Fraggle Rock 'inspired' by Scotland as hit puppet show returns to screens

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Fraggle Rock is returning to screens - but what many fans don't know is that the hit 80s show was inspired by Scotland. The original series, created by Jim Henson, ran for 96 episodes from 1984 and featured a cast of puppet creatures including Fraggles, Doozers and Gorgs.

The iconic series, which is making a long awaited to return to Apple TV+ with the reboot Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, came about after Jim developed a "long-standing love affair" with all things Scottish and wove the country's rituals into Fraggle.Son Brian Henson revealed a childhood visit to Scotland when he was younger planted a seed in Jim's creative mind.Speaking to Edinburgh Festival TV in 2013, he said: "He had a wonderfully romantic feeling about Scotland - I kind of have it as well."The geography and the older culture and the respect for creativity in ­Scotland is really quite wonderful."He would sometimes just need to get away from the red carpet and the glitz and glitter and if he could go to Scotland that is where he could recentre himself.

He loved Scotland."The Scottish connections with the project don't end there.The only human on the original UK show was Scots accented The Captain, who was played by Paisley born actor Fulton Mackay.He had appeared in Local Hero around about the same time, following a role in popular BBC prison comedy Porridge.

The Captain was a sailor turned lighthouse keeper, who lived on an island somewhere off the South Coast of England with his dog Sprocket, and who received Uncle Traveling Matt 's postcards through a passing mailboat.