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ZZZap!

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ZZZap!
File:Zzzap.png
ZZZAP! Title Card from Series 10
GenreChildren's
Slapstick
Comedy
Directed byIan Bolt
Alistair Clarke
Adrian Hedley
Simon Pearce
StarringRichard Waites
Neil Buchanan
Sarah Pickthall
Deborah McCallum
Claire Macaulay
Sophie Aldred
Voices ofNeil Buchanan
Deborah McCallum
Sophie Aldred
Theme music composerRon Aspery
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original languagesEnglish text only, aimed at the hearing impaired
No. of series10
No. of episodes131 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersDan Maddicott
Richard Morse
Janie Grace
ProducersNeil Buchanan
Tim Edmunds
Driana Jones
EditorsJim Lownie
Chris Jackson
Simon Cruse
Running time15 minutes
Original release
NetworkCITV on ITV1
ReleaseJanuary 8 1993 –
September 21 2001

ZZZap!! was a British children's television programme that was aimed primarily at hearing impaired children. The concept of the show was a giant comic that has been brought to life. The show ran from 8th January 1993 until 21st September 2001[1], and was produced by The Media Merchants (the company behind Art Attack) and Meridian Broadcasting. In 2006 and 2007, Series 10 was repeated on the CITV Channel. There have been infrequent Summer and Christmas 'Annuals', and a spin-off series titled 'Cuthbert's Diary'. ZZZap! was nominated for a Children's Bafta in 1996[2], and won the RTS Award for Best Children's LE Series in 1995[citation needed].

Format

The programme follows the same format throughout its run. An introduction is shown, followed by a series of short two or three minute long mini-programmes, followed by the credits. Each mini-programme is introduced by the camera zooming in on a corresponding panel on a giant comic. This giant comic has a set of nine frames on it, some of which contain a character representing their mini-programme.

For the last series the giant comic background was scrapped, but the frames remained in front of a comic "explosion". Versions of these sequences in early series were filmed backwards, as they contain things that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to film.

The introduction to series one was filmed in Chequers Shopping Centre in Maidstone and showed a boy buying a copy of a comic called "ZZZap!" from a newsagent. The comic contains a 'Free TV Zapper!' which he uses only to find that the comic has increased to an enormous size. This was abandoned in later series, which instead showed the giant comic and then introduced each of the characters with a short video. Some computer generated additions were made in series 8, and from series 10 onwards the whole sequence including the giant comic was computer-animated. The closing titles also changed between series.

The mini-programmes would follow the same order; "Cuthbert Lilly", "Smart Arty", "The Handymen", "Puzzle Page" (series 1 episode 6 until series 8), and finally "Tricky Dicky", "Daisy Dares" or "Minnie the Mini Magician". This order became more flexible in the last two series, although the Handymen have never been first or last in the sequence.

Episodes

Main article: List of ZZZAP! Episodes

There were a total of 131 episodes of Zzzap!

Cast

Recurring Cast

Background Voices

Crew

Series Producers
Neil Buchanan, Tim Edmunds
Producer
Driana Jones
Executive Producers
Richard Morse, Janie Grace for Meridian Broadcasting, Dan Maddicott for United Productions
Directors
Alistair Clarke, Adrian Hedley, Simon Pearce, Ian Bolt
Film Editor
Simon Cruse
Production Supervisor
Nicola Tasker
Composer of Theme Tune
Ron Aspery

Characters

Cuthbert Lilly, He's Dead Silly

Cuthbert Lilly (Series 1 - 10) Played by Richard Waites has appeared in every episode. Cuthbert's scenes are always a slapstick comedy, where Cuthbert fails to perform some activity. His trademarks are to put his thumbs up his teddy bear. A running gag throughout the series showed Cuthbert reaching out and taking the comic book frame from the edges of the screen, and throwing it away.

Cuthbert was the most popular character in ZZZap! and he had his own spin-off show called Cuthbert's Diary in 1997 on CITV consisting of both old and new sketches, narrated by Richard Waites, including a funny swimming pool sketch which is shown on the 1997 titles of Zzzap!

The Cuthbert sketches featured the recurring characters of "Mr Snooty", Cuthbert's antagonist, and an "old lady" who attacks Cuthbert with an umbrella.

With regards to the introduction, in series one, whenever the camera went to visit Cuthbert's square, it showed a picture of Cuthbert with his thumbs up in the setting that the sketch would be. But in series 2 - 9, it showed a ripped cartoon of him which he burst through, that was reversed to give the effect of him mending the picture and coming into the sketch.

