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''Tiswas'' (; an
acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
of "Today Is Saturday: Watch And Smile") was a British children's television series that originally aired on Saturday mornings from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982, and was produced for the
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 ...
network by ATV. It was created by ATV
continuity announcer In broadcasting, continuity or presentation (or station break in the U.S. and Canada) is announcements, messages and graphics played by the broadcaster between specific programmes. It typically includes programme schedules, announcement of the ...
Peter Tomlinson Peter Tomlinson (born 4 April 1943, in Bristol) is a broadcaster and continuity announcer. He created the British children's television series ''Tiswas'' and was the programme's co-presenter in its early years. He was also one of the earliest pr ...
(later to become a regular presenter on the show) following a test period in 1973 when he tried out a few competitions and "daft stuff" between the programmes.


Overview

''Tiswas'' began life as a 'links' strand between many 'filler' programmes, such as
cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...
s and old
films A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
. The popularity of the presenters' links soon eclipsed the staple diet of filler. The correct meaning of the Tiswas initials - ''Today Is Saturday: Watch And Smile'' - was confirmed by Chris Tarrant on the ''Tiswas Reunited'' special of 2007, although '' Today Is Saturday: Wear A Smile'' had also been often cited, albeit incorrectly. It was originally produced as a Midlands regional programme by ATV, and was first broadcast live on 5 January 1974. The then
federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
structure of
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 ...
, with its independent regional companies, meant that not all of these stations broadcast the show when it became available for networked transmission. Over time most ITV regions chose to broadcast it, with Granada Television and
Southern Television Southern Television was the ITV broadcasting licence holder for the South and South-East of England from 30 August 1958 to 31 December 1981. The company was launched as 'Southern Television Limited' and the title 'Southern Television' was con ...
being among the last to pick up the show, in 1979. Tyne Tees and
Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
eventually decided to take ''Tiswas'' for its final series in 1981. The smallest broadcaster in the network,
Channel Television ITV Channel Television, previously Channel Television, is a British television station which has served as the ITV contractor for the Channel Islands since 1962. It is based in Jersey and broadcasts regional programme for insertion into the ...
, did not carry the programme. Most famously hosted by
Chris Tarrant Christopher John Tarrant, (born 10 October 1946) is an English broadcaster, television personality and former radio DJ. He presented the ITV children's television show '' Tiswas'' from 1974 to 1981, and the game show '' Who Wants to Be a Mil ...
between 1974 and 1981, and later Sally James, it also featured the young
Lenny Henry Sir Lenworth George Henry (born 29 August 1958) is a British actor, comedian, singer, television presenter and writer. Henry gained success as a stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in '' The Le ...
and occasionally
Jim Davidson James Cameron Davidson (born 13 December 1953) is an English stand-up comedian, actor, singer and TV presenter. He hosted the television shows '' Big Break'' and ''The Generation Game''. He also developed two adult pantomime shows such as ''B ...
together with
Bob Carolgees Bob Carolgees (born Robert Frederick Johnson; 12 May 1948) is a British comedy entertainer who appeared on the Saturday morning TV series '' Tiswas'' and then later in its adult versions '' O.T.T.'' and ''Saturday Stayback''. He is best known fo ...
and his
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 ...
, Spit the Dog.
John Gorman John Gorman may refer to: * John Gorman (director) (1884–1936), American movie director *John Gorman (entertainer) (born 1936), English vocalist and musician *John Gorman (politician) (1923–2014), Northern Ireland politician *John Gorman (footb ...
, former member of 1960s cult band
The Scaffold The Scaffold were a comedy, poetry and music trio from Liverpool, England, consisting of musical performer Mike McGear (real name Peter Michael McCartney, the brother of Paul McCartney), poet Roger McGough and comic entertainer John Gorman. ...
, was also a presenter. On the programme,
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
folk-singer and comedian
Jasper Carrott Robert Norman Davis (born 14 March 1945), best known by his stage name, Jasper Carrott, is an English comedian, actor and television presenter. Early life Born in Shaftmoor Lane, Acocks Green, in Birmingham, Carrott was educated at Acocks Gr ...
was to introduce the nation to the "Dying Fly Dance"—and also to many local hospital casualty wards, for the dance at one point soared high in the
RoSPA The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is a British charity that aims to save lives and prevent life-changing injuries which occur as a result of accidents. In the past, it has successfully campaigned on issues of road safet ...
list of common causes of household injury. Like its cleaner
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
counterpart, ''
Multi-Coloured Swap Shop ''Multi-Coloured Swap Shop'', more commonly known simply as ''Swap Shop'', is a British children's television series that aired on BBC1 from 2 October 1976 to 27 March 1982. It was ground-breaking in many ways: by broadcasting on Saturday mornin ...
'', it had a running order but no script (with the exception of some specific sketches). The programme was broadcast from Studio 3 at ATV Centre in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
; this was the weekday home for the company's regional news magazine, ''ATV Today''. The show was a stitch-together of competitions, film clips and pop promos, just about held together by sketches and links from the cast. The show also regularly featured spoofs of BBC children's programming. A feature of ''Tiswas'' was "The Cage" wherein initially the child audience, later their parents and, finally, members of the public could apply were confined and periodically doused in water (one spin-off of the series was the hit "The Bucket of Water Song", performed by the Four Bucketeers). This became so popular that the 100th show (broadcast from the
Hednesford Hills Raceway Hednesford Hills Raceway (often referred to as Hednesford Raceway) is an oval, short-circuit motor racing venue, situated on Cannock Chase, approximately from the town of Hednesford, Staffordshire, England and is operated by Incarace Ltd. Abo ...
) featured several hundred fans lining the racetrack whilst a fire-engine of the local brigade drove around the track and hosed them down with water. Another feature of ''Tiswas'' was its spoof gardening segment ''Compost Corner'', which Chris Tarrant later revealed was a ruse to get an audience callback in the style of ''Crackerjack''. This feature regularly featured Lenny Henry - complete with khaki shorts; Hawaiian shirt; and ginger fake beard - performing an impersonation of
David Bellamy David James Bellamy (18 January 1933 – 11 December 2019) was an English botanist, television presenter, author and environmental campaigner. Early and personal life Bellamy was born in London to parents Winifred May (née Green) and Thoma ...
, with gardening-based puns and jokes. Lenny Henry also performed a regular slot of Newsflashes as Trevor McDoughnut - an impersonation of ITN newsreader
Trevor McDonald Sir Trevor McDonald (born George McDonald; 16 August 1939) is a Trinidadian- British newsreader and journalist, best known for his career as a news presenter with ITN. McDonald was knighted in 1999 for his services to journalism. Career ...
- in which he performed news-based puns and jokes, punctuated by buckets of water being thrown at him. Henry also regularly performed an impersonation of Tommy Cooper, in which he either told a joke (which often ended with the ''Phantom Flan Flinger'' - standing behind Henry - slapping two flans into either side of Henry's head); or performed a spoof magic trick. From the 4th series onwards, the series was also frequently visited by the ''Phantom Flan Flinger'', who would throw
custard pie A custard pie is any type of uncooked custard mixture added to an uncooked or partially cooked crust and baked together. In North America, custard pie commonly refers to a plain mixture of milk, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and sometim ...
s ("flans") around the studio at all and sundry, such as the buckets of water, gunge,
sprayer A sprayer is a device used to spray a liquid, where sprayers are commonly used for projection of water, weed killers, crop performance materials, pest maintenance chemicals, as well as manufacturing and production line ingredients. In agricultu ...
s, etc. and sprays Both Tarrant and the Flan Flinger would take great delight in trying to 'flan' cameramen who would go to great lengths to avoid being hit.


