Emu's All Live Pink Windmill Show S2E11 (1985) - FULL EPISODE

Grotbags needs to be nicer to her staff according to her 'horrorscope', but can she keep it up throughout an entire mission to capture Emu? Meanwhile, a mishap with a fish calls for emergency action on the part of Redford and Croc, who are hoping that a good walloping isn't written in the stars. This episode was originally broadcast on Friday, 21st June, 1985. The dances in this one are two absolute stone cold bona fide classic Pink Windmill dances: The Heat Is On (by Glenn Frey, featured in the film Beverly Hills Cop) and That's When the Music Takes Me (by Neil Sedaka). It's rare for them to have featured a combination of two more iconic routines. In fact, all things considered, this could be my favourite episode of the series: a couple of superbly upbeat songs, a very funny plot, the Spin Quizzes just about going right but not perfectly, Rod and Emu trying their collective hands at ballet, and the Cauldron Games... Oh! Those Cauldron Games. From the moment Grotbags loudly proclaims "There's some smashing boobies", you know exactly what sort of mood she's in. You can hear the crew losing it as her wool joke backfires, and even Redford throws in an "I shall have to give her a massage after that, you know" under his breath. Eleven weeks in and they're basically beyond caring at this point, and just determined to have a bit of fun - and ultimately we're the beneficiaries of that. This is also a very good Boggle's Kingdom story arc, with Henry McGee - most famously a sidekick of Benny Hill - playing the dastardly Count Cappuccino. Obviously, it's not the most complex of whodunnits, but it's a plot that builds well through the weeks and also has emotion attached, so it's no surprise that Henry returned in 1987 for a stint as (allegedly) Count Giorgio. I think the implication is that it's the same conman rather than his brother, but I've never been sure - what do you reckon? Something else I'm not 100% certain of is Basil the Snake. Is that a Clockwork Orange reference? Or is it a nod to Fawlty Towers, what with the spider being called Sybil? In fact, I think the "You know nothing"/"I know nothing" exchange may also be a Basil/Manuel joke; "And all because Mrs Grotbags likes baked fish with custard" is a reference to an advert for a box of chocolates; "...For you-hoo" is based on a famous British Telecom catchphrase; and I think that referring to Grotbags as "Mrs G" at one point is down to then-prime-minister Margaret Thatcher being known colloquially as "Mrs T". That last one's really quite something when you think about it, if I'm right. If you went to Drummoyne Public School in Australia, St Mary's Primary in Mellor (near Blackburn), or Plunkett Street School in New South Wales, keep an eye out for the Twin Schools segment. Rod seems to be having trouble shutting up that very keen principal, and in the end they simply cut back abruptly, and slightly mistimed. On another technical note, is this the first time we've seen the star graphics accompany the wallopings this series? I'm not sure how often they were in the previous or next series, either, now I think about it. Oh, and for the very sharp-eyed, nothing comes of it, but I think one audience member deliberately and mischievously throws their ball at Grotbags at 20:56. Either that, or they're a really rotten shot. It's slightly surprising no-one else seemed to think of this. Oh, and I suppose we ought to give a big shout out to honorary Pink Windmill Kid Lee for his sterling work in introducing the first Spin Quiz. I should point out that there are a few audio issues with this episode, which I've done my best to iron out, but I actually think the sound department were having difficulties on the day, culminating in both Spin Quiz contestants struggling to hear Rod on the phone. It's difficult to say what's a broadcasting error and what's just the old VHS being a bit wobbly, but hopefully it won't spoil anyone's enjoyment. Stay tuned at the beginning and end for more Children's ITV continuity presented by Timmy Mallet down on the farm. Many thanks to Spencer for lending me this tape. (To the best of my knowledge, the contents of this video have never been available commercially anywhere in the world. Please also note that I don't monetise any of my uploads. Nevertheless, if you are a copyright holder and have an objection, please don't hesitate to contact me.)