''Alfonso Bonzo'' is a 1986 children's book by Andrew Davies and a 1990 children's short-lived television series adapted from the book by the author. The series starred

Alex Jennings Alex Jennings (born 10 May 1957) is an English actor of the stage and screen, who worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. For his work on the London stage, Jennings received three Olivier Awards, winning for ...

as Alfonso Bonzo and Scott Riley as Billy Webb. Billy Webb is a young boy who likes to swap things with his school mates. He meets Alfonso Bonzo, an "Italian

exchange student A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school (high school) or university study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions. A student exchange program may involve international travel, but d ...

" who also has a talent for swapping things (thus his self-description: he is an Italian student who exchanges things). Alfonso offers Billy a variety of temporary swaps to demonstrate his abilities: Billy's boring old dog for a greyhound that does ballet, the wonky Webb family television for a new model with a button that lets the viewer become part of the action, Billy's battered schoolbag full of unfinished homework for a brand new schoolbag containing a file folder that magically produces finished homework, but, each swap has disadvantages as well as advantages, and Alfonso Bonzo cuts an increasingly sinister figure as he leads up to one last swap, this one for keeps. The TV series later had a spinoff called ''

Billy Webb's Amazing Stories ''Billy Webb's Amazing Story'' is a 1991 CBBC series by Steve Attridge, continuing the story of Billy Webb, a character in the book the series was based on, '' Alfonso Bonzo'' by Andrew Davies. Plot Each episode begins with Billy recounting the ...

'', featuring Billy's further (non-Alfonso-related) adventures.

Cast

*Scott Riley as Billy Webb *

as Alfonso Bonzo * Mike Walling as Trevor Trotman * Susan Porrett as Mrs. Webb *Fleur Taylor as Linda Webb * Gil Brailey as Mrs. Peasgood * Brian Hall as Mr. Webb

External links

*
BFI Film & TV Database entry
1986 British novels 1990 British television series debuts 1991 British television series endings 1990s British children's television series British children's novels BBC children's television shows 1990s British television miniseries English-language television shows British television shows based on children's books Fictional Italian people in literature 1986 children's books British children's books Methuen Publishing books {{child-tv-prog-stub