The logo

The original logo featured the word "TISWAS" in chunky letters. A later version of this logo featured a circle going round the edge with "Today Is Saturday Watch And Smile" embossed upon it. The classic "zig-zag" logo designed by Stuart Kettle appeared in 1977 - this initially featured a mechanical bird flying above it, but later, Chris Wroe (who drew all of the classic caricatures of the ''Tiswas'' team) replaced this with a drawing of the Phantom Flan Flinger.


Series


Series 1

The first series was intended to be eleven episodes, purely acting as links between the usual staple fillers of old films and cartoons that ATV would transmit on Saturday mornings. Presented by Chris Tarrant and John Asher from merely a desk in a continuity studio, the pair had to rely on ad-libs and jokes sent in by viewers. Within a few weeks, the show was moved to studio 3 at ATV Centre (a studio usually reserved for amongst other programmes, the news magazine programme, ''ATV Today'') from which Tiswas was produced for the majority of its run. Due to an industrial dispute by technicians at ATV, this initial run was only nine programmes in length, but was so well-received that a second series was commissioned. Billed in ''TV Times'' as "Today Is Saturday or the Tis-was Show", the title sequence features both "Today Is Saturday" and the original "Tiswas" chunky letters logo, shown over a background very similar to that of ''
The Golden Shot ''The Golden Shot'' is a British television game show produced by ATV for ITV between 1 July 1967 and 13 April 1975, based on the German TV show '' Der goldene Schuß''. It is most commonly associated with host Bob Monkhouse, but three other ...
''. The sequence featured clips from various films and Disney cartoons, backed by a funky jazz number known as "Atomic Butterfly" (which also seems to have been used for ''Sports Arena'', an
HTV Wales ITV Wales and West, previously known as Harlech Television (HTV), was an ITV franchise area in the United Kingdom until 31 December 2013, licensed to a broadcaster by the regulator Ofcom. There is no channel, past or present, named "ITV Wales ...
sports programme in the early 1970s).


