The Slammer facts for kids

The Slammer was a fun talent show and sitcom made for children. It was shown on BBC One and CBBC from September 22, 2006, to July 26, 2014. For its last two series, it was known as The Slammer Returns.

The show takes place in a make-believe prison called HM Slammer. Here, "prisoners" are entertainers who have been "arrested" for silly "showbiz crimes." They get a chance to perform for an audience, who then decide which act gets to be set free!

The show was created by Steve Ryde, who also worked on other popular CBBC shows like Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow. In fact, The Slammer was inspired by a game from Dick and Dom called 'The Strangely Talented'. This game also featured people showing off their unique skills.

Some of the actors from Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow also appeared in The Slammer. These included Dave Chapman, Ian Kirkby, Lee Barnett, and Melvin Odoom. After a break, the show came back to CBBC in October 2013 as 'The Slammer Returns'. Special episodes, like 'The Slammer by the Sea', were also part of the new series.

On June 2, 2016, actor Ian Kirkby shared that the show had ended. He mentioned that the characters of the Governor and Mr. Burgess were likely retired for good.

Welcome to HM Slammer: The Story

What is The Slammer About?

The Slammer is a pretend prison for entertainers who have done "crimes against showbusiness." These performers get a special chance to earn their freedom. They do this by performing their acts in the "Freedom Show" for a jury of children.

The show's opening video explains everything. It shows entertainers' acts going wrong, then them getting "locked up." After that, they "polish up their act" and perform for the audience. The song in the opening describes this whole process. It ends with happy tap-dancers leaving the prison gate, now free!

Meet the Prison Staff

The boss of The Slammer is the "Governor," played by comedian Ted Robbins. The Governor always wears a white suit and a shiny golden bow tie. He hosts the Freedom Show and sometimes asks the audience what they think of the "Performing Prisoners."

Helping the Governor are two prison wardens: Frank Burgess and Jeremy Gimbert. Frank Burgess, played by Ian Kirkby, is smart and follows all the rules. He's very reliable.

Jeremy Gimbert, played by Lee Barnett, is the Governor's nephew and is a bit silly. Burgess often gets annoyed with Jeremy because he's not very bright. These two characters are complete opposites!

Meet the Long-Term Prisoners

Dave Chapman plays Peter Nokio, who has been in The Slammer for a long time. Peter is a ventriloquist, but he's not very good because his mouth moves when his puppets talk! He has several puppets that he treats like real people. His puppets often say rude things or reveal when Peter is lying.

Peter's cell-mate is Melvin, played by Melvin Odoom. Melvin used to be a dancer, but his act went terribly wrong in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance. Because of this, he now has really bad stage fright.

Each episode starts with a 5–10 minute story featuring these characters. Sometimes, famous guest stars appear, playing themselves or new characters. For example, Keith Harris and Orville once starred in a story where their performance went so badly they froze! The other characters helped them get back to normal so they could perform later.

The Freedom Show: Who Gets Released?

After the storyline, the performances begin! Between each act, the Governor and Mr. Burgess ask children in the audience for their thoughts. Mr. Burgess usually asks a child to describe the act with just one word. Then, he shouts that word back to the Governor, saying "sir!" This is often very funny, especially when kids make up silly words like 'brillitastic'. Mr. Burgess then has to shout, "Brillitastic, Sir!"

Sometimes, the stories continue during the performance part of the show. Short clips of the story are shown between acts. This often builds excitement, especially if a prisoner is trying to escape while the guards are busy!

Four acts perform in each episode. The act that gets the loudest applause and cheering wins! Their applause is measured by a special machine called a clap-o-meter. The winner gets to be released from The Slammer!

Solitary Confinement Challenge

In Series 3, a new part of the show was added called "solitary confinement." This section featured prisoners who were supposedly put in solitary for bad performances over the years. They are brought out, and one child from the audience is chosen to watch their act. This child then decides if the performer gets a "thumbs up" or a "thumbs down."

If they get a "thumbs up," the prisoner is allowed out of solitary confinement and gets a better cell. But if they get a "thumbs down," they are sent back to solitary. There, they face a "cruel punishment" from the staff!

Meet the Cast of The Slammer

Behind the Scenes: Making The Slammer

Early series of The Slammer were filmed at 3 Mills Studios in East London. The BBC recorded these episodes in high definition.

Later, Series 3 and 4 were filmed at Elstree Film Studios in Borehamwood. For Series 5 and 6, the episodes were recorded at dock10 in Salford.

The prison door you see in the show was actually filmed in Swansea, Wales. It's the door of HM Prison Swansea on Oystermouth Road.

The Theme Music

Just like Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow, the music for The Slammer was written by Andy Blythe & Marten Joustra. They created the catchy theme tune for the show.

Awards and Recognition

• In November 2007, The Slammer won a big award! It received the Children's BAFTA for Best Entertainment Programme.

Episode Guide