ZZZap! facts for kids
Quick facts for kids ZZZap! |
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| Genre | Children's Slapstick Comedy Arts & Crafts |
| Directed by | Paul Slater (1994) Ian Bolt (1997-1998) Alistair Clark (1993) Adrian Hedley (1995-1997) Simon Pearce (1999-2001) Bob Wild (1997-1998) |
| Starring | Neil Buchanan Sophie Aldred Richard Waites Sarah Pickthall Deborah McCallum Claire Macaulay |
| Voices of | Neil Buchanan Sophie Aldred Richard Waites |
| Theme music composer | Ron Aspery |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English text only, aimed at the hard of hearing |
| No. of series | 10 |
| No. of episodes | 140 + Cuthbert's Diary (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Dan Maddicott Richard Morse Janie Grace |
| Producer(s) | Neil Buchanan Tim Edmunds Driana Jones Laura Hayes (asst) |
| Editor(s) | Jim Lownie Chris Jackson Simon Cruse |
| Running time | 15 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV (CITV) |
| Original release | 8 January 1993 – 21 September 2001 |
Zzzap! was a super fun British TV show for kids that looked like a giant comic book brought to life! It was packed with comedy and cool art. The show aired on ITV from January 8, 1993, until September 21, 2001. It had ten exciting series and was made by The Media Merchants and Meridian Broadcasting.
Contents
How the Show Worked
ZZZap! always followed the same cool plan. Each episode started with a quick intro showing clips of the characters. Then, the camera would zoom in on a panel of a huge 18-foot comic book. Each panel showed a different character and led to their short, two or three-minute segment.
This show was special because it was made with deaf children in mind. Most of the show was visual, meaning you could understand what was happening just by watching. Sound was mostly used for music and fun effects. In some parts, like "The Handymen" segments, the audience would even use sign language to "clap" instead of making noise!
The very first series had an intro where a boy bought a "ZZZap!" comic. He used a special "TV Zapper" from the comic, and suddenly, the comic grew to a huge size! From the second series onwards, the intro just showed the giant comic and then introduced each character with a short video. Later, some computer effects were added, and by series 10, the whole intro was computer-animated.
All the Episodes
Want to see a full list of every ZZZap! episode? You can find it here:
List of ZZZap! episodes
Where Else ZZZap! Was Shown
ZZZap! was so popular that it was shown again on the CITV channel in 2006, 2007, and 2009. There were even plans to show it for CITV's 30th birthday in 2013, but it didn't happen.
Some parts of the show, like "Smart Arty" and "The Handymen," were also shown in the US and Canada. In these countries, "Smart Arty" was called 'Art to Art with Arty Art'. These segments aired from 1999 to 2001. ZZZap! was also shown in its original form on TVOntario in Canada.
The show even reached kids in other countries through special military TV networks like BFBS and SSVC Television. These networks showed ZZZap! in places like Germany, Belize, Cyprus, and the Falkland Islands.
Meet the Cast
Many talented actors brought the ZZZap! characters to life!
Main Characters
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Other Characters
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Show Music
The catchy theme song for ZZZap! was called Keystone Chaos. It was composed by Ron Aspery. Most of the other background music in the show came from special music libraries. For example, "The Handymen" often had music called Memories of the Music Hall, composed by Roger Webb.
