Mr. Benn

Mr Benn has been invited to a fancy-dress party. He dislikes parties, but enjoys dressing up, so he looks round the shops for a costume to wear, but everywhere he finds only ordinary everyday clothes. Turning into a small lane on his way home, Mr Benn comes across a costume shop where he chooses an outfit of red knight's armour. Changing into the armour, Mr Benn passes through another door in the shop's changing room and finds himself in another world where he stumbles upon a dragon...

Mr Benn decides to find out what it is like to make people laugh, so he visits the costume shop to try on a clown outfit. But when he steps through the changing room door, instead of a circus ring, he finds himself standing in a field by a car. Mr Benn drives off down the road and soon meets a travelling circus, whose troupe asks him to join them; they all set off together - only to come to a halt when they reach a raging river. Seeing that the bridge has fallen down, each of the acts tries a different way of crossing, but all attempts fail. Mr Benn makes a suggestion: if they work together, they should be able to succeed…

Seeing some children playing in the street with balloons, Mr Benn decides on a visit to the costume shop. After donning a suit and top hat he finds himself in a crowd of spectators at a hot air balloon race. Seeing that one of the contestants is on his own, Mr Benn offers to accompany him on the flight; the man accepts, but warns that they will probably lose to a cheat named Baron Bartrum. The signal is given and the balloons try to take off ; however, only the Baron’s balloon succeeds, as the rest have all been sabotaged – including Mr Benn’s balloon, which is tied to a drainpipe. Mr Benn decides to teach the Baron a lesson: that cheaters never prosper…

Having watched a magic show at the park, Mr Benn decides to pay a visit to the costume shop. After donning a wizard’s cape and pointed hat, he steps through the changing room door and arrives in a wizard’s cave; here he is met by two men, who ask if he will come with them to the Palace to meet their king and queen. Arriving at the royal court of the happy kingdom, Mr Benn learns from the queen that she believes he husband – a short, placid, happy man – is just not ‘kingly’ enough; the queen therefore wants Mr Benn to use his wizardly powers to change him. However, every time Mr Benn tries to transform the king, things do not turn out the way the queen wished for…

Strolling in the park, Mr Benn sees a kite. Deciding to try a trip into space, he returns to the costume shop, puts on a spacesuit, and steps through the changing room door… into the cockpit of a spaceship that is about to blast off! Together with the vessel’s two crewmen, Mr Benn travels through space, eventually arriving on a planet festooned with precious minerals and jewels; however, a dejected man dressed in rags tells them that the treasure will turn to rocks as soon as they leave, and he suggest that they try the next planet, which has everything they could want - and for free. The three astronauts travel to this world, but although the planet’s goods and food are indeed wonderful, everything is in black and white. The next planet is too noisy, and the one after that is too hot. Mr Benn soon realises that there is no place like home…

Mr Benn dons a safari suit and steps through the door of the costume shop’s changing room; he emerges from a tent in a hot, steamy jungle, where a big game hunter mistakes him for his guide. Mr Benn doesn’t want to see any of the animals hurt by the hunter’s gun, so he leads the man on a merry dance through the jungle, dismissing each animal as too small a challenge for him…