ZZZap!
Genre	Children's Slapstick Comedy Arts & crafts
Directed by	Paul Slater (1994) Ian Bolt (1997–1998) Alistair Clark (1993) Adrian Hedley (1995–1997) Simon Pearce (1999–2001) Bob Wild (1997–1998)
Starring	Neil Buchanan Sophie Aldred Richard Waites Sarah Pickthall Deborah McCallum Claire Macaulay
Voices of	Neil Buchanan Sophie Aldred Richard Waites
Theme music composer	Ron Aspery
Opening theme	Keystone Chaos
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original languages	English text only, aimed at the hard of hearing
No. of series	10
No. of episodes	140 + Cuthbert's Diary (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Dan Maddicott Richard Morse Janie Grace
Producers	Neil Buchanan Tim Edmunds Driana Jones Laura Hayes (asst)
Editors	Jim Lownie Chris Jackson Simon Cruse
Running time	15 minutes
Production company	The Media Merchants for Meridian
Original release
Network	ITV (CITV)
Release	8 January 1993 (1993-01-08) – 21 September 2001 (2001-09-21)

Zzzap (rendered ZZZap!) is a British children's television comedy programme. The concept of the show is a giant 18 ft comic that has been brought to life. The show was broadcast on ITV from 8 January 1993 until 21 September 2001^[1] and was produced for ten series by The Media Merchants and Meridian Broadcasting.

Format

The programme mostly followed the same format throughout its run. A title intro is shown consisting of a couple of short clips for each character from the series. It is then followed by a series of short two- or three-minute-long segments, followed by the credits.

For Series 1–9, each segment was introduced by the camera zooming in on a corresponding panel on a giant comic, shot in reverse (e.g. the camera starting at the panel, and pulling back into a wide shot), which was reversed in post-production; this technique was done to aid the camera operator in aligning the camera squarely with the panel, which was especially important with Cuthbert Lilly and Smart Arty sketches, where the exact same panel graphic often physically existed on set in some form. This giant comic has a set of nine frames on it, some of which contain a character representing their segments. For Series 10, the aforementioned comic transitions were replaced with a CGI roulette of the panels.

The show was designed with deaf children in mind,^[2] and so the style of the show is predominantly visual, with the sound only providing music and effects. The audience in "The Handymen" segments would also often sign clapping instead of actually clapping.^[3]

The introduction to Series 1 was filmed in Chequers Shopping Centre in Maidstone showing a boy buying a copy of a comic called "ZZZap!" from a newsagent. The comic contains a 'Free TV Zapper!' which he uses only to find that the comic has increased to an enormous 18 ft size. This introduction was abandoned from series 2 onwards, which instead showed the giant comic and then introduced each of the characters with a short video. Some computer generated additions were made in series 8, and transitions were wholly computer generated by series 10. The closing titles also changed between series.

Episodes

Syndication

The series was more recently broadcast on the CITV channel in 2006, 2007 and 2009. There were plans to broadcast the programme as part of CITV's 30th anniversary in January 2013, but this did not go ahead due to licensing issues.^[4]

The Smart Arty elements and The Handymen were repeated in the US and Canada as part of It's Itsy Bitsy Time on Fox Family and Treehouse TV, respectively, with Smart Arty being renamed to "Art to Art with Arty Art". The segments ran from 1999 until 2001.

ZZZap! was also screened on TVOntario in Canada in its original format, alongside the runs on It's Itsy Bitsy Time.

The series was also broadcast on the local military forces television networks BFBS and SSVC Television as part of their children's programming blocks Children's SSVC and Room 785. The network was shown on television transmissions in Germany, Belize, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar.

Cast

Media releases

• ZZZap! The Bumper Video Comic (VHS)
• ZZZap! Vol. 2 – Holiday Special (VHS)
• ZZZap! Vol. 3 – Goes Bonkers (VHS)
• ZZZap! Vol. 4 – Goes Completely Crazy (VHS)
• The Wildest Ever ZZZap! Video (VHS)

Music

The series mainly uses library music for most of the background music. The theme tune is Keystone Chaos, composed by Ron Aspery, from the KPM library. The background music used in the majority of The Handymen sketches is Memories of the Music Hall, composed by Roger Webb, from the De Wolfe Music Library.

Track(s) used from the Music House Library (KPM Music) for Cuthbert Lilly sketches:

• Candid Camera (MHE 3): "Vintage Hollywood"
• Children's Hour (KPM 147): "Animal Capers"
• Comedy & Animation Volume I (KPM 367): "Busy Days"
• Comedy Classics (MHS 13): "English Country Garden", "He'd Have To Get Under"
• Comedy Classics 1 (KPM 131): "Banana Skin", "Bundle Of Fun", "Goodbye Rodney", "Jobsworth", "Morning Darling!", "Roll Up! Roll Up!", "Round the Bend", "Tea Dance", "What A Cheek!"
• Comedy Situations (MHE 31): "Clowns", "Comedy Rag", "Toytown"
• Tiny Tots (MHS 19): "Pony Trotting"
• Whimsy (KPM 87): "Happy Rag (a)"

Track(s) used from the Parry Music Library (BMG Production Music) for Cuthbert Lilly sketches:

• The Comedy Collection (PML 016): "Follies"

