Motormouth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Motormouth |
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| Genre | Children's television series |
| Presented by |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 150 |
| Production | |
| Production location(s) | TVS Television Centre, Maidstone |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | Various |
| Production company(s) | TVS |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | PAL (576i) |
| Original release | 3 September 1988 – 4 April 1992 |
Motormouth was a fun Saturday morning TV show for kids. It was made by a company called TVS. The show was broadcast on the ITV network.
It ran for four series, from September 3, 1988, to April 4, 1992. Each series usually started in autumn and ended in spring. This was a common schedule for many big Saturday morning shows back then.
Motormouth took over from another popular show called No. 73. That show had been changed to 7T3 and used outdoor sets, which were expensive. So, the creators decided to make Motormouth entirely in a studio. Many of the people who worked on No. 73, including some presenters, moved to the new show. Unlike No. 73, Motormouth was a straightforward magazine-style show. This means it had different segments, like a magazine.
The first series of Motormouth had a cool studio set. It featured giant inflatable decorations, including a huge motorized mouth. This giant mouth is where the show got its name!
For the second series, the show got new graphics and set pieces. These new designs were based on cogs and sprockets, which are like gears. After these changes, the giant mouth was used less often.
The third series of Motormouth brought even more changes. It had brand new graphics and a remixed theme song. The set was mostly white, and the giant mouth was completely removed. This series also introduced a diner-style set. It was sometimes called 'The Motormouth Cafe'. Guests and audience members could sit at tables, making it feel like a real diner. This style stayed mostly the same for the fourth series.
Contents
Meet the Presenters
The first series of Motormouth had five main presenters. Two of them, Neil Buchanan and Andrea Arnold, had been on No. 73 before. They were joined by new faces: Caroline Hanson, Tony Gregory, and Julian Ballantyne.
For the second series, Andrea Arnold changed her role. She stopped being a main presenter in the studio. Instead, she traveled around the world and sent back exciting reports. Caroline Hanson and Julian Ballantyne left the show. Gaby Roslin and Steve Johnson joined the team. Neil Buchanan and Tony Gregory stayed on as presenters.
Usually, Neil, Tony, and Gaby hosted the main studio parts. Steve Johnson was in charge of the fun game show segments. These games included It's Torture, Gunge 'em in the Dungeon, and Mouse Trap. Mouse Trap was based on the popular board game.
By the third series, Andrea Arnold had left the show completely. Tony Gregory also departed. Andy Crane, who used to present for Children's BBC, joined the team. Andy, Neil, Gaby, and Steve continued to present Motormouth until the very last episode.
Fun Fictional Stories
The first series of Motormouth included a mini-show called Spin-off. This was a soap opera parody that pretended to show what happened behind the scenes of Motormouth. Richard Waites, who had been in the last series of No. 73/7T3, was part of the Spin-off cast. Spin-off was removed after the first series.
A similar kind of fictional story came back in the fourth series. This time, it wasn't a separate show like Spin-off. Instead, the comedy-drama was mixed into the main Motormouth program. Characters from the pretend production team would interact with the hosts and guests. This made the storyline flow more smoothly. The cast for this new story was different from Spin-off. It included Carla Mendonça, who played Juliet Nichols, and Cal McCrystal, who played Max Church. The wedding between Juliet and Max was a big part of the final episode's story.
Motormouth also showed popular cartoons during its run. Some of the cartoons featured were She-Ra: Princess of Power, Samurai Pizza Cats, The Real Ghostbusters, and Scooby-Doo.
Why Motormouth Ended
During the 1991/1992 series, TVS, the company that made Motormouth, faced a big change. They found out they would no longer be able to broadcast on ITV after 1992. Because of this, the future of TVS was uncertain. It was decided that Motormouth would end. The final show featured a farewell from all the presenters, including Neil Buchanan, who had been there for all four series.
A new company, Scottish Television (STV), took over the Saturday morning shows. They worked with TVS and Warner Bros. to create a new show called What's Up Doc?. Like Motormouth, this new show was also broadcast from the Maidstone Studios. STV took over broadcasting it from ITV starting in January 1993. Andy Crane from Motormouth moved to the new show, and Cal McCrystal also became a regular guest. They were joined by Yvette Fielding and Pat Sharp.
What Happened Next for the Presenters?
Many of the Motormouth presenters went on to do other exciting things in television.
Steve Johnson later hosted a CITV game show called Terror Towers in the mid-1990s.
After Motormouth, Gaby Roslin became very well known. In September 1992, she and Chris Evans launched The Big Breakfast on Channel 4. She has since presented many other shows, including City Hospital and Children in Need.
Andy Crane stayed with What's Up Doc? for its three-year run. He also co-presented Bad Influence!, a CITV show about computer games, from 1992 to 1995.
Andrea Arnold became a successful film-maker. She even won an Oscar in 2004 and a BAFTA in 2007 for her work.
Cal McCrystal is now a comedy director. He has worked on famous shows like One Man, Two Guvnors.
Tony Gregory became a TV director. One of his directing credits includes the popular reality show Big Brother.
Neil Buchanan continued to work with CITV until 2007. He produced shows through his company, The Media Merchants. He also hosted other popular shows like Finders Keepers and Art Attack.
Caroline Hanson went on to present a film show for Super Channel. She also worked on the first series of 'Rough Guide to Careers' for BBC2. Later, she became a producer/director for 'Movie Show' on BSB. After BSB merged with Sky, she moved into special events. In the early 90s, she started her own PR company.
The Maidstone Studios, where Motormouth was made, have continued to be used for other Saturday morning shows. These include Ministry of Mayhem and Basil's Swap Shop.
Motormouth Repeats
Motormouth was shown again on The Family Channel in 1994 and 1995. These repeats were called "The Best of Motormouth" and were presented by Andy Crane. They featured highlights from the fourth and final series. When Challenge TV started in February 1997, Motormouth was briefly shown again in the summer of 1998. It aired very early in the morning, around 4:00 am on weekends.
Series Guide
- Series 1: 58 episodes (Saturdays/Sundays) - September 3, 1988 – March 26, 1989
- Series 2: 31 episodes - September 9, 1989 – April 14, 1990
- Series 3: 31 episodes - September 1, 1990 – March 30, 1991
- Series 4: 32 episodes - August 31, 1991 – April 4, 1992
