The Dreamstone was conceived and designed by artist Mike Jupp, who had previously worked on cartoons such as The Bluffers. (You can read more about Mike in the "Making the Dreamstone" section below.) With sumptuous backgrounds, thoughtful character designs and spectacular special effects, The Dreamstone was a real visual treat, far outshining many other TV cartoons of that time.

The sharp-eyed among you will notice that the character designs changed between the first and second series, although not in any major way. Some of the more finnicky details, such as the trim on Rufus' top and the wavy shape of Amberley's dress were simplified, and some of the Urpneys found themselves with fewer spots. Small changes like this can actually make the animation process much easier, when you're drawing and colouring literally thousands of cels each episode! Ongoing simplification like this seems to be fairly common in FilmFair productions, as all of the animal characters in their later show, Legends of Treasure Island (1994-95), lost their tails between series one and two!

Click here to find out more about the blood, sweat and tears that went into making the Dreamstone look the way it did...

A selection of Dreamstone artwork, including storyboards and some Mike Jupp originals... click here to enter.

I'm afraid I don't have a complete list of who voiced who in The Dreamstone, but here are the main voice actors as listed on the credits, with the correct characters matched in where possible. Any more information on who did what voices would be appreciated.

• Jackie Clarke (Wildit)
• Peter Craze (? Possibly narrator)
• John Franklyn-Robbins (The Dreammaker)
• Melvyn Hayes (Frizz)
• Nancy Hendry (Amberley)
• Anthony Jackson (Nug, Mr Blossom)
• Stuart Lock (Rufus)
• Gary Martin (Zordrak)
• Richard Tate (Sgt. Blob)
• Leonard Whiting (Urpgor, series 1 only)
• Derek Wright (Pildit)

NEW! AMBERLEY SPEAKS!

Recently, we received a wonderful surprise in the form of an email from Nancy Hendry, the voice of Amberley, who was kind enough to share a little information about her involvement with the show!

"I happened upon this website which has made my day by continuing my fifteen minutes of fame! It's nearly twelve years since my last involvement with the dreamstone. I am now Nancy Hardwick, but was Nancy Hendry and my voice was the voice of Amberley- the feisty female noop who helped Rufus to save the day! Being involved in the process was really exciting for me, especially as I didn't continue in acting, so it is something I remember fondly.

"I got involved in the show from its early casting. When I was 10, I appeared in the Westend production of 'Bugsy Malone'. When it ended I was taken on by the producers who set up an agency. They later set up MGP which was the company that produced the Dreamstone. I did a few jobs throughout my teens and when I was 16 I was asked to read for the part of Amberley for the trailer that was then shown to groups for feedback and at the Cannes Film festival, I believe. Once the funding had been secured I was thrilled that despite some cast changes, they asked me to voice Amberley for future episodes. It was such good fun to be involved in, as lots of the voice artists and the production team were such lively characters. I remember laughing alot!

"I still keep in touch with Stuart Lock who voiced the part of Rufus and I often recognize the voice of Gary (who played Zordrak) in loads of ads on TV-I think he's the Honey Monster!

"So yes, a great experience for me and something I will always remember."