Martha Speaks (TV series)

Premise

Episodes

Characters

Animals

• Martha Lorraine: Voiced by Tabitha St. Germain, Martha is the titular protagonist. Martha is a talking Labrador mix that was born an energetic stray and was put in the dog pound as a puppy. She gained the ability to talk after Helen gave her a bowl of alphabet soup; the letters in the soup went to her brain instead of her stomach. In order to retain this ability, Martha has to continue to eat the soup. The phenomenon could not be repeated with another dog. She was based on a dog owned by Susan Meddaugh, which in turn could be named after the dog in subject of the Paul McCartney song Martha My Dear. Martha can understand most animal languages except for a few exotic animals such as monkeys and giraffes. These languages are simple, as slight elongation or slightly higher pitch will mean something entirely different. In the episode "Itchy Martha", Martha teaches T.D.'s father to speak a word in dog, coaching him to say it exactly right. Almost all animals are able to understand some sort of human language but are unable to speak it. In a newer episode, it is revealed that Martha understands a wide range of animal languages, possibly because they have the same grammar system. She has had three superhero alter egos.
• Skits Lorraine: Voiced by Brian Drummond, Skits is Helen's other canine, who tried the same alphabet soup, but did not gain the same talking ability. He was found by T.D. who could not keep Skits because his dad is allergic to dogs. Skits was first introduced in the episode "Martha and Skits".

  Children

• Helen Lorraine: Voiced by Madeleine Peters, Helen is Martha's and Skits' owner who has short red hair and is usually the voice of reason of the group. Helen is closest to Martha and thinks of Martha as her best friend. Out of the six main kids, Helen is sensible. Despite this, she can be a bit overbearing and even show her mean side. She always hangs around this group of friends, but T.D is said to be her best human friend. She is around 10 to 11 years old. Her superhero alter ego from Verb Dog, When Action Calls! is very huge and can hypnotize dogs simply by calling their names.
• T.D. Kennelly: Originally voiced by Alex Ferris, but replaced by Valin Shinyei in season 5 due to Ferris' voice maturing. T.D. is Helen's best friend. His father, O.G., is an inventor, while his mother is the vice-principal at his school. He has a grandfather named C.K., who works as a farmhand, and also a younger cousin named C.D. T.D. also mentioned having an unnamed older sister, who has not made an appearance in the series because of her studies. T.D. has unruly blond hair. He lives a Bohemian lifestyle that revolves around the surreal. His robot alter ego from Verb Dog, When Action Calls! uses robot tentacles that sprout from his back.
• Alice Boxwood: Originally voiced by Christina Crivici but replaced by Michelle Creber in season 4 and by Ashlyn Drummond in season 5, Alice is another one of Helen's best friends. She is pale-skinned, has blonde hair curled up in a ponytail, wears glasses, brown shorts, red-and-white shoes, and a green shirt with a blue stripe running across the center. She has an older brother named Ronald who mocks her, and a pet cat named Nelson, with whom Martha is mortal enemies. Her superhero alter ego possesses ice powers; her only weakness is anyone making her laugh, which causes her to lose control of her powers and freeze herself.
• Carolina Lorraine: Voiced by Vanesa Tomasino, Carolina is Helen's cousin. She is very fashion-conscious of others and sings off-key. She is portrayed as a know-it-all and sometimes shallow girl. She often uses Spanish words and phrases, giving the translation shortly afterwards. Her father is named Jorge.
• Truman Oatley: Voiced by Cedric Payne, Truman is Helen's friend who enjoys reading classical works of literature and is prone to seasickness. He has a dark complexion and brown hair. He is often a pessimist who focuses on the negative and lacks confidence and is reluctant to try new things because he is frequently convinced that the activity is pointless; additionally he is afraid of insects. Truman is younger than Helen, T.D., and Alice. Oddly, the sign on his sweater closely resembles the logo of the Santiago Metro.
• James "Jake" Lorraine: Voiced by Tabitha St. Germain, Jake is Helen's two-year-old toddler brother whom Martha enjoys teaching on how to talk, with unsuccessful attempts. His birth is emphasized in the episode The Jakey Express. In the Spanish dub, he is named Pedrito.

  Adults

• Daniel "Danny" Lorraine: Daniel is Helen's father from Winnipeg, Canada, who works as a bus driver and actor in the community theater. He is usually a serious and stern character, though half of the time, he has a somewhat immature personality, such as singing around the house. Also voiced by Brian Drummond.
• Mariella Lorraine: Mariella is Helen's Hispanic mother from Veracruz, Mexico, who works as a florist and actor in the community theater. Like Carolina, she often uses Spanish words and phrases, giving the translation shortly afterwards. Her parents and maiden surname are unknown, but her brother Jorge is seen in the series. She is voiced by Tabitha St. Germain.
• Lucille and Bernard Lorraine: Daniel's parents. Like him, they are Canadian, enjoy living immature lifestyles and are allergic to certain things, such as flowers and bacon.
• Mrs. Clusky: Voiced by Nicole Oliver; she is Helen's teacher from Montreal. She was originally shocked when she found out that Martha could speak, though has since gotten used to it. She has three nieces, and a white poodle, François, who is very spoiled and demanding.

  Production

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Broadcast