{{Short description|British animated children's television series}} {{Use British English|date=February 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}} {{Infobox television | image = Fireman Sam logo.png | native_name = {{Infobox name module|cy|Sam Tân}} | genre = | creator = {{plainlist| * Dave Gingell * Dave Jones * Rob Lee }} | writer = Laura Beaumont<br />Paul Larson | voices = {{plainlist| * John Alderton * John Sparkes * Joanna Ruiz * Sarah Hadland * Steven Kynman * David Carling * Su Douglas * Tegwen Tucker * Ifan Huw Dafydd * Nigel Whitmey * John Hasler * Alex Lowe * Jo Wyatt * Colin McFarlane * Ayesha Antoine }} | narrator = John Alderton | music = {{idp| * Ben Heneghan (1987–2005) * Ian Lawson (1987–2005) * David Pickvance (2008–2019) * Blain Morris (2020–2021) * Mike Shields (2021–present) * Amanda Cawley (2021–present) }} | country = United Kingdom | language = {{plainlist| * English * Welsh (series 1–4) }} | num_series = 16 | num_episodes = 317 | list_episodes = List of Fireman Sam episodes | runtime = 10 minutes | company = {{idp| * Bumper Films (1987–1994) * HIT Entertainment (2003–2016) * Mattel Television (2017–present) }} | network = S4C (Welsh version)<br />Children's BBC on BBC1 | first_aired = {{Start date|1987|11|17|df=y}} | last_aired = {{End date|1994|11|17|df=y}} | network2 = CBeebies | first_aired2 = {{Start date|2005|04|04|df=y}} | last_aired2 = {{End date|2005|12|25|df=y}} | network3 = Cartoonito | first_aired3 = {{Start date|2009|df=y}} | last_aired3 = present }} '''''Fireman Sam''''' ({{langx|cy|Sam Tân}}) is a British animated children's television series about a fireman named Sam Jones, his fellow firefighters, and other residents of the fictional Welsh village of Pontypandy (a portmanteau of two real towns, Pontypridd and Tonypandy). It was broadcast for the first time in November 1987 on Welsh TV channel S4C and is shown in more than 155 countries across the world.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-03-20 |title='No stereotype problem' in Fireman Sam |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-47629489 |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=bbc>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-41762714|title=Happy 30th birthday Fireman Sam|first=Peter|last=Shuttleworth|work=BBC News|date=17 November 2017}}</ref> Originally animated using stop motion (series 1-5), the series has been computer animated since 2008 (series 6-16).<ref name=bbc/>
==History== ''Fireman Sam'' first appeared in Welsh on S4C on 1 November 1987,<ref>Regional Television Variations. Date: Saturday, 31 October 1987 Publication: The Times (London, England) Sunday: 1st 7.20. {{lang|cy|Sam Tân}}</ref> and a few weeks later on BBC1 on 17 November 1987. The original series finished in 1994, and a new series that expanded the character cast commenced in 2003. The series was also shown as ''{{lang|gd|Sam Smalaidh}}'' in Scottish Gaelic in Scotland. The series was sold to over 40 countries and has been used across the United Kingdom to promote fire safety.
The theme song was performed by Maldwyn Pope in a classic rock style{{citation needed|date=December 2025}} from 1987 to 1994, and then by a different singer, Cameron Stewart, in the 2000s alternative rock style since the 2003 new episode broadcasts.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}
==Development== The original idea came from two ex-firemen from London, Dave Gingell and David Jones, who had bought a book on stop motion by artist Anthony Miller. They approached Mike Young, creator of ''SuperTed'', in Barry, Wales, and asked him to further develop their concept. The idea was then brought to S4C's Director of Animation, Chris Grace, who had previously commissioned ''SuperTed''. Grace saw potential in the idea and commissioned the series.
The characters and the storylines were created by Rob Lee, an illustrator from Cardiff who also designed the ''SuperTed'' characters, and the programme was made using stop motion animation. It could take up to four days to produce one minute of this form of puppet animation. ''Fireman Sam'' has, to this day, been broadcast in several countries around the world and has been translated into over 25 different languages, including Mandarin.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.firemansamonline.com/uk/Parents/About_Sam/index.asp | title=About Sam | access-date=4 January 2011}}</ref>
In the original series, all the character voices were performed by John Alderton. The later series used several actors' voices.
In 2021, Mike Young said that shows like ''Fireman Sam'' and ''SuperTed'' would not be able to exist without government subsidies to S4C.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-10-21 |title=TV: Fireman Sam and SuperTed 'wouldn't exist' without subsidies |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-58955393 |access-date=2023-12-13}}</ref>
==Characters== {{Main|List of Fireman Sam characters}}
==Episodes== {{main|List of Fireman Sam episodes|label1 = List of ''Fireman Sam'' episodes}}
{{:List of Fireman Sam episodes}} ==Spin-offs== In 1996, there was a stage show that was later released on video, titled ''Fireman Sam in Action''. It was interspersed with scenes of children learning about fire safety with Gary Lewis, the actor playing Fireman Sam in the stage show.
