Pixelface (CBBC)
A few nights ago I was watching a compilation of intros from British kids’ TV shows from the 90s and 2000s and I was reminded of a brilliant, but relatively unknown CBBC series called ‘Pixelface’ from 2011 & 2012.
A spin-off of the ‘Game Over’ sketch from ‘Sorry, I’ve Got No Head’, Pixelface is set inside a computer game console and details the lives of a group of video game characters. The two season series was written by Chris Reddy for So Television and first broadcast on CBBC in 2011.
The series stars Karen David as the aristocratic tomb raider Alexia, William Andrews as Aethelwynne the elf, Anna Crilly as the zombie-slaying waitress Claireparker, David Armand as ‘kangaroo rat thing’ Rex Dynamo, Hannah Job as the dancer Kiki Nova, Gareth Tunley as space marine Sgt. Riley & Simon Day as the Quartermaster. The console is voiced by Tara Flynn and Romford the robot by Justin Edwards.
Thanks to Obscure Content on YouTube, these episodes can be enjoyed once again!
Series One (2011)
S1 Episode 1 - Two Aethelwynnes
Aethelwynne gets very excited when Swords of the Ancients switches to two-player mode and he gets to play with a second Aethelwynne.
S1 Episode 2 - Bored to Undeath
The gang go shopping when Claireparker is left paused during Return to Zombie City.
S1 Episode 3 - Rex On The Bench
Rex and Riley compete for a place on a premiership team when a football game is rented.
S1 Episode 4 - Big Close Up
Claireparker gets into difficulty when she has to learn a cut scene in her game.
S1 Episode 5 - Fool’s Gold
Aethelwynne is suddenly rich after he finds a hoard of gold coins in his game.
S1 Episode 6 - Alexia’s Dinner
Alexia goes into a tailspin when she realises her demanding parents are coming for dinner.
S1 Episode 7 - High Spirits
Alexia decides to live on her own and starts to divide the console in two.
S1 Episode 8 - The Problems of Dr Nigiri
Everyone is excited when the extraordinary Dr Nigiri visits them from TrainBrain Academy.
S1 Episode 9 - Reset
Claireparker is fed up with the chaos in the console, and frustrated that she is the only one who keeps things tidy.
S1 Episode 10 - Mrs Dynamo’s Son
Rex gets into a panic when QM tells him his mother is coming to stay.
S1 Episode 11 - Saving Private Romford
Romford accidentally goes into self-destruct mode and the whole console is threatened with being erased.
S1 Episode 12 - The Game’s Up
Rex Dynamo is nearing the end of his game, meaning that he will no longer be played and will disappear from the Console.
S1 Episode 13 - Bodyswap
Kiki Nova sneaks a plasma ball into the console from her game and the gang embark on a series of games without the Quartermasters’ permission.
Series Two (2012)
S2 Episode 1 - Bling My Droid
With the QM away, Aethelwynne discovers a stack of cheat codes for Swords of the Ancients, and soon finds that his game is a lot more fun when you have infinite lives and maximum magic.
S2 Episode 2 - Quit Bugging Me
Alexia and Claireparker are driving the rest of the team mad with their constant childish competitions to prove which one of them is the best.
S2 Episode 3 - Out of Sight
A lightning storm in the real world has a disastrous effect on Claireparker, when everyone in the console seems to forget she even exists. It will take all her skill and ingenuity to make herself memorable before she disappears forever.
S2 Episode 4 - Fast and Furious
After entering the portal, Sgt Riley realises something is not quite right with the gang and that he has accidentally entered a parallel console.
S2 Episode 5 - You’re History
Alexia receives a gift from her Russian uncle: a red jigsaw block. But the block starts multiplying, and soon the console is overrun with coloured shapes falling out of the air.
S2 Episode 6 - Major Players
Riley is excited when Major Nomad, a no-nonsense character from a special mission, arrives to stay in the console. While everyone seems to love her, Riley is feeling very left out, and Alexia and Claireparker find her just a little too perfect.
S2 Episode 7 - The Ugly Truth
Alexia is desperate to look her best for the Ambassador’s ball, and recruits the help of Aethelwynne and his beauty box to create the perfect look.
S2 Episode 8 - Strictly Romford
Romford has always been desperate for a body, so when Alexia suggests contacting a ‘body parts’ man, he is delighted.
S2 Episode 9 - Come Fly With Me
Claireparker is facing an uphill struggle trying to organise and enforce the cleaning rota. Her plans are further disrupted when a dashing pilot from the Flightplan game enters the console.
S2 Episode 10 - Mega Gino
Claireparker returns from Zombie City and is struggling to complete her next level. Meanwhile, the famous gaming character Mega Gino visits the console and everyone is excited to meet him and take part in his well known Mini Games.
S2 Episode 11 - The Dogs of War
Aethelwynne has a devilish goblin puzzle lock to solve, but cannot concentrate while the excitable puppies from an online dog show run riot in the console. Rex tries to make Alexia’s dream of winning the contest a reality.
S2 Episode 12 - Rock Star
Legendary rock guitarist Kirk Beaglemayer arrives in the console from the game Rock Legend to the delight of Rex, his biggest fan.
S2 Episode 13 - Hal
A regular console upgrade gets interrupted and the console comes alive and decides that she wants to be a gaming character as well, with her own costume and special move.
Some Pixelface related Links
- Pixelface BBC page
- Pixelface on IMDB
- Pixelface on Wikipedia
- Pixelface Wiki on Fandom
- Pixelface game by Ash Browning
- Pixelface game by Littleloud
- Pixelface on TV Tropes
- Karen David IMDB
- Karen David on Twitter
- Sorry, I’ve Got No Head on YouTube
Thanks again to ‘Obscure Content’ on YouTube for uploading these episodes! If you have any Pixelface related information, photos or videos, please get in touch with me @ChrisElison on Twitter or Instagram!