Danger Mouse

Danger Mouse
Premiere	pilot: April 8, 1979 series: September 28, 1981
Finale	March 19, 1992
Creator	Mark Hall & Brian Trueman
Network/Provider	ITV
Style	5/11/30 minute animated comedy
Company	Cosgrove Hall Films
Seasons	10
Episodes	89 + pilot and crossover
Origin	UK

Danger Mouse is an animated comedy that aired on ITV.

Danger Mouse has been part of British pop culture for almost 40 years now, having sprung as a series in 1981. It stars a white mouse with an eye patch and a white jumpsuit who is billed as the World's Greatest Secret Agent. He is assisted by a hamster in a British schoolboy suit, Ernest Penfold (codename: "The Jigsaw," because when he's faced with a crisis, he goes to pieces). The two live in a mail kiosk on Baker Street in London, and there they receive orders from Colonel K. It's their job to protect London and the world from ne'er-do-wells like their regular enemy Baron Silas Greenback, and alien malcontents like the illogical Gremlin or hot-tempered Scots-speaking Quark. The stories were incredibly clever, featuring outlandish situations, references from Star Trek to Monty Python, and world-class puns.

There were presumably two pilots produced in 1979 for the show, but only one exists. That pilot, "The Mystery Of The Lost Chord" had different voices and Baron Greenback was identified as Greenteeth. Two years later, the episode would be retooled as "Who Stole The Bagpipes?"

Ten series of episodes were made. Seasons one, five, six, eight, and two episodes of season three were 10-minute episodes; seasons two, four and three story arcs of season three were comprised of five-minute episodes serialized daily as five-part stories; while seasons seven, nine and ten were 20-minute episodes. "French Exchange," a crossover episode of Cosgrove Hall's Victor & Hugo: Bunglers In Crime with Danger Mouse, aired October 23, 1992. In the episode, the two bunglers were hired to obtain Danger Mouse's car and deliver it to Baron Greenback.

Danger Mouse made its U.S. premiere on Nickelodeon on June 4, 1984 where it ran three years. The serialized episodes were re-edited into two same-day two-parters, and Stiletto's voice had to be changed to a Cockney accent, as his original Italian accent had been feared to offend Italian-Americans. It returned to Nickelodeon on September 23, 1991 with an episode not screened here in its first run--"Bandits, Beans & Ballyhoo," previously edited scenes from episodes were restored, and season 9 and 10 episodes were shown before they were transmitted in England. It ran for three more years.

In 1988, Count Duckula, who was a villain on this show, was spun off onto his own show. Originally a stage-struck bloodlust vampire, Duckula was changed into a laconic vegetarian vampire for his own series. In 2011, BBC1 ran repeats of Danger Mouse in commemoration of its 30th anniversary. CBBC debuted a new 52-episode series of Danger Mouse on September 28, 2015.

Cast

Actor	Character	Duration
Main Cast		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
David Jason	Danger Mouse	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Narrator	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Count Duckula		*	*				*
	Buggles Pigeon	*			*
Terry Scott	Ernest Penfold	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Leatherhead	*
Edward Kelsey	Baron Silas Greenback	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Colonel K	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
	Professor Squawkencluck	*	*	*		*		*
Brian Trueman	Stiletto Mafioso	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Jimmy Hibbert	Dr. Crumhorn									*	*

Seasons

Season	Premiere	Finale				#
ITV
Season One	September 28, 1981	December 14, 1981				11 + 1
Season Two	January 4, 1982	February 8, 1982				6
Season Three	October 4, 1982	November 1, 1982				5
Season Four	January 3, 1983	May 23, 1983				9
Season Five	February 20, 1984	April 30, 1984				10
Season Six	December 25, 1984	December 25, 1985				27
Season Seven	November 11, 1986	December 18, 1986				6
Season Eight	February 20, 1987	February 27, 1987				2
Season Nine	January 3, 1991	January 31, 1992				6
Season Ten	February 6, 1992	March 19, 1992				7 + 1

In-Depth

At a Glance: Additional information about the series

DVD Releases

Title	Release Date	#
Complete Series
The Complete Series	August 14, 2007	9	purchase
Season Sets
The Complete Seasons 1 & 2	May 31, 2005	2	purchase
The Complete Seasons 3 & 4	October 25, 2005	2	purchase
The Complete Seasons 5 & 6	March 28, 2006	2	purchase
The Final Seasons	September 26, 2006	3	purchase