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Cramp Twins Opposites Attack! Meet 10-year-old Wayne Cramp. Best described as 'borderline psychotic', he has one mission in life: to embarrass and harass his twin brother Lucien. His nickname for Lucien is 'girlpants', and for some inexplicable reason he is blue. Meet Lucien Cramp. Sensitive and quirky with a love of knitting, he is eager to please, academic and environmentally aware. Unfortunately for Wayne, there is a Lucien. And unfortunately for Lucien there is a Wayne. And unfortunately for both of them, their parents have no idea that any of this is going on. The Cramp Twins - Character Conflicts One conflict is between the twins themselves – 10-year-old Wayne and Lucien Cramp – complete opposites. Wayne is like a wild animal – instinctive, aggressive and hyperactive, he is bigger and stronger than Lucien. His great passion in life, other than tormenting Lucien, is junk which he collects at Dirty Joe’s scrap yard in order to make dangerous machines in order to destroy stuff and torment Lucien. His nickname for Lucien is “girlpants”. Lucien is the sensitive type, academic and environmentally aware. He has an endangered species mobile and soft toys. His hobbies include knitting and he is constantly disgusted and embarrassed by Wayne. The second conflict takes place organically in Soap City. Soap City’s heart is the Haz Chem soap factory, and spreads a fanatical obsession with cleanliness and hygiene. Its inhabitants are a bizarre collection of Stepford Wives and husbands, holding housework discussion groups. However Soap City was built on reclaimed swampland and a little pocket of swamp lives on inhabited by strange swamp creatures and swamp folk, in the form of The Parsons Family, with their mysterious swamp ways. Other regulars include Lucien’s two best friends – Mari Phelps (the class intellectual who shares his environmental zeal, his soul mate) and Tony Parsons (his knee-high swamp friend who has strange customs and knowledge). Wayne doesn’t have any friends, but for some reason the daughter of the president of Haz Chem spoilt brat Wendy Winkle is obsessed with making him hers. Mrs Cramp is an obsessive-compulsive cleaner and hygienist – she has converted the basement into a laundry-laboratory, and is prone to hysteria. Mr Cramp is a quiet, easy going guy who’ll do anything for an easy life. He’s obsessed with The Wild West and can be found in his shed dressed as a cowboy practising his lassoing. Some Facts The Cramp Twins is a co-production between Cartoon Network Europe and TV Loonland. Based on the best selling books by Brian Wood, the series has been picked up by the BBC. The animation style is very unique. In the world of multiple-channels, flicking through you’ll know when The Cramp Twins comes on. The show appeals to younger viewers, but the script also appeals to an older audience. Cramp Twins has generated a huge amount of interest in the European animation markets. Cramp Twins Interview by Creator Brian Wood Where did you get the idea for The Cramp Twins? I was invited to come up with a book idea about an 'odd' family by Bloomsbury Publishers. The editor of their new children's list had seen my RCA graduation film 'Mr Jessop' and wanted something that had the same feel as the film. He got it. Are the twins based on people you have known? I guess all works of fiction come from real life at some level and Cramps is no exception. There are people I know who'd like to think they are in the show and there are others who sincerely hope they are not. I'm not saying either way. Did you have any idea that The Cramp Twins' books would make a great cartoon? I'm an animated filmmaker and I always thought the book would make a good cartoon. How long have you been working on the cartoon? It feels like I've known the characters forever but I think it's been four years now. I now have grey hair. What have you enjoyed most about working on the show so far? Seeing the characters move, talk and interact was a thrill. I also liked it when the show got credits. It made it all seem real. What misadventures can we expect to see the twins involved in? Misadventure is right. You can expect to see: - - Lucien learn to 'love' his bathroom in 'Great Bowl of Fear' - Wayne to fulfil a lifetime ambition and become a monster in 'Wolfman Wayne - Wendy Winkle to become a boy in 'Wendy Boy' - Tony Parsons to find a job as a human pipe cleaner in 'Ad Bad' Did you fight with your sibling(s) when you were younger? Yes I'm afraid I did. Have you used any real material from your own childhood? Lots of things. The Parsons Swamp was the bit of contaminated wasteland at the bottom of our garden. Haz Chem was the local pickle factory, which turned the 'swamp' a different colour each day depending on what pickle they were making. Beetroot day was particularly scary.  Series