Designing T-Bag - The Sets

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When first watching through T-Bag as a young child there is not the appreciation of how much work went into an episode or series. Everything from the characters costumes to the lavish (well almost) scenery and sets had to be designed and made. Looking back there was so much detail in all the episodes and here we look deeper into the work of the designers that created all the sets, from the opulent T-Room to a deep forest, from under the sea to Mount Olympus.

Most episodes had two sets and a third being the main T-Room set that was used throughout a series, so for each new episode there was two new sets to be designed. This was ultimately very costly but in order to use the budget as best as possible many set pieces were reused either in the same series or in the series to come, sometimes with no or little alteration. Did you know the same castle in episode 8 of Pearls of Wisom is the exact same castle walls from episode 6's Castle McCarr? The forest scenes with trees and bushes were notoriously (and cleverly) reused throughout the series. The following set designs show the particular set pieces being reused.

For the first seven series and three Christmas specials designer John Plant designed all the sets for all of these 73 episodes. John designed many of the sets and was only ever credited alongside Stuart McCarthy for T. Bag's Christmas Carol. After John left the series after Rings Of Olympus the designer Ian Russell took over for Sunstones of Montezuma and a few episodes of Take Off With T. Bag, Alex Clarke designed all the remaining episodes of Take Off With T. Bag.

I have been fortunate enough to come into contact with John Plant's family and they have sold The High-T Website some of the set designs John worked on. I would like to sincerely thank them for parting with these designs, they offer an insight into the depth of design and the attention to detail given to every single episode. All of these set designs can be seen below including two extra sketches. Some of these sketches are very big so may take a while to load when you click on the links.

John Plant's family have also sold The High-T Website some sketches John also worked on for the series, these can also be seen on the set sketches page and shows the set designs coming together.

Wonders In Letterland

These drawings are dated between 10th January to March 1985 (only a month before the series started to air). The Enchanted Garden design is titled 'Letters In Wonderland' but all the others are correctly titled 'Wonders In Letterland'. All these drawings have been done on A2 (or some on A3) tracing paper, all subsequent series the designs were done on Thames Television design paper. To see the images in their full-sized glory please click the links below.


Episode 2: 'Square B Floorcloth set design'


Episode 6: 'Shipdeck & Cabin'

Episode 1: Arrival In Letterland

Three Shop Signs (For The Curiosity Shop)
The Enchanted Garden
The Magic Chest

Episode 2: Debbie In The Land Of B

Square B Floorcloth
Square B

Episode 3: Debbie In The Land Of S

The Seabed

Episode 4: Debbie In The Land Of I

Square I 'Matte Glass'
Square I, Lake and Cave Interior

Episode 5: Debbie In The Land Of P

Pete's Place & Arctic

Episode 6: Debbie In The Land Of R

The Ship's Deck and Cabin

Episode 8: Debbie In The Land Of O

Square O and the inside of the clock

Episode 9: Debbie In The Land Of E

The Palace Gates
Square E - The Emporer's Gate
The Throne Room

T-Bag Strikes Again

These drawings are dated between August to November 1985. To see the images in their full-sized glory please click the links below.


Episode 2: The Forest


Episode 7: The Ship

Episode 1: The Town Square

The Town Square
The T-Room Floorcloth

Episode 2: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

The Forest
The Kitchen and The T-Room

Episode 3: Ben and Bunty Badshot

Palm Trees
Ben's Hut & The Beach

Episode 4: Scrap Harry

Junk Quarter Deck and Quayside

Episode 5: Ali Barber

Ali Barber's Shop and The Sultan's Palace

Episode 6: Dick Gherkin

The Forst and The Inn

Episode 7: Long John Sylvia

The Ship

Episode 8: Professor Pockets

The Garden Shed and The Moon

Episode 9: Charlie Chuckles

The Castle


T-Bag Bounces Back

These drawings are dated between August to December 1986. To see the images in their full-sized glory please click the links below.


