Bernard's Watch
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| Bernard | |
|---|---|
| Format | Childrens Comedy |
| Starring | Ryan Watson as Bernard Ezrah Roberts-Gray as Nathan Rosie Day as Nicolette Kay Purcell as Miss Savage |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV |
| Original run | 1996 - 2001 – 2003 - 2004 |
Bernard's Watch was a television programme for children broadcast on CITV. It told the story of an absent-minded boy who finds that he does not have enough time to all the things he needs to do. One day, he is given a magical watch which allows him to pause and resume time, thus enabling him to do things while everyone else stands still. This made for all kinds of strange, time-related adventures - often with Bernard solving a sticky situation using his watch.
Andrew Norriss wrote the first six series, which ran from 1996 to 2001, and later wrote a book based on the television episodes. In 2003 to 2004 the programme was re-invented (as "Bernard"), with a new actor, Ryan Watson (Actor), playing the lead role. These adventures were generally set at Bernard's school and centered around Bernard getting the better of both a group of girls from his class and his very strict teacher. This series, while entirely detached from the original, also added extra power to the watch that was not though possible first time round - if you stop time with it whilst physically holding a second person, time stops for them as well and lasts until the watch is restarted.
Contents |
[edit] Cast & crew
Bernard Beasley - David Peachey (1996-2001)
Bernard Beasley - Ryan Watson (Actor) (2003-2004)
Karen Hewitt - Phoebe Allen
Sam Vernon - Samantha Birch
Nathan - Ezrah Roberts-Gray
Asif Ahmed - Sunil Glen
Nicolette - Rosie Day
Mr Steel - Martin Ball
Ms Savage - Kay Purcell
Hayley - Katie Pearson
Postman - Jack McKenzie
Vicar - Constance Lamb
Bernard (adult) - Jay Simon
Crazy Fans of the watch (again)- Olivia Cole, Craig Willett
Bernard Beasley watches Les Dennis in the shower
Richard Ford watches Martin Hughes in the shower
David Peachey, the original Bernard, is now studying a Medicine Course at Sheffield University.
Ezrah Roberts-Gray is a budding young actor from the West Midlands. He has appeared on BBC's soap Doctors a number of times as well as theatre productions. Ezrah began attending King Edward VI Aston grammar school, after being home schooled for most of his life.
Ryan Watson (Actor), the second Bernard, has since appeared recently in Sarah Jane Adventures, playing Nathan Goss, and playing young Andrea in the Royal National Theatre's 'The Life of Galileo' in 2007.
[edit] Philosophical application
Bernard's Watch is also a theoretical concept used to investigate the logical constraints on the idea of an omniscient prototype. The theme central to this implies that a man in possession of 'Bernard's Watch' is capable of anything (provided that he demonstrates a sufficient level of tenacity in the pursuit of his goals) and would thus investigate the ideas incurred by such an entity's interaction with reality.
A practical application of 'Bernard's Watch' would place an onus on the investigation of the nature of self-gratification by utilising various meta-ethical disciplines. What would a human being choose to do, and why? A popular theory is that behaviour would be subject to a number of discriminant phases.
Conjecture abounds as to whether or not the watch that Bernard has in his possession is merely symbolic. This theory expounds that Bernard possesses no watch, and that time is not being stopped at all. What Bernard actually possesses is the mind of a genius, and what appears to be the cessation of time is actually a device used by the show's makers that allows the viewer to follow Bernard's extraordinarily fast train of thought.
However, this holds flaws in the context of the show as he is seen to stop time and then get to places far away, without time moving as well as move objects as they are frozen in mid air.
[edit] Cultural Influences
- The Twilight Zone episode A Kind of a Stopwatch follows the story of a middle-aged man who is given a watch with the same magical properties.
- The Nickelodeon film Clockstoppers, also follows the same premise of a watch with the ability to stop time.
- In The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XIV short "Stop the World, I Wanna Goof Off" Bart and Milhouse get a magic watch with the power to stop time but use it to pull pranks on people.
