Why Don't You?
| Why Don't You? | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Ben Slade |
| No. of series | 42 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Peter Charlton, Patrick Dowling, Catherine MacFarlane, David J. Evans, Kirstie Fisher, Russell T Davies, Trevor Stephenson-Long |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC1 |
| Original run | 20 August 1973 – 21 April 1995 |
Why Don't You? or Why Don't You Just Switch Off Your Television Set and Go Out and Do Something Less Boring Instead? was a cult BBC children's television series broadcast in 42 series between 20 August 1973 and 21 April 1995. It went out on weekday mornings during the school holidays. The format consisted of groups or "gangs" of children responding to letters from viewers who wrote in to the show suggesting games, 'makes' and days out. Typically these were arts-and-crafts activities involving cutting up paper, or games and magic tricks children could learn to impress their friends.
Russell T Davies was at one time a producer and director for Why Don't You? before going on to greater fame as writer of Queer as Folk and producer of the 2005 revival of Doctor Who. Under Davies' direction, the format of the series shifted from magazine show to drama, with plots frequently centring around harebrained young Welsh presenter Ben (Ben Slade) and his increasingly elaborate inventions. Slade was the longest serving presenters in the show's 22 year run.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Scottish version
During the 1980s BBC Scotland made a Scottish version of the show.
[edit] Notable presenters
Notable presenters include:
- Ben Slade aka Benjamin Rory Slade
- Gideon Coe
- Alexandra Fletcher
- Anthony McPartlin
- Pauline Quirke
- Andy Crane
- Scott McGill
- Jeananne Craig
- Paula Sheehan
- Helen Warder
- Philip Noble
- Mark McKay
- Lesley Preston
- Jeff Keating
- Verity Jones
- Kieron Toner
- Jenny Archer
- Trish Turpin
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ In praise of summer mischief, Finlo Rohrer, BBC news magazine, 17 July 2008
