Count Duckula

Cosgrove Hall’s Vegetarian Vampire Duck

Forgotten TV & Film · 1988

Archived on 06/08/2026

Associated With

Cosgrove Hall Productions; produced for Thames Television - creator or production company

Defining Feature

An animated Gothic comedy about a harmless vegetarian vampire, Igor, Nanny and a teleporting castle

Status

Discontinued - The original four-series run ended in 1993; episodes and production artwork survive

Overview

Count Duckula was a British animated comedy made by Cosgrove Hall Productions for Thames Television.

First broadcast on ITV on 6 September 1988, it followed a good-natured vegetarian vampire created when ketchup replaced blood during his resurrection.

He travelled with Igor and Nanny in a castle that could teleport around the world. The original run comprised four series and 65 episodes through 1993.

Why It Mattered

By turning Gothic horror into an eccentric children’s adventure, the series gave its Danger Mouse spin-off a distinctive identity and became closely associated with Cosgrove Hall’s inventive British animation of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The Vegetarian Vampire Premise

Duckula preferred broccoli, travel and fame to the bloodthirsty life Igor expected.
His harmless nature conflicted with Igor’s expectations of a traditional vampire count.
That contradiction supplied the programme’s central Gothic joke.

Voices and the Teleporting Castle

David Jason voiced Count Duckula, Jack May voiced Igor and Brian Trueman voiced Nanny.
Castle Duckula could teleport to new locations, allowing stories to move beyond Transylvania.
The series developed from an earlier villainous Count Duckula in Danger Mouse.
Episodes ran for approximately 22 minutes.

Original Run and Surviving Artwork

The original run comprised four series and 65 episodes broadcast between 6 September 1988 and 16 February 1993.
The Cosgrove Hall Films Archive preserves material associated with the studio.
The Science Museum Group catalogues a Count Duckula animation cel and background made between 1988 and 1992.
The programme also survives through home-media releases and streaming catalogues.

Sources & Records

Science Museum Group — Count Duckula animation artwork — Identifies surviving animation artwork made by Cosgrove Hall and dates it to 1988–1992.
Cosgrove Hall Films Archive — studio history — Places Count Duckula in the studio’s work and identifies it as a Danger Mouse spin-off.
ITVX — Count Duckula episode catalogue — Documents the programme’s characters, episode stories and 22-minute format.
ITV — Count Duckula returns for CITV’s anniversary weekend — Corroborates Cosgrove Hall’s authorship and the programme’s later anniversary screening.

Gallery

Count Duckula shrugs above the large red Duckula title on a dark blue background. — Source
Credit
Count Duckula title artwork: Cosgrove Hall Productions / Thames Television; reproduced via Cosgrove Hall Wiki / Fandom.
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
Count Duckula's title pairs the familiar vampire pose with a cartoon duck, signalling the comic reversal at the heart of the series.

Ornate cartoon pipe organ decorated with skulls, gargoyles and a horned monster face. — Source
Credit
Count Duckula programme still: Cosgrove Hall Productions / Thames Television
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The elaborate organ sequence leans into gothic spectacle, giving Count Duckula a dramatic setting that the programme repeatedly undercuts with humour.

Count Duckula gestures between Igor and Nanny in a colourful cartoon scene. — Source
Credit
Count Duckula character artwork: Cosgrove Hall Productions / Thames Television
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
Duckula, Igor and Nanny bring incompatible expectations to the same household, with the vegetarian count's ambitions clashing with his companions' attachment to vampire tradition.

Count Duckula's tall, crooked gothic castle standing among jagged mountains beneath a cloudy sky. — Source
Credit
Count Duckula programme still: Cosgrove Hall Productions / Thames Television
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
Castle Duckula's ability to travel turns the gothic home into a vehicle for adventures, letting the series move beyond its apparently fixed Transylvanian setting.