Series 2

Series 2 of ''Tiswas'' began from late 1974, and spanned almost every Saturday in 1975, finishing in early 1976. The presenting team was doubled to four presenters, and these were usually culled from ATV's presentation department. Chris Tarrant and John Asher retained their roles as the main presenters, although John would leave during this series. From the ranks at ATV, other regular presenters were established, notably sports reporter
Trevor East Trevor James East (born 22 October 1950)The Guardian, Monday 9 July 2007Media 100/ref> was originally presenter of Tiswas; stooge to Chris Tarrant and Derby County obsessed. He was subsequently ranked 27 in The Guardian's "Media 100" most influenti ...
(later director of sport at
Setanta Sports Setanta Sports is a sports television company based in Dublin, Ireland broadcasting throughout select Eurasian. The company was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events to international audiences. The company previo ...
) and announcer
Peter Tomlinson Peter Tomlinson (born 4 April 1943, in Bristol) is a broadcaster and continuity announcer. He created the British children's television series ''Tiswas'' and was the programme's co-presenter in its early years. He was also one of the earliest pr ...
(later to become managing director of ''Saga Radio West Midlands'' and High Sheriff of the West Midlands). Producer Peter Harris left the show in the summer, to help produce fellow cult TV success ''
The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a s ...
'' at ATV's London-orientated operation in
Elstree Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, that follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of t ...
.


Series 3

Running from late 1976 to early 1977, Chris Tarrant, Peter Tomlinson and Trevor East were the main presenters. Almost all these shows were produced by Sid Kilbey. The 2 April 1977 show was a landmark edition, as part of the programme was broadcast outside the Midlands for the first time, on HTV Cymru Wales and HTV West, filling up their 'round-the-regions' compilation of Saturday morning programmes called ''Ten on Saturday''.


Series 4

This series, running from 10 September 1977 to May 1978, marked an end to the provincial micro-budget shows of the previous series, as the initial edition of this series brought significant changes. Sally James was drafted in as the series' first regular female presenter. She had been the presenter of a regional Saturday morning show in London called ''Saturday Scene'', produced by
LWT London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 un ...
. Comedian Jim Davidson was intended to be a regular presenter but left after only a few editions, although he would return for cameo appearances. Peter Tomlinson was axed as a regular, which came as a surprise to him. Chris Tarrant was retained as the anchor presenter, and behind the scenes was annoyed with the changes, particularly the inclusion of a woman as presenter. However, he later retracted this view, having witnessed the progress ''Tiswas'' had made with James's contribution. One significant change almost never happened. ATV management were displeased with the visual slapstick element - the hurling of custard pies and water. They believed this was setting a bad example to the young viewers. Newly drafted producer/director
Glyn Edwards John Glynn Edwards (2 February 1931 – 23 May 2018) was a British television and cinema character actor, who came to national prominence for his portrayal of the barman Dave Harris in the 1970s–1990s British television comedy-drama ''Minde ...
managed to retain this vital, messy element by drawing on his experience as a Punch & Judy puppeteer to create a 'villain' character called 'The Phantom Flan Flinger', who would be the black-clad masked nemesis of the presenting team, and the main instigator of pie-throwing chaos. The "phantom" was later revealed to be Ben Mills, a taxi driver from
Cheswick Green Cheswick Green is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of West Midlands incorporating the hamlet of Illshaw Heath. The settlement lies approximately south west of Solihull town centre. The c ...
near
Solihull Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe i ...
. John Gorman made his debut in this series, but with just four appearances, it would not be until series 5 that he became a regular visitor to the ''Tiswas'' studios. Likewise, child performer Paul Hardin made sporadic appearances. The programme expanded its footprint further outside its home region. As well as appearing in part on HTV, Anglia,
Border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
, Granada and Scottish Television began to screen ''Tiswas'' in its entirety. Anglia dropped the series a number of times to pick up other regions' Saturday morning programmes throughout ''Tiswas''s history.