Track(s) used from The London Theatre Orchestra for Cuthbert Lilly sketches:

• Great Sports Themes (EMPRCD 715): "Match Of The Day (Offside)"

Track(s) used from the Carlin Library CD's (Warner Chappell Production Music) for Cuthbert Lilly sketches:

• Acoustic/Woodbind/Brass (CAR 162): "The Jolly Parade"
• Children/Comedy/Shorts (CAR 156): "Happy Oompah"
• Children/Comedy/Shorts 2 (CAR 176): "Toy Car"
• Comedy/Cartoon/Children (CAR 136): "Circus Clowns", "Coach Trip", "Fred Scuttle", "Jugglers", "Sax Of Fun", "Shark Alert"
• Comedy/TV/Entertainment (CAR 257): "Circus Rag"
• Fun/Novelty/Kids (CAR 237): "Captain Country", "Stop That Sax"
• Light-Hearted & Fun (CAR 144): "Ben Hill Billy", "String Holiday"
• Solo Piano - Popular Styles (CAR 143): "Green Tulips"
• The History of Jazz (Small Groups) (CAR 148): "Julliette"

Track(s) used from Sonoton Music (APM Music) for Cuthbert Lilly sketches:

• Comic Collection 4: Period Slapstick (SCD 165): "Dapper Flapper", "Rag 'n Bone", "Rattle Them Bones", "Scotch On The Rocks", "Supper At The Savoy"

Track(s) used from the De Wolfe Library for Cuthbert Lilly sketches:

• Loony Tunes (DWCD 0254): "Jangle Man", "The Clowns Are In Town"

Track(s) used from FirstCom Music (Universal Production Music) for Cuthbert Lilly sketches:

• Funny Situations (FC S72): "Make It Stop Ok?"

Track(s) used from BMG Production Music on RCA Label for Cuthbert Lilly sketches:

• Silent Movie Era (RCAL 1021): "Whistle Stop"

Track(s) used for Tricky Dicky sketches:

• Archive - Famous Themes Revisited 1 (CHAP 185): "Devil's Galop" by Charles Williams
• Cartoon/Comedy/Children (CAR 150): "Friendly Panther"

Track(s) used for The Handymen sketches:

• Come Dancing by Sam Fonteyn (KPM 1151): "Love In June", "The Mirabelle Waltz", "The Silver Ballroom"
• Fun/Novelty/Kids (CAR 237): "Seaside Piano"
• Memories Of The Music Hall by Roger Webb (DWCD 0082): "After The Ball", "Daisy Bell", "I'll Be Your Sweetheart", "Lily Of Laguna", "Memories Of The Music Hall", "Old Time Waltz", "Schoft-schoe Schottische", "The Honeysuckle And The Bee", "Why Am I Always The Bridesmaid?"
• Period Pieces/Hotel Ballroom (BMLP 111): "Quick Waltz"
• Victoriana (Parts 1 and 2) (KPMLP 1116): "Tea Dance"
• Victorian/Edwardian (CHAP 149): "Debutants Ball", "Lady Windermere"

Track(s) used for Smart Arty sketches:

• Classical String Quartet (CHAP 141): "Boccherini-Minuet No. 5 In E Major" by Luigi Boccherini

Track(s) used for Daisy Dares You sketches:

• Loony Tunes (BR28 BRF10): "Pocket Full Of Peanuts", "Keyboard Wizzard"

Track(s) used for Minnie The Mini Magician sketches:

• Comedy and Animation Volume 1 (KPM 367): "Jolly Good"
• Comedy Classics 1 (KPM 131): "Exit Stage Left", "Half O'Shanty"
• Comedy/TV/Entertainment (CAR 257): "Sitcom Tune"
• Fun/Novelty/Kids (CAR 237): "Custard Pie"
• Lite Whimsy (SCD 397): "Biscuit's Bounce";
• Loony Tunes (DWCD 0254): "Jumping Around", "Pizzicato Bliss"
• Melody All The Way (JW 480): "Big Bad Ballad_30"
• Sunny Jim (DWLP 3437): "Dimple"
• TOPSY TURVY (DWCD 0016): "Hello Cheeky", "Snakes and Ladders", "Tea Break", "Topsy Turvy"

Track(s) commonly used for Filler Panels (Question Mark/Dot-to-Dot/Eye Segments, etc):

• Comedy Situations (MHE 31): "Pink Python" by Mo Foster
• Comedy Situations 2 (KPM 132): "Drag"
• Off The Wall (KPM 146): "Cluedo"

Track(s) used for the Zzzap Summer Specials and Christmas Annual sketches:

• Children/Well Known Tunes 2 (CAR 208): "Sailor's Hornpipe"
• Christmas, Kids & Comedy (ATMOS15 3): "Christmas Celebration", "Xmas Cracker"
• Comedy Classics (MHS 13): "I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside (1)", "Jingle Bells"
• Comic Cuts (BR 0026): "Jolly Jack Tar", "PC Plonker"
• Happy-Go-Lucky (FC S29): "Take Me Out"
• The Spirit Of Christmas (KPM 1213): "We Wish You A Merry Christmas (B)"
• The World of Christmas (CAR 229): "Jingle Bells"

References

External links

• ZZZap! at IMDb
• ZZZap! Comic fansite