Rex the Runt (1998)
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.
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Episode 1 - Holiday in Vince
Release Date: 1998-12-21The gang miniaturise a submarine and go on a fantastic journey through Vince's brain.
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Episode 2 - Stinky's Search for a Star
Release Date: 1998-12-21Short of cash again, the gang form a band and enter Stinky Basil's "Search for a Star" competition.
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Episode 3 - Easter Island
Release Date: 1998-12-22Attempting to reach New Zealand by helicopter, the gang crash on a tiny island. Rex is abducted by aliens.
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Episode 4 - Too Many Dogs
Release Date: 1998-12-22The gang's house has disappeared. They attempt to recover it using Bad Bob's "Go-Back-In-Time-O-Tron".
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Episode 5 - The City Shrinkers
Release Date: 1998-12-23The gang wins the National Lottery but the prize - the City of Birmingham - is not at all what they expected.
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Episode 6 - Adventures on Telly 1
Release Date: 1998-12-23After Bad Bob shoots the TV set, the gang are ordered to go on exciting adventures by the man who runs Television.
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Episode 7 - Adventures on Telly 2
Release Date: 1998-12-24The gang journey to the North Pole, and drill a hole to find out what's at the centre of the Earth.
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Episode 8 - Adventures on Telly 3
Release Date: 1998-12-25Lost in space, the gang stumble on a branch of 'Poultry Pantry', the interstellar fast-food chain.
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Episode 9 - The Trials of Wendy
Release Date: 1998-12-27Wendy 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.
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Episode 10 - Under the Duvet
Release Date: 1998-12-30Rex, Wendy and Bob spend a weekend at Aunty Brenda's University of Love learning about "the mysteries of the bedroom".
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Episode 11 - Bob's International Hiccup Centre
Release Date: 1998-12-31Bob discovers he has a genius for curing hiccups and the gang temporarily become very rich.
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Episode 12 - Johnny Saveloy's Undoing
Release Date: 1998-12-31Wendy is brainwashed by TV evangelist heart-throb Johnny Saveloy, leader of the "chemicalology" cult.
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Episode 13 - Carbonara
Release Date: 1999-01-01While 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.