T. Bag And The Rings Of Olympus Episode 4: Rum Barbara

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Episode 1The Rings Of Olympus
Episode 2Bandits
Episode 3The Yukon
Episode 4Rum Barbara
Episode 5Vampires
Episode 6Exit With A Puff
Episode 7Rats
Episode 8Leonardo
Episode 9Torture
Episode 10Return To Olympus

UK Air Date28/01/1991, 4.05pm
Repeat Screening28/06/1993, 4.00pm
Copyright Year1991
VTR Date06/09/1990
Fremantle Archive Ref50925
Consecutive Episode Number67
IMDB LinkEpisode page

T. Bag (Tabatha Bag)Georgina Hale
T. ShirtJohn Hasler
Polly-ZenaNatalie Wood
Nettie/Rum BarbaraMary-Louise Clark
Oscar BacardiTrevor Michael Georges

Make UpCarlene Gearing
CostumeRaymond Childe
Lighting DirectorAllen Harradine
Production AssistantGill Thomas
DesignerJohn Plant
ProducerCharles Warren
DirectorGlyn Edwards
Written ByLee Pressman
Grant Cathro

Polly arrives at a port in the Caribbean and gets her rings stolen by a pirate called Rum Barbara. Will Polly get the rings before T-Bag does?
The High-T Website synopsis
Rum Barbara's all prepared to do battle with T-Bag for the Gold Rings!
Lookin listing
Adventure series. T-Shirt has to rescue T-Bag when she decides to become a pirate to fight for the rings.
Radio Times listing
Next week, Polly finds herself in Pirate country. Who is the rum rascal who’s robbing the rings? Who is the mysterious bag lady? Can Polly find the next gold ring? Find out in next weeks swash-buckling episode of T. Bag and the Rings of Olympus.
Next week preview (from previous episode)
Polly finds herself in Pirate country. Who is the mysterious bag lady? Can Polly find the next gold ring? Stay tuned to T. Bag and the Rings of Olympus.
Stay tuned preview (from start of episode)

Fast Asleep

Daylight Robbery

Pirate Pretence

The Popinjay

For more images see the Image Galleries

If you would like to contribute your favourite/funniest etc quotes from this episode please contact me.

Tom Shirty, King of the cocktails

T-Bag: Oh, come on, come on, come on.
T-Shirt: Keep your wig on, it's coming.
T-Bag: How long can a simple cuppa tea take?
(T-Shirt is making a cocktail and shakes the cocktail shakers).
T-Shirt: Dee-da-doo, dee-da-doo, dee-da-doo.
T-Bag: You know what happens if I don't get my tea.
T-Shirt: Yeah, you can still see the teeth marks in the table leg from last time.
T-Bag: Hmm, oh well come on then.
T-Shirt: It's coming. Et voilà, Mademoiselle.
T-Bag: What's that?
T-Shirt: Speciality of the house, a KO cocktail. Lashings of chilled tea on a bed of crushed ice, with a dash of this and a splash of that, shaken but not stirred, served by Tom Shirty, King of the cocktails.
T-Bag: You must be joking. I bet you wake up in the morning and think what can I do to drive her screwy today.
T-Shirt: Oh well, if it's too sophisticated for you then...
T-Bag: Are you implying that I lack sophistication? Mmmmmm.
T-Shirt: Well? Like it?
T-Bag: Mmmmmm.
T-Shirt: Yep, she likes it.
T-Bag: Euuuhhh. Mmmmmm, mmmm, urhh. Oh it's terrible, horrible muck. Oh well, I'll just have another one.

Added: 04/04/2016

Turn that frown upside-down

Oscar Bacardi: Hey Nettie, where are you girl? There's work to do through here. Nettie.
(Polly enters).
Oscar Bacardi: Oh good day my friend.
Polly: Hi.
Oscar Bacardi: Eh little lady, turn that frown upside-down. Can I fix you a nice cold drink?
Polly: I haven't any money, I've just been robbed.
Oscar Bacardi: Someone robbed.
Polly: Some crazy woman pirate.
Oscar Bacardi: Barbara, Rum Barbara?
Polly: That's the one.
Oscar Bacardi: Oh, you're telling me you actually met Rum Barbara face to face? You lucky dog. You deserve a drink on the house. Nettie, get yourself in here.
(Nettie enters).
Nettie: Coming Mr Barcadi.
Oscar Bacardi: Fix this lady a triple coconut cooler. Now tell me more, what's she like? Is she as beautiful as they say.
Polly: Who cares what she looks like, I've got to get my stuff back.
Oscar Bacardi: Yes but is she short, is she tall, what's her hair like, does she have beautiful eyes?
Polly: Don't care, she's a thief.
Oscar Bacardi: Well she's certainly stolen my heart.
Nettie: Your drink Miss.

