Original subtitles

SHE HUMS

Ahh.

Oh!

Oh!

Oh!

Oh, hi!

THEY CHUCKLE

Whoa!

Ooh!

YAWNS

Hi! Oh!

Once there was a fish, and his name was Tiddler.

Wow!

He wasn't much to look at, with his plain grey scales.

Ooh.

But Tiddler was a fish with a big imagination.

He blew small bubbles, but he told tall tales.

Hm.

Hi!

Sorry I'm late.

I was riding on a sea horse!

Yeah!

THEY LAUGH

Whoo!

Oh!

Hi!

THEY CHUCKLE

Oh! Ha-ha!

TEACHER CLEARS HER THROAT

Hi!

Oh!

TIDDLER CHUCKLES

HE HUMS

Whoa!

Huh?

Hello? Ooh!

Mm! Mm.

Oh!

Ha-ha-ha!

Oh!

Ah!

Sorry I'm late. Mm.

I was flying with a ray!

Whoo! Whoa!

Whee!

TIDDLER CHUCKLES

Whoa.

BOTH: Whee! Whoo! Whee!

TEACHER CHUCKLES

Ooh!

Huh?

Ahh!

Hello. Hi!

Mm.

Oh!

Oh!

BELL RINGS

Oh, sorry I'm late.

Mm.

I was diving with a dolphin!

Woohoo!

Whoo!

Whee!

Whee!

Tiddler tells a different story every day.

Mm.

TEACHER CHUCKLES

Hmm.

Hm.

Hm.

HUMMING

Hm? Oh.

Hm.

Hm. TEACHER CLEARS THROAT

Mm-hm. Oh?

Mm-hm.

CLASS GASP

Ooh!

Wow!

Hm.

CLASS: Whoa!

Mm-hm.

CLASS GASP

Hm.

Oh!

Hm.

Hello!

Hi?

Hello! Ah!

Hello!

Ooh!

Ah!

Whoa!

Oh, wow.

At nine o'clock on Monday, Miss Skate called the register.

MISS SKATE CLEARS HER THROAT

Little Johnny Dory?

Yes, Miss Skate.

Rabbitfish?

Yes, Miss.

Redfin? Yes, Miss.

Tiddler?

Tiddler?

Tiddler's late.

ALL: Huh?

Sorry I'm late.

I was swimming round a shipwreck.

Oop!

Woohoo!

Whee! Woohoo!

TIDDLER LAUGHS

Whoa!

I swam into a treasure chest and someone closed the lid!

Ugh!

I bashed and I thrashed!

Ohh.

SHARK GROWLS

Ah!

Till a mermaid let me out again.

Shh!

Whoa!

SHARK GROWLS

Ah!

Ahh!

Oh, no, she didn't.

Oh, yes, she did!

BOTH: It's only a story...

..said Rabbitfish and Redfin.

BOTH: Just a silly story...

..said Dragonfish and Dab.

I like Tiddler's story...

..said Little Johnny Dory.

Huh?

Hmph!

MISS SKATE: Hm.

Ahem.

Hm.

LITTLE JOHNNY DORY HUMS

And he told it to his granny...

..who told it to a crab.

Hi!

Hi, hi! Hello.

He-he!

TIDDLER HUMS

Oh.

Mm.

At nine o'clock on Tuesday, Miss Skate called the register.

Little Johnny Dory?

Yes, Miss Skate.

Spiderfish?

Yes, Miss.

Sunfish?

Yes, Miss.

Tiddler? Tiddler?

Tiddler's late.

ALL GASP

Sorry I'm late, Miss.

I set off really early,

but on the way to school

I was captured by a squid!

SCREAMING

SQUID GROANS TIDDLER SHRIEKS

I wriggled and I struggled...

..till a turtle came and rescued me!

Oh, no, he didn't.

CLASS LAUGH

Oh, yes, he did.

BOTH: It's only a story...

..said Spiderfish and Sunfish.

BOTH: Just a silly story...

..said Devilfish and Dace.

I love Tiddler's story...

..said Little Johnny Dory.

CLASS LAUGH

Ugh! Oh!

Mm.

