The Flockton Flyer
| The Flockton Flyer | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Written by | Peter Whitbread |
| Directed by | Colin Nutley |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Jugg Music |
| Opening theme | The Flockton Flyer theme |
| Ending theme | The Flockton Flyer theme |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 17 written 12 filmed |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Lewis Rudd |
| Producer(s) | Colin Nutley |
| Location(s) | West Somerset Railway |
| Camera setup | Joe Hardy Peter Greenhalgh Roy Page |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Southern Television |
| Distributor | Renown Pictures Ltd |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 18 April 1977 – 13 February 1978 |
The Flockton Flyer was a children's TV series made by Southern Television for the ITV network. It was a popular programme, which ran to two series, and provided early screen appearances for upcoming actors such as Peter Duncan and Gwyneth Strong, as well as some well-known 1970s classical and situation comedy actors. The on-screen title for series 1 was "The Flockton Flyer", but for series 2 it had become "Flockton Flyer". This may have been a result of complaints from some railway enthusiasts, who pointed out that it is convention that locomotive names do not start with the definite article "The". However, whilst locomotive names do not take the definite article, train names often do so (for example, The Flying Scotsman or The Blue Train), and in the programme the locomotive carries engine nameplates, and also a train-name headboard, all marked with the same Flockton Flyer name.
There were two series, each of six episodes. Series 1 was first transmitted in spring 1977, and Series 2 followed in early 1978. Programmes were shown at 4.45 pm on Monday afternoons.
Series 1 was repeated on ITV on Friday afternoons, commencing 8 September 1978; series 2 was repeated on Friday afternoons, commencing 7 December 1979, and running into January 1980.
Both series were again repeated on The Children's Channel, on cable TV in Britain during the early 1990s. Dubbed versions of the programmes were shown on Dutch and German TV stations.
In 2010, reruns of The Flockton Flyer were shown on the now-defunct British satellite television channel Film 24.
In August & September 2015 reruns of the series were shown on UK satellite channel Talking Pictures TV.
The location filming was done on the newly re-opened West Somerset Railway, during 1976 and 1977, that railway also being the owner of the engines and rolling stock used.
The star of the show was the steam locomotive that gave the series its name. The Flockton Flyer, was, in reality, an ex-Great Western Railway 0-6-0PT ("pannier tank"): 1934-built, 6400 Class no. 6412. This class was fitted with equipment for working push-pull trains. No. 6412 was based at Gloucester loco shed and, aside from its many years of reliable operation on local branch lines, operated the last passenger train to Monmouth over the Wye Valley Railway in 1959 and the final 'Chalford Shuttle' autotrain service between Gloucester and Chalford in 1962.
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