Rex the Runt was a 'claymation' series that ran for 13 episodes over the Christmas/New Year period in Britain in 1998/99. The series was created and directed by Richard Goleszowski¹ and featured the voices of Andrew Franks, Kevin Wrench, Elizabeth Hadley and Steve Box. Guest artists included Simon Day, Paul Merton, Pam Ayres and Bob Holness.

The series revolved around the exploits of four dogs, the eponymous Rex, his sidekick Bad Bob, his girlfriend Wendy and the demented Vince. They lived in a nice semi-detached house, presumably in London. However, the plots tended to part company with reality, very quickly. Sample plots included:

• A plan to shrink cities and keep them as pets.
• Vince having a torrid romance with a vacuum cleaner while the others fell down the bottom of the bed and finding a sex clinic.
• Rex being turned into talking spaghetti.

Public Response

Despite this clearly being written and performed for an adult audience, the BBC scheduled and promoted it in a way that gave the impression it was a kid's show, resulting in a largely bemused audience and several outraged letters complaining about language and content. Rex and the gang popped up during the charity event, Red Nose Night, in 1999 but otherwise they seem to have retired from showbiz in disgust.

The Lyrics to the Rex the Runt Theme Tune

In full, these run:

Rex the Runt, Rex the Runt
It's time for some doggy dialogue
Rex the Runt, Rex the Runt
A wobbly, bobbly, dribbly, squiggly dog