Robbie the Reindeer is a series of three animated comedytelevision specials co-produced by the BBC and charity Comic Relief which aired on BBC One between Christmas 1999 and 2007. Although the series is distributed commercially by BBC Studios, and has been sold to more than 30 countries internationally, the entirety of their net profits from the series go to Comic Relief. The first two specials were animated in stop motion by the BBC Bristol animation unit, while the third was a CGI animation by Absolute Digital Pictures. Robbie the Reindeer was created by Richard Curtis, who also was executive producer of the first two specials and co-wrote Hooves of Fire. The programmes follow Robbie, a reindeer who travels to the North Pole to follow in the footsteps of his father Rudolph and join Santa's sleigh team, his encounters with the vengeful Blitzen and his relationship with love interest Donner.
Characters
Ardal O'Hanlon as Robbie: The easy-going and childlike son of Rudolph whose nose acts as a tracking device. He is the captain of the sleigh team.
Paul Whitehouse as Prancer: An upbeat and slow-witted reindeer that befriends Robbie.
Jane Horrocks as Donner: A support member of the sleigh team and Robbie's love interest.
Steve Coogan as Blitzen: The former captain of the sleigh team who is envious of Rudolph's popularity and plots to "destroy" Robbie as revenge.
Rudolph: A former member of the sleigh team and Robbie's father who once "saved the day" for Santa and as a result is popular enough to have merchandise and a song named after him. He is never named or seen onscreen and a running gag sees any character who attempts to say his name immediately interrupted by Blitzen.
In the United Kingdom, Hooves of Fire was released on DVD in November 2000. A "Collector's Edition" release adding Legend of the Lost Tribe followed in November 2003 and a collection of all three specials, subtitled The Whole Herd, was released in November 2009. The 2009 release contained the special features from previous releases, including a 5.1 sound mix on Hooves of Fire, directors commentary on the first two specials, the complete Hooves storyboard, behind the scenes footage and an interview with Peter Peake. In the United States, Hooves of Fire was originally released on DVD in September 2001, containing the British voice cast and the same extras as the UK release. A DVD adding Legend of the Lost Tribe was released in October 2003, this time containing both the British and American dialog tracks; This release also contained the extras from the UK edition, with the exception of the 5.1 mix and storyboards for Hooves of Fire.
