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Puppet Making Making 
Extreme Puppeteering clips  TV Puppetry Clip
Credit list Credits
TV Producer/Director Information
For information on the Partners individual Work click their Pictures            


Helena Smee
Helena Smee
 
Kids TV Scriptwriter CV

Helena Smee CV
About us

Hands Up Puppets was set up in Nottingham in 1989 by Forest Gate, East London born and Nottingham raised Marcus Clarke and Dorset Country Girl Helena Smee to, 'create puppet characters for Television.'
Having been much inspired and encouraged by the visionary Muppet's creator, Jim Henson, whom Marcus had formerly worked for.

Since then they have designed and made over seventy TV Puppet characters and Marcus and Helena have worked on over seventy Children's TV Series as Puppeteers. As well as Feature Films and Commercials.
This work continues today.
And a variety of other work has developed from it.

Helena now also script writes for Puppet and Animated TV Series. Hence she has two CV/Resume's left.

Marcus is also a Media Producer and Award winning short Film Maker who is currently developing and writing feature film scripts, exploring iBook technology and heading up Hands Up Puppets growing Puppetry Educational work. His Short 'Puppetry for the Screen Masterclass' is currently on the Kids BAFTA website. (right)

Marcus has also and uniquely developed Puppetry into his Contemporary Art practice. Information on all of his work can be found via the links on his CV webpage.
Click his picture top right.

otherwise return to the contents page.

Advancing Jim Henson's work and vision.

Marcus Clarke

Dick and  Dom  Marcus Clarke  Lucy Goodman  Ian Emes and Will Paulter  at the 2009 Kids Bafta's.
Bookaboo was awarded the best Children's Live Action Bafta.



Bookaboo
.

Judge Jenny 'Ways of Talking'
Currently Airing TV

Helena and Marcus are Milky and Shake in the new 'Milkshake Show' airing on Channel 5 from November 2011. They also created the Puppets.

 Marcus is the Puppetry Consultant and Puppeteer to 'Ways of Talking' 2011 BAFTA Nominated, Primary Learning category:  Gamelab (London Metropolitan University) for BBC Learning.

Helena Smee is currently Milkshake Monkey on Channel Five and HuP also created the Puppet.
 
HuP created the Puppets for RTE Junior and Hubble now airing.
One of the Puppets also features on Irelands National Postage stamp.


Marcus Clarke is 'Bookaboo' in the Citv Kids Bafta 2011 and 2009 winning TV Series  Bookaboo.  Other Awards for Bookaboo include a BAA the Broadcast best Children's award and its category at the most prestigious Prix Jeunesse Children's TV Awards.

Helena has written several currently airing episodes of Castle Farm, (Series 2 airs from Dec 2011) Bottle Top Bill, Angels of Jarm and The Beeps.
Short Films
 'Clayfields House' Award winning Short Directed and Produced by Marcus Clarke. more


TV Series Creation and Media development work
Marcus and Helena have also created and devised many Puppet Children's TV Series and their project development work has also included Real Time Performance Animation as well as  2D and 3D Animation. We are always finding new and new old ways to build on our Puppetry and other Character based work and currently have innovative new projects in development.