Added: 04/04/2020

Brummie Barbara

T-Bag: Did you hear that?
T-Shirt: It's what I've been trying to tell you. Rum Barbara's nicked Polly's rings.
T-Bag: So all I have to do then is collar this Brummie Barbara or whatever her name is and I know just how to do it. Come, let's away.

Added: 04/04/2024

Stinking rich

T-Shirt: Like the dress, T.B. Subtle.
T-Bag: I'm not trying to be subtle, I've got to convince everybody I'm stinking rich.
T-Shirt: Well, you're fifty percent successful; you'll have to work on the rich part though.
T-Bag: Shut up, now do you remember what you have to do?

Added: 08/11/2010

The curse of being so rich

Oscar Bacardi: Oh Nettie, I think I'm in love. Rum Barbara's gone and proper shivered me timbers.
Nettie: Well I don't understand how you can be in love with someone you've never even met.
Oscar Bacardi: No you wouldn't would you? You lack imagination my girl.
Nettie: What's the point pining over something you could never have? A dream, a fantasy. You could be giving your love to someone who might love you just as much, like me.
Oscar Bacardi: You? (He laughs).
Nettie: Oh.
(T-Bag walks in with a heavy bag of cash).
T-Bag: You there, Inn keeper, can you change this five hundred doubloon note? I have my luxury gold-plated galleon double parked outside on a meter. Oh well, it's the curse of being so rich I suppose. It's no joke (blows her nose) being a billionaire. You don't mind if I rest this incredibly heavy bag of cash on your bar do you?
Oscar Bacardi: No, no, go ahead.
T-Bag: Ohhhh, if I scratch the woodwork, I'll buy you a new bar. No, better still, I'll buy you a new inn.
Oscar Bacardi: You looking for someone?
T-Bag: Oh, no, no, no, no. Us rich people have to be cautious you know, there's always someone with an eye on your dosh.
Oscar Bacardi: Well you've nothing to fear in here, huh-uh.
T-Bag: Hmm, so I see. Ohhhhh, goodbye. (T-Bag walks back outside) Mind your backs, big load of money coming through. Oh I do hope there are no pirates around here, pirates around here that might want to rob me of my lovely, lovely, lovely money. Oh, money, money, money, money, money, money, money.
T-Shirt: Any luck?
T-Bag: Oh what does it look like? Get back down there and shut up.
(Rum Barbara taps T-Bag on the shoulder).
T-Bag: Oh, what?
Rum Barbara: I do believe I hears the merry jangle o' doubloons shipmate.
T-Bag: Rum Barbara.
Rum Barbara: The same.
T-Bag: Oh mercy me, oh woe, oh me, oh my. Psst, psst.
Rum Barbara: Up with your hands you scurvy upper crust toff. You stuck-up la-di-da ostentatious poltroon, give me the heebie-jeebies.
T-Bag: Oh that's easy for you to say.
Rum Barbara: Button your cakehole you bumptious peacock.
T-Bag: Oh, psst, psst!
Rum Barbara: The poor island folk will be cock-a-hoop over your generosity matey. They'll be grog aplenty when they craps their eyes on this little lot. Byesie-bye.
(Rum Barbara walks off as T-Shirt hits T-Bag with the mallet).
T-Bag: Auuurrrrghhhhhhh.
T-Shirt: Sorry.
T-Bag: Oh you knuckle head.
T-Shirt: I think I'd better just urrrhhh.

