"The Rest is History"

History is an open cage...er, book.

Season 3 episode 11 (episode 53 overall)

Original broadcast date: 7 January 1991

Writer: Brian Trueman
Additional voices: Sviatoslav/ Queen
                               Elizabeth 1st/tame bat:
                               Jimmy Hibbert
                               Dmitri/Sir Francis Drake:
                               Brian Trueman
                               Past Counts/ Servant:
                               David Jason
                               Igorth: Jack May

Travel location: Hampton Court, England
                          Transylvania (different eras)

Castle transport visual used, but different.

Add your own awful joke here.

Using the cuckoo clock, Duckula travels back through time to find the 1st Count in order to stop him from turning into a vampire.

This is one of my favourite episodes of the whole series. It's got plenty of atmosphere and lore packed into it, while still opening up enough scope for interpretation. As such, it's one I like to theorise about a lot. Plus there's still a nice helping of dry humour, although this doesn't get in the way of the main theme, which comes across as something of very high stakes, pun intended. There used to be some really interesting theories on the YouTube comments section of this episode before YouTube in its infinite wisdom decided that it would be a brilliant idea to disable the comments on anything that isn't 100% live action adults. Eugh. One commenter posited the theory that had Duckula succeeded in his aim in this episode, he could very well have erased himself from existence. The first Count would have had a natural death and may not have married or had children thus ending the line before it really got started. What with the current Count essentially being the same person, he would die too, unless we are to assume that the 1st Count started a family and somehow his spirit was kept alive via subsequent offspring until the present day. This could also easily apply to his vampire form. No reason why he couldn't have a family and continue to resurrect. That's quite shaky ground though and it's probably just as well for Duckula that he didn't succeed, which was probably always destined to happen anyway, as is generally the case in most of his ventures. Another old theory about time travel is that you should never meet yourself in a different time zone, else you mess things up irrevocably. It's interesting to note that Duckula meets 'himself' every time, yet Igor deliberately keeps his distance from his past self/selves. It helps that Duckula and his past selves are not quite the same person but resurrections of the same person. Igor also gives the impression that he knows more than he is letting on throughout the episode. All food for thought for any Duckula fan.

Profile picture vs tagged picture.

Anyway, assuming you've done enough time-travelling, we'll start at the beginning where we find ourselves in the portrait gallery, with the Count (the current one!) on the receiving end of another boring lecture about his lineage from Igor. Nanny is pottering about in the background, smashing things with a vacuum cleaner. Just another dull ordinary day. Duckula's interest perks up however when he spots a portrait of a friendly looking guy with no fangs. Igor immediately tries to cover up this mistake but Duckula's having none of it. I love how the portrait is double-sided, with before and after images. Igor explains that the before part is the first Count as he was and the after side is when he became a vampire, though he claims not to know how this happened. Just then things are interrupted by the clock bats (just where does that clock hang anyway? I think, like the castle, it travels around) and a terrible joke about stop-watches. The joke gets Duckula thinking about time, however and he gets the idea that if he reverses the clock, time will go backwards. This seems a little silly unless you're a regular viewer. The clock is magical after all and it does work, despite Igor's claims to the contrary. I get the impression he may have been aware of this and was just hoping Duckula would never figure it out. It's the current Count's plan to travel back to the first Count's time to prevent whatever it was that caused him to turn bloodthirsty.

First stop isn't quite far back enough though and we find ourselves at Hampton Court in Elizabethan times. I'd love to know why that Count took the castle there. Simply to get a taste of Royal blood? Nanny's crack about why her spongecakes 'ended up as three eggs and a bag of flour' as they emerge from the castle is pretty funny and a good example of how the comedy is not totally eschewed in this episode. Nanny of course has no idea what's going on as usual, so she naturally takes care of the humour (and headaches) of this one, while the other two handle the drama. Not far off, Queen Elizabeth the First is receiving visitors and gifts from noblemen, the first of whom is that time's incarnation of Duckula himself who gives her an envelope of money. She immediately asks her servant to bet it on a horse! Even observing from afar, Duckula is not too keen on his past self and deduces that he must be trying to bite the Queen's neck. After the Queen receives a visit from Sir Francis Drake and a gift of a banana (or is that a carrot?) current Duckula decides he has to step in and help. So there you go folks, it's all thanks to Count Duckula that Queen Elizabeth didn't become a vampire herself! You heard it here. The prior Count is pretty annoyed though and chases after our hero, slipping on the banana skin in the process just as current Duckula frees himself from a deep puddle. Just as well. Can you imagine how messed up the timeline would be if Elizabethan Duckula killed current Duckula? Or bit him and turned him into an evil vampire? Like Nanny, I'm gettin' an 'eadache just thinking about it.

