In January 1966, a charming English village first appeared on television, offering gentle, lighthearted stories. The problems faced by its residents were never truly serious – perhaps a windmill stopped working, the dairy ran out of milk, or soldiers found themselves babysitting! – but the show quickly won over children and became a beloved part of their lives.
Although only 13 episodes of Camberwick Green were originally made, the show remains well-known today thanks to repeated broadcasts and its place in popular culture. It was brought to life by puppeteer Gordon Murray, with animation by Bob Bura and John Hardwick. A big reason for its lasting appeal is its cheerful and vibrant music, from the charming intro tune to each character’s unique theme song.
John Phillips, son of composer Freddie Phillips, explained to RT that someone described the music as resembling miniature operas. He added that his father was a remarkably talented classical guitarist and composer.
Freddie Phillips had experience working with both Gordon Murray on a project called ‘A Rubovian Legend’ and with German animator Lotte Reiniger back in the 1950s. He often found work by visiting a London pub popular with people in the entertainment industry, known as The Glue Pot. According to John, once you started going there, it was hard to stop!
Gordon Murray imagined the world of Camberwick Green, along with the settings for its follow-up shows, Trumpton and Chigley. When asked on Radio 4 if these locations were meant to be in Kent or Sussex, Murray playfully responded that the presence of mountains suggested a location somewhere in the middle of England.
Growing up, I, like many children, was completely captivated by the charming stories set on the farm. I especially loved watching the different characters appear from the musical box, like the innovative farmer Jonathan Bell, the traditional Windy Miller, and the ever-present Mrs. Honeyman. I always used to worry when I saw Windy Miller running for his mill, fearing he wouldn’t make it through the turning sails. But he always managed it perfectly, which was a relief!
One of my earliest musical memories is of the “Welcome to Camberwick Green” LP. As a kid, that record was pure escapism – it transported me to this cheerfully idyllic village. I can still vividly recall the catchy little tunes, like the one about Dr. Mopp – “If you want a doctor, get Dr. Mopp, for he can stop a sneeze or a wheeze!” – or the instantly recognizable theme song introducing PC McGarry, number 452, as a ‘big, friendly policeman’.
He created a home recording studio in a spare bedroom in West Ewell, Surrey. He soundproofed the room using egg boxes on the walls and used three professional reel-to-reel recording machines. However, the BBC had very strict quality standards, and anything that didn’t meet them wouldn’t be used, so everything had to be perfect. This was challenging because the studio was located near the flight path to Heathrow Airport!
When John was a teenager, he wasn’t thrilled about helping his father with the show. He remembered being asked to turn the equipment on and off and even make sound effects, complaining, ‘Oh Dad! I have to stay inside!’ These sound effects weren’t complex; his father, Freddie, provided them for the follow-up shows, Trumpton and Chigley, using surprisingly simple methods. For example, the Pippin Fort bugle was just a cheap plastic toy trumpet, and the sound of Windy Miller’s windmill came from a child’s drum – a simple ‘ka-donk’ sound.
I used to pretend to be a bricklayer in our garden, stacking bricks and scraping them with a trowel to make the right sounds. My sound effects were all created at home – a slowed-down vacuum cleaner became a crane, and our Sunbeam Talbot car stood in for a dustcart. Everything was done in the garage, using whatever simple materials we had.
Freddie, while working at Glydebourne in East Sussex, used a handheld recorder on the Bluebell Line to capture the sounds of the well-known steam locomotive, Bessie, in Chigley.
The lyrics were mostly written by my father, with some contributions from Gordon. A good example of this was with the Trumpton fire brigade song. Gordon had begun writing it, listing the characters as ‘Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grubb,’ but my father felt it didn’t flow well. He revised it to the more memorable ‘Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grubb!’
Brian Cant, the presenter of Play School, described filming as demanding. In a 1995 interview, he explained he’d typically film three shows a day, and found the songs particularly tiring. They only recorded each song once, and because he wasn’t a professional singer, the songs had to be written within a limited vocal range for him – Freddie, the character he played.
John Phillips recalls his father having some trouble working with Brian Cant, but they eventually resolved it. Phillips described Cant as simply a hired musician who followed instructions – he’d come to the studio, be told what to play, and then leave.
John recalls his father being a highly sought-after musician. He started his television career playing guitar as Alan-a-Dale in The Adventures of Robin Hood, and also contributed music to Coronation Street – John believes he earned 30 shillings for that work. Beyond television and radio, his father performed and recorded with prestigious orchestras and opera companies like the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, the English National Opera, and the Royal Ballet. He even toured with them in Czechoslovakia and Russia.
John recalls he did a great deal of work for the ‘Play for Today’ series. He was constantly busy and always had projects on the go. Beyond that, he composed a huge amount of music that was archived as background scores. We’ve since collected all of his music onto 13 CDs, organized by style – including English, Latin-American, and abstract pieces.
Freddie Phillips once collaborated with war artist John Worsley on a potential children’s show. The program, tentatively titled “Sly Boots and Twinkle Wits,” featured two cats and church mice, with unpleasant lawyers represented as crows operating under the firm name LickPenny Crib and Co.
I have the original recordings they submitted to the BBC, but the BBC didn’t want them. The songs were really good—one of them was called “Bats in the Belfry.” It was performed as a humorous sketch with the singers acting like RAF officers. The lyrics went something like, “We’re bats, we’re definitely bats, and we fly in and out of the belfry! We get rid of midges, mosquitos, and gnats, and fly in and out of the belfry!”
Freddie Phillips passed away in 2003, but his work on the beloved Trumptonshire programs continues to have a surprising impact on popular culture. Bands like Half Man Half Biscuit in the 80s and Urban Hype in the 90s paid tribute to it, and more recently, Radiohead has also shown their appreciation. For fans of the shows, a particularly lovely tribute is ‘A Visit to Chiswick’ by Tiger Moth Tales – it’s well worth a listen.
The iconic windmill appeared in a Quaker Oats commercial in 2005. My dad wasn’t particularly impressed, saying he only cared about getting paid for its use. Interestingly, the same nostalgic feel of the windmill also showed up in a 2007 episode of the TV show Life on Mars, and it was a key feature in a well-remembered BBC Christmas trailer from 1998.
Brian Cant once speculated that these shows are still loved because they were made with more time, care, and attention than many programs today, which often feel rushed and overwhelming. Gordon Murray, in a 1995 radio interview, added that the shows depict a simple, cheerful world where nothing bad ever happens.
Many people argue against shielding children from difficult realities. Some believe in a ‘sink or swim’ approach, thinking it prepares them for life’s hardships. I disagree. I think it’s important to protect children from the harshness of the world for as long as we can, allowing them to enjoy their childhood.
It really bothers me how quickly childhood passes. It’s such a wonderful and precious time, and it’s a shame it doesn’t last longer, because those are the memories we cherish forever.
Camberwick Green and its related shows created a fully realized world long before the term “world-building” even existed, and Freddie Phillips’ memorable music was key to that success. John Phillips believes the show’s continued popularity, if it has any today, is thanks to the music. He points out that while many children’s programs now feature complex animation, Camberwick Green’s simple, old-fashioned visuals – like characters with ping-pong ball heads – might seem dated. However, the music remains as appealing as ever.
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2026-01-03 11:49