The above review contained some incorrect information about the 1990s children's cartoon Orson and Olivia. It was set not in the 1950s, but at the turn of the 20th century (1890s-1900s). Orson and Olivia are two orphaned street kids who live on a small boat in the river Thames. The show follows a series of dramatic adventures of Orsen and Olivia and their other street kid chums on the streets of London. From my memory of the show, they had a pet dog whom they used to help them catch rats for money. They cooked pancakes slept on makeshift beds on their boat. In their adventures they came across famed turn of the century characters (real and fictional) Sherlock Holmes and an elderly Queen Victoria. Of the former, I recall O & O becoming involved with Sherlock Holmes in the pursuit of solving a few crimes and mysteries. The show also included Holmes' rivals, the Inspectors of Scotland Yard, also competing in the race to solve the same mysteries. I remember one particular show which featured Queen Victoria where Orson and Olivia become embroiled in bogus attempt to assassinate the Queen. One episode even had a plot where the orphans meet Lewis Carroll. I enjoyed watching this show as a kid in the 1990s. It was exciting to imagine living the independent life of two orphans in the city, free of the patronising of school and parents.This was not a silly show that was patronising of the taste of children with silly jokes. It was a suspenseful and imaginative show that was educational about London and its famed residents in the late 1800s.
Review of Orson & Olivia