Series 5

This series ran from September 1978 to May 1979. John Gorman became a regular performer from November onwards. STV and Granada dropped the series in 1978 in favour of showing other programmes but began carrying the series again in 1979. HTV continued to opt in and out of the programme during ''Ten on Saturday''. Bob Carolgees made his debut in early 1979, having been told to go on the programme by Irish comic
Frank Carson Hugh Francis Carson KSG (6 November 1926  – 22 February 2012) was a Northern Irish comedian and actor from Belfast. He was best known for being a regular face on television for many years from the 1970s onwards, appearing in series su ...
. Carolgees appeared again two weeks later, and Chris was so pleased with his contribution that he decided to make a regular fixture out of Bob. Lenny Henry made sporadic appearances throughout this series, but was not established as a regular. Child performer Paul Hardin increased his visits to the studios, and could well be considered as a series 5 team member, likewise Sylveste McCoy (who added an "r" to his first name later in his career) who performed surreal comic interludes.


Series 6

ITV had been off the air across the nation since August due to a massive strike by technicians. ''Tiswas'' returned to the screens in November 1979 for its sixth series, as part of ITV's comeback; this was directly referenced in the first edition of the new series, when the "Welcome Home To ITV" jingle was played to usher the programme in and out of the advert breaks, albeit replacing the vocals by the
Mike Sammes Singers Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...
with a group of deliberately out-of-tune children. Many ITV regions took the programme for the first time, establishing the show strongly in the nation's consciousness. London-based viewers tended to complain to the
Independent Broadcasting Authority The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television ( ITV and Channel 4 and limited satellite television regulation – cable television was the responsibility of the Cable Author ...
(IBA) about some of the edgier moments the show had. With an almost national audience, the show became inclusive of its increased viewership by making a bigger role out of specially invited viewer performances. Many of these were children who sang songs or performed dance routines. Chris Tarrant, now producer as well as presenter, found most of these contributions to be of little value, until he came across a unique act by a five-year-old boy, Matthew Butler. Encouraged by his ''Tiswas''-obsessed mother, Butler auditioned for the series wearing a rabbit costume and sang the song " Bright Eyes" made famous by the animated film ''
Watership Down ''Watership Down'' is an adventure novel by English author Richard Adams, published by Rex Collings Ltd of London in 1972. Set in Berkshire in southern England, the story features a small group of rabbits. Although they live in their natura ...
'', although his own singing ability was rather poor. Tarrant found this so amusing that he arranged for him to appear on the following ''Tiswas'', as well as many subsequent editions. Also appearing a number of times in this series was
Norman Collier Norman Collier (25 December 1925 – 14 March 2013) was a British comedian who achieved popularity following television appearances in the 1970s. He was best known for his 'faulty microphone' routine and for his chicken impressions. Career and ...
, the Yorkshire comedian best known for his broken microphone routine and chicken impressions. Another by-product of ''Tiswas''s increased audience was the boost to merchandise sales: an annual book was established, and there was a tour of universities (recognising their adult and teenaged audience) by the ''Tiswas'' team, under the name of the Four Bucketeers, which tied in with their spin-off album on
CBS Records CBS Records may refer to: * CBS Records or CBS/Sony, former name of Sony Music, a global record company * CBS Records International, label for Columbia Records recordings released outside North America from 1962 to 1990 * CBS Records (2006), founde ...
. This was all born out of one feature of the sixth series - "The Bucket of Water Song", which was such a hit with the viewers that it evolved from an intended one-off to an almost regular part of ''Tiswas''.


Series 7

By now, ATV had increased the budget for ''Tiswas'', and Chris Tarrant had more of a say in the programme's production than ever before, debuted on 6 September 1980 and ended on 28 March 1981 A proper theme tune was created, and the studio set was based around ATV cartoonist Chris Wroe's caricatures of the presenting team. This series can be considered as the definitive series, due to the material drawn from this era that usually gets an airing on documentaries and clips shows when ''Tiswas'' is the subject. In addition, the three video compilations that have been released for sale have been packaged around a seventh series theme, with the bulk of the clips also being from this age. Midway through this series, Chris Tarrant decided to leave upon its conclusion. Bob Carolgees, Lenny Henry and John Gorman also left after the final edition of series 7. (28 March 1981) They had decamped to start work on '' O.T.T.'', a late-night version of ''Tiswas'' intended for an adult audience, which would debut in 1982. The only regular ''Tiswas'' presenter left was Sally James, who stayed on for series 8.


