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We have attempted to track down and trace those involved in the production of Sara and Hoppity. Considering over forty years have passed, most have retired or some have sadly passed away. Here is our information of the production team:

Puppets made by Jack Whitehead
Jack Whitehead was a talented sculptor-come-puppeteer. Born John French Whitehead at St Ives, near Huntingdon on March 18 1913, he was the son of a stationmaster. He originally became an airframe fitter, and spent most of World War Two at Aston Down airfield in Gloucestershire where he found his affinity with wood used in the construction of aircraft frames.
He married Doris Marriott in 1939, and they had two sons.
A wartime accident smashed his left wrist, and it was while convalescing that he tried woodcarving as a therapy to exercise the muscles. He discovered where his true talents lay after carving a door knocker in the form of a horse's head.
After the war he founded the Whitehead Puppets, designing and carving the puppets himself. He worked on Muffin the Mule and Four Feather Falls, and also branched into special effects, working on The Invisible Man, with the company Telemation.
As well as being credited to making the puppets for Sara and Hoppity, it is believed Jack Whitehead also operated them for the pilot episode.
In 1953 he moved to the Isle of Wight. It was there that Whitehead was asked to carve a mermaid figurehead. When photographs were published in Yachts and Yachting, inquiries poured in. It led to many years of talented workmanship, for people who had thought figurehead carving was a lost art. One of Whitehead's last commissions was for the Warrior, the first ever iron-clad ship; being restored for display at the Royal Navy Museum at Portsmouth.
Sadly, he died in March 2002, aged 88.

Puppets operated by Jane Phillips (Pilot episode only)
When Gerry Anderson and Arthur Provis' AP Films decined to make a second series of Torchy the Battery Boy in favour of their own creation Four Feather Falls, creator/producer Roberta Leigh took the puppets and sets to Associated British-Pathe and set up production there.
Jane Phillips formed part of the new puppetry team along with John Wright and Jane Tyson. Along with Jane Tyson, she accepted joint editorship of the Puppet Guild magazine The Puppet Master in 1960. The departure of 'the other Jane' to join the Salzburg Marionettes left her in sole charge for several issues until 1964, spearheading a larger format and the introduction of litho printing allowing more pictures.
As well as working on Sara and Hoppity, Jane Phillips also worked briefly on The Telegoons alongside Joan Garrick.
Jane Phillips ran her own Caricature Theatre in Wales, which featured puppets made from everyday objects (often referred to as 'junk puppets' - see right), and a collection of material can be found at the Scottish Puppet and Mask Centre in Glasgow.

Puppets operated by Sally Bussell (Incorrectly credited as Sally Bushell)
The daughter of puppeteers Jan Bussell and Ann Hogarth, who ran the famous Hogarth Puppet Theatre, Sally Bussell herself was also an actress and puppeteer.

Puppets operated by Joan Garrick
Joan Garrick was a puppeteer (though credited as an 'animator') on the Associated-Rediffusion series The Adventures Of Chippy which was screened as part of Small Time around 1960. After Sara and Hoppity she also worked on Space Patrol, and she continued operating puppets for the pilot film Paul Starr, also made by National Interest Pictures & Wonderama.
Joan Garrick also worked on the pilot of The Telegoons for BBC Television. A Joan Garrick can be found in credits (Foam Laboratory Technician) for the film Labyrinth by Jim Henson productions, a not unknown career move from puppetry to animatronics but we are unsure if this is the same person.

The Great Muppet Caper (1981) ... Muppet designer/builder
Bananaman (1983-4) ... Animator

Voices created by Dera Cooper (left - recent picture)
(Mummy, Miss Julie, Aunt Mathilda etc.)
Actress Dera Cooper has been in the business for over forty years, on and off. She recalls Sara and Hoppity with affection, as the birth of her first daughter came not long after, and she watched the broadcasts with her.
Dera is still involved in theatre and television, making occasional appearances.

