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The first episode of Captain Pugwash aired on 22 October 1957. The children's animation was written, illustrated and produced by John Ryan. The bumbling Captain was brought to life by Peter Hawkins, who provided all the voices. The simple but beautifully crafted cartoon, with cut-out figures moved by cardboard levers, contributed to the overall charm of the programme, which is still fondly remembered years after it was last shown.

Captain Horatio Pugwash was captain of The Black Pig. His crew was Tom the cabin boy, pirates Barnabus and Willy, and Master Mate. His arch enemy was Cut-Throat Jake. Pugwash's greed and cowardice were for ever getting him in trouble, but Tom always rescued him, though he never got any credit for his work.

In 1991 Ryan successfully sued The Guardian and Sunday Correspondent, who had repeated the unfounded myth that the names of the crew all contained sexual innuendo, and that the programme had been taken off the air for that reason.

Captain Pugwash ran from 1957 to 1966, and was revived in colour in 1974 to 1975, and again in 1997. The programme also ran as a comic strip in the Radio Times. Ryan, who also created Mary, Mungo and Midge, as well as Sir Prancelot, died in 2009.