Gus Honeybun's Magic Birthdays was a long-running strand within the live in-vision continuity of Westward Television (1961-81) and later, Television South West (TSW) (1982-92), the ITV companies for the south-west of England, covering Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. Although not a separate 'programme' as such, it was a regular spot for so many years that it effectively became a series. It was aimed at the under-12s and starred Augustus Jeremiah Honeybun, a grey Hand Puppet rabbit in a variety of outfits, accompanied by one of the station's continuity announcers. These segments were an opportunity for local children to have their birthday cards and greetings read out on-air. After the announcer had read a card that had been sent in, he or she would request Gus to do a certain number of bunny-hops, one for each year of the child's age. Over the years, Gus could be requested to do other tricks, such as wink his eyes, stand on his head or press a Magic Button to turn out the studio lights and/or change the background behind the announcer.
Broadcast Live, the Gus segments would air before and after the networked children's programmes on ITV (around the CITV strand from 1983) and during the day at weekends. By the 1980s, Gus had his own theme song (composed by Ed Welch and released as a 7" single) and wardrobe mistress, and was something of a local star and cult figure within the south-west, as well as the station's mascot - while being largely unknown elsewhere. His reign came to an end when Westcountry Television beat TSW in the early Nineties franchise round, and replaced Gus Honeybun's Magic Birthdays with its own segment Birthday People - but Gus soon resurfaced at Flambards Theme Park, and more recently has featured in his old birthdays role on Atlantic FM. A precursor to puppet characters such as Gordon the Gopher and Edd the Duck on CBBC, his 'programme' is said to have been the longest-running puppet TV series after The Sooty Show.
Among the many presenters with whom Gus appeared are Roger Shaw, Ian Stirling, Judi Spiers, Fern Britton, Ruth Langsford, David Fitzgerald and Sally Meen. The segments were broadcast live from Westward/TSW's studios in Derry's Cross, Plymouth, Devon.
Gus Honeybun's Magic Birthdays provides examples of:
- Animated Credits Opening: The latter instalments gained one, showing an animated Gus hopping about in a TV studio before being deluged with mail.
- Backstory: Gus was said to have been found on Dartmoor in 1961 by the Westward TV staff. See also the next two tropes.
- Bittersweet Ending: The final, extended edition of local news programme TSW Today, on the station's final evening, showed the announcers taking Gus out and releasing him into the wild, reuniting him with his rabbit family.
- Call-Back: The TSW staff 'released' Gus at the exact same spot he had been 'found' 31 years earlier, noting: "I think this was the place."
- Carried by the Host: Gus dominated proceedings to an amazing extent for a silent, near-static puppet, changing what could have been a boring birthdays slot into event TV.
- Chroma Key: Used from the 1980s to create the ever-changing backgrounds behind Gus.
- Continuity Announcement: Gus fits his segments into these, often disappearing in an incredible hurry if the birthdays had over-run.
- Delusions of Local Grandeur: Gus Honeybun, a puppet rabbit, greets local children on-air on their birthdays. From the way he behaves, though, you'd think he's some hotshot.
- Expository Theme Tune: ''The Gus Honeybun Song', introduced in the TSW era. "He's a star on TV, just for you and for me/Who gets post by the ton/Whoa-oh-oh-oh-OH!/It's Gus Honeybun!" Composed by Ed Welch and released on 7" in record stores in the south-west.
- Hand Puppet: The star.
- Later Instalment Weirdness: The final edition from New Year's Eve 1992 has to be seen to be believed, finishing with one of the presenters pulling up Gus's kilt. Fortunately, the magic mushroom (button) was in the way.
- Merchandise-Driven: South-west stores offered Gus puppets, T-shirts, keyrings, records etc.
- Music Videos: A pop video of sorts was shot to accompany The Gus Honeybun Song, showing Gus and various presenters larking about around Plymouth, and ending with a shot of Gus going off on a local bus emblazoned with his face and the TSW logo. It was used to introduce his segments (when time allowed) prior to the Animated Credits Opening being introduced.
- The Prima Donna: Gus. He seemed not to want to share the screen with anyone, particularly the other puppets (Badger or Monkey) which occasionally appeared.
- Station Ident: When Gus appeared, you knew the Westward galleon or TSW palm trees and river were never far away. Alternatively it might be an ident from another ITV region or CITV, heralding the children's programmes coming up.
- Unlimited Wardrobe: Gus had his own wardrobe mistress and appeared in clothes ranging from jumpers and dungarees to a full suit and tie and a kilt.
- Wacky Sound Effect: Various strange sounds accompanied Gus's use of the Magic Button. Some sounds were familiar to younger viewers from networked children's shows such as TBag and Button Moon.
