Nick Park’s much loved animated characters Wallace and Gromit made their third appearance in A Close Shave, commissioned by the 大象传媒 and first shown on Christmas Eve 1995. In A Close Shave Wallace’s love for Wendolene Ramsbottom blinds him to the fact that her dog Preston is up to no good. Luckily, Gromit is on hand to save the day. He is aided by the film’s break-out star, Shaun the Sheep. Massively popular with audiences and critics alike, A Close Shave went on to win the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
Peter Sallis provided the voice for Wallace and Anne Reid was Wendolene. Gromit was mostly silent, but communicated with facial expressions, despite the fact he appeared to have no mouth! Gromit’s reactions – and everything else – were created by the animators using stop-motion photography, moving the characters in tiny increments between each frame.
The success of A Close Shave was assured and a best-selling video was released after its broadcast. Besides the subsequent adventures that Wallace and Gromit got up to, Shaun the Sheep developed his own film career, firstly with a tv series on 大象传媒 One and then with two films, including the Shaun the Sheep Movie.
December anniversaries
-
Ireland: A Television History
2 December 1980 -
Start of The 大象传媒 Television Shakespeare
3 December 1978 -
The World About Us
3 December 1967 -
Edward VIII Abdication speech
11 December 1936 -
1984 Broadcast
12 December 1954 -
bbc.co.uk is launched
12 December 1997 -
Jackanory first broadcast
13 December 1965 -
Comedy Playhouse
15 December 1961 -
Culloden
15 December 1964 -
The Likely Lads
16 December 1964 -
大象传媒 World Service launches
19 December 1932 -
Zoo Quest, first on-screen appearance by David Attenborough
21 December 1954 -
Just a Minute first transmitted
22 December 1967 -
A Close Shave
24 December 1995 -
First Empire Address by King George V
25 December 1932 -
Morecambe and Wise Christmas Shows
25 December -
Only Fools and Horses 1996 Christmas Specials
25 December 1996 -
大象传媒 Reith Lectures
26 December 1948 -
Alice in Wonderland
28 December 1966 -
Big Ben chimes broadcast at New Year for the first time
31 December 1923