Mike and Angelo S3E9 (1991) - FULL EPISODE

The Dummy. Angelo's latest find gives him the idea to take up ventriloquism, while Rita is given a daunting task by her boss. One dark and stormy night later, and it's nightmares all round. What will Mike make of it once he gets back from his school trip? This episode was originally broadcast on Wednesday, 16th January, 1991. It never ceases to amaze me just how many boxes this show manages to tick. Viewers better versed than me in the horror genre will have to tell us exactly what's being parodied (Charlie = Chucky?), but, as Children's ITV goes, this is pure nightmare fodder in places! We should give a big shout out to puppeteer John Thirtle for doing such a great job - he sadly passed away back in the mid-90s, but his legacy lives on in the likes of Button Moon and Spitting Image. His IMDB also lists a couple of early T-Bag episodes. All the talk of prime ministers surely won't fail to bring to mind the fact that Mrs Roper - played by Maggie Ollerenshaw - has a real Theresa May vibe about her. Or is that my imagination? Either way, I hope you spotted the major anachronism: Margaret Thatcher was in power when this series started airing, but had been ousted from number 10 a month and a half before this specific episode went out. How's that for unfortunate? Eleven years, and she just couldn't hold on that extra few weeks. I wonder whether any consideration was given to re-shooting the final scene. It doesn't harm the ending these days, but they must have been kicking themselves back then. Stay tuned at the beginning and end for some Children's ITV continuity featuring Jeanne Downs and Scally, with special guest Andy Crane pretending he's never even heard of the broom cupboard. There's also a very good full ad break at the start which should bring back lots of memories. Many thanks to Lee providing this recording. (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.)