Selected Appearances:
The Gift Of Death (1997): 'A Turn Of The Scrooge'.
Casualty: 'A Turn Of The Scrooge'.
A Little Requiem for Kantor: Fringe Theatre Tour - 1998-2001

The entries for Ronnie Stevens and Ysanne Churchman can be found at Space Patrol - The Website

Screenplay, Music and Lyrics by Roberta Leigh
With an extensive list of credits to her name, the story of Roberta Leigh can be found here.

Arranged by Ronald Hanmer (right)
Ronald Hanmer was born on 2 February 1917 in Reigate, Surrey. Like many musicians of his generation, Ronald Hanmer's early career included pre-war work as a cinema organist and dance band arranger. His arranging and composing skills were fully employed from the 1940s onwards, and his special orchestrations of shows for amateur companies remain in demand world wide. He also gained considerable fame in the brass band world, where his works are renowned as test pieces. Ronald composed over 700 titles for various London Production Music publishers. When he emigrated to Australia in 1975, he discovered to his surprise that his composition 'Pastorale' introduced the famous long-running radio serial Blue Hills. In Britain he is remembered for his "Changing Moods", which was used as the theme for radio's Adventures of P.C. 49. He died on 23 May 1994, in Brisbane, Australia.

With thanks to David Ades of the Robert Farnon Society

Organist Neville Meale (left) & below
Neville Meale was the nephew of esteemed concert organist Arthur Meale of Central Hall Westminster fame, and was taught piano by his uncle, making his first public appearance at the age of 8. Organ studies followed at the Royal Academy of Music under Sir Stanley Roper, organist of St Paul's' Cathedral, and Neville made his cinema organ debut at the Regal West Norwood in 1929. He joined the prestigious Union circuit in 1934 until they were absorbed by ABC in 1938. Neville spent 2 years with Paramount at the Plaza in London's West End, also deputising for Al Bollington at the Paramount Theatre. He served in the RAF during the war, joining Granada in 1945. He stayed with Granada until 1954. In 1958 he was the musical director for Sandy Wilson's new show 'Valmouth' at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith. After leaving the theatre organ world, he continued playing electronics, as well as returning to the theatre organ for countless concerts for organ societies. Neville was a prolific broadcaster, and continued to be heard on the air, after regular broadcasts ceased, on Radio Two's 'The Organist Entertains'. Neville had a relaxed, almost laid back style, which seemed effortless (but of course, wasn't), his music was melodic and easy on the ear, in fact, all that good light music should be.

Both Union and Granada theatres expected the highest standard of theatre organ playing, and to have played for both circuits in a long musical career is a lasting testament to a fine organist.

He last played in public at a concert given in honour of his 90th birthday at the Granada Walthamstow in 2000. Sadly, Neville Meale died on August 24 this year, aged 93.

He leaves a widow, Dee and a son John.

Obituary and photos courtesy of Wayne Ivany, editor of the Cinema Organ Society Newsletter


Cameraman Arthur Provis
Arthur Provis was a camera operator for Polytechnic Films at a time when the new Independent Television was commissioning companies to make programmes for them.
He met Gerry Anderson and formed AP (Anderson Provis) Films when Polytechnic went into liquidation in 1957. Expecting to be making movies, the two partners were a little dismayed when their first major undertaking was to produce 52 fifteen minute episodes of a children's puppet series called The Adventures Of Twizzle, created and written by author Roberta Leigh for Associated-Rediffusion.
The success of the series led to AP Films being commissioned to produce another Roberta Leigh series, Torchy The Battery Boy, the following year. After 26 episodes, AP Films and Roberta Leigh went separate ways, and it was during production of a new series of AP Films own making, a puppet western called Four Feather Falls, that Arthur Provis also moved on forming P.P (Provis/Palmer) Productions with Bill Palmer to make Sara and Hoppity.
In 1962 Provis and Roberta Leigh, in association with National Interest Pictures, embarked on their most ambitious series so far: Space Patrol. After a number of other pilots and short series were filmed in consequest years, Arthur Provis and Roberta Leigh eventually parted company. But Provis went on to produce a puppet pilot of his own called Timothy Travel which, again, did not find a buyer.
Details of Arthur Provis' later career is unknown but it is known he worked on commercials in Europe. He was a guest at the Fanderson '84 convention, and attended the 2002 convention Stand By For Action where he introduced surprise screenings of Paul Starr and The Solarnauts.
An interview with Arthur Provis, recorded in 1992, can be found here.

