COMPO Terry Pratchetts Truckers

Win! One of five signed copies of the DVD

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Animated by Cosgrove Hall, the makers of Dangermouse, Count Duckula and The Wind In The Willows, Terry Pratchett’s Truckers was the first of his books to be adapted for television. Now for the first time, you can own the complete original series in its fully digitally remastered format. Previously only available on VHS, this DVD features all 13 original episodes.

The talented voice actors behind the show include Joe McGann ( The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui ) , the late Sir Michael Hordern (the voice of Paddington Bear ) and Brian Trueman (the voice of Stillitoe in Dangermouse ).

Measuring only four inches in height, a group of nomes are struggling to survive in a human world. They are starving, unable to find any food and a new motorway has eaten away the countryside where they live. After one of them is eaten by a fox the remaining four decide that it is time to leave.

Masklin is the leader, and along with two older nomes, Gran and Torrit, and a young girl, Grimma, they board a lorry at a nearby motorway service station, taking with them a mysterious black box (‘the thing’). The lorry takes them into a department store, Arnold Bros (est. 1905). Inside the store, they find an entire society of nomes who believe that the store is all there is and that there is no outside. When ‘the thing’ is near electricity it tells the nomes that they are from another planet and that they must try to return home.

The nomes inside the store have begun to notice a number of strange events. Masklin leads Grimma and another nome, Gurder, up to the manager’s office where they discover an internal memo that states the store will be demolished in three weeks. Masklin tries to convince the other nomes that they will need to move but many still refuse to believe in the outside. One of the store nomes, Angalo, stows aboard a lorry, however when the lorry returns he is not on board. Eventually he returns on another lorry and tells everyone that there is an outside and that the store is indeed closing down. After hearing Angalo’s story, the nomes begin to devise a plan of escape which involves stealing a lorry to transport all the nomes to a new life, along with food and supplies. The problem is that being only four inches tall there are clear logistical problems to this plan, but an inventor named Dorcas comes up with a complex system of pulleys and levers so that the nomes can operate the lorry. The nomes are all ready to go. They begin a practice test of Dorcas’ system. They go backwards instead of forwards and knock over a can of petrol. A security guard, known by the nomes as Prices Slashed, comes over to investigate. He sees the nomes in the lorry and is so surprised he drops his cigarette, setting Arnold Bros (est 1905) on fire. The nomes escape the building by crashing through the door. Although driving erratically, they get to an airport where they plan to steal a plane to try and get one step closer to going home. Since planes have fewer wheels than lorries, surely they must be easier to drive?

To be in with a chance of winning one of five copies of the DVD signed by Pratchett himself answer the question behind this link (opens in new tab) .

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