The Treacle People: Still Sticky by Jonathan Trueman is a brilliant, lightly-pitched, humorous fantasy adventure. The story transports us to Sabden, a whimsical village of the Treacle People. Sabden used to produce Britain’s sticky treacle, but its mines ran out of treacle, and the village went broke. But the Treacle People find a bottle with a mysterious note by Prof. Baines-Pilling, who left for the legendary Ice Cream Glaciers. The note guides the Treacle People to the Prof’s private journal, which reveals the location of King Habbakuk’s Treacle Mines. The Treacle People find the journal, but a mischievous boggart snatches it. So, the Treacle People set off on a perilous adventure to recover the journal and to find the King Habbaduk Treacle Mines. But will they succeed?

I enjoyed every moment of listening to Jonathan Trueman’s The Treacle People. I rejoiced at my reunion with Tapper, Rosie, Lil, and the rest of the motley crew from the 1990s animated TV show. This new story had everything I loved in The Treacle People—the whimsical but relatable world, quirky characters, adventure, atmospheric setting, and second-to-none humor. This exhilarating story offers lots of caramel-coated, molasses-marinated fun for children and adults. Children will be delighted with the songs and the terrific adventures. And adults can’t fail to love the brilliant humor. But my utmost praise, gratitude, and delight go to the revival of The Treacle People, and I passionately hope for the next installment!

Directed by Joseph Russell and performed by a talented cast of narrators - Caroline Bernstein, Glynn Mills, Jim Norton, and Elizabeth Plant - this glorious audio production brought all the Treacle People and their perilous adventures to life in stage play quality. Each character is distinctly voiced, enriched with a quirky personality, and spiced with awesome humor. But the stickiest of all for me was Simon Webb’s music! All in all, as ever, The Treacle People are bound to delight, and this new audio production was no exception. I highly recommend this brilliant audiobook to everyone who likes fairy tales, adventures, and quality humor. A word of caution, though - The Treacle People are very seriously adhesive!

The Treacle People: Still Sticky by Jonathan Trueman is an audio series based on the animated stop-motion children's television program that aired in the United Kingdom in the late 1990s. You can now join the original cast and characters in six brand new episodes detailing their diabolically sweet adventures in Sabden. Treacle has all but run out in town, and the Bubble & Boggart is about to be shut down. It seems like everything is lost when the Treacle People find a mysterious glass bottle with a note in it from The Professor. He tells them that Bill Wizzle has left his Treacle Tracker in The Professor’s laboratory and shares the secret location of King Habbakuk’s Treacle Mines. Buoyed by this news and the potential of salvation, they head over to find the tool, which is located under a loose floorboard. However, when a booby trap is set off, nothing can prepare them for what follows (especially Moby Duck). Can the villagers find a new supply of treacle and survive the treacherous journey? Have a listen to find out.

The story is witty, the characters are funny, and the journey is so ridiculous that it can’t help but be memorable. Jonathan Trueman’s writing has a unique, enjoyable style and likely mirrors that of the original show. Glynn Mills voices Tapper and narrates the Treacle People: Still Sticky with a winsome persona that will appeal to many audiences. Most notably, he frequently breaks the fourth wall by addressing the characters and mentioning external events outside the story, such as other jobs he works on. This, of course, adds to the overall amusement of the tale. The other voice actors are equally compelling, with Caroline Bernstein as Rosie, Lil, Bert the Boggart, Jim Norton as Brendan and Silas, and Elizabeth Plant as the Boggart Queen.

Besides the stellar acting from the cast, the production quality of the audiobook is highly commendable. The sound effects are clear and help to create a vivid picture in your mind of the events that are unfolding, and they are subtly used to evoke the listener’s emotions. I particularly enjoyed how the narrator drew attention to using the new audio medium. You should be warned that the theme song is very catchy and will probably get stuck in your head for hours, but this is arguably worth it for the experience of a wholesome, light-hearted story with likeable characters.