Gogs
Gogs!, or simply Gogs, is a Welsh claymation-style animated television series which took the form of a sitcom, originally aired on S4C in 1993, and aired in the rest of the UK on the BBC in 1996. Gogs has since been aired internationally and still enjoys re-runs on occasion. Last appearing on S4C in February 2016, with the shows airing at 8:15am and 5:15pm. Gogs revolves around a family clan of dumb, primitive and socially inept cavemen in a fantasy prehistoric Stone Age setting, and contained much dark comedy, various toilet humour-based gags and gross out situations; such as the cavemen losing control of their bodily functions. It also featured their often comedic daily struggle for survival, and attempts to advance their technology and society, such as creating fire, often failing miserably, comically and absurdly in the act. In the Welsh language, the term 'Gogs' is slang for 'Gogledd' which translates as 'North' and 'gogs' as 'Northerners'. The Welsh creators of the show (Deiniol Morris, Sion Jones and Michael Mort) decided that the single syllable word 'Gog' had just the right sound and a simple, direct quality which seemed to lend itself well to the primitive nature of the cave family. According to the BBC, the show is aimed at children; however, it does contain humour that adults can enjoy much like other claymation shows, such as The Trap Door or Wallace and Gromit. The original series contained only five episodes each of around five to six minutes long. After winning numerous awards a second series was commissioned with episodes running at a similar length, bringing the total number of episodes of the two series to thirteen in number. In 1998, the last installment of Gogs, a 30-minute-long special, Gogwana, was aired, which was also critically well received and won numerous awards. History Development Production of the pilot episode was a collaboration between numerous companies and individuals in 1993. Welsh animation studio Aaargh! Animation Ltd was then created specifically for the purpose of making the 'Gogs' series as a result of the success of the initial pilot episode created by Deiniol Morris, Siôn Jones and Michael Mort. (Later Aaargh Animation Ltd. went on to produce the animated segments of the 1997 film A Life Less Ordinary, and numerous commercials including ones for Levi jeans.) Welsh channel S4C originally commissioned the pilot episode of Gogs. This episode was originally only aired on Welsh television, and was funded mainly by S4C. The pilot episode, originally entitled 'Y Cymro Cyntaf' ('The First Welshmen') was the brainchild of friends Siôn Jones and Deiniol Morris. The initial treatment centred around the idea of a group of cavemen discovering fire and then losing it immediately. Early in the development stage, Deiniol enlisted fellow animator and Newport college alumni Michael Mort to join the project and the concept was then reworked to incorporate the classic family structure (which did not feature in the initial treatment). Mort introduced the dinosaur element to the show as an homage to