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TheTelebugs

The Telebugs is a British animated children's television series featuring three robots. It was produced by Telemagination Limited and broadcast on Children's ITV in the United Kingdom from 1986 to 1987.

Overview[]

The robots' names are C.H.I.P. (Coordinated Hexadecimal Information Processor), S.A.M.A.N.T.H.A. (Solar Activated Micro Automated Non-inTerference Hearing Apparatus) and B.U.G. (Binary Unmanned Gamma camera) – who were accompanied by a flying video pack called M.I.C. (Mobile Independent Camera). They were invented by Professor Brainstrain to stop enemies such as Baron Bullybyte, Magna, Angel Brain and Arcadia, whilst working as reporters for a TV executive named Angus McStarch.

The professor also created a fourth bug, Z.U.D.O. (Zero-failure Universal Data Optimizer), who was misprogrammed for evil when Grumble interfered with the assembly because he was waiting to be fed his pickled herrings.

To promote the series, a life-sized model of Samantha with a working TV monitor was built to perform rounds on Children's ITV during the autumn of 1986. This robot was also used on the Saturday mourning programme No 73.

It was the very first television series made and produced by Telemagination (the company later went onto make several other animated series for children such as The Animals of Farthing Wood, Noah's Island and The Cramp Twins).

Four or five half hour editions were broadcast on Sundays or Saturdays depending on the region.

  • London Weekend Television: 27 July - 17 August 1986
  • Anglia/Grampian: 2 August - 30 August 1986
  • Central: 9 August - 6 September 1986
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