Can We Fix the Mambo?: The Musical Career of Bob the Builder | An AMTV Documentary 

Man, I didn’t plan on getting schooled on Bob the Builder by the guy who reviews TV idents most of the time, but I got schooled anyways. Great documentary, keep up the good work!

'Never Mind The Breeze Blocks' is such a great album name! In Australia the album was called 'Appetite For Construction', a reference to the Guns and Roses album 'Appetite For Destruction'.

Even though I was 3 months away from being 4. I remember my mum panicking so much about 9/11 and there’s me just vibing to bob the builders version of mambo no 5…mainly the reason why I like bricklaying so much and why I work in construction

What sets bob apart from Thomas is that Thomas made a bunch of original songs while Bob as you would know would do parodies of official pop songs. It’s nice to know that his first two singles did incredibly well in Australia which is where I’m from.

Fun fact. Neil Morrissey's character in Waterloo Road referred to another as 'Knob the Builder'. He has regularly stated how he loved* working on the show. *loved if you mean the word hated.

In case you didn't know, there's actually a rich history of children's TV characters getting chart hits in the UK. Alongside Bob, The Wombles, The Tweenies, The Teletubbies, Robin the Frog from The Muppets, Shaun the Sheep, the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, Rainbow, Mr. Blobby, and Bart Simpson (if you'd count that as being for kids) all had decently popular charting songs in the UK at one point.

This is really kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity having a children's TV character be No. 1 in the charts as not many other kids TV shows would think about doing something on the same level as that. This is one part of Bob The Builder's history that always interested me as it was one of my favourite shows growing up alongside Thomas The Tank Engine.

If Bob makes a comeback, pls bring back the old style Bob we all know and love

Just checked out the history of his music career. And let me just tell you, when I saw The Official BBC Children In Need Medley by Peter Kay, I was like "Bruh, this sh- no, it's over." That single felt like a fever dream and I mean it.

Surely it’s Neil Morrissey too whom deserved some recognition as a Pop Star & that cover of Dizzy might as well have been a collaboration with his fellow Brummies The Wonderstuff who’d covered the song years before.

Fun fact: With these 2 hits, Neil Morrissey has had more number one hits than Morrissey

I… did not expect to get as much out of this documentary, nor did I think I’d be compelled to start listening to their version of 500 miles, but it did. Great video Adam

BRUH! How can the Mambo Number 5 cover be made inappropriate due to the infamous 9/11 attacks??? It's just a freaking preschool series character that's supposed to teach children about construction worker skills!!!! >:(

I can just imagine how Westlife reacted when they realized they weren't at Xmas No. 1 in 2000. I can just imagine a member of Westlife telling his fellow band members "Sorry, guys. We didn't make it to No. 1", and then immediately afterwards saying "You won't believe who beat us."

The second album they also did a cover/parody of “Is This The Way to Amarillo?” made famous by Tony Christie and Neil Sedaka.

I used to be addicted to Baha Men’s “Who Let the Dogs Out?!” (WHO! WHO! WHO! WHO! WHO!) as a kid. That song deserved to tip the charts since it was also used in the Rugrats in Paris Movie

Unfortunately DJ Otsi’s “Hey Baby” would also suffer one week only at #1 as the charts for September 22nd-23rd, 2001 had the song placed at #2 and the next song to top the charts was “I Can’t Get You Outta My Head” by Aussie pop star Kylie Minogue

Bob the builder was such a big show in my childhood and I completely forgot about his music career! Thank you for unlocking so many childhood memories with another fantastic documentary!!

This was a damn sensation, we had the CD of this, it was a number1#! The 2000s were wild!

Neil Morrissey would’ve been laughing all the way to the bank. Nice documentary

I have fond memories of these songs Of course there’s the country western line dance stylings of “I’m he blonde hair girl in the hard hat don’t try to make a monkey out of me”

I remember having one of the musicals on VHS at my nans when i was like 4, i ended up wearing the tape out. Mum tried to get us tickets for a concert event thing at the time but unfortunately that dream never came true😔

Oh god, pure memories. Also Bob wasn't the only kids character that had a song released. Basil Brush had a CD single I think with a few tracks on it. Look it up. But no where near as Iconic as Bob the Builder's songs were.

No idea how this ended up in my recommendations but boy I'm glad it did. Very well made and interesting video, I miss when the music charts were like this as well 😂

I remember Mambo No. 5 still getting played at parties when I was 12 back in 2015.

