Episodes 25

1 Locks

September 3, 1990

15m

John plans to take the Ragdoll up the canal to Dudley, but in order to do so he has to navigate a series of locks.

2 Painting

September 10, 1990

15m

Tree branches scrape against the Ragdoll, scratching off its smart paint. So John goes out to the shops to buy some paint to make his boat look nice and shiny again. Rosie and Jim do some painting of their own, and they learn about mixing colours together to make even more colours.

3 Supermarket

September 17, 1990

15m

John is out of groceries, so he makes a trip to Sainsbury's to purchase what he needs. However, the two rag dolls have something else on their minds.

4 Tunnel

September 24, 1990

15m

Whilst John is on his travels, he goes inside a tunnel leaving the two rag dolls to believe that pure darkness can be frightening to travel through.

5 Horse Towing

October 1, 1990

15m

Whilst attempting to travel to Dudley, the Ragdoll's tiller comes apart in John's hand, meaning he has to walk to a nearby stable so a horse can tow the boat to somewhere he can get it fixed.

6 Glass

October 8, 1990

15m

John is very curious to know how glass is made, so he goes to a factory to see what ingredients are put together to make glass, sand being the main one. Rosie and Jim follow him there, and play in the sandpit making their own boat out of sand with marble glass windows.

7 Boat Building

October 15, 1990

15m

John visits Black Country Narrow Boats, the boatyard that built the Ragdoll, where Rosie and Jim try making their own boats out of paper and foil.

8 Washing

October 22, 1990

15m

It's a rainy day on the Ragdoll, and John's in need of washing his clothes, so he sets out to a local launderette to get them clean once again. Rosie and Jim have some dirty washing too, but they also have something else in mind.

9 Coal

October 29, 1990

15m

It is quite cold on the Ragdoll, and John is running out of coal for his furnace to keep him and Rosie and Jim warm, so he and Rosie and Jim set out to a coal mine to see where exactly coal comes from.

10 Clipping

November 5, 1990

15m

As John sails down the canal, he notices lots of different things being cut, so he takes a walk and goes to a farm to see some sheep having their wool sheared off. Later on, John does some trimming of his own by giving his beard a snip. Rosie and Jim join in by taking some sheep wool and begin pretending to shear it off themselves.

11 Falcons

November 12, 1990

15m

John is looking for an idea for a story, so he sails down the canal to a falcon country park to see all kinds of different birds. Rosie and Jim follow him, and watch the demonstrations of the falcons.

12 Woollen Mill

November 19, 1990

15m

John's woolly jumper is beginning to wear out, so he sets off to a mill to retrieve some wool to knit a new jumper. Meanwhile, Jim mistakes a sheep for a dragon, and is frightened, but soon learns that sheep are harmless. Then, Rosie and Jim finally get some coloured wool of their own.

13 Bread

November 26, 1990

15m

John sets out to a wheat field to find out how bread is made. He then sees a windmill, and is shown how wheat is turned into bread. Rosie and Jim get up to their old tricks and fool around with John when he isn't looking.

14 Shopping

December 3, 1990

15m

John sets out to the shops to buy some food and drink for a picnic. Rosie and Jim are hungry and want to have a picnic too, so they add their own items to John's shopping list without him knowing. Bearing in mind that John doesn't even like the items that Rosie and Jim added, they're afraid that John is going to be upset. However, John isn't overly upset after all, as he sees a family having a barbecue and gives them Rosie and Jim's items.

15 Weaving

December 10, 1990

15m

John thinks the blanket on his bed is starting to wear out, so he decides to go and get a new one. Rosie and Jim play with his blanket, but they play too rough, and put large holes in it. So John pays a visit to the weavers workshop to see how blankets are made from scratch.

16 Ferry

December 17, 1990

15m

John goes off to Hampton to see a ferry. When Rosie and Jim see a boat that's going to the same place as the Ragdoll, they fear that it's going to cause a crash, but of course, it doesn't. John hops aboard a ferry to be transported from one path to another that has the river as a collision.

17 Milking

January 7, 1991

15m

John travels to a farm to see how the milk we drink every day is made.

18 Sailing

January 14, 1991

15m

John travels to Tewkesbury Marina to see some sailing boats and get some ideas for a story about Rosie and Jim

19 Steam

January 21, 1991

15m

While watching steam boats on the River Severn, John runs the Ragdoll aground in a mud bank needing help from another steam boat.

20 Abbey

January 28, 1991

15m

John visits Tewkesbury Abbey and explores the inside of the church.

21 Breakdown

February 4, 1991

15m

It's time for John to take out the rubbish from the boat, so he attempts to catch up with the bin-man and takes the rubbish to the tip so it can be broken down and recycled.

22 Pottery

February 11, 1991

15m

John travels to visit a pottery at Elmley Castle near Pershore in Worcestershire.

23 Fairground

February 18, 1991

15m

John travels along the River Severn through Worcester to Stourport to ride the dragon at the Shipley Amusements Park.

24 Letters

February 25, 1991

15m

John travels to Worcester to visit the Worcester Post and Sorting Office

25 Finding The Way

March 4, 1991

15m

John travels along the River Severn through Worcester, and then goes to Ragley Hall in Alcester to a maze.

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