Episode 3: The Throne Room and The Palace Gardens


Episode 8: The Mill Machinery

Episode 1: The Ousting Of Major Happy

The T-Room
The T-Room Balustrade
The Vilage Square

Episode 2: Nights In Arabia

The Desert
Omar's Tent

Episode 3: Ivan The Horrible

The Throne Room and The Palace Gardens

Episode 4: Black Hearted Belle

The Ship

Episode 5: Bobby Jobsworth And The Temple Of Doom

The Temple - Scenery Foreground
The Temple Wall & The Tomb

Episode 6: Hi-Hatt

Hi-Hatt's Shop & The Royal Pagoda

Episode 7: Bell, Book And Candle

Woods, Cave & Castle

Episode 8: Max The Miller

Landscape and The Mill
The Mill Machinery

Episode 9: Nikdit The Thief

Indian Market & Jumbo's Place


Turn On To T-Bag

These drawings are dated between September to November 1987. Some of the designs are titled 'Tune in to T Bag' but all the others are correctly titled 'Turn On To T-Bag'. To see the images in their full-sized glory please click the links below.


Episode 5: Outside The Pyramid


Episode 9: The Town

Episode 1: Sparkes

Laboratory
The T-Room

Episode 2: Gangsters

The Street

Episode 3: Yeti

The Monastery
Mountain Ledge
Tent Frame

Episode 4: Bubble Boy

Ranch

Episode 5: Pyramids

Outside The Pyramid
The Inner Tomb

Episode 6: Scrimp

The Parlour & Roof

Episode 7: The Two Musketeers

The Kitchen/Larder and The Palace Gardens

Episode 8: Bertha Boat

The Salvage Ship

Episode 9: Doc Leaf

The Town
The Hotel


T. Bag's Christmas Cracker

This drawing is dated August 1988. To see the image in full-sized glory please click the link below.


Edward's Bedroom and Santa's Workshop

1988 Christmas Special

Edward's Bedroom and Santa's Workshop


T. Bag And The Revenge Of The T. Set

These drawings are dated between August to November 1988 and are all titled T-Bag 5th series. To see the images in their full-sized glory please click the links below.


Episode 4: Sweet Stall and Chemist

Episode 1: The Stone Circle

The T-Room Extensions and The Stone Circle

Episode 2: When In Rome

The Palace and The Street

Episode 3: Lost In Space

The Spaceship
The Planet

Episode 4: Turkish Delight

Sweet Stall and Chemist

Episode 5: Hazell Knutt's Muesli Bar

The Castle

Episode 7: Anastasia

The Castle and The Forest
Rudolpho's Knife Throwing Board

Episode 8: La Boheme

The Street Cafe
Vincent's Studio


T. Bag And The Pearls Of Wisdom

These drawings are titled 'T-Bag VI' (or T-Bag series six) before the series was named as 'T. Bag And The Pearls Of Wisdom' and are dated between August to November 1989, to see the images in their full-sized glory please click the links below.


Episode 1: 'The Fishing Village'


Episode 8: 'The Castle and Forest'

Episode 1: Any Old Port

The Fishing Village
The T-Room
Village Scenery

Episode 2: High Noon

Tumbleweed Gulch - Street

Episode 3: Elementary, My Dear What-Not

Victorian Street and Drawing Room

Episode 4: Grimble and Squiffy

Ballroom & Shop

Episode 5: Mutiny!

Quarter Deck and The Captain's Cabin

Episode 6: The Ghost Of Castle McCarr

The Croft and the Castle

Episode 7: Tut Tut

Tutankhamun's Palace
Tutankhamun's Palace 1a

Episode 8: Cedric Sackbutt's Search For A song

The Castle and Forest

Episode 9: Play It Again, Sal

Rick's Cafe and Desert Fort


T. Bag's Christmas Ding-Dong

These drawings are dated August 1990. To see the images in their full-sized glory please click the links below.


The Christmas Fairy

1990 Christmas Special

The Theatre
The Christmas Fairy


T. Bag And The Rings Of Olympus

These drawings are titled 'T-Bag VII' (or T-Bag series seven) before the series was named as 'T. Bag And The Rings Of Olympus' and are dated between August to November 1990, to see the images in their full-sized glory please click the links below.


Episode 1: Mount Olympus

Episode 1: The Rings Of Olympus

The Curiosity Shop
The Greek Vase
Mount Olympus
The Cave
The T-Room

Episode 2: Bandits

Hideout & The Barber's Shop

Episode 3: The Yukon

The Shack
The Roof

Episode 5: Vampires

The Street and The Castle

Episode 7: Rats

Street/Alley and The Weasel's Lair

Episode 8: Leonardo

The Duke's Garden & Leonardo's Studio


Extra Sketches

I've also got two extra sketches amongst the set designs, these may relate to a T-Bag episode but which one I'm not sure as there is no indication on the sketches. To see the image in their full-sized glory please click the links below.


Pirates

Extra Sketches

Picture Frames & Chairs