Sticky Situations in Sabden: The Treacle People Return

The Treacle People was a beloved mid-90s television show that entertained both children and parents with stories of the treacle mines in Sabden, Lancashire. Now, the charming treacle-filled creatures are making a comeback for a new generation. We speak with Joseph Russell, director of The Treacle People: Still Sticky, a brand-new audio adventure set to debut this summer.

There’s trouble in t’mines – the treacle mines, that is.

In the 1980s, the village of Sabden, Lancashire, nestled near Pendle Inn, was home to a treacle mine where dozens of cuddly characters worked on the black pudding benders and parkin looms. The characters were created by the Dewhurst family when Dad Bill was experiencing unemployment. He was inspired by medieval tales of mines containing magical cures, and, being Lancastrian, he knew the cure to most things was a nice bit of treacle.

Together with his three children and wife, Bill imagined the creatures who would inhabit this magical subterranean lair. While the creatures’ looks did not resemble the people of Lancashire, their personalities often did, from the straight-talking landlady who served only ginger beer to the young hippy lad. The family sold the dolls at craft fairs and jumble sales before Bill opened the Sabden Treacle Mine and put the dolls to work.

With The Treacle People back in the spotlight, Joseph began to think about giving the characters a new adventure.

The mines were a beloved part of the local community, drawing visitors from far and wide. One such visitor was Mike Furness, a director from London Weekend Television (now ITV), who came to ‘Sunny’ Sabden on holiday with his family.

“He fell in love with it,” recalls Joseph Russell, Director of The Treacle People: Still Sticky. “And insisted my father, a producer at LWT, go up and visit.”

Joseph’s father, Iain Russell, made the trip to Lancashire, and after descending into the treacle mines, he, too, became enchanted by The Treacle People and decided they would make a great television show.

The first episode aired in May 1996 and was named Treacle Trouble, which saw the villagers go on a ‘slightly adhesive adventure’ when the treacle mines ran dry. They discovered the existence of treacle boggarts, and, with “a treacle-eating boggart in a treacle mill, what could possibly go wrong?” A treacle mine collapse, that’s what!

The show followed the residents of Sabden as they mined in an attempt to export the village’s famous treacle. There was plenty of mischief a foot. From Leyland Lil of Bubble & Boggart Café, who served the villagers her infamous rock-hard parkin, to the local constable PC Nicko Pendle, who struggled to keep law and order with his undeniable incompetence. There was also the local hippie Wizzle, who wasn’t the stickiest of the villagers. “The last time Wizzle went down a mine, all he came up with was coal. No use to no one, he might as well have set fire to it!” According to Tapper the Miner, at least.

All the episodes were written by Brian Trueman and his son Jonathan. From Stockport, northern lad Brian was a stalwart of children’s television with plenty of animations under his belt, including Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, Thomas the Tank and Wallace & Gromit to name a few. Working alongside the Dewhurst family, the writers crafted the story of the mine’s quirky inhabitants and their attempts to export Sabden’s famous treacle to the outside world.

The Treacle People delighted audiences for two series, from 1996 to 1997, with a Christmas special that earned a BAFTA nomination!

“The show was probably my dad’s proudest achievement,” Joseph reflects. “And I grew up watching and adoring it.”

The series ended with an episode called Sticky Like One, where Silas, voiced by the famous Jim Norton of Father Ted, asks young ’un Wizzle to build a statue of the person who brought the most fame and fortune to Sabden. Unfortunately, the statue doesn’t resemble Silas as he hoped. Instead, little Bert the Boggart is celebrated!

Sadly, the Treacle Mines closed shortly after the series ended in 1998. Perhaps the characters went on strike to demand more treacle! And although the show was a favourite of many, chances to watch it after its initial airing were few and far between.

“We had the tapes stored away in the attic, and last year, we finally decided to get them digitised and put on YouTube so people could start watching them again!” Joseph explains. “The week before it was due to release, Dad suddenly passed away. I knew he would want me to carry on with our plans, so I took up the torch and oversaw the show’s re-release. It was so nice to see fans, both old and new, able to watch the series and read all the lovely comments.”

With The Treacle People back in the spotlight, Joseph began to think about giving the characters a new adventure. “We had always hoped to continue the series in some form, and my family and I thought it would be a lovely tribute to Dad to produce some new Treacle People stories.”

Unable to stretch his budget to a new animation, Joseph decided to create an audio series and contacted the original series writer, Jonathan, to come up with fresh, sticky scenarios for the characters. Cast members Caroline Bernstein, Glynn Mills, and Jim Norton also returned to reprise their roles.

“I hope it’ll be a wonderful dose of nostalgia for fans of the original show while also something fresh, exciting, and very funny for those who’ve never seen (or heard) it before.”

“I was fortunate enough to have the help of the show’s original sound designer, Russell Smithson, and composer Simon Webb. Everyone involved had such fond memories of working on the original show and were thrilled to be making more after all these years. They’ve all been so supportive of this project, and I count myself very lucky to have been able to work with such talented and lovely people.”

In the process, Joseph found himself producing and directing an audio drama. “We recorded six episodes over two days. My brother James came along to help, and we all had tremendous fun. It’s a tribute to my father, Mike Furness, the original director, Brian Trueman the original writer, Alec Bregonzi and Jim McManus who voiced characters on the show, and everyone else who worked on the programme and is no longer with us.”

The new series will see The Treacle People face a familiar predicament: they’ve run out of treacle and must venture deep into the earth to solve their dilemma. Their journey takes them across the Molasso Sea, where they must tame the Great White Mallard, Moby Duck, and enter the fabled Mines of King Habbakuk, taking them to places they’ve never been before.

“I hope it’ll be a wonderful dose of nostalgia for fans of the original show while also something fresh, exciting, and very funny for those who’ve never seen (or heard) it before,” Joseph smiles.

The Treacle People: Still Sticky will be released later this year, with the script book available to pre-order now here. And if you can’t wait, all the original episodes are available on YouTube now!

ColneLife March/April/May 25