Fireman Sam is a Welsh-British animated comedy children's television series about a fireman called Sam, his fellow firefighters, and other residents in the fictional Welsh rural village of Pontypandy (a portmanteau of two real towns, Pontypridd and Tonypandy, which are situated approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) apart in the South Wales valleys). The original idea for the show came from two ex-firemen from Kent, who took their idea to artist and writer Rob Lee who developed the concept, and the show was later commissioned and broadcast by the Welsh language channel S4C, in Welsh.
Fireman Sam first appeared as "Sam Tân" (literally "Sam Fire" in Welsh), on S4C in 1987, and later that year on BBC1. The original series finished in 1994, and a new series that expanded the character cast commenced in 2003. The series was also shown in Gaelic in Scotland. The series was sold to over 40 countries and has been used across the United Kingdom to promote fire safety.
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Development
The original idea came about from two ex-firemen from Kent - Dave Gingell and David Jones. They approached Mike Young, creator of SuperTed in Barry, Wales, and asked them to further develop their concept. The idea was then brought to S4C's Director of Animation, Chris Grace, who saw potential in the idea and commissioned the series. Grace had previously commissioned Superted, which had achieved success across the United Kingdom and worldwide. The characters and storylines were created by Rob Lee, an illustrator from Cardiff, and the program was produced using stop-motion. It could take up to 4 days to produce 1 minute of this form of puppet animation. Fireman Sam has to this day been translated into over 25 different languages including Mandarin.
In the original series, all the character voices were performed by John Alderton. The later series used several actors' voices.
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History of the series
Original series
The series originally comprised 32 ten-minute episodes and a 20-minute Christmas special. The narration and character voices were done by John Alderton. Sam is the protagonist in the show, and interacts with both colleagues at the fire station and fellow villagers. He is seen as somewhat of a hero in the village. Despite being so small, and with so little activity, the village sees its fair share of fires, which Sam and his team can easily handle. The vehicles at the fire station include a four-wheeled Bedford TK fire engine called Jupiter, a six-wheeled 1982 Range Rover Rescue Tender named Venus, and Trevor's bus, a 1985 Ford Transit Dormobile. Sam's colleagues are Elvis Cridlington, Station Officer Basil Steele (renamed Norris Steele in the new series) and later Penny Morris (who hailed from Newtown with the firetender). The villagers are bus driver/auxiliary firefighter Trevor Evans, Italian café owner Bella Lasagne, Norman Price, Norman's mother Dilys Price, and the twins Sarah and James Jones. The objects include Bentley the Robot, M.O.P., and Mechanical Master Chef.
The original series aired on BBC One, CBBC and CBeebies since 1987, most commonly airing on CBeebies on a daily basis with repeats showing until 2008. In the original series produced by Bumper Films from 1987 to 1994, the firefighters had yellow and black uniforms, whereas in the new CGI television series produced by HIT Entertainment and Hibbert Ralph, the firefighters had yellow and blue uniforms.
In 1988, the series was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Best Short Animated Film. The potential recipients were Ian Frampton and John Walker.
2003 series
In 2003, a new Fireman Sam series was produced by Siriol Productions (now known as Calon TV), comprising twenty-six episodes, each ten minutes in length. These episodes used more modern techniques of stop-motion animation including mouths that move with the dialogue. This series featured all the original characters, but also introduced some new faces, such as Tom Thomas, the Australian pilot of the rescue helicopter Wallaby One and the Mountain Rescue 4×4 Jeep, an unnamed photographer/news reporter, and the Flood family; consisting of Mike the plumber, his wife Helen the nurse, and their daughter Mandy. The updated Jupiter has six wheels, loosely based on a Bedford 6×4, and Venus is loosely based on a heavily modified 4x4 Mini Cooper. The characters in this series were voiced by John Sparkes, Joanna Ruiz and Sarah Hadland. The series premiered on CBeebies in 2003 and repeats were shown until 2008.
The show's production companies were Hit Entertainment and Siriol Productions (2003-present), and its distributors were the BBC and S4C.
