Characters

Dangermouse

The World's Greatest Secret Agent. A multi-talented hero, and a consummate Englishman, er, mouse. According to the "official" files, DM was born halfway up Mount Everest; an instant prodigy, he completed the climb to the top when he was only a few hours old. DM was educated at Eton, then Cambridge, Oxford, Havard, the Sorbonne and Würtembery, picking up his B.A., B.Sc., M.A., M.Sc., and Ph.D along the way. He knows several Martial Arts, and can speak virtually all known languages.

"Dangermouse", by the way, was a pun on the British series Danger Man, from the 1960s. I think the correct spelling is actually "Danger Mouse", but give me credit, at least I've been consistent in getting it wrong! There's a very interesting interview with Cosgrove and Hall, concentrating mostly on Dangermouse, in the Links bit.

Did you know?

• Dangermouse's HQ is beneath a pillarbox on the corner of Baker Street (home to Sherlock Holmes) in Mayfair, London.
• DM has a mysterious French lady friend named Fifi, who he doesn't like to talk about.
• Despite his tough and fearless exterior DM has a soft side. He especially likes playing with his rubber duck at bathtime.
• No-one knows what happened to his left eye.
• He has 730 identical white suits and 730 eyepatches.
• Most likely to say "Good grief!" or "Penfold..shush."

Penfold

Every hero worth his salt needs a good sidekick – unfortunately for Dangermouse, he has Penfold instead. Penfold is one of a long line of HAMSTERUS COWARDISSIMUS TERIFFICATUS, a species of hamster easily recognised by the "broad yellow stripe down the centre of the back". Yes, Penfold isn't heroic, or brave, or particularly bright; it can't be denied that he has a tendency to whine, sulk and get captured at inconvenient moments; and it's true that he drops cookie crumbs on the carpet. But he does keep DM's suits nicely pressed, and he makes a jolly good cup of tea.

Did you know?

• Let's get this absolutely straight, because a lot of people seem confused about it - PENFOLD IS NOT A MOLE. He looks like one, certainly, but he is abso-poso-lutely a hamster. He says so himself in numerous episodes, and it says so in the books too.
• Penfold's first name is Ernest, but he doesn't like being referred to by it.
• His codename is "Jigsaw" - so-called because he goes to pieces in a crisis.
• He has an obnoxious auntie who lives in America. She appears in a few episodes.
• According to the official files, Penfold is the only son of Arthur Wigglesworth Penfold and Bronwen Merionedd Ysptty Ystwyth Penfold (née O'Herlihy). He was born in Osbaldestone Bottoms, Lancashire.
• Penfold was voiced by the late Terry Scott, star of dismal 70s sitcom Terry and June.
• Most likely to say "Oh crikey! Oh crumbs!" or "Ooh, 'eck!"

Colonel K

DM's perpetually confused chief – what Boys' books from the 1940s would refer to as a "bluff old cove". Col. K has a tendency to either forget what mission he was about to give DM, or go off at a random tangent. Some sources claim that he's a walrus, but this is not so, although it's hard to determine exactly what he is – a gopher, perhaps? Has a nubile (and never seen on-screen) secretary named Miss Boathook.

Did you know?

• Col. K was born in Malaysia.
• His parents are the Hon. Quentin Ascot Shoetree Knight-Knight Sleepwell and the Hon. Lady Amaryllis Hippeastrum Forfar-Fife.
• He lives in Chorleywood.

Greenback

The ultimate supervillain, Baron Silas Greenback is the Blofeld to DM's Bond, the Luther to his Superman, the Sonny to his Cher (??). Ruthlessly cruel and ambitious, this raspy-voiced toad's only ambition is to rule the world – after ridding it of Dangermouse, of course. He has a number of evil contraptions at his disposal, including a space station, a robot cat called Big Tom and a toad-like vehicle called the Frog's Head Flyer.

Did you know?

• Nothing official is known about Greenback, because everyone is too scared to investigate.

Stiletto

Real name: Nasaccio Mafiosa Cornetto, son of famous Italian lawyer "Just" Juan Cornetto. Greenback's right-hand crow, and a very nasty piece of work. Codenamed "Stiletto" because, as Greenback put it, he's "one of the sharpest little heels the world has seen."

Did you know?

• Stiletto is, of course, Italian, but in some episodes he was given a Cockney accent. This was apparently a concession to the US market. Huh??
• Most likely to say "Si, Barone!".

Nero

Full name: Instar Emperor Nero the Second of Chorlton-Cum-Hardy. Greenback's beloved pet white caterpillar, who's every bit as evil as his master. Nero is the only thing that Greenback seems to have genuine affection for, except maybe power. Communicates via a series of mad little squeaks and flatulent noises.

Other characters

The Narrator
He's, er, the narrator, who appears to go by the name of Isambard. Begins and ends each show with his witty and often sarcastic commentary. Frequently criticizes aspects of the plot, or just dismisses the whole show as absurd. Gives the impression that narrating a cartoon is definitely beneath him, and that he'd rather be doing something more dignified.

Agent 57
Another secret agent in the employ of the British Government, Agent 57's particular talent is that he can disguise himself as anything at all (in fact, he has 57 disguises, like Heinz's 57 varieties - get it? Get it??). He usually shows up to give Dangermouse a secret message from HQ. His true form, which we never see, is said to be quite alarming.

Count Duckula
A stage-struck vampire duck whose major ambition is to be a star. Ironically, he later got his own series, along with a new face, voice and history. In his Dangermouse incarnation, he has a severe thsp-thsp-speech impediment, and can turn himself into a cricket bat with bat wings. Good grief.

Leatherhead
Another of Greenback's crow henchmen. I must confess, I remember nothing about this character at all. Sorry.

Buggles Pigeon A pigeon with a flying hat and goggles who sometimes turns up to help DM.

Angus McNasty An unscrupulous Scottish owl, who sometimes worked in ca"hoots" (wah wah waaaah!) with Greenback.

Professor Squawkencluck
Eccentric little German mole, and DM's tech support. Invented a small, round craft called the Space Hopper, which allowed DM to travel in space.

Doctor Augustus P. Crumhorn III
Evil mad scientist weasel, with plans to eliminate Dangermouse. Not nearly as much fun as Greenback. The best (and most disturbing) thing about Crumhorn is that he has pills which turn him into a nauseatingly cute little girl.
Did you notice? Someone e-mailed me to point out that in some episodes, Crumhorn is given a completely different name; Aloysius Julian Illibert Elfenstone Eugene Diognysis Barry-Manilow Crumhorn (sp?). Whether this is for humorous effect or just a result of more than one writer working on the series at the time, I don't know.

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