The BEST episodes of The Wind in the Willows season 3
Every episode of The Wind in the Willows season 3, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Wind in the Willows season 3!
Based on the novels by Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows is the classic story of the adventures of Mole, Badger, Rat and Toad of Toad Hall, set in Edwardian England of 1908. Mole sets out from his underground home to discover the world and is befriended by the river loving Water Rat who introduces him to the madcap aristocrat Mr. Toad. Together with Grandfatherly Badger they encounter the rascally Weasels, face the terrors of Wild Wood, and see Mr. Toad through a series of headlong escapades until they return once again to the peace of the English countryside.
#1 - Winter Haunts
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 3/26/1987
Snowed in at Toad Hall, the four friends recall the episode in which Mole mistakenly thought his house was haunted. Toad, who is proud of his illustrious ancestors (despite Badger's revelation of how one of them made his money in candles), maintains that a few still haunt the Hall, but no one takes him seriously. Deciding to play a trick on them, Toad retires early to bed, then dresses up as a ghost and waits in the cellar to surprise the others. However, the trick suffers a setback when, before going to bed, Mole locks the cellar door. Toad remembers the secret tunnel.
#2 - Paperchase
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 12/30/1986
When the riverbank youngsters accidentally smash one of Mr. Toad's windows while playing cricket, Badger, Ratty and Mole decide a good clean paperchase is in order. With Badger in charge, and Ratty and Mole as checkpoint stewards, the race is complicated by one "Aloysius Weasel" (represented by three runners in disguise), and Mr. Toad, who cannot resist his beloved motorcar. There is a booby prize for the cheats. The last two to finish pick up the paper, and, since Toad and "Aloysius" (as Badger puts it, "however many Aloysiuses there were.") were disqualified, they became the last two home.
#3 - Toad, Astronomer
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/22/1987
Toad has taken up an interest in stargazing, in anticipation of the return of Halley's Comet. Naturally then, he has bought a telescope at, as Badger puts it, "an astronomical price". Having managed, with some difficulty, to get it onto the roof of Toad Hall, Mole and Rat leave Toad to his observations, and as night falls he spots a moving light which he assumes to be the comet. Little does he realise that the weasels are creeping about with a torch, and suddenly his ladder disappears, leaving him stranded on the roof. Rescue and explanations follow in the morning.
#4 - Caught in a Maze
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/29/1987
It's holiday time, and Toad visits the palace at Hampton Court and sees the famous maze. On his return, he decides to restore his father's maze in the grounds of Toad Hall. He challenges Badger, Mole and Rat to a race around the maze, and is sure he will win because he plans to cheat using some string to mark his path. Mole encounters the string and thinks it will prove jolly useful, and picks it up. Toad is lost in the maze.
#5 - School Days
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/5/1987
The riverbank youngsters are not at school, because their teacher is indisposed. Badger decides to organise a temporary makeshift school until she has recovered. Toad, Mole, Ratty and himself will each take some of the children for lessons. Toad's lessons go badly wrong, and students soon start leaving his class and asking to join one of the other animals'. This is because of Toad's lack of academic knowledge - he thinks Columbus; before he discovers the United States of America, won the Battle of Trafalgar! At last, there is only one pupil left, as Toad tries to teach chemistry. The lesson ends with a test-tube exploding, and Toad lying heavily bandaged in Toad Hall. But he soon recovers, and promptly decides to take up pyrotechnics.
#6 - Masterchef
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/19/1987
After staying with Mole's cousin Auberon in London, Toad excitedly tells his three friends of the wonderful French cuisine he ate whilst there, and promptly announces his plans to host a special dinner at Toad Hall, which Toad himself will prepare. Toad sets to work on preparing the various dishes, with calamitous results. Upon receiving their error-strewn invitations, Badger, Rat and Mole agree to attend, and fearing the worst, take their own provisions with them.
#7 - Fire at Toad Hall
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 2/26/1987
While out for an autumn stroll, Mole and Rat notice a column of smoke rising from Toad Hall, and hasten to the rescue at once. Toad himself leaves them to extinguish the blaze, then returns and tries to take the credit. Badger arrives and elicits the cause of the fire from Toad: he had been camping indoors (claiming "it looked like rain"), and lit a stove inside the tent. Mole is persuaded to put him up while the Hall is restored, but reluctant to adapt to his bucolic way of life, Toad insists on filling Mole End with his furniture and objets d’art. Of course, this can only lead to trouble. Eventually, Mole gets fed up and leaves to spend time at Ratty's, making sure to lock Toad out of the house.
#8 - Unlikely Allies
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 3/5/1987
A dark and mysterious stranger appears in the weasels’ den, and incites the henchman and other weasels to rebellion against the Chief. Under this new influence, they make even more mischief than usual, setting fire to haystacks and stealing Toad's Rolls-Royce. Having forced out the Chief, they then plot to invade Toad Hall and seize it for themselves. For once in his life, the Chief decides to call for Badger's help, and so he is able to warn Toad of the impending attack.
#9 - A Producer's Lot
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/12/1987
It is 25 years since Badger started running annual dramatic productions in the locality, and Mole and Rat insist that they perform The Pirates of Penzance to mark the occasion. Rat offers to handle the music, and Mole the scenery. Toad, whose father played Major-General Stanley in the first production, demands a big part in this one, but the others are not entirely convinced by his musical abilities.
#10 - Champion of the Green Baize
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/19/1987
The four friends are at Badger's home playing bridge. Toad however believe he is playing a multitude of different card games and spoils the game for the others, and is heavily chastised by Badger. Sulking in a corner, Toad comes across a newspaper advertisement for a billiard table, and soon enough orders one for Toad Hall. Seizing upon Toad's lack of skill, the Chief Weasel challenges Toad to a game of snooker, with a bet - the Weasel den or Toad's motor car. Toad soon loses; however, witness to this, Badger immediately challenges the Chief Weasel to a game...
#11 - Badger's Remedy
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/12/1987
Badger and Rat are busy organising the harvest festival, and Mole is unaccountably absent. A concerned Rat calls round to find him seriously ill in bed. Badger suspects mushroom poisoning and organises a search for ingredients to make up an antidote, enlisting the help of riverbankers and weasels alike. One elusive but vital ingredient (a rare fungus) is causing them the most worry, and with time running out for Mole, they just need to look in the right place.
#12 - Mercury of the Motorbicycle
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/8/1987
Another motorcar crash turns Toad off motoring. He determines to purchase a motorbicycle, and his friends are unimpressed. Later, a caped motorcyclist is seen to narrowly miss Billy Rabbit, who falls into the canal. The motorcyclist causes havoc around the Riverbank. Badger, Rat and Mole decide to indicate their disapproval by ostracising Toad. Toad has a problem involving his motorbicycle and the Law, but receives little support from his friends. Billy Rabbit realises that the motorbicyclist was not Mr. Toad after all, and informs Mr. Toad that the culprit was a weasel. Toad tries to re-capture his machine but falls into difficulty. Thankfully, Badger, Rat and Mole come to the rescue and apologise to Toad for their assumptions.
#13 - Mr. Toad's Telephone
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/15/1987
Toad has bought a new telephone from the weasels, and is very excited about it. But there are a few problems: firstly, the kit has no wires (the weasels point out that he never asked for wires); secondly, no one else on the Riverbank owns a phone. Toad has to spend even more money connecting up his friends, and the situation quickly becomes more complicated than he expected.