Rex the Runt

10min

Animation

Comedy

Rex the Runt is an animated claymation television show produced by Aardman Animations for BBC Bristol in association with EVA Entertainment and Egmont Imagination. Its main characters are four plasticine dogs: Rex, Wendy, Bad Bob and Vince. The series began with a short, Ident, in 1989 directed by Richard Goleszowski. After a long gestation period this developed into two unaired shorts and then thirteen ten-minute episodes that first aired over two weeks on BBC2 from December 1998. A second thirteen episode series aired from September 2001 on the same channel. As well as the core cast guest voices included Paul Merton, Morwenna Banks, Judith Chalmers, Antoine de Caunes, Bob Holness, Bob Monkhouse, Jonathan Ross, Graham Norton, Arthur Smith, June Whitfield, Kathy Burke, Pam Ayres and Eddie Izzard.

Episodes

Cast

Holiday in Vince

1. Holiday in Vince

10min

21st Dec 1998

The gang miniaturise a submarine and go on a fantastic journey through Vince's brain.

Stinky's Search for a Star

2. Stinky's Search for a Star

10min

21st Dec 1998

Short of cash again, the gang form a band and enter Stinky Basil's "Search for a Star" competition.

Easter Island

3. Easter Island

10min

22nd Dec 1998

Attempting to reach New Zealand by helicopter, the gang crash on a tiny island. Rex is abducted by aliens.

Too Many Dogs

4. Too Many Dogs

10min

22nd Dec 1998

The gang's house has disappeared. They attempt to recover it using Bad Bob's "Go-Back-In-Time-O-Tron".

The City Shrinkers

5. The City Shrinkers

10min

23rd Dec 1998

The gang wins the National Lottery but the prize - the City of Birmingham - is not at all what they expected.

Adventures on Telly 1

6. Adventures on Telly 1

10min

23rd Dec 1998

After Bad Bob shoots the TV set, the gang are ordered to go on exciting adventures by the man who runs Television.

Adventures on Telly 2

7. Adventures on Telly 2

10min

24th Dec 1998

The gang journey to the North Pole, and drill a hole to find out what's at the centre of the Earth.

Adventures on Telly 3

8. Adventures on Telly 3

10min

25th Dec 1998

Lost in space, the gang stumble on a branch of 'Poultry Pantry', the interstellar fast-food chain.

The Trials of Wendy

9. The Trials of Wendy

10min

27th Dec 1998

Wendy is put on trial for shooting Vince (who is unharmed except for a large bullet hole). She is acquitted and becomes a huge TV star.

Under the Duvet

10. Under the Duvet

10min

30th Dec 1998

Rex, Wendy and Bob spend a weekend at Aunty Brenda's University of Love learning about "the mysteries of the bedroom".

Bob's International Hiccup Centre

11. Bob's International Hiccup Centre

10min

31st Dec 1998

Bob discovers he has a genius for curing hiccups and the gang temporarily become very rich.

Johnny Saveloy's Undoing

12. Johnny Saveloy's Undoing

10min

31st Dec 1998

Wendy is brainwashed by TV evangelist heart-throb Johnny Saveloy, leader of the "chemicalology" cult.

Carbonara

13. Carbonara

10min

1st Jan 1999

While looking around in Bob's shed, Rex accidentally gets run through a meat grinder. Bob runs off to ask Dr. Dog's opinion, but Rex has an even bigger problem, when Vince mistakes the ground-up Rex for spaghetti.

First air date

21st Dec 1998

Last air date

16th Dec 2001

Status

Ended

Type

Scripted

Original language

en

Networks