Woof! is a British children's television series produced by Central Independent Television about the adventures of a boy who shapeshifts into a dog. It was based on the book by Allan Ahlberg. It was directed by David Cobham with the screenplay by Richard Fegen and Andrew Norriss who novelized the second, third and fourth series as Woof! The Tale Wags On, Woof! The Tale Gets Longer and Woof! A Twist in the Tale respectively. History The show was first broadcast in 1989. It starred Liza Goddard as teacher Mrs Jessop. Edward Fidoe played Eric Banks, the boy who turned into a dog (played by Pippin from Come Outside) of the same name. It also starred Thomas Aldwinckle as Eric's best friend Roy Ackerman, and later Sarah Smart as his new best friend Rachel Hobbs, who moves into Roy's old house. Filming was interrupted for a while when Smart suffered a broken leg. The show generally featured weekly escapades to do with the dog power. In the third series of Eric's run of episodes, a start at a plot arc was developed, with Eric suspecting the transition is caused by adrenaline as it happens when he is hot or excited, and meeting up with an adult named Bruce Bentley (played by Anthony Head) who has the same affliction when Eric wonders if it ever happened to anyone else. In the first series Eric's condition is caused by his younger sister Emily wanting a dog. Eric stopped transforming after he bought her a dog but he started again with his friend Roy wanting one too. From Series Six which began airing in 1993, the episodes featured the adventures of Rex Thomas (played by Adam Roper) and his best friend Michael Tully (Monty Allan). Rex "inherits" Eric's "condition" when Eric is unlikely to turn into a dog again as stated in a cameo featuring Eric and Rachel at the start of series 6 to explain their absence from this point on. Lionel Jeffries guest-starred in Series 6 as Rex's grandfather, who is the only one in Rex's house who knows about his condition. In the final episode of series 8 he becomes Mrs Jessop's stepson after she marries his father, Ken (Owen Brenman). The ninth and final series, consisting of seven episodes, produced in 1996 but aired in January to February 1997. It featured Jim Walters (Sebastian Mahjouri), accompanied by his cousin Brian