Profile: Dangermouse

“He’s the greatest! He’s fantastic! Wherever there is danger he’ll be there!” Possibly the greatest secret agent the world has ever known. He wears an eye patch that he doesn’t even need; he speaks 34 different languages fluently, including – unique in these skills – some extra-terrestrial ones; and his headquarters are located in a pillar box outside Sherlock Holmes’ famous residence on Baker Street in London. He is after all, a mouse. An animated British mouse they call: DANGERMOUSE.

Originally brought to life by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall of Cosgrove Hall Films in
1981, the show proved to be one of their first international successes, and achieved huge ‘over-night’ success in America in 1984. Over 80 episodes of the cartoon were
created in the following 10 years, and the series was sold to over 30 different countries.
DangerMouse really was, and still is, the greatest international secret agent the world
has known.

At the cool age of 26 he still has a loyal following of admirers. On Channel 4′s 2001
poll of the ’100 Greatest Kids’ TV Shows’, DANGERMOUSE came third, beaten only
by THE SIMPSONS and THE MUPPET SHOW. He recently made a much-welcomed
reappearance on the small screen, being spotted by keen-eyes in February of this year
on the BBC.

Over the years he’s seen it all and saved the world from all kinds of unimaginable
villains – Count Duckula, the showbizobsessed vampire duck, Doctor Augustus
P. Crumhorn III, a very mad scientist who once tried to undermine DangerMouse
by metamorphosing into a Shirley Temple lookalike, and, of course, DangerMouse’s
archenemy, Baron Silas Greenback, a disgusting, evil toad. He didn’t tackle the
villains all alone however, and it’s very fair to say he owes his life many times over to his loyal, timid hamster sidekick, Ernest Penfold. “This is Penfold. Codename: The Jigsaw – because when faced with a problem he falls to pieces.” With the help of the everuseful and informative narrator (After DM has fallen down a deep hole in one episode: “Can they get to the bottom of this mystery before they reach the bottom? If not, will this show end early?”) DangerMouse and Penfold have led us through many hilarious adventures and secret missions. Although primarily screened as a children’s cartoon the humour extends way beyond that level, appealing to audiences of all ages with not only slapstick and visual jokes, but tons of sarcasm, wit, cultural references, and clever parodies.

For one afternoon only the greatest secret agent to have ever lived is going to be saving
the world at the Picturehouse in Cambridge! Be careful not to step on him though – he’s
only a mouse.

Becky Hawketts