Review of Brum

Introduction

Brum is a live action kids’ TV show based around a car that has adventures. Brum itself is an animatronic/puppet creation with big headlights for eyes and a bonnet that can be most expressive. Filmed in “silent movie” style and sparsely narrated by Toyah Wilcox, Brun is entertaining (for kids) and undemanding fare.

This 50 minutes DVD features 5 of Brum’s adventures including a trip to the Airport and an encounter with the “King of Thieves”.

Video

The disc is presented in the original TV ratio of 1.78:1. The image is quite soft and betrays its TV roots. It is quite serviceable though. The visuals are big, brightly coloured and unsubtle as befits a kids’ show.

Audio

Since Brum is essentially silent, the main audio is the background music. This is lively and cheerful and well presented on the DD 2.0 soundtrack. Toyah Wilcox provides a narration in her trademark breathy, lisping voice and, quite frankly, is unnecessary.

Features

Extras are fairly sparse consisting of a quiz, three extra sequences and some information on some recurring characters like Scruffy the dog. However, the target audience is likely to be undemanding and is unlikely to fault the disc for that.

Conclusion

Despite being out of the target audience, I found Brum to be pleasant fare. It is gently entertaining and doesn’t try to cram any educational or moral message down a young viewer’s throat (that’s not to say that the episodes don’t have a message). The acting is in the style of the old silent movies with loads of exaggerated gestures and facial mugging. The only jarring note is Toyah’s narration.

Brum on DVD will keep your kids quiet for 50 minutes and, unlike their favourite Barney video, won’t wear out with repeated viewings and will be easier for their parents to watch. It`s not a patch on Bagpuss, though.