2008-present series
The series was revamped in 2008 which saw the show convert to CGI. Pontypandy is now a seaside fishing village instead of a village set deep in the hills as in the early series, though most of the locations have retained their appearances. Another change in this series is that the twins' parents appear for the first time; their new-age mother Bronwyn, and fisherman father Charlie, Sam's brother, who run a café/fish-and-chip shop called 'Whole Fish Café'. The series is produced by Hibbert Ralph Animation in association with HIT Entertainment.
Jupiter was updated again, now loosely based on a Volvo FL6. A yellow stripe as well as a grille were added to the front of the fire engine. Minor changes were made to Venus which included a water nozzle added to the top of its roof. Trevor's bus was updated to a more modern look with angled headlights. New vehicles introduced included Mike Flood's Van in the sixth season onwards, as well as Mercury, Saturn, Pontypandy Flyer, and Bessie which were introduced from the eighth season onwards.
The outfits were updated throughout the series (except for Norman Price). This included an update to the firefighter's outfits which added reflective stripes and extra badges to their tunics. Dilys Price received a large makeover which saw her getting makeup, glasses, black hair, a necklace and an updated outfit. The rest of the characters also received minor updates to their clothing.
Many characters also had aspects of their personalities made more apparent. Norman Price is far more mischievous and inconsiderate than in the 2005 series where his pranks were often planned out and his accidents were due to badly planned ideas rather than outrageous schemes. For example, in the episode "Pontypandy Extreme", Norman gets trapped down a wishing well after attempting to climb down in order to retrieve the coins from the bottom. Other examples are Station Officer Steele's strictness and maturity and Elvis's decrease in general competence. For example, in one episode where a first aid training exercise is taking place, Elvis is told off by Steele for dancing with the dummy that is being used. At the same time, Steele is not afraid to unleash the child within him, showing an interest in kite flying and paper planes. He also occasionally causes emergencies himself, and always seems to gasp when an emergency comes in. Also Station Officer Steele's name has changed to Station Officer Norris Steele.
Other changes include the removal of Bella, although her café can still be seen opposite Dilys' shop, now a 7-Eleven-esque convenience store called the "Cut Price Supermarket". It seems the Whole Fish Café and Bronwyn and Charlie have replaced them. Bella made her first appearance in CGI in the tenth season, where the reason behind her absence was revealed as her moving to Newtown. Penny also now has another string to her bow, as she is a trained lifeguard and the driver of Neptune (the village's lifeboat). Also Rosa and Dusty have been replaced by Lion, Nipper, and Radar.
Since 2012, additional characters were introduced: a firefighter named Chief Fire Officer Boyce, one animal called Norris the Guinea Pig, five new villagers named Derek Price, Moose Roberts, Gareth Griffiths, Lily, and Mrs Chen, and two new objects were the ukulele named Marjorie, AKA Marjorie Stays With Me, and a thermal heating tracking device named Saturn.
In 2014, other characters were introduced: a lifeguard named Ben Hooper, a mechanic named Joe Sparkes with his wife Lizzie Sparkes, and their daughter Hannah Sparkes. Also, new vehicles were introduced: a jet ski named Juno and a fire boat named Titan. Also in "Ultimate Heroes" or "Heroes of the Storm" There is Ellie Phillips and Arnold McKinley, new firefighter members. There is Hydrus (later Catfish or Wildcat) the 6-wheeled vehicle boat, and an unnamed Mobile Command Unit too.
The characters in this series were voiced by Steven Kynman, Tegwen Tucker, David Carling, and Su Douglas. Also in 2012, John Hasler, Ifan Huw Dafydd and Nigel Whitmey joined the cast. Alex Lowe and Jo Wyatt joined the cast in 2014.
CBeebies last aired Fireman Sam in early 2008, before Turner Broadcasting and Channel 5 started airing it from mid-2008.
Cast
- John Alderton as Sam Jones (1st time), Elvis Cridlington (1st time), Station Officer Steele (1st time), Trevor Evans (1st time), Dilys Price (1st time), Bella Lasagne (1st time), Sarah Jones (1st time), James Jones (1st time), Norman Price (1st time), Rosa Lasagne (1st time), Narrator (1st time), M.O.P., Rusty Jones, Penny Morris (1st time), Bentley Jones.
