Now That's Commitment
(27.06.08)
Alex (apal) has taken his dedication to The Trap Door
further than most, by recently having his entire upper arm
covered in a tattoo of Berk and Boni, in front of the familiar
ancient castle. Not only that but the tattoo is not yet
completed with an image of Drutt, being finished within the
month, on the inside of the same arm. The work is amazing and
clearly a lot of attention has gone into the overall detail, not
the mention the agonising pain.
Q&A With Steve Cox (14.04.08)
I've got so much more content I'm not quite sure where to start.
However, within the last couple of days I've managed to
successfully make contact with Steve Cox, one of the
instrumental people behind a lot of The Trap Door merchandise.
Initially the assumption was made that he simply did some
artwork for the Stick 'N' Glow book (shown below), but it turns
out he did a lot more that that.
While working for a range of
companies, including Collins Publishers in London, he produced a
number of illustrations for a series of mini books, a pop out
figure book with castle, a child's 'ride-on' vehicle called The
Trapdoor Bus and finally another boxed game which had something
to do with mirrors. Just like the second image below, which
happens to be an original scan from the Stick 'N' Glow found no
where else on the Internet, Steve plans to provide the website
in the near future with some other original scans. What is even
more exciting is the fact that he has one of the original
storyboards given to him as a present by the creators of the
show.
You can take a look at the
thoroughly interesting e-mail sent by Steve in the Articles and
Interviews section. Also before I forget, thanks again Steve for
all the effort and taking the time to sign the petition.
Fantastic Fan Art (08.04.08)
Not content with bringing you just sketches from Nigel Davies,
there is yet more unique Trap Door related artwork on offer. The
examples below were both found while trawling the Internet once
again and were produced by Joshua Whitehouse. Personally the
image on the left in my opinion is one of the best we have here
at TheTrapDoor.org, along with the excellent drawings done by
Stacey W. You can click ether of them to see the enlarged
version, while don't forget to visit the Fan Art Gallery to see
the rest of the amazing collection from all our talented
artists.
Huge Thanks To Nigel Davies
(06.04.08)
After tracking down one of the influential people behind The
Trap Door, otherwise known as Nigel Davies or simply 'Eyes In
The Dark' as he's known on the final credits,
he replied with a thoroughly interesting letter. It details both
his involvement in the show, back in the early 1980's, and how
it helped him become the respected animator he is today. The
main role he had in the creation of the hit show was the opening
sequence, with the 'eyes in the dark' concept. What was even
better about the letter he sent was the hand drawn sketches,
which can be seen below. So not only does the TheTrapDoor.org
now have a hand drawn Drutt from Steve Box, but also some
wonderful sketches from Nigel Davies. Also if Nigel does happen
to read this, I just wanted to say a big thank you from all the
fans, we really appreciate it. You can read the entire letter in
the Articles and Interviews section as per usual.
Now That's A Mural (18.03.08)
After scouting round the Internet I came across these photos of
a mural painted onto a nursery garden wall. Will, who actually
did the work himself explained that the nursery had asked him to
decorate the wall, and since he had just bought The Trap Door
DVD at the time he decided to include Boni, Berk and The Big
'Pink' Thing amongst his collection. Apparently the reason the
latter is pink is because he needed to represent both genders at
the time. Its also worth noting that he obviously used the
insert from the DVD case as his inspiration, while he commented
that several passers by at the time took a double take once they
saw it. Anyway, well done Will it looks excellent.
New Forum (11.03.08)
Ok, so it wasn't that long ago we had a new forum installed for
everyone. However, I've never been happy with a number of
aspects, mainly the automatic banners and advertisements that
seem to clutter up the screen. Anyway, you can now use the new
forum that uses phpBB3 and has a stylish new look with a number of
cool features. So sign up and get posting!
Also the link above for the older
forum still works and will be maintained, since there are a
number of interesting posts on there.
Vile Pile Script Added
(09.03.08)
While trawling through the various e-mails TheTrapDoor.org
receives, we came across a script for Vile Pile submitted by
Adam F back in November! Sorry for the delay once again
everyone, but if you head over to the Episode Scripts page
you'll be able to find it.
Join Us On Facebook (09.03.08)
Although there is already a large number of Trap Door related
groups on Facebook, there isn't one yet purely for the regular
visitors of TheTrapDoor.org. You can now sign up and discuss
everything and anything, post up pics of yourselves or simply
post a welcome message on the wall. It would be great to put
some names to faces, you can sign up by simply clicking
here.
