The Biz (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Biz |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama Soap |
| Written by | Chris Ellis, Sarah-Louise Hawkins, Jeremy Front, Matthew Graham |
| Directed by | David Andrews, Nigel Douglas, John Smith |
| Theme music composer | Michael Omer |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Marilyn Fox |
| Producer(s) | Richard Callanan, John Smith |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Original release | 1994 – 1996 |
The Biz was a cool BBC children's TV show. It was a drama series about a bunch of teenagers. They all went to a made-up stage school, which is a special school where you learn to act, sing, and dance.
The show was written by Chris Ellis, Jeremy Front, Matthew Graham, and Sarah-Louise Hawkins. Different directors worked on each series, like David Andrews for series one. Wayne Fowkes was the choreographer, who taught all the dance moves. Michael Omer created the original music for the show. The Biz ran for three series, with 24 episodes in total, from 1994 to 1996.
Contents
What Is The Show About?
The story of The Biz takes place at Markov's School of Dance and Drama. This school was located in Richmond, a town in England. Each week, the show focused on a different student. It was like a collection of mini-stories, showing what life was like for them.
The series explored many parts of being a student at a stage school. You would see the characters training hard in their classes. They also went to auditions, hoping to get big roles. And of course, the show featured their exciting performances!
Meet the Cast of Students and Teachers
This section introduces the main actors and the characters they played in The Biz.
Regular Characters in The Biz
| Actor | Character | Who are they? | Series One | Series Two | Series Three |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students/children | |||||
| Marie Wevill | Pippa Jackson | Student | Y | Y | Y |
| Paul Nicholls | Tim Marshall | Student | Y | Y | (Y) |
| Hannah Lawrence | Julia "Jules" Hart | Student | Y | Y | Y |
| Lindsey Wise | Emma Holmes | Student | Y | Y | Y |
| Mohammed George (as Mahommed George) | Ben | Student | Y | Y | Y |
| Keeley Forsyth | Nicky Williams | Student | Y | Y | - |
| Nathan Constance | Luke Fredericks | Student | Y | Y | Y |
| Stephanie Bagshaw | Sasha Hamilton | Student | Y | Y | Y |
| Craig Stein | Mark | Student | Y | Y | Y |
| Sacha Pitimson | Chris Murray | Student | Y | Y | Y |
| Hilja Lindsay-Parkinson | Natalie Walton | Student | Y | Y | Y |
| John Glynn | Barry Wilson | Boarding house brother | Y | Y | Y |
| Andrew-Lee Potts (as Andrew Potts) | Leo | Student | - | Y | Y |
| Rhys Moore | Huw Williams | Student | - | Y | Y |
| Vanessa Cavanagh | Amber | Student | - | Y | Y |
| Rudolf Gordon | Jake | Student (Alice's brother) | - | Y | (Y) |
| Lindsay Payne | Alice | Student (Jake's sister) | - | Y | (Y) |
| Sarah French | Zara | Student | - | - | Y |
| Natalie Anderson | Francesca | Student (Leo's step-sister) | - | - | Y |
| Max Wrottesley | Vince | Student | - | - | Y |
| Zander Ward | Terry Ryan | Student | - | - | Y |
| Steven White | Zak | Rachel's son | - | - | Y |
| School staff | |||||
| Terence Harvey | Gerry Clark | drama teacher (head teacher) | Y | Y | Y |
| Sally Spencer-Harris | Caro Hamilton | school secretary and Sasha's mother | Y | Y | (Y) |
| Delia Lindsay | Gaby Markov | head teacher | Y | Y | (Y) |
| Geoffrey Bayldon | Markov | school founder and Gaby's father | Y | - | - |
| Nicola Bryant | Martine Johnson | dance teacher | Y | Y | Y |
| Tim Adams/Tim Scott-Walker | Paul Jellico | drama teacher and office support | - | Y | Y |
| Ania Sowinski | Kerry | new school secretary and part-time student | - | - | Y |
Behind the Scenes: How The Biz Was Made
This section looks at how the show was put together, from choosing actors to creating music.
Casting the Actors
Paul Nicholls played the role of Tim Marshall. Tim was a rising star in the show. This was one of Paul's first acting jobs. Interestingly, Tim's story in the show, dealing with fame, was similar to what Paul experienced later in his own career.
Original Songs from The Biz
The show featured many original songs. These were created by the composer Michael Omer. Here are some of the songs from each series:
Songs from Series One
- Main Title: The Biz! – sung by the cast
- Glamourous (Episode 3) – sung by Tim and Sasha
- You Have To Find Your Own Way Through (Episodes 5,6) – sung by Luke, Jules, and the cast
- Tonight (Episode 6) – sung by Pippa
- One To One (Episode 6) – sung by Tim
Songs from Series Two
- Main Title: The Biz! – sung by the cast
- If You Want Me To Stay (Episodes 1,2) – sung by Luke, Jules, and the band
- You Set Me On Fire (Episodes 4,5,6) – sung by Luke, Nicky, and the band
- Waiting For Tomorrow (Episode 6) – sung by Pippa and the cast
Songs from Series Three
- Main Title: The Biz! – sung by the cast
- Just Do It! (Episode 12) - sung by Jules, Vince, Francesca, Terry, Luke, and the band
Funny Mistakes (Goofs)
Sometimes, little mistakes happen in TV shows!
- In Series Two, Episode 6, Pippa opens an envelope. It's supposed to tell her she got a part in a musical. But when she reads the paper inside, it's completely blank!
Where Was The Biz Shown?
Besides being shown on BBC One in the United Kingdom, The Biz also aired in Australia. It was broadcast there on the ABC channel.
