Playdays facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Playdays |
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| Genre | Children’s television series |
| Created by | Cynthia Felgate |
| Developed by | Felgate Productions |
| Written by | Simon Davies |
| Directed by | Clare Bradley Brian Jameson Will Brenton Helen Sheppard Stephen Cannon Adrian Hedley Robin Carr Leslie Pitt Trevor Hill Mark Pickett Jamie Langton Michelle Jones |
| Presented by | Brian Jameson Simon Davies Zoe Ball Vanessa Amberleigh Nick Baker Elizabeth Fost Dave Benson Phillips Liz Kitchen Dyanne White Stephen Cannon Chris Jarvis Andrew Lynford Stuart Bradley Liz Watts Will Brenton Sue Monroe Sarah Davidson Robin Fritz Clive Duncan Andy Hockley Nick Mercer Michele Durler Sonali Shah Teresa Gallagher Peter Quilter Neil Bett Trish Cooke Karl Woolley Alex Lovell |
| Theme music composer | Richard Brown |
| Composer(s) | Jonathan Cohen Kim Goody Liz Kitchen Graham Pike Alex Matthias Andrew Dodge |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 1174 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Cynthia Felgate Andrew Thomas |
| Producer(s) | Clare Bradley Penny Lloyd Barbara Roddam Anne Reay Michael Cole Ann Gobey Kate Marlow Will Brenton |
| Production company(s) | Felgate Productions |
| Distributor | BBC Worldwide |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1, BBC2 |
| Picture format | 4:3 |
| Original release | 17 October 1988 – 28 March 1997 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Play School |
Playdays was a popular British TV show for young children. It ran from 1988 to 1997 on CBBC. The show was first known as Playbus until December 1989. It took over from another famous children's show called Play School. Just like Play School, Playdays was made to help kids learn in a fun way.
The name of the show changed because the BBC got a complaint. The National Playbus Association felt the original name was too similar to their own. In 2002, when CBBC and CBeebies split, old episodes of Playdays were shown on CBeebies until August 2004.
Contents
Exploring the Playbus Stops
Each episode of Playdays started with a fun animation. It showed the Playbus driving along until it reached a special bus stop. The bus would stop at a different place every day of the week. Each stop had its own unique characters and activities.
The Why Bird Stop: Mondays
On Mondays, the Playbus stopped at The Why Bird Stop. This was a magical Lost Property Office. Here, things left on the Playbus were kept safe until someone came to get them. Why Bird, a friendly puppet, lived here. She often chatted with the human bus driver.
Why Bird had a special computer called the Why-Tech. This computer was super helpful! It could play music for songs or show pictures for stories. It also gave instructions for making cool crafts. Sometimes, it even showed videos about how everyday things like socks or toothbrushes are made. Later, the office became a big warehouse called "Why's Supplies."
The Playground Stop: Tuesdays
Tuesdays meant fun at The Playground Stop. A presenter, like Dave Benson Phillips or Elizabeth Fost, would welcome everyone. They would say, "Girls and boys, come out to play..." and then introduce the day's theme.
Kids on the show would do exciting activities. They might pretend to be chefs and make paper meals. Dave had a puppet friend named Chester, and Elizabeth had a puppet named Ruby. This stop also featured a rhyme with Makaton sign language. A singing marionette named Lizzie Dreams, who loved to sing and dance, would perform a song. Sometimes, her friend Nick, another marionette, joined her. There was always a story, often about Max and his magical chest of dress-up clothes.
The Dot Stop & The Roundabout Stop: Wednesdays
From 1988 to 1991, Wednesdays were for The Dot Stop. Dot, a non-speaking character played by Rebecca Higgins, explored music, numbers, and counting. Later, there were three different Dots:
- The Dot who played the violin.
- The Dot who played the drums.
- The Dot you could count on.
Sometimes, a puppet called Dash would appear. Dash loved to squirm through holes in the set and had a special song about doing tricks. Other puppet friends included Professor Mopp and his blue dog Morgan.
Later, from 1992 to 1997, the Dot Stop was replaced by The Roundabout Stop. Mr. Jolly, played by Robin Fritz or later Andy Hockley, was the presenter. This stop featured Bitsy Bob, who made music and crafts. It also had puppets Morris Cog and Milly Sprocket. They sang "Morris and Milly's Numerical Melodies" about different numbers.
The Roundabout Stop also had special visitors who helped with Rosie's puzzles. These included Rhythm Man and Leaping Lindy. Mr. Jolly would sing "Roll up and ride on Rosie" at the start and end of adventures. Pictures related to the adventure would appear on shaped tickets. These shapes would then combine to form the title of a nursery rhyme or song, which the whole cast would perform.
A special 40-minute video called Winter Adventure was released in 1997. In this adventure, Mr. Jolly, Poppy, Why Bird, and Peggy visited a cozy cottage for the weekend.
The Patch Stop: Thursdays
Thursdays were for The Patch Stop. This stop first featured Sam Patch, a small scarecrow doll. Later, Sam was replaced by Peggy Patch, a kind rag doll. Peggy often traveled to different places. From 1994 onwards, Peggy would leave clues for children to find her. She was often joined by Parsnip, a brown rabbit, and sometimes Poppy or Why Bird. Peggy originally didn't speak, but she gained a voice in 1994. Presenters at this stop included Vanessa Amberleigh and Teresa Gallagher.
The Tent Stop & The Poppy Stop: Fridays
From 1988 to 1995, Fridays were The Tent Stop. A group of actors, including Trish Cooke and Will Brenton, would dress up. With the help of some children, they would put on a play or show. Humphry, a unicyclist puppet, and Wobble, a roly-poly clown, also joined in the stories and songs.
When the stop became The Poppy Stop (1995–1997), the setting moved to Poppy the cat's house. Karl Woolley was a common presenter here. Why Bird, Peggy Patch, and other characters often visited Poppy's house.
The Christmas Tree Stop
Around Christmas time, the Playbus would make a special stop at The Christmas Tree Stop. These festive episodes brought together characters from all the different daily stops for a big celebration.
Live Shows and Releases
Playdays also went on tours around the UK. These live shows often brought all the puppet characters together. Interestingly, in the live shows, Peggy Patch was played by a person, not a doll.
The show also had various releases for fans to enjoy at home.
VHS Releases
You could buy Playdays episodes on VHS tapes. Here are some of the titles that were released:
- Playbus - Animated Alphabet (released October 2, 1989)
- Playdays - Days on the Move (released April 6, 1992)
- Playdays - Days by the Sea (released April 6, 1992)
- Playdays - Animated Alphabet re-release (released April 6, 1992)
- Playdays - Dot's Fun with Numbers (released April 5, 1993)
- Playdays - Lizzie's Singalong (released May 3, 1993)
- Playdays - Lizzie and Friends (released April 5, 1994)
- Playdays - 2 - on 1 (released July 7, 1997)
- Playdays - Winter Adventure (released November 3, 1997)
Besides VHS tapes, there were also Playdays magazines, books, audio tapes, and even PC games for kids to enjoy.
