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Allsorts (TV series)

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Allsorts
Also known asGigglish Allsorts
StarringAndrew Wightman
Wayne Jackman
Virginia Radcliffe
Vivienne Mckone
Jane Cox
Julie Westwood
Charles Roberts
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series12
No. of episodes296
Production
Running time
  • Original series
  • 20 minutes (1987-1990)
  • 15 minutes (1991-1994)
  • 10 minutes (1995)
  • Revived series
  • 11 minutes
Production companyGranada Television
Original release
NetworkITV Network (CITV)
Release7 January 1987 (1987-01-07) –
12 December 1995 (1995-12-12)

Allsorts (later renamed Gigglish Allsorts in 1994) is a British pre-school children's television series that was produced for ITV by Granada Television. The programmes aired from 7 January 1987 to 12 December 1995 and covered a range of children's learning activities.

History

In common with many of ITV's educational children's programmes of the era, Allsorts – first screened in January 1986 – was originally intended to run for only one series while ITV's flagship children's series, Rainbow, was off air that year. The first series ran until July, but despite moderate popularity in its first run, Granada decided not to renew the series and, instead, initially opted in favour of Allsorts predecessor, the pre-school orientated series Our Backyard (which had already been on air since August 1984), largely because the latter could be made more quickly and cheaply. But, after failing to attract enough viewers in its third run in late 1986, Our Backyard was cancelled and Allsorts was brought back for a second series in January 1987 and proved so popular with both pre-schoolers and older children that it was subsequently recommissioned for a further seven series, before it was eventually dropped in 1995.

The series was characterised by its quirky humour, songs and entertaining storylines, which the characters would have to discover, solve or enjoy. It starred Andrew Wightman as Bonzo and Wayne Jackman as Jiffy, who starred in the series throughout its entire run. Wayne and Andrew were originally joined by Vivienne Mckone as 'Natty' and Virginia Radcliffe as 'Spike The Dog'. Natty and Spike were later dropped from the cast and were replaced by Virginia, played by Virginia Radcliffe (who originally portrayed Spike The Dog). By the early 1990s Virginia Radcliffe left the cast and was replaced by Jane Cox as 'JJ'. Puppet characters were later introduced. The first was Box (a talking box) operated by Julie Westwood. Then the final edition to the cast was Moudly The Mole, operated by Robert skidmore who also re built Box and along with Daryl Worby built Mouldy.

The series was renamed Gigglish Allsorts in 1994, with a new set of titles, a new house and new music. However, by this time, viewing figures were on the wane, despite the introduction of a zany Jack In The Box played by Fred Feast and Granada decided that the show had become a shadow of its former self; after a decade-long run, the series was cancelled at the end of its ninth series a year later, in part due to Granada Television's merger with BSkyB, which resulted in Granada discontinuing many of its lower budget programmes. The final episode was screened on 12 December 1995.

Cast

  • Jiffy – Wayne Jackman (Series 1–9)
  • Bonzo – Andrew Wightman (Series 1–9)
  • Natty – Vivienne Mckone (Series 1–3)
  • Spike The Dog – Virginia Radcliffe (Series 1–3)
  • Virginia – Virginia Radcliffe (Series 4)
  • JJ – Jane Cox (Series 5–9)
  • Box – Julie Westwood (Series 5–9)
  • Mouldy – Robert Skidmore (series 7–9)

Format

The show's format changed every series. The titles and the set changed, the characters' clothing changed, and the storylines became a little more complex. In the Gigglish Allsorts era of the series, the characters even ventured out of the house on outings, such as a visit to Gulliver's World in the episode "The Big Day Out" in 1994.

Opening titles

The opening credits from series one to five are fully animated in a cartoonish style. They feature a toy which starts off as a spinning top, then turns into ball, then a jug of water, then a train, then a house which flies into a kite which reads "Allsorts". The music consists of several pieces of instrumentation in sequence, coming in one after the other as the toy changes form.

Series six has the cartoon pictures of series one in three square boxes at the right hand side of the screen, with the opening titles on the left side. The background music is sung by the stars of the show, with each singing a different verse. The lyrics of the song are "Hey, it's an Allsorts day, anything can happen / It's an Allsorts day / Today!"

The opening credits from series seven to nine begins with a close-up of a box made of numerous light-up squares as an unknown voice starts singing. As the lyrics "one – two – three" are sung, the camera pans back, and a box opens which contains objects including toy aeroplanes, cars, teddy bears. Afterwards, JJ, Jiffy, Box and Bonzo appear, pulling faces. The lyrics of the background song are "Hey! Are you ready – steady – one – two – three / Gigglish Allsorts – what's happening today? / Gigglish Allsorts – they're coming out to play."

