The Rascally Big Town Robber is an infamous thief within the Big Town and the main antagonist of the classic seasons of Brum. He indiscriminately steals anything from everyone to pad his jacket’s packets. He is the first archenemy of Brum, the show’s main protagonist before he is subsequently replaced by The Shadow after his final arrest.
He is played by Andrew Davenport.
Biography[]
As is the case with all Big Town Baddies nothing is known about The Rascally Robber’s past or what turned him into one of the Big Town’s most infamous criminals.
Brum and the Big Chase[]
The Rascally Big Town Robber first appears in the Big Town Shopping Mall stalking the conga lead by Brum. With his prosthetic hands dangling from the sleeves of his black jacket, he checks his watch and proceeds to stalk the conga line. After taking Mickey Mender’s spanners he then relieves WPC Truncheon of her baton, the Roads Sweeper of his broom, Mrs. Spud of her pineapple before finally trying to take a toy from a baby’s pram. However, the infant starts crying when he tries to do so, alerting everyone to the fact that their possessions are missing. He gives up on stealing the baby’s toy and proceeds to stand to the side while trying to act casual. Unfortunately for him, 2 children from the conga line suddenly pull his jacket open revealing all of the stolen items and in turn unveiling him as the culprit.
Before anyone can make another move on him he closes his jacket and runs into another section of the shopping mall with everyone in hot pursuit. Initially he darts through the corridors of the various shops before briefly hiding behind a few pieces of hung up clothing. Moments later he sees the conga coming up and makes another dash for it, turning the corner and taking cover in a nearby clothes shop by posing as a mannequin holding a broom. As the conga runs past he prematurely breaks character and exits the shop only to be spotted again. He then attempts to lose them by running into a rug store and bolts up one of its aisles. Puffed out from the exertion, he sits down to catch his breath not knowing that Brum and his victims have already caught up and are watching him from the aisle he ran up earlier. Brum arranges for most of the conga to sneak up behind up and flank him before the supercar and his remaining companions charge him. Upon seeing this, The Robber rebounds in a fright onto a rug which the conga then wrap him up in. Realising he’s trapped The Robber slumps in defeat before he can get up and get himself free from the rug the children secure him within the rug by tying some rope around it. After WPC Truncheon and the other adults arrive Brum quips that “it’s all wrapped up” before Truncheon approaches dangling a pair of handcuffs at The Robber who placidly accepts his fate before being taken away.
Brum and the Big Town Race[]
A short time later, The Rascally Big Town Robber reappears having likely escaped police custody. Hiding behind some nearby trees The Robber sees The Big Town Mayor pull up and show Brum a golden racing trophy. Green with greed, The Robber then sneaks up behind The Mayor’s car and smiles evilly at his newly desired item. However, the car pulls away revealing his presence to Brum. The baddy tries to act casual as contestants for the upcoming race arrive and invite Brum to join. As they leave, The Robber takes his jacket off and blends in with them, following them to oval where the race is being held. He then dons his jacket before creeping into one of the change rooms to pinch one of the contestant’s sports bags.
Shortly after, The Mayor arrives with the trophy and takes his place on the podium. The Robber slinks behind the podium, but before he can grab the trophy The Big Town Police arrive with WPC Truncheon. Initially frightened The Robber ducks as the police change into their sports clothes. Swallowing his fear he swipes the trophy and runs off. Just as The Mayor notices the trophy’s absence, Brum spots The Robber making his getaway before galvanising everyone into action. The Robber runs across the oval and into a wooded area as the police change back into their uniforms. Breathing heavily, the baddy then runs up a nearby street with Brum and co. gaining on him. The Robber changes direction and aggressively runs alongside a nearby building in the town as the race for the trophy heats up. Cleverly, he hides in some flowered bushes as everyone goes by but not before he prematurely breaks cover again just as Brum and the children comes back around the corner.
The Robber then races up the pathway that his pursuers just followed, and promptly, but clumsily scales the wall and lands on the other side with an audible thud. Brum and co. then split up to cover more ground. Meanwhile, The Robber is running up another street which the police are driving up. In response he dashes down some land where a demolished building once stood, losing his pursuers once again. Shortly after, Brum, the contestants, spectators and police converge with the little superhero who then spots The Robber hiding on top of a lamppost. The Lollipop Lady takes a swing at the crook with her traffic sign while the criminal tries to fend her off. As he does so he drops the trophy into Brum’s seats before the police demand his surrender. With the loot gone and with no way to escape, The Robber surrenders and clumsily climbs down and allows the 3 officers to apprehend him while everyone celebrates his capture. He is subsequently imprisoned for the rest of the show.
Given how he escaped police custody, The Robber likely received an extended sentence and would serve time in either a higher security ward or in solitary confinement.
Appearance[]
The Rascally Big Town Robber is a tall but slender man with a medium build who is clean shaven with light blue eyes and short brown hair. He dresses in a dark gray overcoat with a bright red undershirt and dark pants suspended by braces. He also wears a dark grey hat with a red band and dark sturdy boots.
Personality[]
Despite being an infamous crook, The Rascally Robber has a relatively placid temperament, especially when compared to other Big Town Baddies. When either pursuing his marks or on the run he remains very calm, and is not prone to outbursts of surprise or emotion. Even when faced with prison he doesn’t lose his composure or descend into anger or hopelessness which puts him stark contrast to his successor The Shadow. However, he does take pleasure in his crimes and in coveting the items he wants as shown by his desirous expression for The Golden Race Trophy. Additionally, he is also quite petty as he steals items like baby toys, brooms, batons and pineapples that are of little to no real value.