- Victor Spinetti as Narrator (2nd time)
- Sarah Hadland as Penny Morris (2nd time), Bella Lasagne (2nd time), Helen Flood (1st time), Mandy Flood (1st time), Rosa Lasagne (2nd time)
- Joanna Ruiz as Sarah Jones (2nd time), James Jones (2nd time)
- John Sparkes as Sam Jones (2nd time), as Elvis Cridlington (2nd time), Station Officer Steele (2nd time), Dilys Price (2nd time), Norman Price (2nd time), Trevor Evans (2nd time), Tom Thomas (1st time), Mike Flood (1st time), Woolly Sheep (1st time), Dusty Dog, Rosa (2nd time).
- Steven Kynman as Sam Jones (3rd time), Elvis Cridlington (3rd time), Norman Price (3rd time), James Jones (3rd time), Derek Price, Charlie Jones, Radar Dog, Nipper Jones, Lion Jones, Jerry Lee Cridlington
- David Carling as Station Officer Steele (3rd Time), Chief Fire Officer Boyce (2nd time), Trevor Evans (3rd time), Tom Thomas (2nd time), Mike Flood (2nd time)
- Su Douglas as Dilys Price (3rd time), Helen Flood (2nd time), Mandy Flood (2nd time), Lily Chen
- Tegwen Tucker as Sarah Jones (3rd time), Penny Morris (3rd time), Bronwyn Jones, Mrs. Chen, Lambykins Sheep
- John Hasler as James Jones (4th time), Arnold McKinley
- Ifan Huw Dafydd as Gareth Griffiths-Jones
- Nigel Whitmey as Moose Roberts, Norris Guinea Pig
- Alex Lowe as Ben Hooper, Joe Sparkes
- Jo Wyatt as Lizzie Sparkes, Hannah Sparkes
- Harriet Kershaw as Ellie Phillips, Bella Lasagne (3rd time)
- David Tennant as Buck Douglas
Characters
- Arnold McKinley is a member of the Pontypandy Fire Service. He was introduced in the 2015 special Heroes Of The Storm.
- Bella Lasagne is the worker of her own café in Pontypandy, originally from Italy. She was introduced in 1987, phased out from 2008 and re-introduced in 2016.
- Ben Hooper is coastguard of the Pontypandy Ocean Rescue Centre. He was introduced in 2014.
- Bentley Jones is Sam's superhuman robot invention. He only appeared in 1 episode in 1990 and the 1996 stageshow Fireman Sam In Action.
- Bronwyn Jones (née Griffiths) is the worker of the Wholefish Café, Gareth's daughter, Charlie's wife, Sam's sister-in-law and James and Sarah's mother. She was introduced in 2008.
- Buck Douglas is an alien-hunter and television presenter. He will be introduced in the 2017 special Alien Alert.
- Charlie Jones is a fisherman, Gareth's son-in-law, Bronwyn's husband, Sam's brother and James and Sarah's father. He was introduced in 2008.
- Chief Fire Officer Boyce is a member of the Newtown Fire Service. He was introduced in the 2010 special The Great Fire Of Pontypandy.
- Derek Price is Dilys' nephew and Norman's cousin. He was introduced in 2008.
- Dickie Grubb is an unseen member of the Newtown Fire Service. He was only mentioned in 1 episode in 2016.
- Dilys Price is the worker of the general store and the Cut Price Supermarket, Norman's mother and Derek's auntie. She was introduced in 1987.
- Dusty is a stray dog and the Pontypandy Fire Service's mascot. He was introduced in 2003 and phased out from 2008.
- Ellie Phillips is a member of the Pontypandy Fire Service. She was introduced in the 2015 special Heroes Of The Storm.
- Elvis Cridlington is a member of the Pontypandy Fire Service and Jerry Lee's cousin. He looks just like and is named after Elvis Presley. He was introduced in 1987.
- Ferdinand Price is Norman's frog. He only appeared in 1 episode in 1987.
- Gareth Griffiths is Charlie's father-in-law, Bronwyn's father and James and Sarah's grandfather. He was introduced in 2012.
- Hannah Sparkes is Joe and Lizzie's daughter, age 11 years and a wheelchair-user. She was introduced in 2014.
- Helen Flood is a nurse, Mike's wife and Mandy's mother, originally from Jamaica. She was introduced in 2003.
- James Jones is Gareth's grandson, Charlie and Bronwyn's son, Sam's nephew and Sarah's twin brother, age 5-6 years. He was introduced in 1987.
