Alfonso Bonzo facts for kids

Alfonso Bonzo is a children's story that started as a book in 1986. It was written by Andrew Davies. Later, in 1990, it became a short-lived TV series for kids. The TV show was also created by Andrew Davies.

The main characters in the TV series were Alex Jennings as Alfonso Bonzo and Scott Riley as Billy Webb.

Billy Webb is a young boy who really enjoys swapping things with his friends at school. One day, he meets Alfonso Bonzo. Alfonso says he is an "Italian exchange student" and he's also super good at swapping things. He even calls himself an "exchanger"!

Alfonso shows Billy his amazing swapping skills. He offers Billy many temporary swaps. For example, Billy's old, boring dog gets swapped for a greyhound that can do ballet! Billy's broken TV is swapped for a new one with a special button. This button lets you jump right into the TV show! Also, Billy's messy schoolbag, full of unfinished homework, is swapped for a brand new one. This new bag has a magic folder that finishes homework by itself!

But here's the catch: every swap Alfonso offers has both good and bad sides. As the story goes on, Alfonso Bonzo starts to seem a bit tricky. He leads up to one final swap, and this one will be for keeps!

The TV series later had a spin-off show. It was called Billy Webb's Amazing Stories. This show followed Billy's other adventures, which were not connected to Alfonso.

Who's Who in the Show

• Scott Riley as Billy Webb
• Alex Jennings 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

Images for kids

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  The first edition of the book, published by Methuen.