In the mid-1990s, Carey Blyton attempted to get a project off the ground involving children’s books, a TV series featuring Willie Rushton and a dog with a very big bark. A more detailed history of The Doggy Tales of Arnold, which would have been a collaboration with illustrator Maurice Stevens, can be found in the Writings section of this site, but for various reasons not much came of the project during Carey’s lifetime—although two of the ten stories he wrote were eventually published in 2018.
Nevertheless, one of the stories, Arnold and the Acorns, was indeed filmed and we are delighted to be able to present the complete programme below. As it turned out, this was actually one of Willie Rushton’s last projects before his untimely death—and it has never been broadcast, so it is a pleasure to be able to present it here.
Arnold and the Acorns
Pilot episode for a proposed series of children’s TV programmes and books, The Doggy Tales of Arnold
Duration: 9½ minutes
Words/Music: Carey Blyton
Illustrations: Maurice Stevens
Presented by Willie Rushton
Produced in 1995 by BTV Productions Ltd