Editing Emu (puppet)

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox character
| name               = Emu
| image              = EMU logo.jpg
| caption            = The logo for the new series of ''Emu''
| creator            = [[Rod Hull]]
| portrayer          = Rod Hull (1960s–1999) <br> [[Toby Hull]] (2003–present)
| species            = Emu
| gender             = Male
}}

'''Emu''' is a four-year-old [[puppet]] [[emu]] which was given to British entertainer [[Rod Hull]] in the 1960s while he was presenting a children's breakfast [[television]] programme in Australia. Hull adopted the mute puppet for his [[cabaret]] act, and took it with him to the United Kingdom when he returned in 1970.<ref name="comeback">{{cite news | date=2006-06-08 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5059196.stm | title=Emu set for television comeback | publisher=BBC News | accessdate=2006-06-08}}</ref> The character was given a mischievous and sometimes aggressive onstage persona, attacking celebrity guests (and Hull himself) for comic effect, notably on [[Michael Parkinson]]'s chat show in 1976.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/aug/17/sir-michael-parkinson-obituary|title=Sir Michael Parkinson obituary|work=[[The Guardian]]|first=Stephen|last=Bates|date=17 August 2023|access-date=19 August 2023}}</ref> Hull and Emu also appeared on several episodes of The [[Hudson Brothers]]' comedy show in the United States.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
==History==
===1970s and 1980s television series===
{{main article|Emu's TV programmes}}

During the 1970s, Hull and Emu achieved national fame in the UK with their BBC series ''Emu's Broadcasting Company''. The duo moved to ITV in the 1980s, where a succession of shows was produced concerning their ongoing rivalry with [[Grotbags]], a witch played by [[Carol Lee Scott]].

=== 2000s revival ===
A new series, simply titled ''Emu'', with [[Toby Hull]] replacing his father (who had died in 1999), was produced in [[Belfast]] and broadcast on ITV in 2007.<ref name="comeback" /> A second series was produced in New Zealand and broadcast in 2009.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:British comedy puppets]]
[[Category:Emus]]
[[Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1960]]
[[Category:Fictional flightless birds]]
[[Category:Fictional mute characters]]
[[Category:Television sidekicks]]