I’d heard of this before but only realised what you meant by the title/thumbnail until you mentioned the Christmas number one

I remember other pre-school shows like Teletubbies and Tweenies having music videos back in the day too. Teletubbies only had 1 being "Say Eh-Oh" in late 1997 and Tweenies several music videos.

Wasn’t big fish little fish originally a rick and nick song? The lyrics originally went “Yo-yo. row the boat, cardboard box Stack the shelves. shopping carts/trolleys, cardboard box Big fish, little fish, cardboard box We’re all raving mad! (SAY WHAAAATTTTT????)”

When it says can bob the builder pull a hat trick and make a three #1 single for the big fish little fish cover no far from it, you should have p,she’s the clip from the episode When Bob Became A Builder when Muck says “No! We! Can’t!” when Scoop and Bob try to convince Muck to do the “Can We Fix It? Yes! We! Can!” gag that plays in almost every episode

the calm jazz music is called 'a night alone [dankpods aftershow]'

Can We Fix It? was on NOW 48 and Mambo No. 5 was on NOW 50.

Childhood memory unlocked! Thank you for making this documentary.

The second album They also covered/parodied “Halfway Down The Stairs” from The Muppets Show “Is This The Way to Amarillo?” by Tony Christie and Neil Sedaka

I love this - I'd love to see you a documentary similar to this please talking about actors who became pop stars like Jimmy Nail, Robson & Jerome, and even acts like The Woolpackers from Emmerdale

I'm genuinely surprised they didn't do a remix of "Can I Kick It?" and called it "Can I Fix It?"

This has unlocked so many memories!

And this is why the original Bob. Will allways destroy the new Bob the builder. Allways

Really interesting video. Loved Bob as a little girl, the first cd was my first album!!

I had the Bob the Builder album when I was little! I also had a CBeebies one and a Lazytown one

This might probably be my favourite documentary you’ve ever done Adam Smithy. Keep up the good work!

I used to love Bob The Builder, not sure if I ever had any of his albums though, I was 4 when Never Mind The Breeze Blocks came out though, and Bob The Builder was one of those shows I used to like back then, along with Balamory and a few other Cbeebies classics

My personal favourite Christmas No.1 is "Mr. Blobby".

This was surprisingly intriguing This also reminds me of that really weird Postman Pat movie with David Tennant in where Pat was a pop star and performed for Simon Cowell Yeah, the movie isn’t great 😂

As a kid I never liked it after the sunflower park arc, early stuff was great

Great video 👍I remember these songs.

This makes me wish more cartoons and maybe even video game characters did this sort of this, it’s so awesome and things like this. Nit to mention that it gives young children a chance to listen to the latest music and possibly gives grown ups something quirky and even nostalgic to listen to

Love love love this! Pure nostalgia

I seem to remember the Smufs having a few singles and albums in the late 90s as well. Although not sure how well they did.

I was 11 when Bob The Builder debuted, so I was never a fan. Still, I am impressed with that this franchise has done, and it's one I might have to show my niece, who turns 2 later this year! I have to make sure I do so right, though: I showed her an episode of the 2010s Sooty series on ITVBe when she last came down, but because the show after that was the awful 2015 Bob The Builder reboot, I HAD TO change the channel afterwards! I already messed up when introducing The Simpsons to her (she walked in while I was watching a mediocre 2010s episode of THAT show), I couldn't bare to make the same mistake with Bob The Builder! Bob's musical career is certainly one to be proud of, as a fan of kids TV in general, I feel that especially well loved kids shows deserve music careers! As a fan of kids online pet game Moshi Monsters (which closed in 2019), I still hold the Music Rox album near and dear to me, and as a fan of Aussie cartoon Bluey, I imported its album from down under as soon as I could! If Bob The Builder does make a comeback, it needs to do so properly: new series mimicking the original look and feel as close as possible, staying far away from the 2015 series, as much of the original cast and crew as possible and just being a good kids show in general! I'd actually like to see Channel 4 re-enter the kids TV market, maybe if they did, they could be Bob's new home? I've said before I'd like Channel 4 to buy Thomas & Friends from Mattel, bringing an end to that All Engines Go shit that premiered on Channel 5 in late 2021, but there's so much more Channel 4 could do as well if they do decide to give the kids TV market another try? I'd be happy even with just a few Fourways Farm reruns!

