Emu (puppet)

Emu
The logo for the new series of Emu.
Created by	Rod Hull
Portrayed by	Rod Hull (1960s–1999) Toby Hull (2003–present)
In-universe information
Species	Emu
Gender	Male

Emu is a puppet emu which was given to British entertainer Rod Hull in the 1960s while he was presenting a children's breakfast television programme in Australia. Hull adopted the mute puppet for his cabaret act, and took it with him to the United Kingdom when he returned in 1970. The character was given a mischievous and sometimes aggressive onstage persona, attacking celebrity guests (and Hull himself) for comic effect. Hull and Emu also appeared on several episodes of The Hudson Brothers' comedy show in the United States.

Emu's new series

The first episode of Emu's new series, simply called Emu, was broadcast on 8 October 2007. The first series was filmed in Belfast with shots at Queens Street Flats. The plot centres around Emu and his owner, Toby (Toby Hull), a computer games designer. Toby has to keep Emu a secret from Ken Cole, a grumpy security guard. Toby's neighbours, children Charlie and Dani, help him to keep Emu a secret. Toby's other neighbour, Sophie, is the villainess of the show: an air hostess who becomes obsessed with making money off of Emu, but her plans always backfire on her. At the end of the first series, Emu and Toby moved back to Australia.

In June 2009, it was announced that a second series of the show with 26 episodes would be produced by the Gibson Group, a New Zealand film and broadcast company. Most of the cast were New Zealand actors. The plot in the second series revolves around Toby's job in a kids' cafe. He meets Kelly (Bryony Skillington), the cafe manager, who is allergic to birds (especially Emu), although she still adores Emu. Cafe kids Sam and Georgia live upstairs above the cafe. They are good friends with Emu. They all must watch out for Leo Leach (Toby Leach), the town inspector who is strict with pest control; he will close the cafe down if an animal is found.

The first episode of the second series was broadcast on 13 September 2009 on ITV1 at 9.45am. The second series puppeteer was Nick Blake and the director was Danny Mulheron the same director of Paradise Café made by the same company. The second episode was also broadcast on the same day.

It was shown on CITV with repeats until April 2014.

List of episodes

Series 1 2007-2008

No. overall	Title	Original air date
1	Not So Secret Emu	8 October 2007
2	Attack Of The Spacebird	8 October 2007
3	A Date With Dusterny	8 October 2007
4	Double The Fun	8 October 2007
5	A Sweet Business	9 October 2007
6	Ticket To Ride	9 October 2007
7	Plumbing New Depths	9 October 2007
8	Emu's Got To Go	9 October 2007
9	The Birthday Cake	11 October 2007
10	Endangered Species	12 October 2007
11	Locked Out	12 October 2007
12	Cuckoo In The Nest	12 October 2007
13	Nurse Emu	12 October 2007
14	Emu's Party	22 October 2007
15	Scratching For Oil	22 October 2007
16	Ken Sees Emu	23 October 2007
17	Decorating	23 October 2007
18	Emu Cleans Up	24 October 2007
19	Rubbish Day	24 October 2007
20	Bathtime For Emu	25 October 2007
21	Ken Comes To Stay	22 March 2008
22	Emu Sleepwalks	23 March 2008
23	DJ Emu	29 March 2008
24	Dreams Of Ice Cream	30 March 2008
25	Sophie’s New Leaf	5 April 2008
26	Homebird	6 April 2008

Series 2 2009

No. overall	Title	Original air date
1	Apricot Antics	13 September 2009
2	Run Emu Run	13 September 2009
3	Secret Birthday Cake	20 September 2009
4	Emu Pox	20 September 2009
5	Mousetrap	27 September 2009
6	Hide 'n Shriek	27 September 2009
7	Nits To The Rescue	4 October 2009
8	Bubble Trouble	4 October 2009
9	Non-Imaginary Friend	11 October 2009
10	To Catch An Emu	11 October 2009
11	New Improved Emu	19 October 2009
12	Hocus Pocus	19 October 2009
13	Pulling Teeth	20 October 2009
14	Waiter There’s An Emu In My Soup	20 October 2009
15	Full Moon Blues	21 October 2009
16	Double Vision	21 October 2009
17	Party Games	22 October 2009
18	Leo Cadges A Meal	22 October 2009
19	The Fancy Dress Party	23 October 2009
20	Emus Can Fly	23 October 2009
21	Loose Goose	26 October 2009
22	Best Friends	26 October 2009
23	A Smashing Day	27 October 2009
24	Surprise	27 October 2009
25	Emu On The Loose	28 October 2009
26	Finale	28 October 2009

UK television career 1975-1989

Main article: Emu's TV programmes

During the 1970s, Hull and Emu achieved national fame in the UK with their BBC series Emu's Broadcasting Company. The duo subsequently moved to ITV where a succession of shows were produced in the 1980s centring around their ongoing war with Grotbags, a witch played by Carol Lee Scott.