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Desperados (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Desperados is a CBBC
children's drama series following a wheelchair basketball
team, created and written by Paul Smith
in 2007. It charts the journey of former footballer Charlie who, following a disabling accident on the pitch caused by his friend and team-mate Aidan, finds new meaning and purpose in his life when he joins a team called the Desperados.
Team coach
Baggy Awolowo is searching for new players for a junior wheelchair basketball team. He says "You might think this is a basketball team. You're wrong, it's a way of life." Baggy later invites Aidan to joins the Desperados as their only able-bodied player, having been impressed by Aidan's shooting a perfect basket in the gym one day after practice.
There is plenty of drama off the basketball court as well as on it – involving such things as the players' different and sometimes turbulent home lives; Charlie patching up his friendship with Aidan; the players raising money by going street collecting, as well as demonstrating their basketball skills, in order to raise money to keep their team mini-bus on the road so they can continue to travel to away venues and avoid being dropped from the league; and prejudice against disabled people, as is shown when Vicky and Gabby encounter an abusive drunk man at the hotel
where the team are staying on the night of an important league away match (the girls give as good as they get by Gabby blasting the man with a fire extinguisher, the girls claiming innocence when the manager arrives, and the drunk being ejected from the premises). The team also have to cope with the sudden and unexpected tragedy of losing their team-mate and captain Adam, who was in hospital
having a heart-valve operation and failed to pull through.
The series was originally broadcast on the CBBC Channel
on Wednesdays at 5.30pm. It was shown daily on BBC One
from 14 August 2007 at 4.05pm.
Mark Thompson
, the BBC Director-General
, says Desperados is "hugely important" for the Corporation.
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
children's drama series following a wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people in wheelchairs and is considered one of the major disabled sports practiced. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as the sole...
team, created and written by Paul Smith
Paul Smith (writer)
Paul Smith is a British television writer best known as creator of the Dawn French series Murder Most Horrid , and as co-creator of the Mel Smith series Colin's Sandwich....
in 2007. It charts the journey of former footballer Charlie who, following a disabling accident on the pitch caused by his friend and team-mate Aidan, finds new meaning and purpose in his life when he joins a team called the Desperados.
Team coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
Baggy Awolowo is searching for new players for a junior wheelchair basketball team. He says "You might think this is a basketball team. You're wrong, it's a way of life." Baggy later invites Aidan to joins the Desperados as their only able-bodied player, having been impressed by Aidan's shooting a perfect basket in the gym one day after practice.
There is plenty of drama off the basketball court as well as on it – involving such things as the players' different and sometimes turbulent home lives; Charlie patching up his friendship with Aidan; the players raising money by going street collecting, as well as demonstrating their basketball skills, in order to raise money to keep their team mini-bus on the road so they can continue to travel to away venues and avoid being dropped from the league; and prejudice against disabled people, as is shown when Vicky and Gabby encounter an abusive drunk man at the hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
where the team are staying on the night of an important league away match (the girls give as good as they get by Gabby blasting the man with a fire extinguisher, the girls claiming innocence when the manager arrives, and the drunk being ejected from the premises). The team also have to cope with the sudden and unexpected tragedy of losing their team-mate and captain Adam, who was in hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
having a heart-valve operation and failed to pull through.
The series was originally broadcast on the CBBC Channel
CBBC Channel
CBBC is a BBC television channel aimed at 6 to 12 year olds. It complements the CBBC programming that continues to air on BBC One and BBC Two. Launched on 11 February 2002, it broadcasts from 7am to 7pm on Freeview, cable, IPTV and digital satellite, occupying the same bandwidth as, but a different...
on Wednesdays at 5.30pm. It was shown daily on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 14 August 2007 at 4.05pm.
Mark Thompson
Mark Thompson
Mark John Thompson is Director-General of the BBC, a post he has held since 2004, and a former chief executive of Channel 4...
, the BBC Director-General
Director-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
, says Desperados is "hugely important" for the Corporation.
Cast
The Cast List is as follows (character - actor):- Baggy - Ade Adepitan
- Adam - Ben Warren
- Charlie - David ProudDavid ProudDavid Proud is an English actor. He was born with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. He only began his acting career during his early twenties, having previously believed that it would be impossible for him to have a career in that field. His first professional acting role was as a wheelchair...
- Kyle - Reece Pantry
- Gabby - Laurie Williams
- Aidan - Cole Edwards
- Shelly - Zoe Giannasi
- Vicky - Sarah Kelly
- Sam - Richard Sargent