I don’t care how old the songs or I am, I still listen to the first album regularly, can we fix it was a bop end of

Used to love this as a child

My Primary School sometimes played the theme song during lunch in the canteen on a speaker

When Bob the Builder's intro plays: *not that f* *doll again lol* 😂 it feels like a joke

Love the virtual globe parody at the start!

a Christmas tradition of mine is watching the special: A Christmas to Remember

As a 00's kid, I remembered watched this show in my local dub maybe every day or weekend? Maybe at 6 o clock. I recognizable these designs but almost of them are didn't remembered these names except Bob.

Top 10 rappers Eminem is afraid to diss.

'Bob the Builder has beaten off boy band Westlife to get the Christmas No. 1' That's the music industry for ya. 😱

I remember bob the builder!

Can You Do Thomas the Tank Engine Meets A Bug's Life and Yoko Jakamoko and Toto: An AMTV Documentary Please?

Nice documentary Adam

My favourite is Big Fish (Little Fish), Dizzy! Song and What Can I Be (Spud's Song)

There’s a new album for teletubbies 25 years anniversary called Ready Set Go

I hope you cover the Teletubbies musical career next!

Orignal bob the builder was the best

Unfortunately the theme song reaching #1 caused trouble for the Ireland-based fab five Westlife. Their chain of eight #1 songs in a row was broken because of this with their then latest single “What Makes A Man?” reaching #2 on the charts and the Bob the Builder theme song being the Christmas Number Obe song for the year 2000

I used to love the Tweenies album, lot of bangers on there.

Can You Upload A Bug's Life Meets Yoko Jakamoko and Toto: An AMTV Documentary Please?

I ADORED this. I remember my family always bought me the little figures of the machines 🥲

Now we need Adam to do a documentary about the history of Beeb banning songs due to world events, there were some fantastic songs that got caught up in world events. Bob's Mambo cover was just a case of bad timing, it's been stated other places that the Mambo No 5 was removed due to it being insensitive Judge Dredd (no not that one) is the king of banned songs, all of his never, ever, ever got airplay, amusingly enough because, well, reasons...

​Bob The Builder was my favourite TV show growing up especially this version never really enjoyed the Remake with CGI.

I have some suggestions for the next Ident Review, take your pick A: Cartoon Network Too 2012 idents B: Cartoonito 2006-2018 idents C: Cartoonito 2021 idents D: Disney Junior idents or E: Qubo idents

Bob was played By David Morrissey

They sure milked that cow dry

We need an AMTV Documentary for Rage Against the Machine topping Simon Cowell in 2009. please?

Everyone know about the lines of "No, We Can't" in british school one time.

Is the Christmas Number One a UK only thing?

It just so happens that I in fact own a copy of Bob the Builder: The Album on CD.

It's honestly sad how bob the builder is one of those franchises who will never appear again tbh

C'mon do the ident review on SCTV(1997-2005!) ASAP!

Nice :)

I never knew preschool shows made music videos

Remember that ChildhoodNcstalgia has been Bob the Builder?

Westlife wouldn't have shed any tears over Bob, they're Irish, so they know all about this kind of thing thanks to Dustin the Turkey. I get a laugh from how characters like Bob and the Teletubbies getting no. 1s is weird to the UK. It's perfectly normal here. Dustin, and before him Zig and Zag had multiple best selling singles and albums, for some reason the UK just isn't receptive to characters like this releasing these records, while they're okay with comedians and actors doing it. Incidentally, Eminem's Stan beat Can We Fix It? to the Irish Christmas No. 1. Westlife were at no. 2 with What Makes A Man at home, too! What Stan taking the top spot says about Ireland, I couldn't possibly comment. Bob should have showed the UK that albums were a viable part of merch promotion, Never Mind the Breeze Blocks followed the spoofs of popular songs model that Dustin used. I didn't know about it, but it's a great title, and I'm happy to learn about it, and sad that the format didn't quite break through in the UK, despite Bob's icon. Learned something new today. Good job.

Bob The Building, He's a building Bob The Building, Oh no 🏙🛩

Can we fix it? Yes we can! Can Bob ripoff Mambo No. 5 and reach #1 with his bersuon? NO WE CANT

The guy who used to host our primary school discos claimed he invented big fish little girl y cardboard box

Us brits will get anything naff to number 1.

And during 2000 Thomas the tank engine would be in the big screen aka the cinemas

A

One word Eminem

Late 90s, early 2000s was a rubbish era for British music. Too many cheesy boy bands/girl bands. No wonder stuff like this got to Christmas number one. It wasn't until later on in the decade when singers such as Amy Winehouse, came to fame that the British music industry sort of reinvented itself.