Our recording of this storyline is in the form of a 20-minute omnibus. Poo fan Andrew Hodson has listened carefully to the compilation and suggested the following episode breakdown.
Dr Poo’s African Adventure
Episode x1
Although this is the start of a new adventure, Dr Poo doesn’t want to make a fuss about it, so Kevin cleverly disguises it as a sponge cake his Aunty sent him. Dana hopes that this will be a really exciting sponge cake. Annoyed, Poo says he’ll kill her if he hears another peep. He also asks her to choose a destination from some travel brochures. Dana wonders how he’ll know what she picked if she doesn’t make a peep. So the Doctor shoots her. Luckily the bullet lodges in a photograph of her parents, she recovers, and chooses a destination: this one!
Dr Poo’s African Adventure
Episode x2
The Doctor, Dana and Dennis embark on the Female Organisms Weekly World Discovery Tour. A heavily accented bus driver leads them through a whistle-stop tour of history, from the creation of the Cosmos to the 20th Century. Dana complains that she hasn’t had a chance to get a snap of anything. She wonders where they are, and her answer comes in the form of tribal drums – which, Kevin informs us, translates as “boom-bidi-boom-bidi-boom-boom-boom-bidi-boom-bidi-boom-boom…”
Poo fan Phil Coy remembers the early section of this story quite well as he had the original episodes recorded. One Kevin exit on an episode during the female organism’s tour had him finishing with “P & O oooo”. There was also some reference to a game with the winning prize being “A Free Car”. When they received it, they ended up in Africa (A Free Car).
Dr Poo’s African Adventure
Episode x3
Denis and the TURDIS are captured by natives. The Doctor and Dana somehow end up on a ship, and hear a news bulletin on the radio explaining that the Tutti Frutti tribe have captured a flying toilet with a native bear strapped to its bottom, which they intend to sacrifice it to the Great God Clarence.
DR POO: From now on, we’ll have to live off the land.
DANA: And I’m not very good at levitating…
(Slap!)
DR POO: Why don’t you do something useful, like turn on the radio?
DANA: Alright. YOU ROTTEN RADIO! AFTER ALL I’VE DONE FOR YOU! I’VE HALF A MIND TO LISTEN TO YOU UNTIL YOUR BATTERIES GO FLAT!
Phil recalls an episode intro from around this time that had Kevin singing to “The Lion sleeps Tonight”: “In the village the peaceful village the Doctor sleeps tonight, Wemoweh, wemoweh, wemoweh, wemoweh”. When they cut to the characters Dana is singing Wemoweh, wemoweh, wemoweh, wemoweh and the Doctor tells her she has been wemowehing in her sleep.
Dr Poo’s African Adventure
Episode x4
The Doctor, Dana and Denis scale Mt Killamanwithabanjo to escape a pride of ravenous lions – Denis’ relatives. They meet Chief Gumbootu, whose tribe, the Tutti Frutti, were eaten by the lions. All that remains is his fire engine, sticky-taped to the head of Talbot Duckmanton (the real Talbot Duckmanton was General Manager of the ABC); Talbot apparently spent most of his boyhood outrunning lions with public utilities on his head. Gumbootu leads the Doctor to the office of the Great God Clarence. Dana and Denis are left to fend for themselves for a while.
GUMBOOTU: Clarence’s office should be up here. Mind you, it’s only a branch office.
DR POO: Yes, I twigged to that.
Phil remembers Talbot Duckmanton carrying the TURDIS. He called it his Eric. When the Doctor asked him why he called it Eric he said it was because it was his Burdon. The Doctor told him to stop calling it that or it will attract “the Animals”. Groan!
Dr Poo’s African Adventure
Episode x5
Clarence is revealed as a chartered accountant, operating from a tree house. Gumbootu explains that the evil Finance Company is trying to repossess his fire engine. Dr Poo asks if he can solve the problem by making animal sacrifices and hitting the finance company over the head. Unfortunately, that loophole was closed in the last budget. Clarence advises Gumbootu to form a family trust, and claim the fire engine as a dependant child – then he could hit the finance company over the head in his wife’s name, and once for each of his dependants.
Dr Poo’s African Adventure
Episode x6
Gumbutoo marries Clarence (“You know, Poo fans, it’s really touching to see two young people like this con their way out of a financially embarrassing situation”).
Returning to collect Dana and Denis, the Doctor is stunned to find that they have set up a restaurant, Chez Dana (“I got bored!”), with the best chef in Africa: Richard Burton, who’s discovered the Sauce of the Nile.
Dr Poo’s African Adventure
Episode x7
Dana bustles Dr Poo away from the table before he has a chance to eat anything, but Gumbootu doesn’t mind – he doesn’t know how to eat anyway. All the old traditions have died out since the white missionaries taught them how to starve; nobody believes in eating anymore. Clarance points out that when he hits the finance corporation over the head, he will no longer be contractually bound to starve. They celebrate with a feast.
DR POO: What do you recommend?
DENIS: Meow.
DR POO: Everything except the vulture hotpot, oh yes.
