Gigglebiz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gigglebiz |
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Title card (in Series 1). L to R: Captain Adorable, Nana Knickerbocker, Major Boogie.
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| Genre | Sketch comedy |
| Created by | Justin Fletcher |
| Directed by | Jack Jameson |
| Starring | Justin Fletcher, Poppy Smith-Bragg |
| Composer(s) | Barrie Bignold Liz Kitchen |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 (excluding the showreel, pilots and GiggleQuiz) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Alison Stewart |
| Production location(s) | Dock10 studios (2011–present) |
| Editor(s) | Gerry Skinner |
| Camera setup | Chris Yacoubian Mark Gosling Mike Maddams |
| Running time | 13 minutes (including 15-second intro) |
| Production company(s) | British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBeebies |
| Original release | 7 September 2009 – present |
Gigglebiz is a super fun British children's comedy TV show! It's a 'live-action comedy sketch show' made by the BBC. You can watch it on CBeebies, the BBC's channel for younger kids. The show first started in 2009 and has had five series so far.
The amazing Justin Fletcher created and stars in Gigglebiz. He plays all the main characters in the funny comedy sketches. Justin even wrote some of the sketches in the first series. Some parts of the show are filmed inside a studio. Other parts are filmed outside, like in a real town! For example, the town of Wiggyville, where Captain Adorable's sketches happen, is filmed in a place called Portmeirion.
During the show, a group of children called the Gigglekids share jokes. They tell their jokes to Justin himself in a special part of the show called 'Giggle Box'.
Contents
How Gigglebiz Started
The idea for Gigglebiz began way back in the mid-1990s. Justin Fletcher made a special video called Justin Time. This video showed off his acting skills to TV companies. He wanted them to see how good he was!
In November 2008, CBeebies showed three pilot episodes with Justin. These were like test shows to see which one people liked best. The pilots were called Humphrey the Painter, Gigglebox, and Captain Adorable: The Locked Door Adventure. The goal was for one of them to become a full TV series.
After the pilots aired, CBeebies announced that Gigglebox would become a full series. This was on November 25, 2008. They said it would be part of the channel's 2009 shows. Then, on May 5, 2009, the show's final name was announced as Gigglebiz. Everyone was excited for it to start airing that summer!
The first series of Gigglebiz began on September 7, 2009. It had 25 episodes, each lasting 13 minutes. There were also 20 different characters in this first series. A special Christmas episode was shown on December 15, 2010. The second series came out in January 2011. It had 15 episodes and introduced five brand new characters. Some older characters left to make room for the new ones.
Later, a quiz show called GiggleQuiz was made, based on Gigglebiz. It first aired on October 28, 2019.
Meet the Gigglebiz Characters
Justin Fletcher plays many different and hilarious characters in Gigglebiz. Each one has their own funny quirks!
Current Characters
These characters are still appearing in Gigglebiz or its spin-off, GiggleQuiz.
- Arthur Sleep is a newsreader who tells really bad jokes and often falls asleep! He also hosts GiggleQuiz.
- Rapids Johnson is a wildlife explorer. He's always looking for rare animals, especially bears, but he never actually finds them!
- Gail Force is a weather presenter. The weather she predicts only seems to happen to her! She also reports on things and often causes funny accidents. In Series 5, Gail even got her own chat show.
- DIY Dan is a very clumsy person who loves do-it-yourself projects. He's known as TV's worst DIY expert, and his projects always go wrong! He doesn't speak, but a narrator tells his story.
- Humphrey is a quiet and curious man. His best friend is his loyal dog, Woody. Humphrey originally had his own pilot show where he was a painter.
- Ann Teak is an older, bossy expert on old things. She thinks she knows everything about antiques.
- The Lost Pirate is always searching for his missing treasure. He takes everyday situations way too seriously. In earlier series, he had a parrot named Captain Squawk, and later, Captain Crackers.
- Captain Adorable is a superhero who thinks he's amazing, but he's not very super at all! He also had his own pilot show before joining Gigglebiz.
- Nana Knickerbocker is a pantomime dame. She acts like she's always on stage and sometimes doesn't have much common sense in the real world. In later series, Nana has her own panto shop.
- Professor Muddles is a quirky scientist. He often mixes up words, and his experiments never go as planned.
- Dina Lady is a friendly cook. She takes the names of dishes very literally! Her assistant is Tommy Tummy. In Series 4, Dina hosted a cooking show, and in Series 5, she became a delivery driver.
- Keith Fitt is a sports instructor from Newcastle. He says he has "20 years" of experience, but he hasn't learned any skills!
- Will Singalot is a minstrel, one of Robin Hood's Merry Men. He annoys Robin Hood with his constant singing and always ruins Robin's plans to impress Maid Marian.
- Dan Step is a tap dancer who often gets confused. He doesn't speak.
- Enrico Paso Doble is a dancer who isn't very good. He gets distracted during his routines. He doesn't speak, except for saying "Arrivederci!" in the credits.
- Wizard Tripwick is a wizard who isn't very good at magic.
- Wild Wez is a cowboy who tries to clean his barn. But his farm animals always make it messy again! He doesn't speak.
Former Characters
These characters appeared in earlier series of Gigglebiz but are no longer regularly featured.
- The Burrito Brothers are three strongmen who aren't having great days. The youngest brother, played by Justin, always accidentally messes up their acts. They don't speak, but they make funny sounds.