1989 logo
 		In Production.
Hands Up Puppets have designed, built and performed puppets in a variety of television genres and production styles and with varied budgets.
We pride ourselves in our versatility, innovation and problem solving abilities. 
Pre-school, Educational, Children's, Adult Comedy, Teen and Family.
We have Puppeteered Live and Recorded, scripted and improvised, on Location and in the Studio.
Performed Puppets whilst canoeing, abseiling, hanging out of helicopters and in Live Stand Up Comedy Shows.
We always push the creative and quality envelope.
Credits
Combined Puppet Making and Puppeteering Television credits include:
These TV Series contain a total of 50 puppets, all designed and made by Hands Up Puppets.
  • Milky and Shake in the new 'Milkshake Show.' Channel 5 2011. 
  • Milkshake Monkey 2009 Channel 5
  • The Christmas Milkshake Show Series 2. Channel 5 BAFTA nominated 2009
  • The Milkshake Show five tv BAFTA nominated 2008 Five TV
  • Tickle Patch and Friends 10 Series for Channel 5. 2001 to 2008
  • Sandy and Mr. Flapper 2007 Channel 5
  • A Milkshake Summer Five TV BAFTA nominated 2006 Five TV The Production Team
  • Ant and Dec's Saturday Night  Takeaway Granada/ITV
  • Christmas Milkshake five Series 1
  • "A House that's just like yours" five 
  • "The Softies" five TV
  • "Smarteenies" BBC CBeebies
  • "The little green planet show" 3 series BBC CBBC Children's
  • "Hotdog"  &  "Treasure Box" - 5 series made by Thames for ITV
  • "Tricky Business" - 2 series for BBC
  • "Top Banana" - Clear Idea Production for TVAM
  • "Dappledown Farm" - Clear Idea Production for TVAM
  • "Ike and Webber" - TCC The Childrens Channel Interstitions
  • The Children's Channel All on-air continuity from 1993 - 1995.
  • Ratkan Zoo The Children's Channel
  • Ratkan on the Road The Children's Channel
  • It's Droibee Time The Children's Channel
  • 'WoW'- Media Merchants Production for ITV
  • "Havakazoo 2 " - Meridian Production for Channel 5.
  • New 'Dappledown Farm' - Meridian Production for Channel 5.
  • Dotty and Buzz
  • Royal Television Society Award Nominee. Prospect Pictures for Channel 4 Schools.
  • 'Bite Size' - Disney Channel.
  • Tickle, Patch & friends   Ten Series for five tv

 		Television Puppeteering only credits include:
  • Marcus is the Puppetry Consultant and Puppeteer to 'Ways of Talking' 2011 BAFTA Nominated, Primary Learning category:  Gamelab (London Metropolitan University) for BBC Learning.
  • Bookaboo Series 2 Citv/Happy Films 2010 Marcus Clarke is Bookaboo's Puppeteer.
  • Bookaboo Citv/Happy Films 2009 Marcus Clarke is Bookaboo's Puppeteer. BAFTA, Broadcast 2009 and Prix Jeunesse 2010 Award Winner.
  • PJ's Storytime 6 x 5 min programmes, Disney Playhouse, Puppeteer to puppet character PJ Mole BAFTA nominee Marcus Clarke 2004
  • PJ's Bedtime   20 x 60 min programmes, Disney Playhouse, Puppeteer to puppet character PJ Mole
  • Playbox - Ragdoll Production for ITV.
  • "The Great Bong" - UA & HTV. Production for Channel 4.
  • "The Slow Norris" Series 1 & 2 - HTV. production for ITV.
  • Big Bag Series 1 & 2 - YTV & The Childrens Television Workshop for ITV.

 		Film puppeteering credits include:
Commercials Puppeteering credits include:
  • Quantas Koala Bear,
  • Talk back Radio,
  • Applejack Scrumpy,
  • Quorn,
  • Revels.

CGI Real Time Performance Animation.
 Marcus and Helena have also been involved in the fast developing field of Real Time Performance Animation. They have worked as Performance Animators for Medialab Paris, Medialab Los Angeles, Twentieth Century Fox T.V. U.S.A. and the American Channel N.B.C. And for Nihon Itec, NHK and Sony in Tokyo, Japan for TV Series, FILM and also Live Events. MORE




 Puppet Theatre Consultancy
Hands Up Puppets were engaged by the Lego Company as consultants and designers for the first ever Puppet Show at their U.K. theme park - Legoland Windsor


Marcus Clarke was engaged as a Puppetry Consultant to Gamelab London.
35 Kingsland Road London

©Marcus Clarke2006