Series 8

The last series of ''Tiswas'', ran from 5 September 1981 and ended on 3 April 1982. It had its format heavily tinkered with by ATV management. They believed that the adult audience should be avid viewers of Chris' 'late-night' ''Tiswas'', and therefore ''Tiswas'' itself should focus on its child audience. It was also the first time Tyne Tees and Ulster started to screen the series. The new presenting team consisted of Midlands DJ
Gordon Astley Gordon Astley (born 1 December 1948, Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire) is a British radio presenter. He is best known for his role a presenter on BBC Southern Counties Radio, which he left in February 2009 after almost 15 years. He was also present ...
, former
Darts Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small projectile point, sharp-pointed projectile, missiles known as dart (missile), darts at a round shooting target, target known as a #Dartboard, dar ...
frontman
Den Hegarty Denis "Den" Hegarty (born 13 September 1954, Dublin, Ireland) is a rock and roll, doo-wop and a cappella singer, television presenter, and psychology lecturer. Biography Darts (1976–1978) At an early age Hegarty moved to Brighton, Eng ...
and comic impressionist Fogwell Flax. Veteran ''Tiswas'' presenter Sally James stayed on and became the series' Music Editor, but decided to leave towards the series' end. This was likely to be a factor in Central Television's decision not to bring the programme back for a ninth series. Semi-regulars were dwarf actor
David Rappaport David Stephen Rappaport (23 November 1951 – 2 May 1990) was an English actor with achondroplasia. He appeared in the films '' Time Bandits'' and '' The Bride'', and television series '' L.A. Law'', '' The Wizard'' and ''Captain Planet and the ...
who played characters such as 'Green Nigel' (in a pastiche of BBC programme '' Blue Peter'') and the
Fonz Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, better known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz", is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1974–1984). He was originally a secondary character, but was soon positioned as a lead ...
-like 'Shades',
Emil Wolk Arnold Emil Wolk (born 1944) is an Anglo-American stage director and stage and screen actor. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award in 1988 (1987 season) as 'Best Actor in a Musical' for ''Kiss Me, Kate'', sharing the award with co-star John Bar ...
and puppeteer Trevor James with a giant parrot, presumably to fill the void left by Bob Carolgees. At the end of 1981, a restructure of ITV's broadcast franchises saw ATV win back the franchise for the Midlands on condition of changes in management, regional output and branding. Thus, the first part of the series was produced by ATV and the second part by Central Television. The decision by TVS, the new ITV station in the south and south-east of England, to drop the Central-produced half of the last series in favour of its own Saturday morning programme ''
No. 73 ''No 73'', later retitled ''7T3'', is a British 1980s children's TV show produced by Television South (TVS) for the ITV network. It was broadcast live on Saturday mornings and ran from 1982 to 1988. The show had an ensemble cast amongst others ...
'' saw fans of ''Tiswas'' picket outside its studios in Southampton. The eighth series was broadcast on TVS upon the conclusion of ''No. 73''s first series. During its ATV days the chairman of the station,
Lew Grade Lew Grade, Baron Grade, (born Lev Winogradsky; 25 December 1906 – 13 December 1998) was a British media proprietor and impresario. Originally a dancer, and later a talent agent, Grade's interest in television production began in 1954 ...
, was said to have taken a personal dislike to the show but was persuaded to let it continue, even arguing in its defence to criticism from the IBA. It was believed that the new management at Central frowned upon the anarchy of ''Tiswas'' (and the common popularity of another production, the
soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...
'') and in a desire to make the station more upmarket than its previous incarnation took the evidence of declining audiences for the new format as justification to axe ''Tiswas'' after series 8, the final episode of Tiswas was transmitted live on 3 April 1982, ending the entire show with the cast singing " Auld Flang Syne."


