UK version

For whatever reason, the show was dubbed into two English releases. The version I've seen, I refer to as the "NA version (North American)", and the other one the "UK Version".

The UK version was made in.. well, you guessed it, the UK. It is the same show, however, several things were changed. The names of all of the characters are entirely new, and the dialogue was completely re-written! The characters all have English accents, as well, and in this new dialogue, they threw in various puns and pop-culture references. The humour is very sarcastic, which is awesome.

The UK version was aired on Channel 4 and was a huge success in the UK. It received a lot of praise in its time, such as..

"One of the greatest things to happen to kids TV for years" - The Daily Mirror

and

"Stunning... Lots of funny one-liners... Always looks marvellous" - The Daily Mail

It was popular enough to spawn six VHS casette tape releases. It makes me wish that the NA version got this much marketing and advertising, which it didn't. Lucky England!

Watching the two versions side by side is definitely an interesting experience. I like to think of the UK version as a "Remix" of the original. You can watch the NA version all the way through, and then pop on the UK version, and you won't get bored; they're like watching two completely different shows, with familiar visuals. It makes being a fan all the more fun, and meeting fans who have never seen/heard of the NA/original version is interesting, too.

The interesting bit is the decision they made to re-name the characters. I've made a small chart to show the comparisons of the different versions. The original French version on the left, the NA version in the middle, and the UK names on the right.

Another thing I feel I should mention is that Peg is female, whereas (and as far as I know) Gallopus/Patibus is male.