Little Gems

Email

Links

Information

Message Board

Click above for the inroductory theme music (brings memories flooding back - zipped mp3)

Stig of the Dump was a charming little adventure series shown on ITV back in the early 1980s (possible 1981). It concerned the adventures of a small boy called Barney (played by Grant Ashley Warnock) and Stig (played by Keith Jayne), a solitary caveman whom time has forgot or somehow left behind. Barney and his sister Lou (played by Janine Tidman) are staying with their Grandmother (played by Bay White) for the holidays. Gran lives in a big house out in the country. Not far from this house is a dump where Barney discovers Stig is living. Somehow Stig has been left over from prehistoric times (or somehow moved into the present day). Anyway he lives in a cave in the dump.

The story was in many parts but the last part is perhaps the most sad when Barney and Lou discover that Stig has left the dump. At then end of the last episode the children and Gran are on a train leaving the station when Barney and Lou see Stig (or whom believe to be Stig) in a scrap yard. They wave goodbye to him as the train leaves, but Stig does not see them and he is left behind to continue his life on his own again. This was probably the last children's adventure type drama I ever saw on television, just before I moved into the world of the grown ups. Even after all these years it has not lost its original charm and so ends a little tale beautifully written by Clive King and adapted for screenplay by Maggie Wadney. This is certainly one little gem fromchildren's television we will never see again.

If anyone has any more episode information / memories or was involved in the creation, filming of Stig of the Dump etc. then please contact me by clicking email in the navigation bar below.

Click here for exclusive interview with Nigel Paterson who was in the original cast of Stig of the Dump

Characters

Stig	Barney	Lou
Gran	Boy 1 (the bionic man)	Boy 2 (Robin Hood)
Boy 3 (Batman)	Bad man one	Bad man two

The Story

Barney and his sister Lou go to stay with their Gran over the holidays. Barney goes out to play and accidentally discovers Stig after falling down the side of the dump and through into Stig's cave. Stig and Barney instantly become friends. Just before he has to return home, Barney is given a flint by Stig. Barney's sister does not believe in Stig when Barney returns and tells them about his day. Early the next day, Lou and Gran go off to town and Barney looks in a book to check on his flint tool. He discovers that Stig is possibly from the Stone Age possibly over 30,000 years old. He goes to see Stig again, taking with him some fruit and vegetables. The two of them them work on Stig's cave as Stig is knocking out a new section at the back of the cave to make more room. Barney helps him get a chimney in place and also uses some jam jars for a window. Stig gives in an arrow head in thanks for his help.

The very next day Barney finds some boys messing around at the dump, they are building some form of shed out of bits of wood and metal. Barney throws mud bombs at their little hut to try and frighten them off. The boys pretend to leave saying they have left something valuable in inside. Barney foolishly goes down and inside the hut to investigate. The boys return and capture him. Barney is introduced to The bionic man, Robin Hood, Batman and they threaten to torture him. Barney threatens them with Stig and manages to escape. The boys pursue and Stig eventually comes to the rescue and terrifies the boys. Stig takes the younger boy hostage while the older two run away. The older boys soon return with with gifts for Stig. Pretty soon all five are friends and they swear a pact never to tell anyone about Stig.

Credits

More Stig of the Dump to come soon.