The Treacle People

Still Sticky

By: Jonathan Trueman

Narrated by: Caroline Bernstein, Glynn Mills, Jim Norton, Elizabeth Plant

Six brand-new, award-winning audio adventures from The Treacle People!

A laugh-out-loud fantasy comedy adventure for adults and kids alike, with cinematic sound design, original music and a full cast.

Welcome to Sabden, home of the mines that once produced fully half of Britain’s treacle – the sticky stuff that goes into golden syrup, ginger beer and parkin cake. But the wells have run dry, the Bubble and Boggart pub is closing, and the villagers find themselves in a very sticky situation…

Hope, however, is at hand! A mysterious message in a bottle leads Tapper, Lil and the rest of our friends on an epic quest for riches beyond their wildest dreams. With the help of their trusty Treacle Tracker, they’ll descend to the very depths of the earth, cross the Molasso Sea, tame the Great White Mallard, Moby Duck, and enter the Mines of King Habbakuk.

Will they find the treasure? Will they make it out alive? And will we find the budget for some decent locations now we’re doing this on audio? Find out the answers to all this and much, much less in The Treacle People: Still Sticky.

Perfect for fans of Wallace & Gromit, Terry Pratchett and classic British absurdist comedy, Still Sticky is a deeply silly adventure for all ages.

Credits:
Rosie, Lil, Bert – Caroline Bernstein
Tapper, The Narrator – Glynn Mills
Brendan, Silas – Jim Norton
The Boggart Queen – Elizabeth Plant

Written by Jonathan Trueman
Produced & directed by Joseph Russell
Sound design by Russell Smithson
Music by Simon Webb
Theme by Iain Russell & Simon Webb

Music recorded by Martin Russell
Created by Iain Russell & Mike Furness
Based on an idea by The Dewhurst Family

©2025 Fire Mountain Productions Ltd (P)2025 Fire Mountain Productions Ltd

Critic reviews

"Heartfelt, nostalgic... a lovingly crafted tribute that blends humour, storytelling and Northern charm into a delightful listening experience." — Calgary Independent Film Festival, Winner: Best Podcast

"Packed with clever wordplay, laugh-out-loud moments, and the kind of zany charm that feels straight out of Fraggle Rock." — Audiobookreviewer.com

We are the treacle people!

I had never heard of the treacle people growing up in the states but this was British humor I actually enjoyed. Lighthearted fun honestly wish it were longer great production quality and narration. Definitely worth a few bucks in my opinion if you want something silly but well done. My only issue was with the episodes being short the theme song can be a little trying at times. And after looking into it it seems like it’s the original people from the tv series for the most part really cool! Also I did get this book for free but this is my honest review.

So Much Fun!

I was between a 4 and a 5 on this but happily give it the 5 because it is clever, quirky, and fun! (The 4 would have been because is not “my” type of book, but that’s because I am old.)

The voice actors obviously had a lot of fun putting this together, and at the end I actually wished for more. I’m looking forward to future stories.

Sticky, Silly, and Seriously Fun!

When Sabden’s treacle mines dry up, it’s up to Tapper, Lil, and a band of brave (and slightly bonkers) villagers to follow a message in a bottle into a gooey, golden quest. From moobark-filled fields to the depths of the Molasso Sea, they’ll chase treasure, dodge boggarts, and face the legendary Moby Duck himself. The Mines of King Habbakuk await—if they can survive the stickiest journey ever told!

The author, Jonathan Trueman, absolutely nails it with this wildly whimsical adventure! Packed with clever wordplay, laugh-out-loud moments, and the kind of zany charm that feels straight out of Fraggle Rock or a classic Muppet caper, this story delights listeners from cradle to centenarian.

The plot? Simple. The fun? Through the roof. The music? Seamlessly woven in, adding rhythm to the romp and highlighting every quirky twist and turn.

The narration of Caroline Bernstein, Glynn Mills, Jim Norton, and Elizabeth Plant bring the characters to life with such energy, clarity, and charisma that you’re instantly pulled into the treacle-soaked world. Each voice is distinct, dynamic, and downright enchanting—like four storytelling wizards with a mic.

This audiobook is the kind of listen that makes you smile like a kid, chuckle out loud, and maybe even hit replay the moment it ends. Highly recommend this for families, fans of fun, and anyone in need of a sweet, sticky escape!

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

A fun listen

Enjoyable although I was hoping for more of an avenue Q vibe, but I still had a good time listening. I enjoyed the narrator he gave me a bit of a Stanley Parable feel since he was in the story but also not in the story. I never saw the original show, so I came in blind but I think it did a decent job of making it accessible and I enjoyed that they were able to incorporate the audio medium instead of being held back by it.

British Humor for Whom?

A product of 90s children’s television in the UK, the “Treacle People” weren’t a household name outside of England, Scotland and Wales. While arguably not as popular as the Muppets or other Jim Henson properties, the method of creating an episode was a dying mode of animation. Now, roughly 30 years later, the “Treacle People” are once again playing with the old and making it fresh.

Producer — Joseph Russell — not only revived the show, but changed the medium to something more suitable for adults than children. We’re seeing this happening more and more as audio stories become more mainstream. If you tell the same story in multiple ways, you can diversify your income without much upfront cost. A story going from a visual to an audio medium generally won’t work as well as going the other way.

As technology evolves and replaces the old, the question of which was more impactful overall becomes something people dwell on during the tail-end of a technologies life cycle. Nowhere is the more apparent than audio. From 8-track cassette tapes to the digital downloads in a lossless format, music hasn’t died, despite what the song “Video Killed the Radio Star” might imply. This audio continuation of the “Treacle People” pokes fun at budgetary considerations common in a movie or television set, like beautiful set design and fancy camerawork. Obviously this is something audio dramas don’t need to consider as the imagination fills in the blanks.

While computer graphics made stop-motion animation obsolete, audio dramas have seen and are continuing to see an increase in popularity in the media landscape as a whole. It’s not at the level of Hollywood where you’re more likely to know about a movie coming out than another medium, but A-list movie stars have been showing up in fiction podcasts more frequently as the medium has evolved from the golden age of radio.

Ending on a bitter sweet note, one of the show runners for the original series passed away. The producer’s name was Iain Russell. His son—Joseph—put together this passion project in memory of his father. It’s available on audible* and stars much of the original cast returning to their respective roles.

Not a connoisseur of British humor, but i had fun

Fun story. Episodes are short, but fun. Loved the topology joke in first episode. Even knowing what is coming did not diminish the fun.

I am not good at leaving reviews. It is fun, short and it made me laugh. What more could I ask for?

Silly humor

A well produced nice little short story, filled with silly humor and dad like jokes. The voice actors were great and the sound quality was perfect. It just wasn’t for me. My favorite part is the narrator not wanting to narrate.