Albert the Fifth Musketeer

United Kingdom

The story

Albert the Fifth Musketeer is an animated television series based on the 1844 novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. It was a co-production between France Animation and CINAR Films for Ravensburger and BBC Children's International, in association with France 3, Canal+ and Videal. Produced in 1993, it was broadcast from 16 March to 2 July 1994.

Plot

The show centers around the antics of Albert (French pronunciation: [albɛʁ] AL-bair) de Parmagnan, a new member of the Musketeers (the series takes place after the Siege of La Rochelle, and therefore after D'Artagnan has become a musketeer, but before Milady de Winter's death). While the other four musketeers are portrayed as bumbling and incompetent, Albert is quick-witted and clever, creating many inventions to get the others out of trouble.
He and the other Musketeers have adventures as they fight with the guards of Cardinal Richelieu and attempt to thwart his plans to take over France.

Cast

The characters, apart from Albert (voiced by Jimmy Hibbert), are all generally broad stereotypes of their traditional portrayals in the original Musketeers book and subsequent film adaptations:

D'Artagnan (voiced by Andy Turvey) is a brash and impulsive self-declared leader of the Musketeers.
Athos (voiced by Jimmy Hibbert) rarely says anything, but tends to do everything backwards, including riding his horse.
Porthos (voiced by Christian Rodska) is large and fat, and is always thinking of his stomach.
Aramis (voiced by Mike Drew) is flirtatious and feminine, and often lapses into poetry.
M. de Tréville (voiced by Christian Rodska) is the captain of the King's Musketeers.
King Louis XIII (voiced by Jimmy Hibbert) is the ruler of France and commissioner of the Musketeers. Childish and moronic, he is easily duped by Richelieu.
Anne of Austria (voiced by Shireen Shah) is the King's wife. Beautiful, but ditsy, she talks in a slight lispy French tone. She often confides privately in Albert with instructions.
Cardinal Richelieu (voiced by Mike Drew): A Prime Minister of France, he seeks to undermine the King's authority at every turn and sends his guards to fight off the meddling Musketeers who threaten to disrupt his plans.
M'Lady (voiced by Susan Sheridan) is Richelieu's cunning female assistant. She has a tattoo of a fleur de lis on her shoulder that turns into a quacking duck.
The Duke of Buckingham (voiced by Dick Cadbury) is the love-crazed suitor of Queen Anne.

Episodes

The King's New Shoes
Her Majesty's Gorilla
The Gold Coach
The King's Complex
Food for a King
The Identikit Picture
Anatole's Treasure
Patchouli for the Queen
The King of Thieves
The Spy
The Cocoa Mission
The Queen's Nanny
Her Majesty's Garden
Wig Business
The King's Jester
The Duke's Tunes
The Count of Quicostro
The Return of the Queen Mother
The Pillow Caper
The Musketeer Day
Ghost You Said?
The Ambassador
The Queen's Tortoises
Mauricette Crouton
Strawberries for the King
A Dukelike Imposter