The Furchester Hotel

Louise Gold starred as Funella Furchester, the proprietoress, filmed at BBC, Salford Media City Manchester Spring 2014, First aired on Cbeebies September 2014, first aired on Sesame Street’s Youtube Channel November 2014. It is a co-production between the BBC and The Children’s Television Workshop.

Cast

Sarah Burgess – Phoebe Furchester-Fuzz

Ryan Dillon – Elmo

Louise Gold – Funella Furchester, and a few other assorted characters

Andy Heath – Pillow in the theme song and other assorted characters

David Rudman – Cookie Monster

Andrew James Spooner – Fergus Fuzz

Mak Wilson – Puppet Captain, also performs, Harvey P Dull, Gonger and other assorted characters

Warrick Browlow-Pike – Assorted characters (including: Professor Fleece, and, Monster Monster)

Rebecca Nagan

Neil Sterenberg

Sheila Clark

Paul Currie

Damien Farrell

Lesa Gillespie

Colin Purves

Katherine Smee

Julie Westwood

Toby Wilson

Michael Winsor

Production Team

 Writers – Belinda Ward with:

Education Consultants Rosemarie T Truglio, Autumn Zitani, Professor Anna Craft, Jessica DeSalvo

Composers & Musical Directors – Andrew Blyth and Marten Joustra

Puppet Designer - Ed Christie

Producers – Carol-Lynn Parente and Tony Reed

For a review/episode guide to The Furchester Hotel, please click here.

Ryan Dillon and David Rudman are veteran Sesame Street puppeteers. Louise Gold has also previously puppeteered for The Children’s Television Workshop on Sesame Street itself (back in the early 1990s). Belinda Ward, and Carol-Lynn Parente are established members of the production team.

Louise Gold, Andy Heath, Andrew James Spooner, Warrick Brownlow-Pike, Katherine Smee, and, Michael Winsor had previously puppeteered together on That Puppet Game Show.

David Rudman, and, Mak Wilson had previously puppeteered on Labyrinth.

Louise Gold, and, David Rudman had previously performed at Jim Henson’s Memorial Service. Their recording credits include: Muppet Christmas Carol Soundtrack album, and A Green And Red Christmas, and Elmo’s Lowdown Hoedown.

Louise Gold and David Rudman also worked Tale Of The Bunny Picnic, for which Ed Christie was a designer

Louise Gold, David Rudman, and, Rebecca Nagan have previously puppeteered on The Muppet Christmas Carol, for which Ed Christie was a puppet builder

Louise Gold, Andrew James Spooner, Mak Wilson, Rebecca Nagan, Colin Purves, and, Katherine Smee had previously puppeteered together on Muppet Treasure Island, for which Ed Christie was a puppet builder.

Louise Gold and Mak Wilson had previously puppeteered together on Spitting Image, The Ghost Of Faffner Hall, and, Mopatop’s Shop.

Louise Gold and Warrick Browlow-Pike had previously puppeteered together on Transmission Impossible With Ed And Oucho, which was actually Warrick’s show but Louise was Guest Puppeteer.

Louise Gold and Katherine Smee had previously puppeteered together on Jim Henson’s The Animal Show.

Ed Christie has previously been a puppet builder on The Muppet Show, The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Go To The Movies.

Katherine Smee is the regular puppeteer on Justin’s House, which Tony Reed is also a writer on. For one episode(Series 3, Episode 6), Louise Gold did a stint as a Guest Puppeteer, performing Funella Furchester.

Louise Gold, Warrick Brownlow-Pike, and, Neil Sterenberg all went on to appear at Muppets And Puppets (Kaleidoscope Event), which included Louise and Warrick performing their Furchester Hotel puppets (Funella and Gonger respectively).

Critics Comments

Links about The Furchester Hotel

Official section of the BBC Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/furchester-hotel -This includes clips from the show and games based on the show

Wikipedia Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Furchester_Hotel

Muppet Wiki Entry: http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Furchester_Hotel

BBC Website Furchester Cast Interview with Louise Gold: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/thefurchesterhotel/funella

TV Rage Furchester Launch Interview: http://www.tvrage.com/news/10867/exclusive-interview-cookie-monster-funella-and-furgus-on-the-furchester-hotel (Interview with all the main characters, and, their puppeteers, and a photograph of the puppeteers with their characters – lefthanded Louise is half-hidden by her puppet)

The Muppet Mindset Article about Andrew James Spooner: https://muppetmindset.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/whos-that-a-guide-to-the-lesser-known-muppeteers-part-1-andrew-james-spooner/ - it includes a lovely picture of The Furchester Hotel puppeteers (including: Louise Gold, Sarah Burgess, Andrew James Spooner, and, Ryan Dillon) at work on the Furchester Hotel set.

Cheshire Mum’s Blog account of going behind the scenes at The Furchester Hotel: http://www.cheshiremum.co.uk/2014/09/the-day-we-checked-into-the-furchester-hotel/ (particularly nice description of Funella)

The Babycentre’s account of meeting Elmo at The Furchester Hotel: http://community.babycentre.co.uk/journal/oxfordupnorth/1636969/meeting_elmo_at_the_furchester_hotel.

This Is Life Blog, account of Meeting the Furchester Hotel Cast and Crew: http://www.angelathisislife.com/2014/09/elmo-and-cookie-monster-on-cbeebies.html

Broadcast Now’s Description of the set behind the scenes: http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/features/furchester-hotel/5077896.article

The Composers – article about the composers of the score: http://www.thecomposerworks.com/project/sesame-street-comes-to-salford-for-new-cbeebies-show/

Daily Mail article promoting the series: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2753243/Get-ready-new-monster-hit-A-vast-set-70-new-puppets-s-Sesame-Street-meets-Fawlty-Towers-BBC-s-gambled-fortune-it.html

Article from the Shropshire Star: http://www.buckatreehallhotel.com/blog/furchester-v-buckatree (not clear if Louise was puppeteering Funella for it)

Article about Barts Hospital event: http://www.bartscharity.org.uk/News/Detail/Afternoon-tea-with-The-Furchester-Hotel (not clear if Louise was puppeteering Funella for it)

Article about a Furchester Event at Millenium Mayfair: http://www.ababyonboard.com/afternoon-tea-elmo-furchester-hotel/ (not clear if Louise was puppeteering Funella for it)

Geek Mummy’s preview of Furchester Hotel: http://www.geekmummy.com/2014/09/preview-furchester-hotel/

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