Thanks Michael Hogg and Alex
Penhallurick (09.03.08)
Hello one and all, so sorry that I haven't posted anything in a
while, but everything has been so hectic I haven't had any free
time to update the TheTrapDoor.org website. However, thanks to both
Michael and Alex we now have some exclusive video content to
share with you. The first was submitted by Alex recently and
demonstrates what only can be described as a unique take on The
Trap Door theme tune, you can view it over on the Intro Lyrics
page and it is certainly worth a look.
While the video submitted by Michael Hogg from the
NostalgicTelly channel on YouTube is a real treat. It shows both
Charlie Mills and Terry Brain taking part in a TV interview on
Rolf's Cartoon Club between 1987 and 1992. This really is
special since you rarely see the pair of them making a public
appearance. What makes it all the more spectacular is the models
of the Splund, Berk and the Giant Flying Sponge making a brief
appearance, while the glimpse of the computer which they used to
manage sounds for the show really shows just how long ago The
Trap Door was on our screens. Once again thanks Michael from all of us, this really
is a great addition to the site.
Here For Three More Years
(25.10.07)
Just to let everyone know that TheTrapDoor.org domain name has
now been renewed for another three years. With the continuing
growth of the site's popularity, which has seen just over one
thousand visitors a month, this site can now look towards
improving the content it has to offer. This includes the forum
which although has a small member base, does seem to have an
active number of postings almost daily.
You'll also notice above yet
another picture drawn up by one of the shows fans. This time
from a slightly different perspective, with Berk and Boni gazing
into the darkness otherwise known as The Trap Door.
The Trap Door Fan Videos
(30.09.07)
You may have noticed the new link on the above list, apart from
just encompassing fan art there is also a page dedicated to the
videos created by the fans of the show. So far you can watch the
entire Breakfast Time episode completely redone in 3D animation,
while there is also two spoof trailers for an not exsistent Trap
Door movie (not yet anyway). The three of these are very
impressive and well worth watching.
Berk Going Japanese? (27.09.07)
Apart from the recent addition of the new forum there has been
other changes made to the site. One of which is the inclusion of
a review of the old Trap Door game released in 1986, for both
the Amstrad and Commodore 64, among other platforms at the time.
Hopefully soon an emulator can be tracked down so that the game
can be played once again on you're PC. If anyone does happen to
come across one please post the link to the usual address, so
that everyone can enjoy it. The sequel to the original game,
otherwise known as Through The Trap Door, will also have a
similar review very soon. Also check out the clips of the games
in action that were uploaded on YouTube and give a clear
demonstration of how entertaining they can be even now.
As for the title, it's a reference
to the above pick that was discovered while once again scouring
the Internet for Trap Door related content. It features Berk
apparently dancing with the very popular Japanese creation
Totoro. It's an excellent drawing and matches the quality of
those done by Stacey only a couple of months ago. Further to
those new changes to the site, there is also a new episode
uploaded to TheTrapDoor.org TV page, this time it happens to be
one of the early ones from the first series or Food For Thort as
many of you will know it.
Join The Trap Door Fan Forum
(12.09.07)
Since the site is increasing in reputation almost daily, the
decision has been made to improve the rather poor forum. The new
forum will include a great greater layout, range of topics, and
much greater performance all round. The new address is
http://thetrapdoor.phpbbnow.com/index.php and
is already active should you wish to join, so please sign up and
start posting. This site has already become the number one Trap
Door related web site on the Internet, why not follow that up by
having an active forum for all the fans to hang out in. Included
within the topics are general discussion, character ideas,
episode reviews, and even an off topic section should you wish
to discuss anything else other than The Trap Door.
The above link to the old forum will remain active for now until
all the content is transferred to the new forum. So again please
sign up and start posting.
Update
The entire contents of the
previous forum have now been transferred over to the new one.
Also the hyperlink on the top navigational bar has now been
altered so that it takes you to the new forum location. So
remember to create yourself an account, like a few have already,
and start posting.
The Fans Contribution (29.07.07)
Due in no small part to our very talented Trap Door fans, the site can now
upload some impressive content, some of which is simply amazing
and can only be found here at TheTrapDoor.org. It's also a great
way to celebrate the fact that we've now been online for just
over a year, and would like to thank everyone for the continued
support.
