''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'', 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 Television Centre (TVC) is a building complex in White City, West London, that was the headquarters of BBC Television between 1960 and 2013. After a refurbishment, the complex reopened in 2017 with three studios in use for TV production, opera ...

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 status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

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 Salford to the west. The ...

. 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 co ...

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 sextet ...

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 '' Play School''. 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 Lionel Morton (born Lionel Walmsley, 14 August 1942) is an English former musician and television presenter. Morton was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. In the early 1960s, he was the lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist of the group, the Fou ...

Chloe Ashcroft Chloe Ashcroft (born 7 July 1942) is an actor and former presenter of several BBC children's TV programmes, including '' Play School'', '' Play Away'', ''Hokey-Cokey'', ''Excuse Me'', ''All Change'', and ''Pie in the Sky''. She also appeared in ...

, 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 Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chi ...

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 ...

Julie Covington Julie Covington (born 11 September 1946) is an English singer and actress, best known for recording the original version of " Don't Cry for Me Argentina", which she sang on the 1976 concept album Evita. Early life Julie Covington was born in ...

Anita Dobson Anita Dobson (born 29 April 1949) is an English stage, film and television actress, and singer. She is best known for her role from 1985 to 1988 as Angie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. In 1986, she reached number four in the UK Si ...

, Tony Robinson and

Alex Norton Alexander Hugh Norton (born 27 January 1950) is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as DCI Matt Burke in the STV detective drama series '' Taggart'', Eric Baird in BBC Two sitcom '' Two Doors Down'', DCS Wallace in '' Extremely Dangerou ...

. 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 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 ...

in the early 1990s.

References

External links

''Play Away''
at

bbc.co.uk BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, the childre ...

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