Missing episodes

Almost every edition of ''Tiswas'' was transmitted live, and only recorded in case of any future IBA investigation (as was standard practice at the time). Accordingly, they suffered the same fate as a number of 1970s children's series, in that they were thought to have no further commercial use (the idea of home video entertainment was still in its infancy), and therefore many master tapes were
wiped Lost television broadcasts are mostly those early television programs which cannot be accounted for in studio archives (or in personal archives) usually because of deliberate destruction or neglect. Common reasons for loss A significant prop ...
for re-use. As a result, very few programmes officially exist in their entirety. Those that were kept were often stored in poor conditions, which led to severe picture deterioration, so they are no longer of
broadcast quality Broadcast quality is a term stemming from quad videotape to denote the quality achieved by professional video cameras and time base correctors (TBC) used for broadcast television, usually in standard definition. As the standards for commercial tele ...
. However, some did survive; many viewers made their own recordings and in many cases these are the only existing copies of the programmes. Members of the production team and performers on the show would also record their appearances, leading to many episodes existing in private hands. In 2006, ITV began a search for many missing ITV programmes, including ''Tiswas'', for their ''Raiders of the Lost Archive'' series broadcast in 2007. Their website reveals that only 22 episodes are known to officially exist in their entirety: episode 60 from 30 August 1975, four episodes from 1978, two episodes from 1979, two episodes from 1980, five episodes from 1981 and nine episodes from 1982. Incomplete segments from show 151 (broadcast on 10 December 1977), an episode from 1978 and two episodes from 1979 are also known to have survived. The prolific ''TiswasOnline'' fansite features an in-depth episode guide for the whole series, detailing where an episode is known to exist, whether as a private home recording or in the official archive. ITV plc has confirmed to ''TiswasOnline'' that many more programme elements (other than those officially known to exist) have been kept, but as yet these have not been fully catalogued. This may include insert material such as animations and graphics or filmed clips. Furthermore, the ''Tiswas Reunited'' programme in 2007 resulted in the discovery of further footage.


Related programmes


''O.T.T.''

On 2 January 1982 Tarrant, Carolgees, Gorman, Randolph Sutherland and Henry launched a late-night show - with the up-and-coming comics
Alexei Sayle Alexei David Sayle (born 7 August 1952) is an English actor, author, stand-up comedian, television presenter and former recording artist. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. He was voted the 18th gre ...
and
Helen Atkinson-Wood Helen Atkinson-Wood (born 14 March 1955) is an English actress and comedian born in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire. She studied fine art at the Ruskin School, Oxford University, where she performed with Rowan Atkinson (no relation). She also perfo ...
called '' O.T.T.'' (standing for "Over the Top") which was effectively an "adult" version of ''Tiswas'' - in other words, it attempted to be just as anarchic, but with swearing and occasional topless women. It was not such a success, running for just one series, and is today chiefly remembered for the naked 'Balloon Dance' performed by
The Greatest Show on Legs The Greatest Show On Legs (also known as The Legs) is a surreal comedy group, founded in the United Kingdom by comedian Martin Soan, and joined after by the late Malcolm Hardee. The group, continually performing with a changing line-up with Soa ...
, including comedian
Malcolm Hardee Malcolm Hardee (5 January 1950 – 31 January 2005) was an English comedian and comedy club proprietor. His high reputation among his peers rests on his outrageous publicity stunts and on the help and advice he gave to successful British Altern ...
. The theme tune was recorded by
Roy Wood Roy Wood (born 8 November 1946) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s as member and co-founder of the Move, Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard. As a songwriter, he contributed a ...
and was released as a single


''Saturday Stayback''

'' Saturday Stayback'' was a short-lived (January–February 1983) late night comedy show based in a pub. Although intended as some sort of sequel to ''O.T.T.'', this differed quite a lot, for it was all recorded rather than the live chaos of its predecessor. It mainly consisted of comedy sketches, with some live music acts - usually
Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or som ...
and
Roy Wood Roy Wood (born 8 November 1946) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s as member and co-founder of the Move, Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard. As a songwriter, he contributed a ...
. ''Saturday Stayback'' received much less controversy than ''O.T.T.'', and also introduced new talent such as
Phil Cool Phil Cool (born Philip Martin; April 1948)Neville Thurlbeck"Phil Cool reveals why he’s ready to bow out of touring " ''Wales Online'', 29 March 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.York Membery"Who'd have thought it... Phil Cool is not at all averse to ...
and
Tony Slattery Tony Declan James Slattery (born 9 November 1959) is an English actor and comedian. He appeared on British television regularly from the mid-1980s, most notably as a regular on the Channel 4 improvisation show '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' His ...
. It lasted only six episodes. Chris Tarrant and Bob Carolgees were the only ex-''Tiswas'' personnel regularly seen on screen, and John Gorman helped out on writing duty.


''Tiswas'' Reunion

A definitive line-up of ''Tiswas'' presenters regrouped for a resurrection of ''Tiswas'' on the ITV Telethon of 1988. This took place in LWT's South Bank studios in
London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, culminating in an outside performance of The Bucket of Water Song.