In 2009, ''Fireman Sam'' appeared with other animated children's TV characters in the ''Children in Need'' single ''The Official BBC Children in Need Medley''. The single was put together by Peter Kay.
''Fireman Sam'' was adapted into a live musical theatre show, which began touring the UK in June 2011.
In 2014, Amazon Prime redubbed ''Fireman Sam'' using American voices instead of British voices for children in the United States. However, the characters of Tom Thomas, Moose Roberts and Bella Lasagne have their regular, respective Australian, Canadian and Italian voices (instead of being dubbed with a US voice actor), due to their characters' accents. This cast includes the voices of Andrew Hodwitz, Jonah Ain, Chris D'Silva, Margaret Brock, Lily Cassano, Dave Pender Crichton, Jacob James, Scott Lancastle, Ashley Magwood, Michael Pongracz, Becky Shrimpton, Sarah Lynn Strange, Carter Treneer (later replaced by Mark Ricci), Joe Marth (later replaced by Dave MacRae), Adam Turgeon and Christa Clahane.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}
==Reception== The ABC website said of the series, "All the characters blend together into an appealing mixture of fun and entertainment for children everywhere".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/abckids/shows/prog64.htm | title=Fireman Sam at ABC | website=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | access-date=4 January 2011}}</ref>
Common Sense Media recommended the 2005 series for ages three and up, praising it for showing how to "stay calm in a crisis" and rely on a team to solve problems. The American website found that the "distinctly Welsh characters, community, accents, and expressions may pose some minor comprehension problems for kids on this side of the pond", but considered it a useful example of life in another part of the world.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/Fireman-Sam.html | title=Fireman Sam at commonsensemedia | date=16 October 2006 | access-date=4 January 2011}}</ref>
==Controversies== [[File:Fireman Sam Quran.jpg|thumb|A page from the Quran appearing in ''Fireman Sam''.]] In July 2016, it emerged that in Series 9, Episode 6, entitled "Troubled Waters" – in which Elvis slips on a piece of paper and falls into a stack of sheets of paper, causing them to fly everywhere – one of the flying pages that briefly came into view was claimed by a media reprentative from a muslim group to have been identified as a page from the Quran: Surah Mulk (67), verses 13–26 .<ref name="Quran">{{cite web|last1=Evans|first1=Patrick|title=Fireman Sam episode pulled amid Quran row|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36900310|publisher=BBC|access-date=30 July 2016|date=27 July 2016}}</ref> The production company Mattel apologised for this incident, removed the episode from broadcast, and ceased work with Xing Xing, the animation company made responsible for the error. Mattel stated: "Someone from the production company thought they were just putting in random text. We have no reason to believe it was done maliciously."<ref name="Quran"/> It was at first thought that this episode would have to be removed from broadcast circulation, but instead was censored by having the scene edited with Elvis just slipping on a blank piece of paper, so the television networks were still able to broadcast it.<ref name="Quran"/> The BBC received more than 1,000 complaints and forwarded them to Channel 5 as the BBC has not aired ''Fireman Sam'' since 2008.<ref name="Quran"/> Ofcom decided not to investigate the episode stating that even at the highest resolution it was impossible to tell if the text was from the Quran or not.<ref name=BBC>{{cite news |date=12 September 2016 |title=Fireman Sam 'Koran' scene cleared by Ofcom|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37338265 |work=BBC News |location= |access-date=11 April 2024}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote}} * {{BBC programme}} * [http://www.firemansam.com/en-gb Official Fireman Sam website] * {{IMDb title|id=0329829|title=Fireman Sam}} {{Fireman Sam}}{{Media in Cardiff}} {{Mattel}}{{Portal bar|Animation|Television|Cartoon|BBC|United Kingdom|Wales|1980s|1990s|2000s|2010s|2020s}} Category:Fireman Sam Category:1987 animated television series debuts Category:1987 British television series debuts Category:1980s British children's television series Category:1990s British children's television series Category:2000s British children's television series Category:2010s British children's television series Category:2020s British children's television series Category:1980s British animated television series Category:1990s British animated television series Category:2000s British animated television series Category:2010s British animated television series Category:2020s British animated television series Category:1980s preschool education television series Category:1990s preschool education television series Category:2000s preschool education television series Category:2010s preschool education television series Category:2020s preschool education television series Category:Animated preschool education television series Category:British children's animated action television series Category:British children's animated adventure television series Category:British children's animated comedy television series Category:British computer-animated television series Category:British preschool education television series Category:British stop-motion animated television series Category:British television shows featuring puppetry Category:English-language British television shows Category:BBC children's television shows Category:Cartoonito original programming Category:5 (British TV channel) original programming Category:Disaster television series Category:S4C original programming Category:Television series about firefighting Category:Television series by WildBrain Category:Television series by Mattel Television Category:Television shows set in Wales Category:CBeebies Category:HIT Entertainment Category:British television series revived after cancellation Category:BBC animated television series Category:Mattel franchises