 Back to the clock. Duckula turns it back further (commenting that the bats' jokes are funnier in gibberish) and this time the castle finds itself on flat ground surrounded by a moat. This suggests that over time the ground around the castle was levelled out over the years to result in the more familiar  mountaintop location. It also means that the room our trio are standing in hasn't been built and they all fall into the moat, getting another soaking. Duckula soon comes across his incarnation again, this time a brutal-looking armoured warrior on horseback. He soon reveals himself as a vampire with a wide evil grin and again chases after 'himself.' Once more it seems that prior Counts don't know who Duckula is, though he recognises himself in past lives. Perhaps broccoli makes you more observant? Carrots are good for your eyesight anyway. Or is that bananas?

Duckula finds the clock and we're back in time again. Now we find ourselves at the climax scene. They have arrived back in the portrait gallery, which is mostly empty and soon the first Count makes his appearance. Clever work from David Jason. He makes the 1st Count sounds almost like an American Danger Mouse, softer spoken than the regular Count and obviously nowhere near as menacing as the other two incarnations we met.

The first Count introduces his talking pet bat ("Don't forget to put the cat out!), which immediately makes Duckula suspicious while Igor is pleased and full of anticipation. Nanny leaves with the 1st Count to have a tour of the castle while Duckula and Igor hides in the shade to observe history in the making. This is when the first Count's butler makes an appearance. He looks very similar to our favourite sinister servant! In fact some have theorised that they (Jack)May even be the same character, but I enjoy how it's never stated outright. The devious 'Igorth' (ye olde speeche patternne inne actionne there) replaces the tame bat with a vampiric one and leaves the scene, laughing evilly. Igor's response? "Obviously went to the right school!" 

I'm spoiling your for GIFs in this one.

Now things kick up a notch as Duckula sneaks out of his hiding place to switch the bats back (lucky Igorth didn't take the tame one away!) while Igor does the exact opposite. I really do enjoy this scene, because each character is only just concealing their actions from the other but they are both well aware that there's a battle going on between them. Duckula even echos Igor's line about butlers suggesting they might even be hearing each other! Or maybe they have more in common than they think. It's only Igor's ingrained respect for the feudal system that keeps him from open and exposed defiance of his master. It starts getting funnier when each swapping is increased in speed to ludicrously cartoony proportions. This is the bit we acted out in the school playgrounds the next day. Daft but funny.

The first Count and Nanny choose this moment to return from the tour, with Nanny bashing through the wall as usual and surrounding everything in clouds of cartoon dust. Duckula takes advantage of the confusion to switch the bats one more time (this time keeping one on him) and race to the clock to turn it back to the present day. Igor's cry of "My vampire!" is a good one, because he could be referring to either the bat or the Count. His plea to Duckula is good too. Whatever one's views, he is correct that one shouldn't meddle with past events. Not that that's possible in real life anyway, but you get the idea. Interfering with the course of history could cause all sorts of messes with any number of things, even from the smallest of actions.

Back in the present and all seems to have gone to plan for the current Count as they're back in the portrait gallery, but instead of the usual collection of grim horror subjects we have lots of cute and lovely people instead gracing the walls. It doesn't last long though as Duckula has taken the wrong bat with him and left the vicious one back in the past. The 1st Count meets his destiny after all and the portraits all turn back to their accustomed evil appearance. Igor offers a grisly meal, Duckula screams in frustration and the friendly bat reminds us once again to put the cat out.

I could go on at length about this episode (and have done!) as it's pretty open to speculation and analysis, but I invite fans to contribute their thoughts in the comments section, as I do with all entries come to that. If you like episodes that touch on the lore of the D then this is the one for you, along with "Dear Diary" which also explores the Count's chequered past. It's also a rare episode that doesn't involve the castle travelling in the regular way, nor staying put for the duration either. Instead, it's time travel and a bit of spacial travel that doesn't involve the coffin at all, but only the clock.

Pans and Backgrounds
Apart from the Hampton Court seen, everything is wonderfully gloomy and has some subtle and soft colouring gradients offsetting the line art. Not too many clear shots though. I enjoy the ominous blood orange sky of the crusades(?) era Duckula.

Music
"The Cunning Wolf" (Paddy Kingsland - track 34) - Opening.
"Stealth By Night" (Jack Coles) - Duckula has doubts about his origin.
"Vamp Til Ready" (Wally Asp) - 2nd hand appearance. 
"Unease" (Dick Walter - track 3:16) - Duckula's timely plan.
"Path of Destruction 1" (Tim Souster) - "Look out Your Maj'!"
"Uneasy Feeling" (Track 14 - Jack Trombey) - Igor and Duckula plot against each other.
"Untitled Melody" (Robert Osborne Pagan - track 19) - Closing.