''Ministry of Mayhem''

In late 2005, ITV's Saturday morning show ''
Ministry of Mayhem ''Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown'' (previously titled ''Ministry of Mayhem'' and ''MoM'') was a British children's entertainment programme, which was broadcast on ITV (later CITV) from 10 January 2004 to 1 July 2006. Overview ''Ministry ...
'' had a special edition featuring presenters from past Saturday morning shows, including ''Tiswas''. Representing ''Tiswas'' was Sally James, although
Chris Tarrant Christopher John Tarrant, (born 10 October 1946) is an English broadcaster, television personality and former radio DJ. He presented the ITV children's television show '' Tiswas'' from 1974 to 1981, and the game show '' Who Wants to Be a Mil ...
did a video link-up for a brief interview during the show. Out of the cult Saturday morning shows that were focused on, ''Tiswas'' was significantly the most prominent, with many clips shown from it, and even a re-enactment of two ''Tiswas'' staples - the Cage and the ''Pass The Pie'' game.


''Tiswas'' on ''Dick and Dom in da Bungalow''

In December 2005, BBC Saturday morning show ''
Dick and Dom in da Bungalow ''Dick & Dom in da Bungalow'' is a British children's television series presented by the duo Dick and Dom (Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood). The series was broadcast on weekend mornings on various BBC television channels for five series, runnin ...
'' featured a thirty-year-old man singing "Bright Eyes" with his friends as part of a talent spot. This person was Matthew Lewis, formerly known as Matthew Butler, who performed his unique rendition of the song back in 1980 on ''Tiswas'' when he was aged five. Presenters
Richard McCourt Richard "Dick" McCourt (born 12 August 1976) is an English entertainer and presenter. He is best known as one half of the comic duo Dick and Dom, with the other being Dominic Wood. His older brother is fellow television presenter James McCou ...
and
Dominic Wood Dominic Simon "Dom" Wood (born 3 January 1978) is an English entertainer, magician and presenter of radio and television, best known as one half of the double act Dick and Dom, with the other being Richard McCourt. From 14 October 2007 to Septe ...
took the opportunity to praise Matthew, as they are fans of ''Tiswas'', and also to dispel recent tabloid rumours of Dick and Dom resurrecting ''Tiswas'' on ITV. However, Wood did present one episode of ''Dick and Dom in da Bungalow'' wearing a ''Tiswas'' T-shirt.


Lenny Henry on ''It Started With Swap Shop''

Lenny Henry appeared on the BBC's ''It Started With Swap Shop'' programme in 2006, in which he spoke to
Noel Edmonds Noel Ernest Edmonds (born 22 December 1948) is an English television presenter, radio DJ, writer, producer, and businessman. Edmonds first became known as a disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presente ...
about ''Tiswas'' being the rival of ''Swap Shop'' during the entire era.


''Tiswas Reunited – The 2007 Special''

A new programme to celebrate 25 years since the final Tiswas show was broadcast by
ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...
on 16 June 2007, it started with the traditional ATV logo and jingle. This programme had been delayed from May in order to allow for an extended transmission slot. Celebrities and 'old ''Tiswas'' mates' alike joined in the fun. In an interview publicising this, Chris Tarrant put out an appeal to the public to submit any surviving video footage of the series to be included in the new programme - which resulted in the discovery of further footage. A DVD release of the programme, featuring an extended edition plus a short featurette on the history of ''Tiswas'', was released shortly after transmission. From the official press release:
''For one night only,
ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...
brings you TiSWAS REUNITED, a one-off special reuniting the stars of the iconic groundbreaking children’s show TiSWAS. With a wealth of clips and reminiscences from the many stars who appeared on the series, the team will recreate the chaos and mayhem of those heady days of the show that broke the mould. TiSWAS REUNITED is new and exclusive to
ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...
, spring 2007''.
The producers of the programme looked for people who were involved in the original series, whether they were in the audience, appeared as a guest, won a competition ("pulled up by the ears") or in any other capacity. The TiswasOnline website helped with these searches (and numerous other aspects of the new programme), and people could submit their details directly to the production team and apply to be in the cage. A new logo for the programme was produced - it features the regular 'zig-zag' logo (including the Phantom Flan Flinger) with "Reunited"
rubber-stamp A rubber stamp is an image or pattern that has been carved, molded, laser engraved or vulcanized onto a sheet of rubber. Rubber stamping, also called stamping, is a craft in which some type of ink made of dye or pigment is applied to rubber ...
ed across it. The official Tiswas Reunited 'mini-site' features exclusive material about the making of the programme, as well as blogs by those who took part in the programme itself (guests and residents of the Cage!) The ITV broadcast referred only briefly to John Asher and Trevor East, the programme's original presenters, and omitted to make any reference to the eighth and final series (possibly because it was the one series in which ''Reuniteds Executive Producer Chris Tarrant was not involved.)