Transmission guide

Series Premiere Last in series Episodes
1 7 January 1987 1 July 1987 26
2 6 April 1988 21 December 1988 38
3 9 August 1989 14 March 1990 30
4 19 September 1990 27 March 1991 26
5 16 October 1991 26 February 1992 18
6 6 January 1993 5 May 1993 18
7 6 January 1994 10 March 1994 19
8 6 September 1994 13 December 1994 15
9 12 September 1995 12 December 1995 14

Series 1 (1987)

  1. Water (1) - 7 January 1987
  2. Up and Down (1) - 14 January 1987
  3. Collections - 21 January 1987
  4. Big and Little - 28 January 1987
  5. Shoes - 4 February 1987
  6. Hats - 11 February 1987
  7. Hands - 18 February 1987
  8. Sticky Things - 25 February 1987
  9. Same/Different - 4 March 1987
  10. Fruit and Veg - 11 March 1987
  11. Houses and Homes - 18 March 1987
  12. Noises (1) - 25 March 1987
  13. Paper - 1 April 1987
  14. Plants (1) - 8 April 1987
  15. Boxes - 15 April 1987
  16. String and Things - 22 April 1987
  17. Journeys (1) - 29 April 1987
  18. Air (1) - 6 May 1987
  19. Colour - 13 May 1987
  20. Lost and Found - 20 May 1987
  21. Faces - 27 May 1987
  22. Wheels - 3 June 1987
  23. Hot and Cold - 10 June 1987
  24. Pets - 17 June 1987
  25. Dragons - 24 June 1987
  26. Birthdays - 1 July 1987

Series 2 (1988)

  1. Spring - 6 April 1988
  2. Clean and Dirty - 13 April 1988
  3. Magic Orchestra (1) - 20 April 1988
  4. Fair's Fair - 27 April 1988
  5. Games - 4 May 1988
  6. Pictures - 11 May 1988
  7. New Beginnings - 18 May 1988
  8. Going Away Today - 25 May 1988
  9. Jealousy - 1 June 1988
  10. Cafe Allsorts - 8 June 1988
  11. Robots - 15 June 1988
  12. Theatre - 22 June 1988
  13. Appearances - 29 June 1988
  14. Holes - 6 July 1988
  15. Secrets - 13 July 1988
  16. Silliness - 20 July 1988
  17. Magic Orchestra (2) - 27 July 1988
  18. Friends - 3 August 1988
  19. Illness - 10 August 1988
  20. Gallery - 17 August 1988
  21. Happy and Sad - 24 August 1988
  22. Night - 31 August 1988
  23. Favourites - 7 September 1988
  24. Mystery and Magic - 14 September 1988
  25. Promises - 21 September 1988
  26. Greed - 28 September 1988
  27. Treasure - 5 October 1988
  28. Clothes (1) - 12 October 1988
  29. For Sale - 19 October 1988
  30. On My Own - 26 October 1988
  31. Circus - 2 November 1988
  32. Allsorts Book - 9 November 1988
  33. Time - 16 November 1988
  34. Journeys (2) - 23 November 1988
  35. Lost Property - 30 November 1988
  36. Broken and Fixed - 7 December 1988
  37. All Change (1) - 14 December 1988
  38. Naughty Tricks - 21 December 1988

Series 3 (1989-1990)

  1. Cottoning On - 9 August 1989
  2. Floating and Sinking - 16 August 1989
  3. Ten Green Bottles - 23 August 1989
  4. Accidents - 30 August 1989
  5. Hello - 6 September 1989
  6. The Hot Day - 13 September 1989
  7. Collecting - 20 September 1989
  8. Camping (1) - 27 September 1989
  9. Sharing - 4 October 1989
  10. Allsorts TV - 11 October 1989
  11. Flying - 18 October 1989
  12. Plants (2) - 25 October 1989
  13. The Face - 1 November 1989
  14. Magnets - 8 November 1989
  15. Jumble Sale - 15 November 1989
  16. Colours - 22 November 1989
  17. Memory - 29 November 1989
  18. Water (2) - 6 December 1989
  19. Puppets - 13 December 1989
  20. Round and Round - 20 December 1989
  21. Picture Show - 10 January 1990
  22. Noises (2) - 17 January 1990
  23. Measuring - 24 January 1990
  24. Air (2) - 31 January 1990
  25. Balancing - 7 February 1990
  26. Alone Again – Naturally - 14 February 1990
  27. Teatime - 21 February 1990
  28. The Dark - 28 February 1990
  29. The Box - 7 March 1990
  30. Up and Down (2) - 14 March 1990

Series 4 (1990-1991)