- Jerry Lee Cridlington is a member of the Newtown Fire Service and Elvis' cousin. He was introduced in 2016.
- Joe Sparkes is a mechanic, Lizzie's husband and Hannah's father. He was introduced in 2014.
- Lambykins Price is Norman's lamb and Woolly's son. He was introduced in 2008.
- Lily Chen is Mrs Chen's daughter, age 3 years. She was introduced in 2012.
- Lion Jones is Bronwyn's ginger cat. He was introduced in 2008.
- Lizzie Sparkes is a vet, Joe's wife and Hannah's mother. She was introduced in 2014.
- MOP Jones is Sam's robotic bin invention. MOP stands for Motorised Organiser and Polisher. He only appeared in 1 episode in 1988.
- Mandy Flood is Mike and Helen's daughter, age 7 years. She was introduced in 2003.
- Mike Flood is a handyman, Helen's husband and Mandy's father. He was introduced in 2003.
- Moose Roberts is the head of the Mountain Activity Centre, originally from Canada. He was introduced in 2012.
- Mrs Chen is a schoolteacher and Lily's mother, originally from China. She was introduced in 2012.
- Norman Price is Dilys' son and Derek's cousin, age 7 years. He was introduced in 1987.
- Nipper Griffiths is Gareth's brown dog. He was introduced in 2008.
- Norris Jones is James and Sarah's guinea pig. He was introduced in 2012.
- Norris Steele, previously Basil Steele is the chief of the Pontypandy Fire Service and retired army officer. He was introduced in 1987.
- Penny Morris is a member of the Pontypandy Fire Service and a former member of the Newton Fire Service. She was introduced in 1990.
- Professor Pickles is the president of Newtown Museum. He was introduced in 2016.
- Radar is the Pontypandy Fire Service's Dalmatian dog. He was introduced in 2008.
- Rosa Lasagne is Bella's ginger cat. She was introduced in 1987 and phased out from 2008.
- Rusty Jones is Sam's robotic dog invention. He only appeared in 1 episode in 1988.
- Sam "Fireman Sam" Jones is the show's title character, a member of the Pontypandy Fire Service, Charlie's brother, Bronwyn's brother-in-law and James and Sarah's uncle. He has appeared in every single episode.
- Sarah Jones is Gareth's granddaughter, Charlie and Bronwyn's daughter, Sam's niece and James' twin sister, age 5-6 years. She was introduced in 1987.
- Squeaky Thompson is an unseen schoolteacher's mouse. He only appeared in 1 episode in 2003.
- Tom Thomas is the head of the Mountain Rescue Centre, originally from Australia. He was introduced in 2003.
- Trevor Evans is a bus driver and sometimes former auxiliary member of the Pontypandy Fire Service, originally from the West Indies. He was introduced in 1987. He was actually the first character to appear on screen in the series.
- Woolly Price is Norman's sheep. She was introduced in 2003.
Transportation
- Ambulance is a white car resembling a Toyota WiLL Vi and Smart car, driven by Helen Flood. It was introduced in 2003.
- Bessie is an old red railway fire engine resembling a Ford Model AA. It was introduced in 2012.
- Bus (BWS 493T) is a white bus resembling a Sherpa Dormobile, driven by Trevor Evans. It was introduced in 1987. It was actually the first vehicle to appear on screen in the series.
- Cloud Scraper 1 is a green and black hot air balloon, meant to be flown by Joe Sparkes. It only appeared in 1 episode in 2014.
- Cloud Scraper 2 is meant to be Cloud Scraper 1's replacement. It was only mentioned in 1 episode in 2014.
- Fishing Boat is a green and white boat sailed by Charlie Jones. It was introduced in 2008.
- Hydrus is a red amphibious rescue vehicle resembling a Max IV 6x6 Amphibious ATV, firstly driven by Moose Roberts. It was introduced in the 2015 special Heroes Of The Storm.
- Jupiter (J 999) is a red fire engine resembling a Bedford TK and a Volvo FL6. It has appeared in every single episode.
- Jupiter Hot Air Balloon is a hot air balloon which looks like the fire engine. It only appeared in 1 episode in 1994.
- Juno is a red and yellow jet ski. It was introduced in 2014.
