The Magic Roundabout (series)

The Magic Roundabout is a children's stop motion television series which ran on ORTF from 1964 – 1974, and on BBC networks from 1965 – 1977. The series was created by Serge Danot, with help from Ivor Wood and Wood's French wife, Josiane.

The series is set in the Magic Garden, and features various recurring characters, including Florence, Dougal, Ermintrude, Brian, Zebedee, and the Train.

Crossover
The series was among the several BBC productions to be represented in the 1998 Children in Need special Future Generations.

The story featured a young boy walking through the settings of various series while telling the story of the BBC. Partway through the video, the boy exits Chigley (from Chigley) through a tunnel alongside Lord Belborough aboard Bessie, and comes out alone aboard the Train. After walking past several characters from the series, with Ermintrude taking the flower the boy had earlier gotten from Mrs Cobbit, he called for a taxi, with Noddy driving him into Toyland in his car.

The narrative later features two Daleks and the TARDIS, representative of the Doctor Who series.

References to The Magic Roundabout in the Doctor Who universe
In the comic story, Rose Tyler mentions that Director Highsmith has to do whatever she says, noting "I say jump, you make like Zebedee". After being questioned on this reference by the Ninth Doctor, she mentions that her mother used to love The Magic Roundabout.

Cast connections
The show received an animated film adaptation in 2005, in which Tom Baker, Kylie Minogue, Ian McKellen, Lee Evans, Joanna Lumley, and Bill Nighy had voice roles.

Miscellaneous connections
The Magic Roundabout is represented alongside Doctor Who in the album "Themes from Children's BBC".