Havakazoo is a British

pre-school A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

series which aired on Channel 5's

Milkshake A milkshake (sometimes simply called a shake) is a sweet beverage made by blending milk, ice cream, and flavorings or sweeteners such as butterscotch, caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, fruit syrup, or whole fruit into a thick, sweet, cold mixture ...

strand. It was the first original children's program to air when it launched in 1997.

Set up

Originally, Havakazoo was created as a flagship show for Channel 5's strand for children,

Milkshake! ''Milkshake!'' (stylised as milkshake!) is a British children's television programming block on Channel 5 and is currently aimed at children aged 3–7. History The block debuted on Channel 5's first full day on air, at 7.30am on 31 March 19 ...

. It was the first original show to air in 1997 when the channel launched. Folk musician Vo Fletcher was approached to write a number of songs after his successful children's album 'Spaceman Sid'. At this time, the producers hadn't come up with a name for the series. One of the tracks on his album was called 'Havakazoo' so it was decided that will be its title. The song was then shortened and altered to fit with the show. The show's main character was a robot-style spin dryer called Messy. Each programme was presented by Gabrielle Bradshaw and Jason Maverick and followed a broad theme that consisted of songs, stories and activities with the two main presenters in the studio. A short clip from the outside world was introduced into each show. The presenters would frequently invite the younger viewers to participate at home by showing them how to make something. They signed off at the end of episodes by each saying, "Havakazoo". The series aired on weekday mornings. A half-hour episode also aired on weekends with the character Messy acting as a mascot introducing a selection of shows from the strand, telling jokes, questions, and showing a picture of any Havakazoo or non-Havakazoo characters that was drawn by a child with Vo playing with his guitar at a background in each link. This was later dropped in series two when the sister show Tickle, Patch and Friends was introduced. From the second series, the show centred around a

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...

dog called 'Watch Dog'. Messy was reintroduced with the format staying almost the same. A segment showing a cartoon style camcorder called 'Nosey' was introduced to show clips from the outside world as to how things worked (e.g. a

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or a

washing machine A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a home appliance used to wash laundry. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water as opposed to dry cleaning (which uses alternative cleaning fluids and ...

) or how things were made (e.g. pre-packaged

sandwiches A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

). Nosey later became a separate show altogether. From series Three, the show was revamped. Many changes were made. Each episode now centres on the characters 'Patrica' and 'Patrick', played by

Naomi Wilkinson Naomi Laura Wilkinson (born 30 June 1974, in Bristol, England) is an English television presenter and actress. Career Wilkinson was a presenter of ''Milkshake!'', the early-morning programming block for young children on Channel 5 and ''Fi ...

and Andy Ford. Two bakers who lived inside the windmill and both also acted as presenters. All of the characters from the second series returned and new characters were introduced. Songs, games, poems and stories, as well as regular craft activities still featured throughout. However, the show created a more comedy aspect to its overall feel. Two new characters were also added. A female dog, Watchdog's younger niece called 'Plum' and the fleas 'Tick and Tock' who lived inside Watch Dog's fur, without his knowledge. Gabrielle Bradshaw and Jason Maverick presented as themselves for the first two series. From 1999, Milkshake! Presenter,

was introduced as "Patrica" and comedian and pantomime actor Andy Ford as Patrick the baker. Vo Fletcher appeared regularly with his guitar in series One having also written the title music for the show. All puppets were created by Hands Up Puppets.

Characters

• Messy – A robot like spin dryer made out of unused things. Voiced by Joe Grecco. • Watchdog (Series 2) – A dog who would often keep an eye on the time and a look out from the window. Seen from series 2. • Tick and Tock (Series 3) – Two fleas who lived inside Watchdog's fur and told jokes. Seen from series 3 onwards. • Vo Fletcher (Series 1) – Played himself. An artist who performed songs. • Gabrielle (Series 1–2) – Presenter, herself • Jason (Series 1–2) – Presenter, himself • Plum (Series 3) – Watchdog's niece. A young female dog who delivers bread made in the windmill. • Patrica (Series 3) – Works at the windmill and acts as a presenter. Played by Naomi Wilkinson. • Patrick (Series 3) – Works at the windmill as a baker and acts as a presenter. Played by Andy Ford.

References

External links

* {{Children's channels in UK & Ireland Channel 5 (British TV channel) original programming 1997 British television series debuts 2002 British television series endings 1990s British children's television series 2000s British children's television series British television shows featuring puppetry Television programming blocks in Europe Breakfast television in the United Kingdom British preschool education television series English-language television shows