The Saturday Show (ITV TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Saturday Show was Birmingham
-based Central Television's flagship Saturday morning kids TV show which replaced their previous success Tiswas
. It ran on ITV
for two series between 1982 and 1984. It was originally planned that popular wrestler Big Daddy
would star and that it would be called "Big Daddy's Saturday Show". A pilot show was recorded with Big Daddy presenting, assisted by Isla St Clair
and short films were shot with Big Daddy to insert in the upcoming series; a trailer for "Big Daddy's Saturday Show", complete with logo was shown on ITV the Saturday morning before the show was due to air. It was then announced during the week that Big Daddy was dropping out and that Isla St Clair would now take the lead, with ex-Magpie
host Tommy Boyd
assisting and with Jeremy Beadle
being used as an occasional "stand in" host. The actor David Rappaport
was also a fixture playing the character "Shades", as was soccer legend, Jimmy Greaves
.
It was never made publicly clear why Big Daddy dropped out so close to transmission; no settlement was ever reached between him and Central.
The second season of the show featured a regular technology spot called 'Interface'. Presented by IT journalist Chris Palmer, it featured a couple of notable TV firsts. It broadcast a computer programme live which viewers could record from their TV and upload to a Spectrum. The initial attempt failed due to interference on the feed from the studio floor, but it was re-broadcast the following week and many viewers successfully recorded and loaded the programme. The second 'first' for the show was the game 'Up for Grabs' which was a game played live in the studio by a player in their own home via a computer and a modem. The contestant had to steer a robotic arm and pick up prizes from a rotating turntable. This proved incredibly difficult as the contestants found it difficult to gauge the depth of the arm and also the response time of the robot arm was slow. Still, this predated many other interactive game shows by many years.
The programme was shown on all ITV regions except TSW
(and Channel Television
), which made its own Saturday morning programme, also confusingly called "The Saturday Show". TSW's show was later renamed "Freeze Frame".
More information can be found here: Saturday Show
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
-based Central Television's flagship Saturday morning kids TV show which replaced their previous success Tiswas
Tiswas
Tiswas was a Saturday morning children's British television series which ran from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982 and was produced for the ITV network by ATV Network Limited....
. It ran on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
for two series between 1982 and 1984. It was originally planned that popular wrestler Big Daddy
Shirley Crabtree
Shirley Crabtree, Jr, better known as Big Daddy was a British professional wrestler famous for his record-breaking 64 inch chest...
would star and that it would be called "Big Daddy's Saturday Show". A pilot show was recorded with Big Daddy presenting, assisted by Isla St Clair
Isla St Clair
Isla St Clair , is a Scottish singer, actress and former game show co-host.-Early career:Isla St Clair was born in Grangemouth, central Scotland, in 1952. Her family came from North East Scotland and it was here that she spent her early years...
and short films were shot with Big Daddy to insert in the upcoming series; a trailer for "Big Daddy's Saturday Show", complete with logo was shown on ITV the Saturday morning before the show was due to air. It was then announced during the week that Big Daddy was dropping out and that Isla St Clair would now take the lead, with ex-Magpie
Magpie (TV series)
Magpie was a children's television programme shown on ITV from the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. It was a magazine format show intended to compete with the BBC's Blue Peter, but attempted to be more "hip", focusing more on popular culture...
host Tommy Boyd
Tommy Boyd
Timothy Leslie Boyd , better known as Tommy Boyd, is a British radio and television presenter who now lives in Chichester, West Sussex.-Early career:...
assisting and with Jeremy Beadle
Jeremy Beadle
Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadle MBE was an English television presenter, writer and producer. During the 1980s, he was a regular face on British television and in two years appeared 50 weeks of the year. His shows regularly topped the charts beating Coronation Street and EastEnders on one...
being used as an occasional "stand in" host. The actor David Rappaport
David Rappaport
David Stephen Rappaport was an English actor, probably one of the best known dwarf actors in television and film...
was also a fixture playing the character "Shades", as was soccer legend, Jimmy Greaves
Jimmy Greaves
James Peter 'Jimmy' Greaves is an English former football player, England's third highest international goalscorer, the highest goalscorer in the history of Tottenham Hotspur football club, the highest goalscorer in the history of English top flight football and more recently a television pundit -...
.
It was never made publicly clear why Big Daddy dropped out so close to transmission; no settlement was ever reached between him and Central.
The second season of the show featured a regular technology spot called 'Interface'. Presented by IT journalist Chris Palmer, it featured a couple of notable TV firsts. It broadcast a computer programme live which viewers could record from their TV and upload to a Spectrum. The initial attempt failed due to interference on the feed from the studio floor, but it was re-broadcast the following week and many viewers successfully recorded and loaded the programme. The second 'first' for the show was the game 'Up for Grabs' which was a game played live in the studio by a player in their own home via a computer and a modem. The contestant had to steer a robotic arm and pick up prizes from a rotating turntable. This proved incredibly difficult as the contestants found it difficult to gauge the depth of the arm and also the response time of the robot arm was slow. Still, this predated many other interactive game shows by many years.
The programme was shown on all ITV regions except TSW
Television South West
Television South West was the ITV franchise holder for the South West England region from 1 January 1982 until 31 December 1992, broadcasting from the former Westward Television studios in Plymouth, Devon.-Origins and Launch:...
(and Channel Television
Channel Television
Channel Television is a British television station which has served as an Independent Television contractor to the Channel Islands since 1962. It is based in Jersey...
), which made its own Saturday morning programme, also confusingly called "The Saturday Show". TSW's show was later renamed "Freeze Frame".
Series guide
- Series 1: 25 editions 30 October 1982 - 30 April 1983
- Series 2: 31 editions 3 September 1983 - 14 April 1984
More information can be found here: Saturday Show