-style stories.

Reader's Guide

The Adventures of Twizzle holds significance as the first series to employ the marionette puppetry that would become a hallmark of later APF productions, such as those developed by Gerry Anderson. Its production techniques, including dynamic camera work and three-dimensional sets, challenged the static conventions of puppet television at the time. The series introduced characters and themes—such as Straytown, a home for misfit toys—that would reappear in later works like Torchy the Battery Boy. Despite its pioneering role, only one of its 52 episodes survives, making it a rare artifact of early British children's television. The series also marked the first major commission for APF, a company that would go on to produce notable puppet series. The involvement of crew members like Reg Hill, Derek Meddings, and Christine Glanville, who later became key figures in APF, underscores its role as a training ground for talent. The annual published in 1960, though now rare, provides additional insight into the series' cultural footprint.

Did You Know?

• Twizzle's legs looked like drinking straws with lines around them in a swirling pattern.
• The characters were operated on carpet thread strings and had heads of papier-mâché.