  1. The Arrival of Jane - 19 September 1990
  2. All Change (2) - 26 September 1990
  3. Friendship - 3 October 1990
  4. Shopping - 10 October 1990
  5. A Change in the Weather - 17 October 1990
  6. Bicycles - 24 October 1990
  7. Waiting for Aunt Jemima - 31 October 1990
  8. Patterns - 7 November 1990
  9. The Little Red Car - 14 November 1990
  10. Passing the Time - 21 November 1990
  11. Once Upon a Time - 28 November 1990
  12. The Locked Door - 5 December 1990
  13. Cooking - 12 December 1990
  14. It's Magic - 19 December 1990
  15. A Bad Monday - 9 January 1991
  16. Noises (3) - 16 January 1991
  17. The First Day - 23 January 1991
  18. Fun with Language - 30 January 1991
  19. Weight - 6 February 1991
  20. Dressing Up - 13 February 1991
  21. Jane's Birthday - 20 February 1991
  22. Bricks - 27 February 1991
  23. Going to Bed - 6 March 1991
  24. Clearing Up - 13 March 1991
  25. The Garden - 20 March 1991
  26. The Canvas Bag - 27 March 1991

Series 5 (1991-1992)

  1. Bonzo's Olympics - 16 October 1991
  2. Money - 23 October 1991
  3. Noises (4) - 30 October 1991
  4. Inventions - 6 November 1991
  5. Names - 13 November 1991
  6. City Farm - 20 November 1991
  7. Rainy Day - 27 November 1991
  8. Moods - 4 December 1991
  9. Home and Away - 11 December 1991
  10. Clothes (2) - 18 December 1991
  11. Shapes - 8 January 1992
  12. Monsters - 15 January 1992
  13. Playing Tricks - 22 January 1992
  14. Holiday - 29 January 1992
  15. Camping (2) - 5 February 1992
  16. Panic - 12 February 1992
  17. Being Ill - 19 February 1992
  18. Food - 26 February 1992

Series 6 (1993)

  1. Episode 601 - 6 January 1993
  2. Episode 602 - 13 January 1993
  3. Episode 603 - 20 January 1993
  4. Episode 604 - 27 January 1993
  5. Episode 605 - 3 February 1993
  6. Episode 606 - 10 February 1993
  7. Episode 607 - 17 February 1993
  8. Episode 608 - 24 February 1993
  9. Episode 609 - 3 March 1993
  10. Episode 610 - 10 March 1993
  11. Episode 611 - 17 March 1993
  12. Episode 612 - 24 March 1993
  13. Episode 613 - 31 March 1993
  14. Episode 614 - 7 April 1993
  15. Episode 615 - 14 April 1993
  16. Episode 616 - 21 April 1993
  17. Episode 617 - 28 April 1993
  18. Episode 618 - 5 May 1993

Series 7 (1994)

  1. Episode 701 - 6 January 1994
  2. Episode 702 - 13 January 1994
  3. Episode 703 - 20 January 1994
  4. Episode 704 - 27 January 1994
  5. Episode 705 - 3 February 1994
  6. Episode 706 - 10 February 1994
  7. Episode 707 - 17 February 1994
  8. Episode 708 - 24 February 1994
  9. Episode 709 - 3 March 1994
  10. Episode 710 - 10 March 1994

Series 8 (1994)

  1. Episode 801 - 6 September 1994
  2. Episode 802 - 13 September 1994
  3. Episode 803 - 20 September 1994
  4. Episode 804 - 27 September 1994
  5. Episode 805 - 4 October 1994
  6. Episode 806 - 11 October 1994
  7. Episode 807 - 18 October 1994
  8. Episode 808 - 25 October 1994
  9. Bath time Blues - 1 November 1994
  10. Episode 810 - 8 November 1994
  11. Three Billy Goats Gruff - 15 November 1994
  12. Episode 812 - 22 November 1994
  13. Episode 813 - 29 November 1994
  14. Episode 814 - 6 December 1994
  15. Episode 815 - 13 December 1994

Series 9 (1995)

  1. The Visitor - 12 September 1995
  2. Episode 802 - 19 September 1995
  3. Episode 803 - 26 September 1995
  4. Episode 804 - 3 October 1995
  5. Episode 805 - 10 October 1995
  6. Episode 806 - 17 October 1995
  7. Episode 807 - 24 October 1995
  8. Episode 808 - 31 October 1995
  9. Episode 809 - 7 November 1995
  10. Episode 810 - 14 November 1995
  11. Episode 811 - 21 November 1995
  12. Episode 812 - 28 November 1995
  13. Episode 813 - 5 December 1995
  14. Episode 814 - 12 December 1995

UK VHS Releases

  • "A bumper box of Allsorts" released 1994
  • "Allsorts of fun..." released 1995
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