Apart from the clock bats' usual theme (which only plays during their first appearance) there is no comedic music in this episode at all, which really helps it's more serious atmosphere. The harpsichord tune I've only ever heard on this show is heard again when Duckula discovers the nice portrait. "Greensleeves" is naturally used during the Elizabethan scene, but I'm not sure the exact recording. The chase music near the end was previously heard on "The Incredible Shrinking Duck" and "Hi-Duck." I taped it off a Vincent Price film once many years ago, but I don't know the name of it.

Trivia

• Uniquely, the title card alludes to the denouement. 
• Episode starts on Duckula yawning, ends on him screaming. Opens and closes in Transylvania.
• Igor mentions Duckula's "Great Great Uncle Haemoglobin." Haemoglobin is protein found in red blood cells. He also mentions "Otto Ventricle the 23rd Count." This contradicts "The Count and the Pauper" where Duckula claims to be the 17th Count, unless this is from a separate line of nobility. Ventricle is also a blood-related word. It is a chamber of the heart that pumps blood. Otto is the name of the Prince from "Prince Duckula."
• This is the only episode where Duckula acknowledges the clock bats, even taking into account other episodes centred around the clock. We even get a few shots of the three of them together.
• Duckula refers to clock hands as fingers!
• Historical figures Queen Elizabeth and Sir Francis Drake are obviously Duckula-ised versions of their real-world counterparts, but we get a bonus pun in that Francis is literally portrayed as  Drake. The 'putting a cloak over a puddle for the Queen' thing is something Sir Walter Raleigh was said to have done, but then we wouldn't have gotten the visual pun, now would we? Raleigh was a relation of Drake however.
• The last Elizabethan character to show up in the series was "The Ghost of McCastle McDuckula."
• I'm sure the banana joke, or a similar one, was done in a Carry On film. This one is taken further by use of the carrot motif.
• Elizabethan Igor does not receive any lines and present day Igor wisely does not approach to converse. If Igor really is over 700 years old, it will be the same person. 
• Even back in the past, the castle doesn't look in the best of condition.
• There's a portrait of a very humanoid-looking clown in the past gallery.
• The 1st Count states the year as being 1199. This is approximately 790 years before the series takes place. As Igor claims to be about this age, Igorth and Igor could either be the same, or separate characters. I wonder if the turn of the century is significant? Fantomcat's battle before getting trapped in time also takes place near the turn of a century too, 1699.
• The 1st Count also claims to have a nanny, whom he doesn't allow in the castle because she tends to break things.
• Jimmy Hibbert plays two bats in one episode.
• This is the second, though chronologically first, time Duckula's butler tries to turn him into a vampire using a bat, the other time being "Blood Sucking Fruit Bats of the Lower Amazon" an episode also written by Trueman. Perhaps he liked the trope idea and wanted to take it further. We could also assume that this takes place before that other episode and Igor got the idea from his experiences here.
• Both bats make very different and appropriate noises. Listen carefully during the rapid exchange. 

• 

  A storyboad excerpt from this episode appears in this magazine. Victor & Hugo and Phil Atak feature too.
  

  When the portraits change they are all posed similarly but are alternately good or evil.
• Duckula plans to 'feed this evil thing (the vampire bat) to the werewolf' at the end before he realises he has the tame one. Brian Trueman's scripts seem to have Duckula aware that the werewolf is a thing, Jimmy Hibbert's have him kept in ignorance, which I prefer. Also, that's a pretty callous thing for a vegetarian to do! 
• If they travelled back to present day minus a few minutes, that statue Nanny broke might be repaired!
• Danger Mouse, Victor and Hugo and Avenger Penguins have all also done time travel episodes. This is the second time this series characters would time travel, the first being "Transylvanian Homesick Blues."
• This episode was released on VHS in 1990 along with "Astro Duck", "Around the World in a Total Daze" and "The Zombie Awakes." I got my (re-issue) copy in 1995 in the Co-Op!
• Broadcast on my Dad's 42nd birthday! Weirds me out to think I'm almost that age now, which is appropriate for an episode about time and family.
  
  
  
  Goofs and Nitpicks.
  
• Couple of blink and miss it eyelid miscolours on Igor. The top part of his waistcoat is coloured as his shirt when he's in hiding.
• Some of the portraits can be seen in their evil form slightly before Igor's watch alarm goes off.