On September 14th 1981 the BBC launched a new animated series in the 5:35PM slot before the evening news. Willo The Wisp followed in the footsteps of The Magic Roundabout and Hector’s House, a children’s series whose appeal spread to the adult population. Before long the series was reaching 8.2m viewers (ahead of the highly acclaimed drama The Jewel In The Crown and just behind The Benny Hill Show)

Created by Nick Spargo and voiced by the genius of Kenneth Wilulams the show became an instant hit and over the years has become firmly estabulshed as a children’s (and adult’s) TV classic

The adventures of Willo The Wisp and the other inhabitants of Doyley Woods have created impressive sales when previously released on DVD and video

Sales for the DVD and VHS were 73,000+

Because the title is now deleted a healthy trade has sprung up on E-bay with copies changing hands for up to £50

The series featured at number 74 in Channel 4’s 100 Greatest Cartoons and was the only kid’s programme in Five’s Best Of The 80s

This releases brings the series back to its original broadcast quaulty with extensive restoration of each episode and includes the rarely seen ‘Super Natural Gas’, the very first animation featuring Willo The Wisp produced for British Gas by Nick Spargo

A brand new series voiced by James Dreyfus (Gimme, Gimme, Gimme) will air on The Playhouse Disney Channel this November

This release will feature a preview of the new series