''Play Away'' is a

British television Regular television broadcasts in the United Kingdom started in 1936 as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transmitted moving image in 1926. Currently, the United Kingdom has a collection ...

children's programme. A sister programme to the infants' series ''

Play School Play School or Playschool may refer to: Television * ''Play School'' (British TV series), a BBC production aimed at preschool children * ''Play School'' (Australian TV series), an Australian Broadcasting Corporation production based on the Briti ...

'', it was aimed at slightly older children. It ran from 1971 until 1984, and was broadcast on Saturday afternoons on

BBC 2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream ...

.Alistair McGow
"''Play Away'' (1971–84)"
BFI screenonline While ''Play School'' had a more gentle, intimate feel, featuring just two presenters in a studio with the usual collection of toys, ''Play Away'' was much more lively, including songs, games and many jokes. The first eight series were shot in a studio, usually at BBC Television Centre,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, but certain episodes were recorded in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

. Later episodes were recorded in front of a live studio audience. The format was a little like a music-hall

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a com ...

or 'end-of-the-pier' show. The musical director was Jonathan Cohen on piano, with

Spike Heatley Brian John Heatley (17 February 1933 – 10 November 2021), better known as Spike Heatley, was a British jazz double bassist. Early life Heatley was born in Muswell Hill, North London in February 1933. Career He appeared with Vic Ash's sexte ...

on double bass and Alan Rushton on drums, often with accomplished guest musicians such as trombonist George Chisholm. In Australia the series aired on ABC at 4:30 after the Australian version of ''

''. In New Zealand the series aired on TV One during the 1970s and 1980s. Presenters during the 13-year run included familiar ''Play School'' presenters such as Brian Cant, Toni Arthur, Derek Griffiths, Lionel Morton, Chloe Ashcroft, Floella Benjamin, Johnny Ball, Carol Chell and Julie Stevens, as well as lesser known presenters including

Janine Sharp Janine may refer to: People and characters * Janine (given name) Music * "Janine" (David Bowie song), a 1969 song by David Bowie * "Janine", a 1979 song by Trooper from the album '' Flying Colors'' * "Janine", a 1994 song by Soul Coughing f ...

, Matthew Devitt and Kim Goody. ''Play Away'' also played host to future stars such as

Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre p ...

, Julie Covington, Anita Dobson, Tony Robinson and Alex Norton. According to the ''Kaleidoscope Children's Guide'' and the Lost Shows website, much of this series is no longer in the archives. Out of 191 editions, 132 no longer exist,"Missing or incomplete episodes for programme ''Play Away''
lostshows.com (Kaleidoscope) with some episodes having been wiped in the early 1990s.

References

External links

''Play Away''
at bbc.co.uk 1971 British television series debuts 1984 British television series endings 1970s British children's television series 1980s British children's television series BBC children's television shows Lost BBC episodes {{child-tv-prog-stub