Do Something Different facts for kids
Quick facts for kids DSD (Do Something Different) |
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| Created by | BBC |
| Presented by | Sam Nixon Mark Rhodes Ayesha Asantewaa |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Two |
| Original release | 2 April – 4 September 2007 |
Do Something Different (often called DSD) was a fun TV show from CBBC. It was hosted by the popular duo Sam and Mark. The main goal of the show was to encourage one million kids to try new things. They called this 'DSD-ing'. If you completed a challenge, you became a 'DSDer'!
Contents
What Was Do Something Different About?
The show's big idea was simple: get one million children to try something new. This goal was set for the end of summer 2007. It didn't matter what activity a viewer chose. The only rule was that it had to be 'different' from their usual hobbies.
Cool Ideas for DSDs
The presenters suggested many different activities. These included learning to cook a Spanish omelette. Other ideas were learning to be a DJ or taking up a new sport. Some kids learned to play the ukulele. They even joked about cross-breeding lions and puffins to make 'luffins'!
When and Where Could You Watch DSD?
The first episodes of Do Something Different aired during the UK schools' Easter holidays. You could watch it on BBC Two and the CBBC Channel. This first run had ten episodes, each 45 minutes long. A new episode was shown every weekday morning at 8 a.m. on BBC Two.
Summer Shows
The show returned for a second run during the UK schools' summer holidays. It was shown in the same morning timeslot. However, it started one week earlier, from 7:15 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. on BBC Two.
What Happened in Each Episode?
Every episode of Do Something Different had different parts. These parts were called 'strands'.
Main Sections of the Show
- DSD Challenge
- My DSD
- Sam Challenge / Mark Challenge
- Boys vs Girls
- Links
Each episode was filmed in a different place across the UK. In the 'Links' sections, presenters Sam and Mark would try out a DSD themselves. They did things like swimming with sharks. They also tried the famous 'cola and mentos' experiment. Other challenges included pigeon racing or racing cars at Silverstone.
DSD Challenges
The DSD Challenges were 18-minute films. Each film was split into three parts. All three parts were shown within one episode. These films followed a different viewer each time. The viewer was challenged to do a specific DSD activity. For example, one child was a hip-hop street dancer. They learned to be a ballroom dancer and even competed nationally!
Sam and Mark's Challenges
The Sam and Mark Challenge films were similar to the DSD challenges. But these followed the two presenters as they faced their own DSDs. These challenges had five parts. One part was shown in each episode. Sam's challenge was to train as a stuntman in the US. He then took part in a stunt show. Mark's challenge was to learn hip-hop dancing. He even competed in a one-on-one battle at the UK Hip Hop Dance Championships.
Boys vs Girls
Ayesha presented the 'Boys vs Girls' parts of the show. In these segments, a group of three boys and three girls learned a new activity. A child mentor, who was very good at that activity, would train them. The activities included golf, pottery, indoor skydiving, and playing the xylophone. After training, the boys and girls would compete. The mentor then judged which group did better. A new group of children was featured in each episode. During the Easter shows, the girls won overall, beating the boys 6-4.
The DSD Website
The show relied a lot on its website. The website had several sections. These included 'How you can DSD', 'Pledge a DSD', and 'Ayesha's Stats'.
Pledge a DSD
In the 'Pledge a DSD' section, viewers could suggest DSDs for others to try. They could also promise to do these suggestions themselves. Once a DSD was pledged, users could mark it as completed after trying the activity. Every child who signed up on the website added to the total number of DSDs. The big goal was to reach one million DSDs!
Ayesha's Stats
The 'Ayesha's Stats' area showed interesting facts. It displayed the total number of DSDs completed. It also showed which parts of the UK had the most 'DSDers'. You could also see the most popular and most pledged DSD activities.
