British Comedy Guide
Rex The Runt. Copyright: Aardman Animations
Rex The Runt

Rex The Runt

  • TV sitcom
  • BBC Two
  • 1998 - 2001
  • 26 episodes (2 series)

Claymation sitcom from Aardman Animations. The ten minute episodes revolve around the lives of four dogs - Rex, Bad Bob, Wendy and Vince. Stars Andrew Franks, Colin Rote, Kevin Wrench, Elisabeth Hadley, Steve Box and more.

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Character guide

Rex The Runt. Rex. Copyright: Aardman Animations / Egmont Imagination

Rex

AKA: Rex the Runt Esquire.  Played by: Andrew Franks (Series 1) and Colin Rote (Series 2)

The self-styled leader of the gang (hence the name 'Rex', which is Latin for 'King').

Rex often acts as the straight man. However, he is not really a leader, being somewhat timid and the runt of his litter. He is a bit of a smart-arse and often annoys everyone around him, which leads to him being abused by the other dogs.

Other than his television adventures, his main hobby is spending time watching his favourite TV superhero Rocket Raymond, whom he idolises.

Rex The Runt. Bad Bob. Copyright: Aardman Animations / Egmont Imagination

Bad Bob

Played by: Kevin Wrench (Series 1) and Andrew Franks (Series 2)

Described by Wendy as a big, fat, jelly, wobbly, fat bastard, Bad Bob is something of a slob, eating everyone out of house and home (mostly sausages and dog food), and spending most of the time in his shed, polishing a gun as big as himself.

Recognisable by his eye patch and protruding belly button, Bob is still loveable and does care for his friends, at times showing great intelligence.

Rex The Runt. Wendy. Copyright: Aardman Animations / Egmont Imagination

Wendy

Played by: Elisabeth Hadley

Cynical, sarcastic, and fiercely independent, Wendy is the only female character in the regular gang. Wendy is an intelligent dog - she can play the guitar, bango and trumpet, and invented a truth serum which resulted in a Nobel Prize nomination. However, her ideas are often ignored or stolen by the others in the gang.

While smart, she does have small weakness for men (especially with those with nice bottoms), although all of her realtionships tend to end miserably.

Rex The Runt. Vince. Copyright: Aardman Animations / Egmont Imagination

Vince

Played by: Steve Box

Vince is normally treated as a pet by the other characters, with buck teeth and mismatched eyes. Vince used to suffer from 'Random Pavarotti Disease', which causes one to sing opera randomly. This was cured in the first episode. Since then, Vince has been near silent; although he will sometimes say two or three words.

Vince is known for his love of Tuesdays, jam and hoovers (he married one and had a child with it!)

Rex The Runt. Dr. Dogg. Copyright: Aardman Animations / Egmont Imagination

Dr. Dogg

Played by: Paul Merton

Dr. Dogg is a quack whom the characters often turn to (unwisely) for medical assistance.

None of Doctor Dogg's cures work, they are just a way of conning people out of their money. He normally charges ten quid.

Rex The Runt. Arthur Dustcart. Copyright: Aardman Animations / Egmont Imagination

Arthur Dustcart

Waste Disposal Operative.   Played by: Arthur Smith

Arthur, a waste disposal operative, becomes a friend of the gang by the end of Series 1, after he helps Bad Bob find a minced up Rex in his dump truck.

However, although he is now friends with the gang, Rex does find him annoying at times due to his close friendship with Wendy. This is surprising considering Arthur's job, ugliness and poor hygiene.

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