Smart Arty

Smart Arty (Series 1 - 7) was a caricatured French painter, played by Neil Buchanan. He was replaced by Minnie the Mini Magician. His trademark is to blow the audience kisses at the beginning and at the end of every scene. Every Smart Arty sketch begins with him painting the same picture. He skips and jumps as he walks to the wall to do drawings.

In the first series, the Smart Arty sketches consisted of the character creating a large picture out of unusual objects. Neil Buchanan, who played the character, had previously done this on TV in his other show Art Attack. In fact, one of the Art Attack 'Big Art Attacks' was a giant picture of Smart Arty.

In later series, the sketches involved drawings with a magic pen which brought his drawings to life (in the style of Maurice Minor sketches in Kenny Everett's shows and the cartoon Penny Crayon).

The sketches were accompanied by the music of Boccherini's Menuet and Trio, from his String Quartet in E (also used in the 1955 film The Ladykillers).

The Handymen

The Handymen (Series 1 - 10) have appeared in every episode. The Handymen are in fact two gloved hands; one yellow and one blue.

The Handymen sketches are performed in a theatre with an audience composed entirely of hands. The Handymen appear on stage, either making an object or performing a magic trick. Whenever the Handymen used some kind of object, there would be a cardboard sign attached to it, saying what the object was.

In Series 8 - 10, The Handymen had different music in most of their sketches.

The Handymen were played throughout by Sarah Pickthall .

Tricky Dicky's Mission Impossible

Tricky Dicky (played by Richard Waites in Series 1 only) was a character wearing a black hat, a mask, and a grey coat, and his "trademark" was a very high, creepy giggle. His sketches involved him writing a challenge on his typewriter, that would then have to be performed by some children. The challenges would initially sound simple (for example, pour custard on a pudding), but had a twist that made it more difficult (the custard might be in a wheelbarrow and the pudding at the end of an obstacle course). Depending on whether the children failed or succeeded in completing the task, at the end of the sketch Tricky would hold up a sign reading - "Mission Impossible" or "Mission Possible".

Daisy Dares You

Daisy (Series 2 - 10), played by Deborah McCallum (Series 2 - 8) and Claire Macaulay (Series 9 - 10). Daisy wore yellow and black checks, and was supposedly a young, cheeky schoolgirl in dungarees. She also had ponytails at either side of her head.

Much like the Tricky Dicky sketches, Daisy would set difficult challenges for a small group of children (picked from local schools). If the children succeeded in performing the challenge, Daisy would have to perform it herself (and would invariably fail and start to cry).

Usually at the end of each series of ZZZap!, Daisy set the kids a task that would get them in huge trouble, but which would then backfire on Daisy.

Minnie The Mini Magician

Minnie (played by Sophie Aldred in Series 8 - 10) replaced Smart Arty. Minnie was a magician in training, whose magic usually goes wrong. She wears an L-plate around her neck. Her catchphrase is "Oh well!" accompanied by a tap on her learner sign.

Music

Most of the programme's music was KPM library music (the title music is Keystone Chaos) composed by Ron Aspery, which can be found on the "Comedy Classics 1" compilation (Cat. No. KPM131), while the rest of the music came from Bruton music CD "Lonny" tunes BR28 - BRF10.

Merchandise

  • ZZZap! The Bumper Video Comic (VHS) B00004CTQI.
  • ZZZap! Vol. 2 - Holiday Special (VHS) B00004CUO6.
  • ZZZap! Vol. 3 - Goes Bonkers (VHS) B00004CW3D.
  • ZZZap! Vol. 4 - Goes Completely Crazy (VHS) B00004CXAU.
  • The Wildest Ever ZZZap! Video (VHS) B00004CZK6.
  • CITV Favourites - For Over Fives (a video containing an episode of ZZZap!) (VHS) B00004CYOC. (Note this video has the wrong picture on the back cover)
  • CITV Telly Tots (a video containing a 'Minnie The Mini Magician' episode of ZZZap!) (VHS) B000059ZAQ. (note this video has the wrong picture on the front cover)

References

  1. ^ http://www.tv.com/show/31198/summary.html. Retrieved on 28 November 2007.
  2. ^ http://www.bafta.org/awards/childrens/nominations/?year=1996. Retrieved on 28 November 2007.
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