TUGS — Season 1, Episode 5: Munitions
Kids, Family, Drama • 15 min • 1 season, 13 episodes • ★ 8.3/10
Episode synopsis
During the annual manoeuvers, both Bigg City tug fleets service the navy. It is a dangerous job, handling ammunition and explosive barges. All is going smoothly until Bluenose, a bossy naval boat demands immediate priority with a barge-load of gasoline barrels. OJ, the oldest of the Star Tug fleet, warns that it's dangerous to stop the operation half-way through, but Bluenose insists and pushes in roughly. The movement knocks barrels of gasoline off the barge and they split open, spilling their dangerous contents. A spark from Bluenose's stack starts a series of fires and explosions which puts all the tugs in great danger.
About TUGS
TUGS is a British children's television series first broadcast in 1988. It was created by the producers of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, Robert D. Cardona and David Mitton. The series dealt with the adventures of two anthropomorphized tugboat fleets, the Star Fleet and the Z-Stacks, who compete against each other in the fictional Bigg City Port. The series was set in the Roaring Twenties, and was produced by TUGS Ltd., for TVS and Clearwater Features Ltd. Music was composed by Junior Campbell and Mike O'Donnell, who also wrote the music for Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. Due to the bankruptcy of production company TVS, the series did not continue production past 13 episodes. Following the initial airing of the series throughout 1988, television rights were sold to an unknown party, while all models and sets from the series sold to Britt Allcroft. Modified set props and tugboat models were used in Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends from 1991 onwards.