Rollercoaster (TV series)
ABC Rollercoaster is a children's television segment run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia. Hosted by Elliot Spencer, it is aimed at an older audience than ABC Kids, and is time-shifted between ABC TV and the digital-only ABC2. As of Monday June 19 2006, Rollercoaster Rewind began on ABC TV, which is a repeat of the programming from 4 months ago in reverse order. (As of 9 July 2007, this was changed so that the programmes were in the correct order, but currently this has only been applied to the new Monday line-up.)
The series began in February 2005 and is still running new episodes. It breaks during the Australian summer school-holidays after having a special Christmas lineup replace it, and during the holidays there are generally two or three popular shows from earlier years viewing shown constantly rather than interchanging every day. These were, in 2006/2007 summer, Angela Anaconda, Bernard, Parallax, Corneil and Bernie and Avatar: The Last Airbender. (Time Cracks was shown in Tasmania in place of Bernard, which is a short program created by the Tasmanian Government featuring cartoon characters Emily the echidna, Milo the dog, and 58 the sheep who are time travellers working for a magazine.) Sometimes instead of the usual three or four shows a 'special' will be shown. These have included 'double episodes' of Degrassi: The Next Generation and the Edgar and Ellen Specials. Wallace and Grommit stop motion animation movies are shown as well.
Rollercoaster is also the name of the show's website, which was created a few years previous to the show itself and features the phrase 'Rhymes with toaster'. The website itself was advertised as 'Rollercoaster' on the current timeslot taken by the show for a couple of years before the show began. The website features articles on shows and games and other entertainment related to shows or the general youth genre. This site is also where polls, voting and feedback is submitted and together the show and site form the overall Rollercoaster.
Segments and Details
The show is actually a wrapper show incorporating generally three or four animated or live action shows aimed at old children and young teenage audiences. Elliot hosts it and is usually the only person in it, dressing up as characters for short sketches sometimes, though on occasion the Rollercoaster filming crew appears in gags. Elliot generally tells a few did you know? style facts about the shows or random events linked to the show or current affairs. There are also several recurring segments.
The segments include Feed Me, a cooking segment where Elliot attempts to cook and then try a recipe sent in by an audience member, Feedback, a segment for feedback on general related issues concerning the show, Talk To Me, a more detailed feedback segment, Rosie Beaton, where Elliot, on Fridays, talks to Rosie Beaton, a Triple J radio host about JTV Saturday, another ABC show, Where in the World Am I?, a segment where Elliot gives clues and then reveals a location on a digital globe, Briefing, a segment done in classic spy genre style before airing The Secret Show and Youchoos, a poll style segment used to decide whether to keep or replace Youchoos shows.
Other segments are used only once or rarely, as in the Rollocracy Polls. In these the viewers vote on a viewers question, like what name there pet or musical band should be. Also, on occasion Elliot travels to a school to do a segment with the students. Rollercoaster is filmed in the Perth ABC studios, and so the schools have so far all been in Western Australia.
In the 2005 and 2006 seasons another segment called Chatter was used, where Elliot would read out chat board discussions from the website of the show. When a new show is soon to begin, generally on the day of the last previous show where in a weeks time the new show will begin, a news style segment is used, with Elliot using a microphone prop and news set graphic. He will show a short clip of the new show and generally after this make a joke or comment about it.
Elliot often makes references to other ABC shows in humour or information, and, before his Friday segment with Rosie Beaton began, he informed viewers about jtv. He has referenced such shows as Arthur, Doctor Who and Play School.
Elliot generally wears a shirt or t shirt, sometimes with a jacket in winter or in special segments, and the shirt changes every episode to give him a fresh outfit. Sometimes previously used shirts re-appear and some favourites appear quite often.
Graphics for the show are made using Chromakey, or a green screen. This means many gags, information segments, and backgrounds, can be used and changed quickly. Props are kept to a minimum, like in the Feed Me segment where a preparation table and mixing bowl are used, or in Chatter and other segments where a retro style yellow table appears.
The theme tune was fully played in 2005 along with a video clip featuring Nick Hardcastle and a man dressed as a rabbit. The opening graphics are computer generated and feature an interdimensional trip through a fantastic world of images and 3D graphics, culminating by racing through a portal into a white universe with a complex 3D image of a space station style city with roads, skyscrapers, cars, butterflies and robots before the Rollercoaster logo appears from outside the screen to form itself in front of the base of the floating city. This theme has remained unchanged since 2005.
Current Shows
As of September 3, 2007, RollerCoaster's schedule is as follows:
RollerCoaster Rewind
Monday
6.00am: Those Scurvy Rascals (repeats)
6.05am: Skunk Fu (repeats)
6.15am: Planet Sketch (repeats)
6.30am: Young Dracula Season 1 (repeats)
Tuesday
6.00am: The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers (repeats)
6.10am: Roman Mysteries (repeats)
6.35am: Iggy Arbuckle (repeats)
Wednesday
6.00am: Freaky (repeats)
6.10am: Monster Warriors (repeats)
6.35am: Fairly Odd Parents (repeats)
Thursday
6.00am: Bernard (repeats)
6.05am: Skyland (repeats)
6.25am: Princess Natasha (repeats)
6.35am: Time Warp Trio (repeats)
Friday
6.00am: Girls in Love Season 2 (repeats)
6.25am: BB3B (repeats)
6.45am: The Secret Show (repeats)
Rollercoaster TV (ABC-TV)
Monday
5.00pm: Skunk Fu
5.10pm: Erky Perky
5.25pm: A Town Called Panic (repeats)
5.30pm: Carl Squared Season 3
Tuesday
5.00pm: Iggy Arbuckle
5.20pm: Dinosapien
5.45pm: The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers (repeats)
Wednesday
5.00pm: Fairly Odd Parents (repeats)
5.20pm: Edgar and Ellen (Shorts) (repeats)
5.25pm: Naturally Sadie Season 2
5.45pm: Freaky (repeats)
Thursday
4.55pm: Time Warp Trio (repeats)
5.20pm: Spooky Sisters
5.25pm: Skyland
5.50pm: Bernard (repeats)
Friday
4.55pm: The Secret Show (repeats)
5.30pm: Girls in Love Season 2 (repeats)
Rollercoaster TV (ABC2)
Monday
6.00pm: Jeopardy (repeats)
6.25pm: Grizzly Tales For Gruesome Kids (repeats)
6.35pm: The New Captain Scarlet (repeats)
Tuesday
6.00pm: 6Teen
6.20pm: Freaky (repeats)
6.30pm: Radio Free Roscoe Season 2 (repeats)
Wednesday
6.00pm: Uncle Dad Season 1 (repeats)
6.25pm: Flatmania (repeats)
6.35pm: Delilah and Julius
Thursday
6.00pm: The Amazing Extraordinary Friends Season 1 (repeats)
6.25pm: Girl Stuff, Boy Stuff (repeats)
6.35pm: Class Of The Titans (repeats)
Friday
6.00pm: Carl Squared Season 2
6.30pm: 11 Somerset Season 1 (repeats)
6.50pm: Princess Natasha (repeats)