About this season
Rex the Runt is an animated claymation television show produced by Aardman Animations for BBC Bristol in association with EVA Entertainment and Egmont Imagination. Its main characters are four plasticine dogs: Rex, Wendy, Bad Bob and Vince. The series began with a short, Ident, in 1989 directed by Richard Goleszowski. After a long gestation period this developed into two unaired shorts and then thirteen ten-minute episodes that first aired over two weeks on BBC2 from December 1998. A second thirteen episode series aired from September 2001 on the same channel. As well as the core cast guest voices included Paul Merton, Morwenna Banks, Judith Chalmers, Antoine de Caunes, Bob Holness, Bob Monkhouse, Jonathan Ross, Graham Norton, Arthur Smith, June Whitfield, Kathy Burke, Pam Ayres and Eddie Izzard.
Episodes (13)
1. Holiday in Vince
Aired 21 December 1998 • 10 min
The gang miniaturise a submarine and go on a fantastic journey through Vince's brain.
2. Stinky's Search for a Star
Aired 21 December 1998 • 10 min
Short of cash again, the gang form a band and enter Stinky Basil's "Search for a Star" competition.
3. Easter Island
Aired 22 December 1998 • 10 min
Attempting to reach New Zealand by helicopter, the gang crash on a tiny island. Rex is abducted by aliens.
4. Too Many Dogs
Aired 22 December 1998 • 10 min
The gang's house has disappeared. They attempt to recover it using Bad Bob's "Go-Back-In-Time-O-Tron".
5. The City Shrinkers
Aired 23 December 1998 • 10 min
The gang wins the National Lottery but the prize - the City of Birmingham - is not at all what they expected.
6. Adventures on Telly 1
Aired 23 December 1998 • 10 min
After Bad Bob shoots the TV set, the gang are ordered to go on exciting adventures by the man who runs Television.
7. Adventures on Telly 2
Aired 24 December 1998 • 10 min
The gang journey to the North Pole, and drill a hole to find out what's at the centre of the Earth.
8. Adventures on Telly 3
Aired 25 December 1998 • 10 min
Lost in space, the gang stumble on a branch of 'Poultry Pantry', the interstellar fast-food chain.
9. The Trials of Wendy
Aired 27 December 1998 • 10 min
Wendy is put on trial for shooting Vince (who is unharmed except for a large bullet hole). She is acquitted and becomes a huge TV star.
10. Under the Duvet
Aired 30 December 1998 • 10 min
Rex, Wendy and Bob spend a weekend at Aunty Brenda's University of Love learning about "the mysteries of the bedroom".
11. Bob's International Hiccup Centre
Aired 31 December 1998 • 10 min
Bob discovers he has a genius for curing hiccups and the gang temporarily become very rich.
12. Johnny Saveloy's Undoing
Aired 31 December 1998 • 10 min
Wendy is brainwashed by TV evangelist heart-throb Johnny Saveloy, leader of the "chemicalology" cult.
13. Carbonara
Aired 1 January 1999 • 10 min
While looking around in Bob's shed, Rex accidentally gets run through a meat grinder. Bob runs off to ask Dr. Dog's opinion, but Rex has an even bigger problem, when Vince mistakes the ground-up Rex for spaghetti.