TVKIDS
The BBC is reviving the children’s cult classic Crackerjack 35 years after it last aired in the U.K.
The show was a staple of British children’s television from 1955 to 1984 with its mix of sketches, pop performances, games, and its famous tagline, “It’s Friday, it’s five to five … It’s Crackerjack!” It will be made at MediaCityUK by BBC Children’s in-house productions and will air on CBBC and BBC iPlayer.
This run of the show will be revitalized for today’s connected generation while maintaining the essence of the original. Crackerjack will still air on Fridays and feature a mix of magic, comedy and sitcom.
The show’s Double or Drop game will also return, in which kids are plucked from the studio audience and answer questions to win prizes—like the much-coveted Crackerjack pencil—or cabbages if they lose. The contestants then have to hold their prizes for the rest of the show without dropping them.
The 10×45 min. revamp will be presented by BAFTA-winning children’s TV favorites Sam and Mark and will air next year.
Cheryl Taylor, the head of content for BBC Children’s, said: “Crackerjack is just one of several fabulous series that children’s in-house productions have developed this year. It’s the perfect vehicle for our much-loved stars Sam and Mark and promises to usher in a new era of frenetic family fun and whizzbang audience antics.”
Helen Bullough, the head of BBC Children’s in-house productions, said: “We can’t wait to introduce a new set of Crackerjack ‘crush-a-grape’ catchphrases to a new generation of fans! The format has always been an amazing showcase for talent. And that commitment to showcasing talent is always at the heart of our wider production ambitions too, and a common theme across all of these new commissions for in-house, across all the age groups we serve and from writers to on-screen performers.”
BBC Children’s in-house productions has also announced several new multiplatform commissions, including teen mystery drama Get Even and a revamp of 1990s children’s thriller The Demon Headmaster. Get Even, a co-production with Boat Rocker Studios, will air on BBC iPlayer, and The Demon Headmaster will air on CBBC and BBC iPlayer.
