Frank McCarron played the part of the school caretaker, Basil Cornelius Snootles. He had a distinctive quaver in his voice that the boys found irresistible to imitate, often leading to his caning from Dr Pym.
   It seems that Mr Snootles was never paid, but it was never explained how he managed to live, nor why he kept working at the school. He was never praised by Dr Pym for anything. Quite the contrary, he was always derided, mostly for things that were not his fault.
   In promotional material, his name was sometimes mis-spelt "Snootals".

   Frank McCarron was 27 years old when the series began. He died in June 1992, aged 83.