- Mercury is a red and yellow quad bike. It was introduced in 2012.
- Mobile Command Unit is a large red base of operations vehicle. It was introduced in the 2015 special Heroes Of The Storm.
- Mountain Rescue Ambulance is an orange and white land rover, driven by Helen Flood. It will be introduced in the 2017 special Alien Alert.
- Mountain Rescue Vehicle is a yellow land rover, driven by Tom Thomas. It was introduced in 2003.
- Neptune is an inflatable yellow rescue boat. It was introduced in 2008.
- Phoenix is a red animal rescue vehicle. It was introduced in 2016.
- Pontypandy Flyer is an old red steam engine, driven by Gareth Griffiths. It also includes a passenger carriage. It was introduced in 2012.
- Saturn is a red quadcopter tracking device. It was introduced in 2012.
- Skiff is a white sailboat. It was introduced in 2008.
- Titan is a red fireboat. It was introduced in 2014.
- Van is a green van resembling a MK3 Ford Transit and an Iveco Daily, driven by Mike Flood. It was introduced in 2008.
- Venus (V 666) is a red rescue tender resembling a Range Rover Carmichael Commando. It was introduced in 1990.
- Veterinary Vehicle is white land rover, driven by Lizzie Sparkes. It also includes an animal trailer. It was introduced in 2016.
- Wallaby 1 is an orange rescue helicopter resembling a Robinson R22, flown by Tom Thomas. It was introduced in 2003.
- Wallaby 2 is a large yellow rescue helicopter, flown by Tom Thomas. It will be introduced in the 2017 special Alien Alert.
Locations
- Café was the Italian café ran by Bella Lasagne. Bella's café was based on the real-life 'Bracchis' run by Welsh Italians. It is still seen in the CGI series but as a coffee shop.
- Coast Road is the main road that takes you from Pontypandy to neighbouring places Pontypandy Mountain and Newtown. The coast road was a common scene when travelling to emergencies in Series 5.
- Cut Price Supermarket is the village shop in Pontypandy and is run by Dilys Price. It sells almost everything and is has a 7-Eleven/gas store look. It has a second level which is like a house and Norman lives up on the second level. In Series 1-5 it was called N.W Price.
- Disused Coal Mineshaft is a disused mineshaft that was out of coal from.
- Disused Gold Mine is a disused mine at the end of the Pontypandy Mountain Railway there are many underground caves which are prone to flooding.
- Disused Quarry, appeared in Quarry Rescue.
- Field, Bella's Field (also known as the Potato Patch) appears in Barn Fire. Bella owns a field somewhere in the Pontypandy countryside, this is where she grows potatoes for her cafe presumably other vegetables are grown here too.
- Garage is Joe's Sparkes place of work in the town of Pontypandy. It was introduced in Season 9.
- House is Fireman Sam's house was located right beside the Fire Station till the new one was built and it had to be removed and the house where the flood family lives at it is located right outside of Pontypandy and the sheep field is near by.
- Mountain Activity Centre is owned and run by Moose Roberts. It is situated at the base of Pontypandy Mountain. The interior of the Centre was first seen in The Pontypandyness Monster and again in Heroes of the Storm.
- Mountain Rescue Centre is owned by Tom Thomas. The Centre is situated in the valley near the Pontypandy mountain range. It is a small, log building surrounded by railings. It has a balcony with a wind sock and helipad for Wallaby 1, the Mountain Rescue helicopter. It has a satellite dish on the roof and a small tree out the back. This is the place of work for Tom Thomas and also the place he lives.
- Newtown is a neighbouring town to Pontypandy.
- Ocean Rescue Centre is a boathouse at the quay where Neptune the lifeboat is parked. In the 2014 Series it is upgraded and Juno and Titan are added.
- Pontypandy is the Welsh village where the Fireman Sam television series is set. Newtown is the neighbouring town.