Firstly Jess has been busy putting together an excellent model
of the loveable character Drutt, made simply out of plasticine.
While trawling the Internet there has been several attempts to
recreate the stars of The Trap Door from similar materials, but
haven't quite been up to the standard demonstrated in the images
below. Jess does apologise for the poor quality of the photos,
but does add that a similar model of Berk is currently in
progress. The enlarged versions can be found as always in the
Fan Art Gallery.
Meanwhile, Stacey has been
extremely busy putting together not only a new piece of artwork,
which I will discuss in a moment, but also scanning the entire Trap
Door annual, released in 1988/1989. The quality of the scans is really impressive and
she has even made the added effort of doubling up the pages, so
that the larger pictures can be viewed in all their glory. This
is now
part of the new upcoming merchandise section of the site. Also as
mentioned a moment ago Stacey has drawn a simply stunning and
unique picture for TheTrapDoor.org, which brings together The Trap
Door and the other Terry Brain creation Stoppit and Tidyup
(shown below). As usual the enlarged version can be viewed in the Fan Art
Gallery.
More Artwork and Extended Lyrics
(09.07.07)
Thankfully because of Stacey W. we now have another two more pieces
of artwork, to add to the recently created Fan Art Gallery. The
two images shown below, are just small samples of what to
expect, the complete versions can be found inside the actual
gallery. The more recent of the two on the right is simply
stunning, which could lead to further pieces of artwork in the
future according to Stacey, so watch this space.
Another mention has to go to Matt
Miles who recently has been working especially hard putting
together the extended lyrics of The Trap Door theme tune,
revealed in episode fifteen in the first series. Unfortunately
I haven't been able to upload the accompanying video to go with
the extended lyrics, that features the the whole of The Trap Door
gang singing along. However, there are plans to sort it out over over the
next couple of weeks. Another thing was that not all the words
are quite that easy to make out. If you think you can make out
the words highlighted in red any better than we can, and there
different to the answers that have been given, please let
us know. You can find the recently discovered extended lyrics on
the Intro Lyrics page.
Fan Art Gallery (08.07.07)
As promised I've finished the extra addition to the site, the
Fan Art Gallery. You can find a collection of differing images
I've collected while searching the Internet. All the pictures
have been credited with those that have drawn them and really
gives an idea of how popular, even now, The Trap Door has
become. If you feel that your own artwork should be included
then simply attach your image to an e-mail and send it to me at
thetrapdoor.org@hotmail.com, along with your full name. Below
are just three examples of what to expect.
Trap Door Scripts Added
(06.07.07)
As part of the ever growing Trap Door website, a page has now
been added specifically for scripts of the episodes broadcast
during the mid 1980's. So far only the first four episodes,
Breakfast Time, Slither, Wriggle & Writhe, Food For Thort, and
finally Lurkings have been added, but more will appear in the
future. On top of that a new episode has now been added to the
TheTrapDoor.org TV page, this time it's The Stupid Thing which
happens to be the ninth episode from the second series.
Also a big shout out to all those that have signed the petition
so far, we've now managed to accumulate no less than 215
signatures. If you signed it you're name should have been added
to the list on the The Trap Door Petition page, if you haven't
signed it, then please do so quickly. Further more there will be
another feature to the site soon, namely Trap Door art work by the
fans that I've managed to find while crawling the Internet, which will all be
presented in an impressive gallery.
Site Problems?
(29.05.07)
It seems recently that the website has been experiencing
problems, where at times for even hours at a time, the site
appears offline. The offender could possibly be the web server,
so to combat this problem the entire contents of the site have
now been moved to a hopefully more reliable server.
As for the rest of the news, apologises for the lack of updates
recently, but with everything going on at the moment there
hasn't been any time to implement any changes. However, its is
nice to see that there seems to be a gradual rise in the number
of people visiting the website, which can only confirm our
standing as the number one location for all Trap Door fans. This
is backed up by the substantial 150 signatures to the petition,
as part of the continuing effort to bring the hit show of the
1980's back to our screens. Although we appreciate it can you
please only sign the petition once, otherwise this does not give
a fair reflection of the number of people actually signing it.
Also another video has now been added to the site and can be
found on the usual page. It is the particularly messy episode
entitled Vile Pile, which was the twenty third episode from the
first series broadcast at some point during 1984.
Berk Returns!
