''Bonkers!'' is a British television variety show from ATV, and distributed by

ITC Entertainment The Incorporated Television Company (ITC), or ITC Entertainment as it was referred to in the United States, was a British company involved in production and distribution of television programmes. History Incorporated Television Programme Compan ...

in the United States for

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

during the 1978–79 television season. The show aired later in 1979 on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

in the United Kingdom. A total of 24 episodes were produced.''Bonkers!'' at TV Guide
/ref> The show was filmed at ATV's Elstree studios near London. Starring

Bob Monkhouse Robert Alan Monkhouse (1 June 1928 – 29 December 2003) was an English comedian, writer and actor. He was the host of television game shows including ''The Golden Shot'', '' Celebrity Squares'', '' Family Fortunes'' and '' ''Wipeout'. Ear ...

and the

Hudson Brothers The Hudson Brothers were an American musical group formed in Portland, Oregon, consisting of brothers Bill Hudson, Brett Hudson and Mark Hudson. They were discovered by a record producer while recording music at a local studio, and offered a rec ...

–

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

Brett Brett derives from a Middle English surname meaning "Briton" or "Breton", referring to the Celtic people of Britain and Brittany, France. Brette can be a feminine name. People with the surname * Adrian Brett (born 1945) English flutist and writer ...

and

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * F ...

– the show featured sketches, guest stars and musical numbers from the chorus dancers known as The Bonkerettes. While not a big hit for ATV, it gained a cult audience in the United States where it was compared to ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

''. After four episodes the show was curtailed in the United Kingdom by the 13-week-long

strike of 1979. When ITV returned only a small number of companies mainly Border Television, ATV, Granada and UTV broadcast a few additional episodes, however the series was not fully broadcast in the United Kingdom.

References

External links

Comedy Guide – ''Bonkers!''
at bbc.co.uk * 1970s British television series 1978 British television series debuts 1979 British television series endings British variety television shows English-language television shows Television shows produced by Associated Television (ATV) Television series by ITC Entertainment Television shows shot at ATV Elstree Studios {{ITCDistributions-stub