Charlie Chalk

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Charlie Chalk was a short lived British children's television series by the same guys who made Postman Pat.

Charlie Chalk is an amicable circus clown who nods off on a fishing trip and ends up marooned on the mysterious island of "Merrytwit". Not to worry though, as the island's inhabitants are a colourful and friendly bunch. It isn't long before Charlie gets settled and starts to learn the ways of the strange and exotic locale, often applying his own circus tricks to get him through the day.

Tropes used in Charlie Chalk include:
  • Alliteration: the show name and protagonist.
  • Amusing Injuries: Resident Butt Monkey Lewis T Duck is always being trampled or squashed by Arnold (The Elephant).
  • Bamboo Technology: Everything is apparently constructed from flotsam and jetsam, leading to ramshackle buildings and machinery. Charlie's house is the exception, carefully made with pristine white planks.
  • Berserk Button: Lewis, after being irritated enough by Arnold.
  • Buried Treasure: with a fairly meagre pay off inside (though the islanders are delighted).
  • Clown Car Base: Most of the houses are tiny, yet characters still fit in them. Interior shots suggest that buildings are Bigger on the Inside.
  • Cool Ship: Buttercup.
  • Going Native: The sheer amount of resources collected through beach combing makes the adaptation to island life a fairly comfortable one.
  • Jungle Japes: With pink palm trees.
  • The Klutz: Arnold.
  • Lazy Bum: Edward.
  • Meaningful Name: "Lewis T duck", "Arnold the Elephant" and "Litterbug".
  • Misplaced Wildlife: Uncertain. Though gorillas and elephants shouldn't really be found on a desert island, they are sentient and we are talking about an island with pink trees. It is not unlikely that they migrated to Merrytwit in similar circumstances to Charlie.
  • No Fourth Wall: Charlie talks to the audience almost endlessly. Talks to himself at least as much.
  • Our Fairies Are Welsh: And they have propeller beanies and look like grannies.
  • Standardized Leader: Captain Mildred is treated as the de facto leader of Merrytwit.
  • Robinsonade: Subverted; life on the fairly populous Merrytwit turns out to be very easy from the get go.
  • Rule of Three: In Merrytwit, wishing for something three times will summon a hover fairy to grant your wish.
  • With Friends Like These...: Poor Lewis having to put up with Arnold's perpetual clumsiness.