(30.03.07)
Don't get excited, the petition isn't quite successful just yet.
Instead I'm talking about a new game sent over from one of our
Trap Door fans, that he wanted to share with you lot. David
Turner admits it's quite basic, but its still a good laugh to
see Berk running around on the screen. However, before you start
David mentions the following 'It uses the included ".map" and
".tle" files to find out what is in each level. They can be
edited by using notepad if you want to modify them. It does
require .net framework 1 or above to work'. To download the
game, head over to the downloads page, where you can find it
inside a compressed file to extract to your hard drive. The game
is only a prototype at the moment and we hope David will keep us
updated with his work, as it develops.
Bring Back The
Trap Door (23.03.07)
Following the letter we received from Steve Box about a month
ago, the decision was made to act and try and bring back The
Trap Door to our television screens. We might not be ultimately
successful but we must at least try. With some of the principle
people behind the comeback including Steve Box, Charlie Mills,
and Terry Brain, we must do all we can. So please take the time
to quickly leave your signature on the petition, by following
the link below and help to put pressure on Right Entertainment.
By doing this we can let them know what a good decision it would
be to allow the show to return after nearly twenty five years.
New Logo & More Sounds
(22.03.07)
As you may have noticed if you have happened to visit the site
before, a new banner has been added to the top of the site. It
seems a better quality logo, along with the fact that it does
seem to appear just that little bit more noticeable. Apart from
that anyway, if you happen to take a look at the downloads page
you will find a larger collection of sound files free for you to
use. I have to say there are some contain classic hidden adult
references if you happen to listen well enough.
Added Yet Another Video
(19.03.07)
Just a quick update to let you guys know that a new video has
been posted on TheTrapDoor.org TV page. It is the sixth episode
from the second series, otherwise simply known as Bugs and has
to be a contender for the highest amount of animation found in any
one scene across all The Trap Door episodes. Apart from that
over the next few weeks I hope to post some more images to add
to our already massive gallery (don't believe me then check the
news item below). Also I would like to remind everyone that you
can at any point submit content and I'd be more than happy to
respond by posting it on the site.
Many Thanks To Steve (22.02.07)
Just received a reply today from none other than the 'Thing
Doer' from The Trap Door, Steve Box himself. He sent a speedy
response to letter I sent him only four days ago. It's well
worth a read with a fascinating look at what really went on
behind the scenes when creating the show, just simply head other
to the Article & Interviews page to take a look. Apart from
answering the questions I sent him he mentioned the good old
days of working hard with Terry and Charlie surrounded by
industrial estates, old jam factories and something about
crumbling ceilings with flooded cellars. The other point he
mentioned while answering one of the questions was the
possibility of a Trap Door movie, but with the rights being very
much difficult to get hold of it looks unlikely. Something which we might have to
look into. He even took the time to draw a picture of the
lovable pet Drutt, so Steve Box if your reading this thanks for
taking the time to write back.
Images
Everywhere You Look (18.2.07)
Despite the lack of news recently that does not mean that work
has not been going on behind the scenes. Just extended the bio
on Willie Rushton and written one about Bob Heatlie himself, the
man behind the theme tune that we all know and love. You can
also find a detailed bio on Steve Box, who some of you will
undoubtedly know as the man who helped make Wallace & Gromit
what it is today. Apart from
that we can now boast the largest collection of Trap Door
related images on the Internet. At the last count we had more than 125, with
plenty more being uploaded soon. Also for those that have
visited the TheTrapDoor.org TV page and not noticed any new episodes
for a while, Midnight Snack has just been uploaded and waiting
for confirmation from YouTube. Remember if you have any content
might it be images or something else, then please do not forget
to send it to me for inclusion on the site.
Happy New Year (02.01.07)
Just wanted to wish all The Trap Door fans a happy new year, and
hope you've all made resolutions to visit us regularly. I know
it's a bit late by the way, but been to busy celebrating. Anyway, as a belated Christmas present I've uploaded yet another
Trap Door episode, it can be located on the usual TheTrapDoor.org TV page. It's the eighth episode from the first
series so I'm sure you'll enjoy watching it. Also I've added
some more images from past episodes Strange
Goings On and Nasty Stuff, so why not check them out. Also I
noticed the other day as well that the episodes Ghoulies and
Nasty Stuff seem to share some strange connection to traditional horror, the
first being strangely reminiscent of "The Exorcist" while the
second could be compared to "Jekyll & Hyde". If anyone notices some
over references to any particular Film/Book in relation to a
Trap Door episode, then please send an e-mail to the usual
address.
