Crackerjack was a British children's comedy/variety BBC television series. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located It started on 12 September 1955 [1] and ran for 400 shows in B&W and later colour until 1984. Events 1213 - Albigensian Crusade: Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester, defeats Peter II of Aragon at the Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Through its long run it featured Eamonn Andrews, Max Bygraves, Leslie Crowther, Ed "Stewpot" Stewart, Stu Francis, Peter Glaze, Don Maclean, Michael Aspel, Jan Hunt, The Krankies, Bernie Clifton, Rod McLennan and Ronnie Corbett amongst many others. Eamonn Andrews, CBE (hon ( 19 December, 1922 &ndash 5 November, 1987) was an Irish born Television presenter Max Bygraves OBE (born 16 October 1922 in Rotherhithe, London as Walter William Bygraves) is an English Leslie Crowther, CBE ( 6 February 1933, Nottingham &ndash 29 September 1996, Bath) was an English Ed Stewart (born April 23 1941 in Exmouth, Devon) is a Radio broadcaster from England. Stu Francis (born 1951 Bolton, Lancashire, England) is a slightly camp British comedian who achieved celebrity as 'lead presenter' on the children's favorite Peter Glaze ( 17 September 1924 &ndash 20 February 1983) was a twentieth-century English comedian born in London. Don Maclean (born 11 March, 1944 in Birmingham) is an English Actor and Comedian, who hosted the BBC Television Michael Terence Aspel OBE (born 12 January 1933) is an English Journalist and Television presenter. Jan Hunt (born 13 March 1946) is a British Comedian, Actress and Music Hall Performer, who appeared on The Krankies are a Scottish comedy duo that enjoyed success as a cabaret act in the 1970s and on television in the 1980s featuring in their own television shows and releasing Bernie Clifton (born in St Helens, England) is a British Comedian and Entertainer, who appeared on the BBC Television Ronald Balfour "Ronnie" Corbett, OBE (born 4 December 1930) is a British Actor and Comedian, born in Scotland Among the women who appeared as singers/dancers, assisting the host with games, were Julie Dorne-Brown (later MTV VJ "Downtown" Julie Brown); Sally Ann Triplett (who as a member of the duo Bardo represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1982); Leigh Miles (also a popular "Hills Angel" in the Benny Hill show); and Sarah Hollamby (now a television news and travel reporter). Julie Dorne Brown, also known as Downtown Julie Brown (born August 27, 1963) is a Welsh-born actress and former MTV VJ. Sally Ann Triplett (born 15 April 1962, London, United Kingdom) is a British Singer and Actress most famous Bardo was a male/female Pop music duo ( Sally Ann Triplett and Stephen Fischer) formed to represent the United Kingdom in the 1982 A Song for Europe 1982 Terry Wogan once again hosted the contest held on March 24th
The shows were filmed in front of an audience of mainly children at the BBC Television Theatre (now the Shepherds Bush Empire) and were quite frantic. The Shepherds Bush Empire (the first word is sometimes spelled Shepherd's) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham The Shepherds Bush Empire (the first word is sometimes spelled Shepherd's) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham The format of the programme included competitive games for teams of children, a music spot, a comedy double act, and a finale in which the cast performed a short comic play, adapting popular songs of the day and incorporating them into the action. One of the highlights of the show was called Don and Pete, being Don Maclean and Peter Glaze in a silent comedy style section lasting maybe five minutes. Shows had them fishing, as sweepers, barbers, at a riding school, on a building site, on a farm, at a circus, window cleaners, bellboys, removals, etc.
One of the most memorable games was a quiz called "Double or Drop", where each contestant was given a prize to hold for each question answered correctly, but given a cabbage if they answered incorrectly. They were out of the game if they dropped any of the items they were holding or received a third cabbage.
It was an accepted unwritten rule that whenever a presenter spoke the word 'Crackerjack', the audience would shout "Crack-er-jack!" loudly. This custom has passed into popular culture.
A standard consolation prize to children who appeared on the show was the Crackerjack Pencil (later upgraded to a Crackerjack pen). These were kept in a special locked cabinet and only handed out to people who had won them and when an official asked for one once, he was refused.
The show was introduced with the phrase "It's Friday, it's five o'clock. . . It's Crackerjack!", and sometimes with "It's Friday, it's five to five. . . It's Crackerjack!".
In the mid to late seventies (c. 1977) a talent contest element was added to the show. The strand was called "Crackerjack Young Entertainer of The Year" and featured children from throughout the UK who had successfully passed audition stages, get their shot at stardom on the small screen.
In 1982, in a bid to try and boost flagging ratings, Crackerjack introduced gunge into its games and launched a new game called 'Take a Chance' in which the celebrity guests could score extra points for the contestant they had teamed up with. Gunge is a British colloquial name for ‘‘slime’’ a term used in the US and other countries to define a runny substance similar to Paint, that is often featured in Failure to answer questions correctly led to Stu Francis and/or the celebrity guest being covered in gunge. Stu Francis (born 1951 Bolton, Lancashire, England) is a slightly camp British comedian who achieved celebrity as 'lead presenter' on the children's favorite Gunge is a British colloquial name for ‘‘slime’’ a term used in the US and other countries to define a runny substance similar to Paint, that is often featured in
Crackerjack was cancelled in 1984 at the same time as many other long running series. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) In 1987 Stu Francis hosted Crush a Grape on ITV, a remake of his era of Crackerjack in all but name. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) It lasted a single series.
See also
References
External links
- Crackerjack at bbc.co.uk
- Clips from whirligig tv
- British Film Institute Screen Online
- Description at ukgameshows.com
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