''It'll Never Work?'' is a television programme for children showcasing new inventions and developments in scientific technology. Produced by Roy Milani for BBC Children's, the show ran for seven series between 9 November 1993 and 23 August 1999 on weekdays within the Children's BBC, later CBBC, strand on BBC One. ''It'll Never Work?'' was presented throughout its run by children's television presenter
Sally Gray
Constance Vera Browne, Baroness Oranmore and Browne (''née'' Stevens; 14 February 1915 – 24 September 2006), commonly known as Sally Gray, was an English film actress of the 1930s and 1940s. Her obituary in ''The Irish Times'' described he ...
, who would go on to present children's quiz ''
50/50'',
Jez Nelson
Jeremy Nelson MBE (born 1 April 1964) is a jazz broadcaster and television producer.
Education
Nelson was educated at Dulwich College (a boys' independent school in Dulwich, South London) and at King's College London, where he first began to D ...
, who would go on to front the related primetime BBC technology series ''
Tomorrow's World
''Tomorrow's World'' is a former British television series about contemporary developments in science and technology. First transmitted on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003. The ''Tomorro ...
'', and science presenter Angela Lamont. This team was augmented during later series by presenters Adrian Johnson (series 5, 1997) and
Rick Adams (series 6, 1998).
For each episode the presenters travelled worldwide to discover new gadgets and to test out whether new inventions worked or not, hence the show's title. In between the main features,
spoof adverts would showcase
Chindōgu
is the practice of inventing ingenious everyday gadgets that seem to be ideal solutions to particular problems, but which may cause more problems than they solve. The term is of Japanese origin.
Background
Literally translated, ''chindōgu'' mean ...
, inventions that solve everyday problems but not in a practical way.
The show was critically and commercially lauded, winning the 1994
BAFTA TV Award
The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955.
Background
The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...
in the category of 'Best Children's Programme (Factual)' for Roy Milani, and nominated again in the same category the following year. The series moreover achieved ratings of up to four million viewers.
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting).
Depeche ...
's 1984 single "
People Are People
"People Are People" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 12 March 1984 as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''Some Great Reward'' (1984). Recorded at Hansa Mischraum in West Berlin, it was the ba ...
" was used as the theme music.
Series
There were seven series of ''It'll Never Work?'' produced in total, all appearing on BBC One. The first six series each consisted of six episodes of 25 minutes length and were screened as part of Children's BBC's autumn season, running on Tuesday afternoons in the six weeks before school Christmas holidays. The final series in 1999 comprised only five episodes and was screened on Mondays as part of CBBC's line-up for school summer holidays. All episodes premiered in the 4:35pm slot preceding ''Newsround''.
* First series: 9 November – 14 December 1993
* Second series: 8 November – 13 December 1994
* Third series: 7 November – 12 December 1995
* Fourth series: 12 November – 17 December 1996
* Fifth series: 11 November – 16 December 1997
* Sixth series: 17 November – 22 December 1998
* Seventh series: 26 July – 23 August 1999
Design Awards
The third series introduced a competition for young inventors to submit ideas to the ''It'll Never Work?'' Design Awards. The first awards ceremony was televised from the
Science Museum
A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in mu ...
in London on 17 March 1996, with the judging panel including astronomer
Patrick Moore
Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore (; 4 March 1923 – 9 December 2012) was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominence in that field as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter.
Moore was president of the Brit ...
. This segment returned in the same form a year later on 16 March 1997, featuring
Kevin Warwick
Kevin Warwick (born 9 February 1954) is an English engineer and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Coventry University. He is known for his studies on direct interfaces between computer systems and the human nervous system, and has also done ...
.
Notes
External links
''It'll Never Work?''at the
BFI
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
* {{IMDb title, id=0455258, title=It'll Never Work?
1993 British television series debuts
1999 British television series endings
BBC children's television shows