Bob Godfrey 1921 - 2013 RIP

By one of those strange coincidences, the death of Richard Briers has been followed just a few days later by the death of the animator Bob Godfrey, the creator of Roobarb.

Born in Australia in 1921, his parents moved back to Britain when he was just a baby. During the war he served in the Royal Marines and took part in the D-Day landings.

Godfrey's career in animation spanned over half a century. He worked on a number of television commercials in the 1950s and 60s, as well as a series of adult based features made in Soho, but as his fame spread he started on more high profile work. He produced four episodes of "The Beatles" cartoon series and worked on "Yellow Submarine" and "Casino Royale".

In 1971 he made a cartoon version of the Karma Sutra. Despite being tame by today's standards it was originally banned but was spotted by Stanley Kubrick who eventually managed to get it shown in cinemas as the supporting feature to A Clockwork Orange.

In 1974 he presented the Do-It Yourself Film Animation Show on BBC1 which encouraged children to do animation; each episode had established animators talking about their work and different animation techniques. Guests included Richard Williams and Terry Gilliam. The series has subsequently been acknowledged by a new generation of animators, including Nick Park, as a significant influence on them making animated films.

It was also in 1974 that his best known creation took to the airwaves - the dysfunctional dog and cat pairing of Roobarb and Custard. Voiced by Briers (before Briers became famous for The Good Life), it soon became a cult classic, running in the five minute slot before the teatime news on BBC1.

In 1975 he made "Great", a 30-minute musical based on the life and exploits of the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, for which Godfrey won an Oscar for Best Animated Film of 1975.

"Noah and Nelly" followed in 1977 and "Henry's Cat" (also voiced by Briers) in 1983. In his later years he worked on a number of political films and documentaries.

As well as an Oscar, Bob Godfrey won three BAFTAs and was awarded an MBE in 1986. He died on Feb 21st at the age of 91.

Sad to hear. Noah and Nellie; one of the most under praised cartoon series in modern times. A true classic