The 1000th Customer
(04.12.06)
Since the 22 October 2006, we've managed to accumulate no less
than one thousand visitors to the site. Although not all that
impressive, we are talking about a regular stream of just over
160 people per week. This is encouraging news, that their is
still a steady fan base for a show that's around twenty years
old. Also I just want to take the opportunity to thank those
people that have visited the site, and hope to see you returning
again soon.
Show The Christmas Spirit
(01.12.06)
Since its that time of year again, we thought we'd bring a bit
of Christmas cheer to TheTrapDoor.org. What were asking from you
guys is that you send us photographs of yourselves, showing your
appreciation for the world of The Trap Door that has so clearly
delighted us for the last twenty odd years. We particularly want
to see people in their Trap Door t-shirts (shown below). We'll
then post them on the site in a gallery for the whole world to
see, remember to put your name in the e-mail as well so we can
really embarrass you.
Toonhound Revive The
Trap Door (01.12.06)
Not really news but might be of some interest to the followers
of The Trap Door. The highly popular cartoon related website Toonhound, have recently updated their section relating to the
world of Berk, Boni and Drutt. You'll find a link below that
will take you directly to the relevant page so why not take a
look.
http://www.toonhound.com/trapdoor.htm
Visit Our Guestbook
(26.10.06)
Once again thanks to all those people that have visited the site
recently. For those people that do visit TheTrapDoor.org why not
drop a message in our guestbook and let us know what you think
of the site, or where in fact you think improvements could be
made. The link can be found at the top of this page and will
only take a couple of minutes to complete. I look forward to
reading your messages in the near future.
TheTrapDoor.org Going
International (24.10.06)
Since tracking the hits this site generates over the past couple
of weeks I'm delighted to say that were averaging nearly 200
visitors every week. What's even more amazing is the fact that the
hits are not just from the United Kingdom as you'd expect, but
from countries such as the United States, Argentina, Canada, New
Zealand, Israel, Australia, Italy and many more. This truly means that TheTrapDoor.org is becoming an international haven for all those
that are fans of the show. I just want to thank those people who
have visited us since the arrival of the site and hope that it
won't be long before you return.
The Trap Door Intro
(20.10.06)
Been knocking about on YouTube recently and came across the
intro clip from none other than The Trap Door itself, guessed
you guys would like to take a welcome trip back down memory
lane. It can be located on the same page as the intro lyrics. Remember
to leave a comment for SalfordSam thanking him for this little
gem.
Charlie & Terry Back
Together (28.07.06)
If you don't know already ITV have commissioned 6 x 30 minute
episodes based on Ricky Gervais's unusual creations otherwise
known as Flanimals. Paul Jackson the director of
entertainment and comedy has allowed producer Chris Gepp to go
ahead with the series and hire the services of none other than
the former creators of The Trap Door, Charlie Mills and Terry
Brain to direct the series. Up to recently Terry was working for
Aardman Animations helping create the highly successful films
Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit,
but has now returned to working with Charlie Mills in their
first major project since The Trap Door. No confirmation has yet
be made as to when the series will be shown but it seems we will
have to wait until 2007 or 2008.
TheTrapDoor.org Is Finally Here!
(25.07.06)
Finally I've published this web site and its almost complete, but
could be fully finished with a little of your help. As
you may notice the episode reviews section has reviews of only
the first four episodes that were ever aired all those years ago.
If you
wish to submit any of your own reviews then e-mail them to
thetrapdoor.org@hotmail.com,
along with anything else you think deserves to be published on
this site.
One of the reasons the site has taken me so long is that I've
been completely swamped with university coursework and such
like, yet I wanted to make my own contribution to The Trap Door
series that in fact gave me so much delight when I was a kid.
It is my aim to make this site the number one place for all fans
of The Trap Door to meet and reminisce of those golden days sat
in front of those crappy resolution TV's, cross legged watching
Berk, Boni and Drutt confront the various creatures to appear
out of the now famous wooden door. As mentioned before I want
you to make this site your own and as mentioned before feel free to e-mail me
anything that could be posted on the site, further more if you
want to make any constructive criticisms those will also be
welcome. So enjoy the site and please watch this space!