Added: 04/04/2015

A Master of Disguise

Nettie: Hello there Sailor, what can I get you?
T-Shirt: You can get me out of trouble by telling me where I can find Rum Barbara.
Nettie: Eh?
T-Shirt: I've got to find her fast and knock a bit of sense into her. Otherwise I'm a dead man.
Nettie: You're in luck.
T-Shirt: Yeah?
Nettie: She was just in here a minute ago.
T-Shirt: Yeah?
Nettie: A master of disguise is old Babs, that's why she never gets nabbed. Dressed as an old beggar woman she was and walking with a limp.
T-Shirt: I think I saw her outside just now, thanks.

Added: 04/04/2019

"Pirate Hat"
When Rum Barbara accosts T-Bag at the end of the episode they have a swordfight around the dock scene outside of the Popinjay. When Rum Barbara jumps down from the higher platform to the ground her hat falls off, about eight seconds later she picks it up and puts it back on. I don't think the hat was supposed to have fallen off!

For more mistakes from other episodes, please see the Nitpicker's Guide

  • According to the Fremantle Archives this episode was titled 'Pirates'.
  • The two guest actors in this episode, Mary Louise Clark and Trevor Michael Georges, would appear together in episodes of the Children’s ITV programme ‘The Ink Thief’ in 1994.
  • The name of Oscar Bacardi's Inn, The Popinjay, is an old-fashioned term for Parrot.

  • The multi-coloured dress worn by Rum Barbara was used in three previous episodes, worn by Long John Sylvia, Mrs Merry and can also be spotted in T. Bag and The Revenge of The T. Set when T. Bag steals the spoons from Sally near the end of the episode.
    (T-Bag Strikes Again, Episode 7: Long John Sylvia)
    (T-Bag Bounces Back, Episode 4: Black Hearted Belle)
    (T. Bag and The Revenge of the T. Set, Episode 9: The Bard)
  • The plot of having a duel-identity character, this time of Rum Barbara and Nettie, has been used in other episodes so far usually for a thief and their alter-ego.
    (T-Bag Strikes Again, Episode 6: Dick Gherkin)
    (Turn on to T-Bag, Episode 7: The Two Musketeers)
  • The 'Hammer' T. Shirt uses to clobber Rum Barbara is the same hammer he uses to hit 'the rat' in T. Bag's bed at the end of the episode seven.
    (T. Bag and The Rings of Olympus, Episode 7: Rats)
  • Tallulah Bag pretends to be rich woman to be robbed by a thief in T-Bag Strikes Again.
    (T-Bag Strikes Again, Episode 6: Dick Gherkin)
  • The phrase 'Stuff me in the cannon and blast me over the horizon' said by T-Bag when pretending to be Rum Barbara was also said by Black Hearted Belle during T-Bag Bounces Back.
    (T-Bag Bounces Back, Episode 4: Black Hearted Belle)
  • Polly gets the rings stolen by the pirate Rum Barbara, this also happens in other episodes.
    (Wonders in Letterland, Episode 6: Debbie In The Land Of R)
    (T-Bag Strikes Again, Episode 6: Dick Gherkin)
    (T-Bag Bounces Back, Episode 6: Hi-Hat)
    (T-Bag Bounces Back, Episode 9: Nikdit The Thief)
    (Turn on to T-Bag, Episode 6: Scrimp)
    (Turn on to T-Bag, Episode 9: Doc Leaf)
    (T. Bag and The Pearls of Wisdom, Episode 4: Grimble and Squiffy)
    (T. Bag and The Pearls of Wisdom, Episode 8: Cedric Sackbutt's Search For A Song)
    (T. Bag and The Rings of Olympus, Episode 7: Rats)
    (T. Bag and The Sunstones of Montezuma, Episode 4: Gone Fishing)
  • Rum Barbara wears the purple headscarf (with the gold coins) which was subsequently used for the character of Pepe Peperoni in T. Bag's Christmas Turkey.
    (T. Bag's Christmas Turkey)
  • T-Bag says 'so all I have to do then is collar this Brummie Barbara or whatever her name is' to T-Shirt during this episode, the phrase 'whatever your/her name is' is used in other episodes.
    (T. Bag's Christmas Cracker)
    (T. Bag and The Pearls of Wisdom, Episode 1: Any Old Port)
    (T. Bag and The Pearls of Wisdom, Episode 10: The Pearls Of Wisdom)
    (T. Bag and The Rings of Olympus, Episode 1: The Rings Of Olympus)
    (Take off with T. Bag, Episode 5: Doctor Strangebag)