Bob the Builder

Bob the Builder is a stop-motion animated children's TV programme about the adventures of a construction contractor and his friends. more...

It features Bob (voiced by actor Neil Morrissey in the English original), his colleague Wendy, various neighbours and friends, and their gang of anthropomorphised work-vehicles and equipment. In each episode they help with renovations, construction, and repairs, and with other projects as needed. The show emphasizes conflict resolution, co-operation, socialization, and various learning skills.

Bob's catchphrase is "Can we fix it?" The response to this (from the rest of his team) is "Yes we can!" (though Lofty generally follows up later with "I think so"). This phrase is also the title of the show's theme song; the song became a Christmas number one single in 2000 and was the biggest selling single of the year, appearing 72nd in the all-time UK best-sellers list issued in 2002. (The single also reached number one in Australia in 2001.) A second single by Bob, "Mambo No.5", with the lyrics adapted from Lou Bega's 1999 hit version, also reached number one a year later. An album called 'The Album' followed, which debuted at #4, and it included a cover of Elton John's Crocodile blues.

The show is produced in the UK by Hot Animation for HIT Entertainment, and draws heavily on stop motion techniques such as those pioneered by Art Clokey and more recently on the successful works of Aardman Animations (although the show is not claymation but instead the characters are made from silicone for the skin with a metal armatured skeleton inside). The characters and sets are designed by Curtis Jobling. It is shown in more than thirty countries, and versions are available in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, and Croatian, among other languages. It is shown on CBeebies on BBC television in the UK, and was shown on Nickelodeon in the US, and Treehouse TV in Canada. In the US, starting with the 2005-06 season, episodes will be shown on PBS Kids instead. The "North American" version uses the actual BBC episodes, but dubs the voices in local accents and slang (for example, the word "soccer" is used to avoid confusion with the very different "football" popular in the U.S. and Canada). Voice actors who have contributed to the Original UK Version include Neil Morrisey, Rob Rackstraw, Kate Harbour, Rupert Degas, Colin McFarlane, Emma Tate, Richard Briers and June Whitfield. In the US version, Bob's voice is performed by comedian Greg Proops.

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