Despite this, he does show some redeeming features. Although he expresses some enjoyment in being a thief, he is never sadistic in conduct. Furthermore, he always accepts the legal consequences of his actions when caught without fighting or abusing anyone.
Tactics and abilities[]
The Rascally Robber is an opportunistic thief who prefers to stalk his desired marks at a distance before making an attempt to acquire them. This contrasts him with other baddies on the show like Big Bad and The Beady-Eyed Robber who try to obtain their marks immediately. However, he is also quite brazen as he repeatedly steals his intended marks in front of witnesses. Fortunately for him they rarely notice or catch him in the act, and he quickly moves out of their sight so it appears that he is just cutting through the conga. Upon attaining his mark he immediately stashes it inside his overcoat to conceal it from view before repeating the process. These tactics only backfire when he tries to steal a baby’s toy causing the infant to cry which alerts everyone to the fact that their most valuable items are missing. Despite immediately falling under suspicion The Robber remains calm while feigning innocence.
After his thefts are exposed The Robber uses complex environments to his advantage as exemplified by him running into the shopping centre through the various lanes and aisles to lose his pursuers. He also conserves energy while trying to throw his victims off the scent by hiding among some clothes lines as they go by before breaking cover to run somewhere else. Another diversionary tactic he uses is posing like a mannequin in a shop window while Brum and the conga roll by. Despite his tricks The Rascally Robber is prone to making poor decisions as exemplified by him prematurely breaking cover and exiting the shop giving himself away. A more serious example came when he dashed through a carpet store to hide only to tire himself out which allowed Brum and the conga to ambush and subdue him.
Following his escape from police custody his tactics don’t change much. Although he stalks the Golden Race Trophy to the oval where the race will be held he does so by taking off his trademark overcoat to avert suspicion and tails Brum and the competitors for most of the way instead of stalking them from a distance. After tracking down where the race will take place he sneaks into the change rooms to opportunistically steal one of the competitor’s sports bags which he stashes in his jacket. He then waits until the trophy arrives before sneaking behind the stand where it’s on display near the Mayor. Upon acquiring it he uses his usual environmental tactics of zigzagging his way through the urban surroundings to lose his pursuers. To supplement this he also hides in some bushes, but botches this by once again prematurely breaking cover. This forces him to clumsily scale a nearby wall. While this shows some adaptability he still makes a number of very stupid decisions that lead to his recapture.
Firstly, he steals the trophy before the race begins. Had he waited it would’ve taken longer for his crime to noticed, giving him a much more substantial head start. Secondly, upon grabbing the trophy he doesn’t immediately flee and waits until everyone starts wondering where the prized cup has gone. Thirdly, he tries to hide by climbing up a lamppost where he is easily spotted and cornered which leads to him being rearrested by the police. These issues show that despite his reputation, The Rascally Big Town Robber is nothing more than an idiotic crook.
- Acting: The Rascally Robber shows a slight profanity for acting as he was able to successfully pose as a mannequin albeit briefly. However, his skill in this area is limited as he his effort to feign innocence to the conga failed.
- Climbing: The Rascally Robber shows some minor skills at climbing which he uses to awkwardly scale a wall. However, his lack of real competence causes him to fall over the wall head first. Despite this he is able to scale a lamppost with his bare hands while carrying a trophy and sports bag.
- Dexterity: His dexterity is developed to the point where he can manipulate objects out of another’s grip without their notice, a skill he uses to great effect against the conga he robs.
- Stealth: The Rascally Robber is also a master at stealth, being able to move around the place without being noticed.
- Speed: He also shows some speed as he is able to keep ahead of the conga for good while. However, his physical stamina is lagging as he quickly tired himself out after running at full speed through a rug store to find hide from Brum and the conga.
- Smuggling skill: The Robber shows some skill at smuggling by using his overcoat to conceal the various items his pinches. Most of the time this tactic works to fully hide the items he steals. Unfortunately his coat doesn’t adequately hide the broom that he steals which shows that his smuggling methods are rather rudimentary.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- As is the case with all Big Town Baddies, The Rascally Robber’s defeats are symbolic and ironic.
- His arrest in “Brum and the Big Chase” is ironic because Brum quips that “it’s all wrapped up” before he is formally arrested. This pun symbolises how he’s going to be “all banged up” in jail.
- His arrest in “Brum and the Big Town Race” is ironic on two levels;
- Firstly, him getting caught hiding up a lamppost symbolises how he’s going to be stuck up in prison.
- Secondly, him getting cornered up on a lamppost shows how he’s going to get lampooned, a point made more ironic because of him being an infamous thief. This is exemplified by the crowd clapping and ridiculing him as the police take him away.
- Ironically, The Robber getting tied up in a rug parodies how Mr. Bean restrains a Judo instructor in the episode “Back to School Mr. Bean”. Coincidently, both “Brum and the Big Chase” and “Back to School Mr. Bean” aired in October 1994.
- The Rascally Robber is the only thief or Big Town Baddie to appear in season 2, even though he isn’t described as being a baddie.
- He is also the quickest to escape lawful custody after his arrest. However, this is can be attributed to him escaping the police station as opposed to the prison.
- The Rascally Robber’s actor Andrew Davenport was also a writer for the second season of Brum.