Bad Penny (TV series)
Introduction


***Bad Penny*** is a [CBBC](/wiki/CBBC_%28TV_channel%29 "CBBC (TV channel)") sitcom written by English comedy writer [Dean Wilkinson](/wiki/Dean_Wilkinson "Dean Wilkinson"). It ran for two series (13 episodes) from 2003 to 2004\.

It starred CBBC presenter [Anne Foy](/wiki/Anne_Foy "Anne Foy") as the happy and sweet, yet troubled, [Penny Dreadful](/wiki/Penny_Dreadful "Penny Dreadful"), who was constantly trying to thwart the surreal and crooked dealings of her wayward family. Penny's dim\-witted and henpecked father, Pa, was played by comedian [Graham Fellows](/wiki/Graham_Fellows "Graham Fellows") a.k.a. John Shuttleworth.

In each episode, Penny would also have to contend with strange and bizarre characters that stumbled through her wardrobe, an occasional portal to other worlds and dimensions. The noble Penny always strove to help characters such as a foul mouthed runaway scarecrow, a [Dickensian](/wiki/Charles_Dickens "Charles Dickens") [rat\-catcher](/wiki/Rat-catcher "Rat-catcher") chasing a giant rat called Lord Ironside, and Chips – a [Geordie](/wiki/Geordie "Geordie") space pilot dog in a story that borrowed from the plot of the 1968 film, *[Planet of the Apes](/wiki/Planet_of_the_Apes_%281968_film%29 "Planet of the Apes (1968 film)")*. Indeed, the show's running catchphrase "This is a mad house, a mad house!" was taken directly from the film and was uttered once in every episode. The humour was a surreal blend of slapstick and intelligent dialogue with [Pythonesque](/wiki/Monty_Python "Monty Python") self\-contained stories, sub plots and throwaway [vignettes](/wiki/Vignette_%28literature%29 "Vignette (literature)").

The show's cast boasted a regular troupe of actors who played different parts each episode, including *[That's Life!](/wiki/That%27s_Life%21 "That's Life!")*'s [Adrian Mills](/wiki/Adrian_Mills "Adrian Mills"), *[Coronation Street](/wiki/Coronation_Street "Coronation Street")*'s Martin Hancock and character actor Rusty Goffe who appeared in the original *[Willy Wonka \& the Chocolate Factory](/wiki/Willy_Wonka_%26_the_Chocolate_Factory "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory")* as an [Oompa\-Loompa](/wiki/Oompa-Loompa "Oompa-Loompa"), and the original *[Star Wars](/wiki/Star_Wars_%28film%29 "Star Wars (film)")* as a [Jawa](/wiki/Jawa_%28Star_Wars%29 "Jawa (Star Wars)") and a [Droid](/wiki/Droid_%28Star_Wars%29 "Droid (Star Wars)"). Goffe, coincidentally enough, played Goober in *[Stupid!](/wiki/Stupid%21 "Stupid!")*, another CBBC show written by Dean Wilkinson. Series 1 was directed by [Graeme Harper](/wiki/Graeme_Harper "Graeme Harper"), who directed 1980s episodes of *[Doctor Who](/wiki/Doctor_Who "Doctor Who")* as well as episodes of the 2006 series featuring [David Tennant](/wiki/David_Tennant "David Tennant").

[Category:2003 British television series debuts](/wiki/Category:2003_British_television_series_debuts "2003 British television series debuts")
[Category:2004 British television series endings](/wiki/Category:2004_British_television_series_endings "2004 British television series endings")
[Category:2000s British children's television series](/wiki/Category:2000s_British_children%27s_television_series "2000s British children's television series")
[Category:BBC children's television shows](/wiki/Category:BBC_children%27s_television_shows "BBC children's television shows")
[Category:British children's science fiction television series](/wiki/Category:British_children%27s_science_fiction_television_series "British children's science fiction television series")
[Category:BBC television sitcoms](/wiki/Category:BBC_television_sitcoms "BBC television sitcoms")
[Category:British English\-language television shows](/wiki/Category:British_English-language_television_shows "British English-language television shows")

  


How do the surreal elements of the show contribute to its humor?