Bob and Margaret (1998)
Bob and Margaret is a Canadian/UK animated television series that was also shown in the United States and all over the world. The series was produced by Nelvana, a Toronto animation studio, and created by Canadian David Fine and Brit Alison Snowden. The series was based on the Academy Award winning short film Bob's Birthday, featuring the same main characters, which won the Best Animated Short Film Oscar in 1994. The series is one of the few Canadian TV shows to ever have regular American exposure. In Canada, it was the highest rated Canadian made animation series ever when it aired in prime time on Global Television. The show revolved around a married English couple named Bob and Margaret Fish, a middle class 40-ish working couple with no children and two dogs named William and Elizabeth. Bob is a dentist and Margaret is a chiropodist. Bob and Margaret struggle with everyday issues and mid life crisis. Stories often revolve around the mundane, but in a way which is eminently relatable. From the trials of shopping to dealing with friends who annoy them, but owe them a dinner. In the first two seasons, Bob and Margaret lived in England, in the South London community of Balham. For the third and fourth seasons, however, they moved to Toronto, Canada, allowing the writers to explore the humour of culture clash. The move was actually inspired by the realities of funding, with certain Canadian tax benefits dependent on stories actually based in Canada. As such, to keep the series funded, the move was necessary. The creators of the series chose to take an executive role on these latter two seasons, reviewing scripts and consulting, but not involved in the detail they were for the first two seasons. Snowden continued to provide the voice of Margaret, but Bob's voice, originally played by Andy Hamilton, was replaced by Brian George.
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Episode 1 - A Tale of Two Dentists
Release Date: 1998-06-22A flashy young dentist opens a practice right across the road from Bob's and steals all his customers - even Margaret. His receptionist also defects, which results in Bob hiring Penny. Things are not, however, as they seem.
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Episode 2 - A Night In
Release Date: 1998-07-06Bob and Margaret are concerned about missing the opportunity to have children so they stay in with a romantic movie and … end up going to visit a friend with an obnoxious baby who puts an end to any thoughts of parenthood.
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Episode 3 - Blood, Sweat and Tears
Release Date: 1998-06-29Bob and Margaret decide to get fit by playing badminton. Trouble is, they play with Ken and Cathy who take the game very seriously. Ken ends up in the hospital and Bob and Margaret reluctantly go along to be polite
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Episode 4 - The Burglary
Release Date: 1998-07-13Bob and Margaret's house is robbed by a couple of charming, hugging burglars. Beany and Boney would make many appearances in the series as the comic rogue element.
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Episode 5 - Shopping
Release Date: 1998-07-20Bob and Margaret venture to a massive superstore and have many mishaps in the search for cheaper dog food
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Episode 6 - The Holiday
Release Date: 1998-10-05The dogs are left at a strange kennels while Bob and Margaret go on holiday to a Greek island. But, Bob is terrified to fly and the dogs are terrified of Mr Buttons and his domineering mother.
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Episode 7 - For Pete's Sake
Release Date: 1998-07-27Bob's TV chef brother Peter, leaves the kids with Bob and Margaret when he and his wife travel to India for a live cooking program. When Peter falls ill, Bob and Margaret are concerned they will suddenly be parents.
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Episode 8 - Friends for Dinner
Release Date: 1998-09-21Bob and Margaret are having dinner at a friends who they don't particularly like, but feel that they are owed a dinner because of the number of times they have had them over. They expect a lavish spread, but no dinner is planned. Instead, they play a board game called ‘What Would You Do?'
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Episode 9 - Love's Labors Lost
Release Date: 1998-10-19Penny demands a pay rise. Bob stands firm, so Penny quits to work in a florist. Margaret helps out Bob with disastrous consequences and so Bob has to woo Penny back.
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Episode 10 - The Dental Convention
Release Date: 1998-09-28Bob is persuaded to give a speech at a big convention in Frankfurt, but he is terrified and doesn't know what to say.
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Episode 11 - The Discomfort of Strangers
Release Date: 1998-10-12Bob's cousins, Cookie and Melvin, arrive from Canada unannounced. They hate the food and the lack of TV channels and the high cost of everything and they follow Bob and Margaret on their romantic holiday to Cheddar.
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Episode 12 - Trick or Treat
Release Date: 1998-10-26It's Halloween and also the anniversary of Bob's father's death. Bob's Mummy wants to take him to the grave, but it's now a parking lot for a supermarket. Meanwhile Bob has to attend the funeral of an old school friend who has died, but he doesn't remember who he is.
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Episode 13 - Neighbors
Release Date: 1998-11-02Bob and Margaret try to befriend the new American neighbours. They also buy a burglar alarm from Graham, the worst salesman in the world.