Mm.

LITTLE JOHNNY DORY SIGHS

Mm.

Mm?

Mm.

And he told it to his granny,

who told it to a plaice...

..who told it to a starfish...

..who told it to a seal,

who told it to a lobster,

who told it to an eel.

THEY SIGH

Hello! Mm-mm.

At nine o'clock on Wednesday,

Tiddler was dawdling,

dreaming up a story,

his tallest story yet.

TIDDLER GASPS

Ugh!

Oh!

Ohh.

Oh!

PENGUIN CHIRPS

TIDDLER CHUCKLES GLEEFULLY

Whee!

Ooh!

Whee!

Wow!

Whee!

Lost inside his story...

TIDDLER HUMS

..he didn't see the fishing boat.

He didn't hear the fisherman.

Hup! Ugh!

He didn't spot the net.

Meanwhile, in the schoolroom,

Miss Skate called the register.

Little Johnny Dory?

Yes, Miss Skate.

Leopardfish?

Yes, Miss!

Leaf Fish?

Yes, Miss.

Tiddler?

Tiddler?

MISS SKATE SIGHS

ALL: Tiddler's late.

Ten o'clock...

..11 o'clock,

still no Tiddler.

12 o'clock, lunchtime.

Mm.

Where could he be?

Mm.

Far away,

the fishermen were hauling in their fishing net.

Ahhh!

Ahh! Ah!

TIDDLER SCREAMS

TIDDLER TREMBLES

This one's just a tiddler.

FISHERMAN GRUNTS

We'll throw it back to sea.

Ahhh!

Whoa!

TIDDLER PANTS

Tiddler was lost in the middle of the ocean.

Oh!

Ooh.

Where strange lights glimmered...

Wow!

Ooh.

TIDDLER CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY

Ahh!

Ah!

TIDDLER PANICS

TIDDLER GASPS

And strange fish flew.

Mm!

Ahh!

Ahh!

Mm!

He swam around in circles.

Oh!

Oh!

He shivered in the seaweed.

Ohh.

HE SOBS

But then he heard a story,

a story that he knew.

Tiddler rode a sea horse.

Tiddler met a mermaid.

Tiddler met a turtle who saved him from a squid!

Tiddler found a shipwreck.

Tiddler found a treasure chest.

Oh, no, he didn't.

ANCHOVIES GASP

ANCHOVIES: Oh, yes, he did!

Oh!

Tiddler peeped out

and he saw a shoal of anchovies.

Excuse me!

Can you tell me where you heard that tale?

We heard it from a shrimp...

..but we don't know where she heard it.

Oh.

And they took him to the shrimp,

who said...

I heard it from a whale.

WHALE CHUCKLES

I heard it from a herring.

Ah!

I heard it from an eel.

Oh.

I heard it from a lobster.

Ooh.

I heard it from a seal.

Ah!

Hm.

I heard it from a starfish.

Huh? I heard it from a plaice.

Oh!

The plaice said...

Just a minute,

don't I recognise your face?

I'm Tiddler!

Said Tiddler.

I'm tracking down my story.

The plaice replied...

I heard it from my neighbour, Granny Dory.

Oh!

Ohh.

One o'clock,

two o'clock,

still no Tiddler.

Nearly home time.

Where could he be?

Hm.

Oh?

Hi!

TIDDLER CHUCKLES

Just as the fishes were finishing their lessons...

CLASS GASP

..in swam Tiddler at half past three.

Mm.

Sorry I'm late, but I swam into a fishing net.

I managed to escape, and I swam away and hid.

I was lost, I was scared.

But a story led me home again.

Oh, no, it didn't.

Oh, yes, it did.

Oh!

MISS SKATE CHUCKLES

BOTH: It's just another story...

..said Leopardfish and Leaf Fish.

BOTH: Just a silly story...

..said Butterfish and Blue.

It isn't just a story...

..said Little Johnny Dory.

LITTLE JOHNNY DORY CHUCKLES

Ha!

THEY LAUGH JOYFULLY

Mm-mm!

Hi!

And he told it to a writer friend...

..who wrote it down for you.

Mm.

Oh!