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Toonattik
Toonattik.png
Presented by 2005–2010:
Jamie Rickers,
Anna Williamson
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
Production
Production location(s) London, England, United Kingdom
Running time 120 minutes
(includes adverts)
Production company(s) GMTV (CITV)
Release
Original network CITV (GMTV)
Original release 5 February 2005 (2005-02-05) – September 5, 2010 (2010-09-05)
Chronology
Preceded by Diggit/Diggin'It
(1998–2005) & Up On the Roof
(2002–2005)
Followed by Scrambled! (2014–)
Related shows Action Stations! (2006–2010),
The Fluffy Club (2008–2010)

Toonattik was a popular children's TV show block in the United Kingdom. It aired on weekend mornings on GMTV (which was known as CITV on weekends). The show ran from February 5, 2005, to September 5, 2010.

Toonattik was on from 7:25 AM until 9:25 AM. It showed a mix of cartoons from both the UK and other countries. Many of these cartoons came from big names like Disney, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network. The show was presented by Jamie Rickers and Anna Williamson for most of its run.

History of Toonattik

Toonattik started on February 5, 2005. It was the new weekend morning show for kids on GMTV. The show featured many different cartoons for children aged 4 to 12.

How the Show Changed Over Time

When Toonattik first began, it was split into two parts. The first part showed cartoons for younger children. The second part was for older kids and featured Jamie Rickers and Anna Williamson live on screen. At first, the show had many phone-in competitions.

After a few months, the show was officially split into two different sections. The part for younger children (ages 0-6) was called Wakey! Wakey!. This was later replaced by The Fluffy Club in 2008. The part for older children (ages 7-12) kept the Toonattik name. The show then focused more on viewers taking part. Jamie and Anna would show drawings and read letters sent in by the audience.

Games and Fun on Toonattik

Every week, Jamie and Anna would lead teams of boys and girls. They would play different games to earn points. This idea was later used by another show called Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown in 2006. Viewers could even send in their own ideas for games. These ideas were pulled from a special "Challenge Chest."

The final game was chosen randomly by the "Golden Wheel of Twizzle." Then, a spin of the "Toonattik Twizzler" decided which presenter would play the game. At the end of each show, the losing team would get a 'pie in the face' from the winners!

Toonattik Online and More

A new Toonattik website was launched in January 2006. Kids could play online versions of the "Toonattik Twizzler" games. They could also send emails to Jamie and Anna. The website let them read about their favorite cartoons. Viewers could also unlock special content by finding a secret code word shown at the end of each TV show.

On March 12, 2006, Toonattik also started showing on the CITV Channel. This meant more kids could watch the show. Viewers with Sky Digital, Virgin Media, and Freeview could easily find it in the children's section of their TV guide. In 2007, a Toonattik board game was also made.

Presenters Leave Toonattik

On March 6, 2010, news came out that Jamie Rickers and Anna Williamson would be leaving Toonattik. Their last show together was on May 9, 2010. It ended with a big song. After leaving Toonattik, Jamie and Anna started working for Nickelodeon.

From the next weekend, the show no longer had live presenters. Instead, animated characters called the "Toonteam" hosted the show. Toonattik finally ended in September 2010. However, live children's presenters returned to the weekend morning slot on ITV Breakfast in 2014 with a new show called Scrambled!.

Programmes Shown on Toonattik

Action Stations!

Action Stations! was another children's TV block. It was part of GMTV2 (which was also branded as part of CITV). This show aired on the CITV channel from 6:00 AM to 8:40 AM.

Action Stations! started broadcasting on March 13, 2006. It was shown on both the CITV channel and ITV2. Later, it moved to ITV4 on March 17, 2008. This change allowed ITV2 to broadcast shows for 24 hours a day. From June 7, 2010, ITV4 also stopped showing Action Stations!. This meant Action Stations! could only be seen on the CITV channel.

Characters in Action Stations!

At first, Action Stations! used pre-recorded voices of Toonattik presenters Jamie Rickers and Anna Williamson. Their voices were made to sound like robots. Later, Mike Rance voiced a spaceship captain. From September 2009 to May 2010, the show had presenters live from the 'space base'.

Action Stations! featured several fun characters. These included Commander Action (played by David Kangas), Boogaloo (played by Simon Fielding), and Gribulous Bertnarg "Bert" Pimplewicks (voiced by Mike Rance). There was also Princess Akira, the ship's mechanic (played by Anna Singleton). These characters traveled through space, sending cartoons 'free to air' to kids on Earth. They also tried to keep the cartoons safe from the evil Dr Poopanski (played by James Hunt), who wanted all the cartoons for himself!

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