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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Wdchk (talk | contribs) at 19:03, 26 December 2012 (replaced Peter Hawkins with Stanley Bates as principal portrayer, per article text – neither this article nor Peter Hawkins states that Hawkins portrayed Bungle). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Bungle is a character in the British children's television series Rainbow. He is a large brown furry bear and is played by various actors, but chiefly Stanley Bates. An urban legend holds that one actor (presumably Stanley Bates) playing the role of Bungle was fired after swearing at a child who had deliberately stood on his foot during a live show, although long-time Rainbow contributor Malcolm Lord revealed that Bates chose to stand down before the live shows began in order to concentrate upon scriptwriting, giving Lord the opportunity to portray Bungle himself. The character of Bungle is inquisitive but also clumsy, and each show typically represents Bungle involved in a comic dispute with the other puppet characters, Zippy and George, with Geoffrey Hayes mediating. Bungle also appeared in an episode of Series 2 of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps when Jonny Keogh hired him and a bouncy castle with his £1,000 scratch card winnings.

Road rage

In 2001 Stanley Bates, one of the actors who played Bungle, was bound over to keep the Peace following an alleged road rage incident.

Original look

Originally, Bungle's face stuck out more, and his belly was white. He also looked more like a bear, but starting with the second season the crew made him look more cartoon-like because some of the younger viewers were frightened by his realistic appearance. They made his fur more of an orange-brown colour, and his head was enlarged with his face squashed in. Bungle appeared without clothes during the day, but bizarrely put pyjamas on to go to bed or had a towel round his waist when he'd had a bath.

Actors who portrayed Bungle

• John Leeson
• Stanley Bates
• Tim O'Riordan
• Malcolm Lord
• Paul Cullinan
• Ben Chivers

References

1. Malcolm Lord
2. "The Year of the Beast - Home News, UK - The Independent". London: www.independent.co.uk. 2001-12-26. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
3. Footage of the original Bungle

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