Fraggle Rock - separate UK and US versions?

[Mangetout]

Can someone tell me whether Fulton Mackay (better known for his appearances in the UK sitcom Porridge) appeared in any of the USA Fraggle Rock shows - IMDB is a bit vague on the details - I've seen what appears to be the same episodes that I remember watching, but with a different (American) actor in the scenes which involve humans.

[PRNYouth]

Originally Posted by Mangetout

Can someone tell me whether Fulton Mackay (better known for his appearances in the UK sitcom Porridge) appeared in any of the USA Fraggle Rock shows - IMDB is a bit vague on the details - I've seen what appears to be the same episodes that I remember watching, but with a different (American) actor in the scenes which involve humans.

The American version of Fraggle Rock starred Gerard Parkes as "Doc". He was a tinkerer and inventor, and it was through his workshop that Fraggles could enter into the human world. His dog Sprocket was his companion.

I believe Canada received this same version.

The UK version, on the other hand, as I understand it, starred Fulton McKay as the Captain, and his scenes were set in a lighthouse of some sort (am I right?).

Not sure why the difference, but I'm sure it was to tie in more to the local culture of each country. I BELIEVE there were similar things done for other countries.

Did your version have "Uncle Traveling Matt" exploring various locales? If so, were they UK-based, or North American-based?

[PRNYouth]

Originally Posted by PRNYouth

Not sure why the difference, but I'm sure ...

Wow ... could that have been more contradictory? I meant to say, I'm not SURE why the difference, but I'm betting that it just had to do with wanting to tie in to the different cultures.

[In Conceivable]

Originally Posted by PRNYouth

Did your version have "Uncle Traveling Matt" exploring various locales? If so, were they UK-based, or North American-based?

The US version had Uncle Traveling Matt. He was always my favorite part.

[PRNYouth]

AH-HA! (Yes, I know this is my third post in a row, but I discovered something else.)

In the imdb listing for Fraggle Rock, if you click on alternate versions, you get this gem of info:

The Doc and Sprocket sequences in the show were localized for each production country. In Canada, USA, and Germany, Doc was an inventor. In the UK, he was a lighthouse keeper, and in France, a chef.

I knew I'd seen this somewhere.

[Anonymous Coward]

The trashheap has spoken... nyaaah.

[Jenaroph]

In the UK, she was the Rubbishheap.

[Mangetout]

Originally Posted by PRNYouth

Did your version have "Uncle Traveling Matt" exploring various locales? If so, were they UK-based, or North American-based?

Yes, and it was localised; I'm not sure if the lighthouse was supposed to be on an island or the mainland or whether this detail wasn't explained, but the uncle's travels were within the UK; I have a feeling that the scenes where the fraggles (including the uncle) appear in the same shot as humans were done with a blue screen and clever editing/cutting, so that the fraggle footage was exactly the same in all versions; needless to say that the UK version wasn't dubbed over for the voices of the fraggles - they were definitely the classic American Muppet-style accents.