- Packed Lunch Pete is a man who tries to eat his packed lunch in strange places. He always fails to eat it! He doesn't speak.
- Anna Conda is an expert on reptiles. She tells lots of cheesy jokes about them.
- Chip Monk works at a pet shop. He tries his best not to sell the animals to customers.
- Major Boogie is a tired, old toy soldier. He loves to dance when no one is watching, along with the other toys on his shelf.
- Milkshake Jake works at a sundae bar. He makes very messy milkshakes and gets distracted by what his customers do for a living.
- King Flannel is a naughty, childish old king. His butler has to try and keep him in line.
- Postie is a postman who always tries to deliver the mail on time. But he always fails! He doesn't speak much.
- Farmer Dung is a happy farmer who sometimes says things that are hard to understand. He uses lots of wordplay and has an assistant named Reggie.
- Simon Pieman delivers pies on wheels. His pies always end up in his face!
- Doctor Doctor is a doctor who loves telling "doctor doctor" jokes to his patients.
- Opera Oliver is a waiter who sings opera. He sings so much about food that he forgets his hungry customers, who usually leave!
- Rod and Annette are a fishing couple. Rod loves to catch fish but always loses them. His wife, Annette, loves to chat and never notices his catch. Rod doesn't speak.
- Sue Keeper is a zookeeper who always mixes up her animal facts.
- Storybook Stan is a storyteller. His attempts to tell a story always end in disaster.
- Will Barrow is a gardener. His gardening is always ruined by the animals in his garden. He doesn't speak.
- Ug and Ig are a caveman duo. Ug (Justin) tries to invent things but often breaks them because he's so strong. Ig has to help him, and their inventions never work as planned. Ug speaks in gibberish, and Ig doesn't speak.
Other Characters You Might See
- Botham is Captain Adorable's butler. He does most of the work for Captain Adorable, who calls him "Bottom."
- Q.T. is Captain Adorable's sidekick. She's a young girl who helps him.
- Awesome Girl is Captain Adorable's superhero friend.
- Woody is Humphrey's loyal dog.
- Tommy Tummy is Dina Lady's assistant. He actually knows more about cooking than Dina Lady!
- Giant Panda is the rare animal Rapids Johnson often searches for.
- King Flannel's Butler tries to keep the naughty King Flannel in line.
- Lady Chatalot is King Flannel's friend. Flannel is often jealous of her.
- Reggie is Farmer Dung's assistant.
- Robin Hood is Will Singalot's best friend, even though he calls Will his enemy!
- Marian is the maiden Robin Hood wants to marry.
- Doreen is Arthur Sleep's coworker. You only ever see her arm!
- Humphrey's Neighbour is a man Humphrey often gets into trouble.
- Brown Bear is another animal Rapids Johnson often looks for.
- Bobo is Professor Muddles's teddy bear.
- Dobbin is Nana Knickerbocker's cheeky horse.
- Tony Tap is Dan Step's dance partner.
- Captain Cuddles is a superhero from Daisytown.
Who Made Gigglebiz?
Gigglebiz was created by the amazing Justin Fletcher. He is also very well-known for playing Mr. Tumble!
Here are some of the other important people who helped make the show:
- Director: Geoff Coward
- Editors: Richard Shadbolt, Eben Clancy, Paul Shields
- Script editor: Nathan Cockerill
- Executive producers: Vanessa Amberleigh, Tony Reed
- Composers: Barrie Bignold and Liz Kitchen
GiggleQuiz: The Spin-off Show
On July 3, 2018, a new quiz show called GiggleQuiz was announced! It's a spin-off from Gigglebiz, and Justin Fletcher plays his main characters in it. It first aired on October 28, 2019.
Unlike Gigglebiz, GiggleQuiz is a quiz show. The goal is to answer questions about funny clips from previous Gigglebiz series. Arthur Sleep hosts the show. Gail Force and Keith Fitt are the team captains. Nana Knickerbocker even hosts her own special round called "Nana's Panto Showdown"!
Many Gigglebiz characters appear as contestants, including Wizard Tripwick, Dina Lady, Captain Adorable, Rapids Johnson, Ann Teak, The Lost Pirate, and Professor Muddles. Other characters make quick appearances too.
GiggleQuiz started its second season on December 16, 2020, with a Christmas episode called "A Giggle Quizmas."
GiggleQuiz Series 1 Episodes
- Dina Lady's Brussels Sprout Cake
- Captain Adorable's Sidekick
- The Lost Pirate's Treasure
- Keith Fitt's Quiz Fit
- Super Banana Gail
- Keith Fitt's Juggling
- Rapids Johnson's Quizzly Bear
- Ann Teak's Painting
- Arthur's Tie Break
- Professor Muddles' Brain Buster
- Gail Force's Thinking Cap
- Ann Teak's Antique Wand
- Rapids Johnson's Helping Bear
- Professor Muddles' Handy Invention
- Gail Wants to Sing
GiggleQuiz Series 2 Episodes
- A Giggle Quizmas
- Wizard Tripwick's Crystal Ball
- Dina Lady's Ice Cream Machine
- Professor Muddles' Mystery Machine
- Keith Fitt's Broken Buzzer
- Arthur Sleep's Leaky Pipes
- Dina Lady's Cakey Mix Up
- Keith Fitt's Pesky Fly
- The Lost Pirate's Empty Chest
- The Muddles-Keith Muddle Up
- Keith Fitt's Rumbly Tummy
- Wizard Tripwick's New Wand
