Bringing in professional puppeteers for television has added “so much personality and emotion”, says Perkins. Unlike the eventual viewer, I can also see Josh Elwell, Duck’s puppeteer, contorted on the floor behind a felt fridge so he remains out of shot. On a quiet, dark stage dubbed The Void, I watch as a confused Duck and Red Guy try to make out felt objects through the encroaching gloom. “We had to cover one of the puppets in hair gel to make it look like he was covered in saliva,” says Sloan. There are also extra versions of the three main characters, as messy mishaps often put them beyond salvation.
#DRAGON OF PUPPETRY CROSSWORD CLUE FULL#
Over in the prop-making area (AKA “the puppet hospital”), items include a felt vending machine full of cigarettes and bottles of mysterious dark liquid, a robot dog and an anthropomorphic coffin. One part of the set features a stop-motion area where the team are working with clay, and in the carpentry zone it’s “toilet day” as they craft replica loo stalls and urinals with eyes and limbs. Rock on … Yellow Guy, Duck and Red Guy play guitar. “It’s really over the top, it has a credit card with a number and date that no one will notice.” Pelling says: “It’s like outsider art – everyone’s gone insane on set.” “The house wallet made me laugh,” says Sloan.
“There are so many props that might be for a one-second shot, but are so detailed,” says Sloan. “We’re not sure whether that’s good or bad.” “People have been saying: ‘It’s not usually how we’d do it on TV,’” says Donkin. Perkins hands me a travel pamphlet – just a background prop – which I open to find pages covered in felt images of holiday locations. You get a sense of the level of detail on screen, but as producers Hugo Donkin and Charlie Perkins show me behind the scenes, it’s on another level. Keeping the essence of the originals was vital, with a huge production team working to preserve the look and feel of the web series. On TV, the homemade ethos remains – which will please fans who have been patiently waiting six years for it to appear. “Or why would they spend their whole adult lives doing this?!” says Sloan. “There’s definitely an element of: ‘They’ve put so much effort into this, it must be good,’” adds Terry. “It adds to the humour and the mystery, because you’re like: ‘Why would someone spend this much time making all this stuff?’” says Pelling. Characters are liable to burst into (very catchy) songs, be they outrageously hummable odes to organising a funeral, or an intercom (played by Adefope) singing a vocoder-packed pop number about workplace stress management.Įverything in DHMIS has always been handmade, which has meant fans are used to months passing between carefully crafted episodes. The world they inhabit is brightly coloured, made entirely of felt and filled with puppets and anthropomorphic items.
Edinburgh comedy award winner Sam Campbell and Natasha Hodgson have joined as writers, and Megan Ganz (of Community and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame) is the story editor.Įach episode begins with either a mysterious visitor or an inanimate object (a notepad, a clock, a computer) springing to life – ostensibly to teach the characters a lesson, but in reality causing chaos. While Terry still voices Yellow Guy and Duck, comedy greats such as Jamie Demetriou, Lolly Adefope and Phil Wang have come on board as new characters. Photograph: Channel 4Īs Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared (DHMIS) moves to TV, the team have expanded. The makers of the show (from left) Joseph Pelling, Becky Sloan and Baker Terry with Yellow Guy, Red Guy and Duck.
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