Merchandise

''Tiswas'' was a pioneer for children's television, making its way to shop shelves. Books, T-shirts, a regular magazine, an album, various singles and even a ceramic money box have all been daubed with the ''Tiswas'' logo.


Magazine

A magazine counterpart was produced with interviews with cast, quizzes and letters. This appeared initially as ''Tiswas Family Fun Book'' at the beginning of 1981 and developed into ''Tiswas Magazine'' from September 1981 to coincide with the final series.


Annuals

Four annual hardcover books were produced in ''Tiswas''s later years. Presenter/performer John Gorman wrote the first three (published in the Autumn of 1979, 1980, 1981), and Ollie Spencer the 1983 edition (prepared in spring 1982 and published that autumn, featuring presenters and characters from the final 1981–82 series).


Video compilations

In the early 1990s, three VHS compilations were made available. The majority of ''Tiswas'' never survived as recordings, but among collectors, some with the earliest domestic VCRs, and some studio copies of later editions. These compilations were not like ordinary editions of ''Tiswas'', in that 'non-original' content such as music videos, film clips and cartoons were stripped out. Original features like competition spots and pop interviews were also excluded, in favour of highlighting the show's legacy to comedy and visual slapstick.


''Best of the Best Bits''

The first compilation, lasting about an hour, and purely full of comedy sketches from the series. Some of the most repeated clips from the series have made the grade for this compilation - notably some News Flash sketches with Lenny Henry as 'Trevor McDoughnut' (including one where the target of the spoof -
Trevor McDonald Sir Trevor McDonald (born George McDonald; 16 August 1939) is a Trinidadian- British newsreader and journalist, best known for his career as a news presenter with ITN. McDonald was knighted in 1999 for his services to journalism. Career ...
- takes over as a surprise) and the 'viewer's letters' clip where Sally James is pied and drenched in semolina, baked beans and custard. Moving slightly away from comedy, the music video for the Four Bucketeers' "Bucket of Water Song" is included.


''More of the Best Bits''

The second compilation continued in the same vein as the first. Frank Carson being soaked unexpectedly is a running gag, and there is a full rendition of 'Bright Eyes' from Matthew Butler. A music video for The Four Bucketeers' Water Is Wonderful ends the compilation.


''Comedy Capers''

This was targeted at the stand-up comedy VHS market at the time, and the inlay cover made great mention of comic legends' appearances, such as
Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British Colonial India, where h ...
,
Michael Palin Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries. Palin w ...
and Bernard Manning. Content-wise, it is very similar to the previous two compilations, with many sketches being performed by the ''Tiswas'' team. However, this compilation has no contribution from the Four Bucketeers.


DVD

Apart from the ''Tiswas Reunited'' DVD, released by ITV DVD a week after transmission of the 2007 programme, the only other ''Tiswas'' DVD available is ''The Best of Tiswas''. Issued in October 2005 by Network DVD, ''The Best of Tiswas'' was a straight DVD issuing of the three VHS compilations - ''Best of the Best Bits'', ''More of the Best Bits'' and ''Comedy Capers''. Being on DVD format, it has better picture quality than the VHS version. However, due to the rarity of some ''Tiswas'' material (many episodes surviving only on off-air recordings) there is some understandably rough-looking footage here and there. Additionally, the ''More of the Best Bits'' compilation is entirely sourced from a VHS copy, for the original VHS release's master tape could not be located in time for transfer. Plans for a second volume are pending, based on sales of the first DVD.


References


External links

*
''Tiswas''
on Paul Morris' SatKids


TV Cream - Tiswas
A brief history and glossary of ''Tiswas''
Contains a comment on the similarity of the logo for the London 2012 Summer Olympics to ''Tiswass logo


{{British Saturday morning television 1974 British television series debuts 1982 British television series endings 1970s British children's television series 1980s British children's television series British television shows featuring puppetry Children's comedy television series English-language television shows ITV children's television shows Television shows produced by Associated Television (ATV) Television shows produced by Central Independent Television Television series featuring gunge Television series by ITV Studios