- Pontypandy Fire Station is the fire station which has been rebuilt twice. Originally, it had 1 vehicle bay for Jupiter, and Venus parked outside. For the 2005 series, there was still only 1 vehicle bay, but had been revamped so Venus had a room at the back of the station. In the CGI series, there were two stations overall, one from 2008-14 and one from Heroes of the Storm onwards. In the third station, there were two vehicle bays (one for Jupiter and one for Venus). Finally, in the last station, there are 4 vehicle bays (one for Jupiter, one for Venus, one for Phoenix and a large one for Mercury and Hydrus). in the original series the fire station consisted of; Jupiter's garage, kitchen and Steele's office, for the 2005 series, same setup but with a gym, for the 2008 series the station was completely revamped, making the entire bottom floor with Steele's office and the garage and upstairs the kitchen. The station now has a sitting room, briefing room, control room, kitchen and dining room and there are two poles.
- Pontypandy Island is a small isle a fair bit off from the mainland.
- Pontypandy Mountain is the highest point in Pontypandy. It first appeared in the Series 5 episode Danger Falling Sheep. Situated at the base of the mountain is the Mountain Activity Centre.
- Pontypandy Park is introduced in Season 1.
- Pontypandy Picnic Area is located near Pontypand Mountain in the countryside between Newtown and Pontypandy.
- Pontypandy Ruins are on a cliff along the Pontypandy coast.
- Pontypandy Railway Line is a railway line that runs up to Pontypandy Mountain where the Mountain Activity Centre is located, and the Old Mines where Penny took the kids in Heroes of the Storm.
- Pontypandy Veterinary Clinic was introduced in the Series 10 episode, Runaway Horse. It is run by Lizzie Sparkes.
- Wholefish Café is a cafe that is run by Charlie and Bronwyn Jones. It appeared in the CGI series of Fireman Sam.
Main theme song
The series had a main theme song composed by Ben Heneghan and Ian Lawson. The lyrics were written by Robin Lyons, and sung by Mal Pope. A full-length version was also released on BBC Records, which was the same as the TV series version, albeit without the slap bass which was heavily featured. The verse of the song alternates between notes a fifth apart - the intention being to suggest the sound of a fire engine siren.
The same composers wrote a new arrangement of the theme tune for the 2003 remake, although this time in straight quavers rather than the 'swung' twelve-eight of the original theme. Robin Lyons also updated the lyrics. This version was sung by Cameron Stewart, singer and guitarist with the Cardiff-based function band Session, and also the originals outfit Calling Madison. It was shortened for the 2008 CGI series.
Episodes
Spin-offs
In 1996, a stage production was turned into a feature, Fireman Sam In Action, and released on BBC Video.
In 2009, Fireman Sam appeared with other animated children's television characters in a Children In Need single. The single was put together by Peter Kay.[5]
The show saw its first feature-length movie, The Great Fire of Pontypandy, released to DVD and iTunes in 2010, and was shown in select cinemas.
Fireman Sam was adapted into a live musical theatre show, which began touring the UK in June 2011.[6]
In 2014, Amazon Prime released Fireman Sam using American voices instead of British voices for children in the US. However, Tom Thomas and Moose Roberts have their regular Australian and Canadian voices instead of dubbing them with a US voice actor due to their accents.
In 2015, the show's second feature-length movie "Heroes of the Storm" (also known as "Ultimate Heroes" in the USA) was due to be released September 2015; however, it was released for US audiences in December 2014..
Critical response
The ABC website said of the series, "All the characters blend together into an appealing mixture of fun and entertainment for children everywhere."
Common Sense Media recommended the 2004 series for ages 3 and up, praising it for showing how to "stay calm in a crisis" and rely on a team to solve problems. The American website found that the "distinctly Welsh characters, community, accents, and expressions may pose some minor comprehension problems for kids on this side of the pond", but considered it a useful example of life in another part of the world.
Controversy
In July 2016 it emerged that a Series 9, Episode 7 shows Elvis slipping on a piece of paper and falling into a pile of papers causing them to fly everywhere. One of the flying pages that briefly came into view was later identified as a page from the Quran "Surah Mulk (67), verses 13-26". The production company Mattel apologised for this accident, removed the episode from broadcast, and ceased work with Xing Xing, the animation company responsible for the error. Mattel stated "Someone from the production company thought they were just putting in random text. We have no reason to believe it was done maliciously." The BBC received more than 1,000 complaints and forwarded them to Channel 5 as the BBC has not aired Fireman Sam since 2008. In the aftermath it was revealed many newspapers misrepresented the facts by stating that Elvis trod on the Quran when in fact on closer inspection the paper he stepped on was blank.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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