Art Director Bill Palmer
We have been unable to trace Bill Palmer. It would appear after Sara and Hoppity. National Interest Pictures had an animation department at Soho Square in London, and it is possible Bill Palmer headed this during Space Patrol and afterwards. It is believed he passed away some years ago.
It is worth noting that there is another Bill Palmer in the business, who is a well established production designer with credits going back to the 1960s. He has confirmed he is not the same Bill Palmer who worked on these series.

Editor Roy Baker
One of two Roy Bakers in the business. The other, who became Roy Ward Baker to avoid confusion, directed films and episodes of several ITC and adventure series in the 1960s and 1970s. The Roy Baker who edited Sara and Hoppity, we believe, went on to become Roy D. Baker, and directed the pilot Paul Starr for Roberta Leigh in 1964.

Director Frank Goulding
Frank Goulding does not appear to receive a credit in the end titles, though he is referred to as director on promotional literature, and in television listings for the series.
Frank Goulding started out in Sound, credited on the films The Gamma People in 1956 and Batchelor Of Hearts (aka The Freshman) in 1958. He cut his teeth on directing with Sara & Hoppity, helming the entire series as he did on Space Patrol, and also directed a further Roberta Leigh puppet series called Send For Dithers. Goulding went on to edit When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth in 1970, and is credited as Sound Editor for the film versions of Nearest & Dearest and Steptoe and Son in 1972,Steptoe And Son Ride Again in 1973 and The Legend Of The Seven Golden Vampires (aka The Seven Brothers Meet Dracula in the US) in 1974. Sadly he died in 1991.


Made for Roberta Leigh by P.P. Productions
This stood for Provis Palmer Productions, and was set up by Arthur Provis and art director Bill Palmer, operating out of a studio in St. Oswalds Church in Fulham. This was literally only a stone's throw away from the Empress State Building (nearing completion at the time) which features as the Scientific Headquarters of Space Patrol. However, the church was closed for worship around 1967 and demolished in 1977. Sheltered housing now occupies the site.

Associated-Rediffusion
Associated-Rediffusion were the first Independent Television channel to start broadcasting in September 1955 but their parent company British Electric Traction (BET) already had a history in media, relaying radio broadcasts to areas of poor reception in the UK, and also overseas.
A-R wanted a austere approach, that of 'the BBC with adverts' which as quite different approach from competitor Lew Grade's light entertainment and show business orientated ATV.
In a 1964 interview, Roberta Leigh recalls sending a manuscript to Associated-Rediffusion Programme Controller (later General Manager) John McMillan, which he loved and put up the money for. This, produced for her by A.P. Films, was to become her first puppet series The Adventures Of Twizzle. The rest, as they say, is history.
In the London region, A-R had the weekday franchise with the weekends going to ATV. They escaped a reshuffle of franchises in 1964, becoming just Rediffusion as a main shareholder, Associated Newspapers, wanted to opt out. This meant a lighter, more 'swinging sixties' approach that was to prove popular but short-lived.
Four years later, another major reorganisation of franchises meant the shareholding companies of Rediffusion and competitor ABC (Associated Broadcasting) were forced into a merger which resulted in Thames Television being formed. Neither were apparently happy with the situation.
While BET took a minority stake in Thames, most of the staff moved on to new franchise London Weekend Television (LWT).

The copyright of most Rediffusion programmes are now the property of Palan Entertainment.
Archbuild Ltd
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Of course, if you know the whereabouts of any of the production team, or can fill any of the gaps in this listing, please contact us so we can update it in the future.