Dramarama (TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dramarama
Genre	Drama Science fiction
Created by	Anna Home
Starring	varied by episode
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
Production
Executive producer(s)	varied by episode
Producer(s)	varied by episode
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	Various ITV contractors
Release
Original network	ITV Network (CITV)
Original release	12 September 1983 (1983-09-12) – 21 August 1989 (1989-08-21)

Dramarama was a popular British TV show made just for kids. It was shown on ITV between 1983 and 1989. This series was an anthology series. This means each episode told a completely different story with new characters and actors.

The stories often had exciting themes. Many were about science fiction, like space or robots. Others were supernatural, with ghosts or magic. Sometimes, they even made fun of things in a clever way, which is called satire.

The show was created by Anna Home. She was in charge of children's TV at TVS. But many different ITV companies across the UK made the individual episodes. This meant every story was unique, with its own team and cast.

What Made Dramarama Special?

Dramarama was a great place for new talent to start in television. Many actors and writers who are famous today got their first big chance on this show. It helped launch the careers of people like Anthony Horowitz and David Tennant. David Tennant later became a very well-known actor, even playing the Doctor in Doctor Who.

The show also featured some of the last works by writer Dennis Spooner. He was famous for writing many classic TV shows.

Spin-off Shows from Dramarama

Some stories on Dramarama were so popular they became their own TV series!

One example was Dodger, Bonzo And The Rest from 1984. This story was about life in a big foster home. It starred Lee Ross. People loved it so much that it became a full series and a Christmas special the next year.

Another story, Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Night from 1988, also became a long-running show. This show was called Children's Ward. The original Dramarama story was written by Paul Abbott and Kay Mellor. They were both working as writers for Granada TV at the time.

Watching Dramarama Today

It's not very common to see Dramarama episodes on TV anymore. However, two episodes were shown again in 2013. These were Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Night and Back to Front. They were broadcast on the CITV Channel to celebrate the show's 30th anniversary.

Episodes Overview

Dramarama had many different episodes spread across several series. Each series brought new and exciting stories to young viewers.

Dramarama: Spooky (1982)

This was a special collection of seven spooky stories. They were shown before the main series officially began.

Series One (1983)

The first official series had ten unique episodes. Each one was a standalone drama.

Series Two (1984)

This series featured twelve new stories. One of them was Dodger, Bonzo And The Rest, which later became its own show. Another episode, Mr. Stabs, featured a character who had appeared in other TV shows like Ace of Wands and Shadows.

Series Three (1985)

There were thirteen episodes in the third series. These continued the tradition of varied and imaginative stories.

Series Four (1986)

The fourth series was one of the longest, with fourteen episodes. It offered even more diverse tales for kids.

Series Five (1987)

This series had sixteen episodes, making it the longest one. It included a wide range of dramas, from mysterious to adventurous.

Series Six (1988)

The sixth series also had sixteen episodes. It included Blackbird Singing In The Dead Of Night, which later became the series Children's Ward.

Series Seven (1989)

The final series of Dramarama had eleven episodes. It concluded the show's run with more memorable stories.

Most of the ITV companies across the UK helped make Dramarama. Only a few, like Anglia and LWT, did not contribute episodes. TVS produced the most episodes out of all the companies.