Rosie and Jim (sometimes written as Rosie & Jim) is a British children's television programme produced by Ragdoll Productions and aired on ITV from 3 September 1990 to 16 May 2000.
Th program was then repeated periodically on CITV until August 2004. The first-ever episode aired on the CITV channel on 6 January 2013 as part of the 30th Anniversary celebration of CITV. The series was repeated for a short time on Tiny Living in the early 2000s. The show was rebooted in 2015 in animation form.
Summary[]
Rosie and Jim are two rag dolls who live aboard a narrowboat called the Ragdoll, which is from Birmingham. There, they sit with a concertina on their lap, and come alive when no one is looking to explore the world that they pass by on rivers and canals across England.
They learn to experience things by following the Ragdoll's owner on his or her adventures, and secretly joining in with them. They usually end up causing trouble, but they never end up getting into trouble because no one ever sees them. Also on board was their friend, a wooden duck named Duck. He quacks and clacks his wings when there are no one is around to let Rosie and Jim know the coast is clear or to warn them when someone is approaching.
There were three owners of the Ragdoll throughout the series.
- John Cunliffe, nicknamed 'Fizzgog' by Rosie and Jim and one of the original creators of the series. He presented the first two seasons of the show between 1990 and 1992. In the series he wrote stories about the ragdolls based on his travels down the canal. These stories were presented in cutout animation by animators Alan Rogers and Peter Lang, who worked on the beloved 1980s BBC series Pigeon Street. John was the only presenter to break the fourth wall, addressing the audience directly. John also created another childhood favourite from the 80s and 90s, Postman Pat. He passed away in September 2018, March 1, 2019 to August 2021
- Pat Hutchins, nicknamed Loopy Lobes by Rosie and Jim due to her large earnings, presented the series during 1995 and 1996. An illustrator, she drew pictures based on her travels along the canal. In every picture, Duck is hidden and at the end of every episode, Rosie and Jim find him. Pat Hutchins was a prolific illustrator of children's picture books, with her most famous books being The Wind Blew, Titch and Don't Forget the Bacon. She passed away in November 2017.
- Neil Brewer, nicknamed 'Tootle' by Rosie and Jim, presented the series' last four seasons between 1997 and 2000. He is a singer and musician and made songs based on his journeys and adventures along the canal. Neil was founding member of the prog-rock band Druid in the 1970s. In the show he played the concertina and harmonica. As of September 2018, he is the only surviving presenter of the series.