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CBBC Birthday thread

Celebrating 30 Years of Children's BBC (September 2015)

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ET
ETP1 Forever
Did this happen much? A continuity announcement over a CBBC ident?


Used to happen all the time during the mid afternoons on BBC2 until the late 90's. From October 1997, the CBBC ident would go straight into the programme without announcement. By the looks of things it also used to be the case on weekends on BBC1 in the early 90s, in the slot between the Open University and Going Live.
NW
nwtv2003
I seem to remember in the very early days of running kids programmes in the mornings on BBC2, they used CBBC idents, slides and menus, but these were voiced by the on duty announcer. Needless to say this was during the experimental stage of it, not too long after they brought IVC to the morning slot.
MA
mannewskev
On TV Ark notice a "CHIL BBC" DOG in the bottom left on some of the caps. Was this only used on presentation or was it used on programmes too. I don't think it lasted long however they used it - I think CITV introduced one around the same time so suspect it was a case of they had one so they felt they needed one too.
http://www2.tv-ark.org.uk/bbcother/cbbc_1991.html


I think it used to be overlayed by presentation, because very occasionally it'd stay on screen into the trail after Children's BBC had ended. It lasted quite a while IIRC and there were 2 versions, the "CHIL BBC" version and a subsequent version.

EDIT: Here's the subsequent dog...
Last edited by mannewskev on 20 September 2015 4:13pm
MA
mannewskev
There was a Ratz based game, Rat Run, which was the successor to Maggot Moments.

Anybody else remember that the Broomcupboard stayed on screeen for longer than intended? They were supposed to move to Studio A on the Monday, but a power failure meant that they decided to stay in Con for an extra day. Toby presented with Ratz.


I've heard this story before but find it hard to believe as I remember the new Studio A appearing in the afternoon slot one Monday afternoon at the start of September. The birthday slot in the morning was Josie on the "island" saying she had to catch the boat home. It used the new "cows" ident though. Plus the broom cupboard was last seen in July as they did the afternoons from the island set all summer. Obviously I've no way of proving it but I'm sure that's an urban myth!


I'm sure I remember Toby Anstis launching studio A on a Monday afternoon, sliding down that pole they had. Got a vague memory of the broom cupboard making a low key exit prior to this with Phillipa Forrester? Maybe on a Monday morning, randomly?
PT
Put The Telly On
I'm not sure that was a technical fault as much as it was a joke falling flat on its backside. I do remember Ratz crashing every now and again, and you could hear him saying things like "where have I gone?" etc

Can't find footage of Ratz crashing, but did find this:


Virtual woman was called Bernie and voiced by Kate Robbins.

Here's an interesting clip from 1994 when they first introduced Otis when he had a slightly different appearance and voice!
MA
mannewskev
I'm not sure that was a technical fault as much as it was a joke falling flat on its backside. I do remember Ratz crashing every now and again, and you could hear him saying things like "where have I gone?" etc

Can't find footage of Ratz crashing, but did find this:


Virtual woman was called Bernie and voiced by Kate Robbins.

Here's an interesting clip from 1994 when they first introduced Otis when he had a slightly different appearance and voice!


I'm sure Otis didn't even talk when he first appeared. I remember him just grunting.
LL
Larry the Loafer
Otis looks ill.

There was a brief mention of Dogsbody there, and I remember him and a female dog puppet in a show called Cartoon Critters from the mid-late 90s. All that seems to exist of it nowadays is a dodgy recording of a trailer on Youtube. I'm surprised that's faded so far into obscurity.
PT
Put The Telly On
I think they altered Otis after the Summer of 1995 when Toby Anstis left and he reappeared with Simeon Courtie. Here's another clip from the beginning of that year still with the original look...
NJ
Neil Jones Founding member
God, early Otis looked very aged, anorexic and sounded half dead. The later puppet was far younger looking and sounded far more lively.

I probably mention this every time Otis comes up but he was by far and away my favourite puppet out of the entire puppet line-up over the last thirty years. To my mind, only Oucho came close to him in the likeability stakes.
BA
bilky asko
I'm not sure that was a technical fault as much as it was a joke falling flat on its backside. I do remember Ratz crashing every now and again, and you could hear him saying things like "where have I gone?" etc

Can't find footage of Ratz crashing, but did find this:


Virtual woman was called Bernie and voiced by Kate Robbins.

Here's an interesting clip from 1994 when they first introduced Otis when he had a slightly different appearance and voice!


All I want to know is who Paul and Basil are...
WH
Whataday Founding member
I don't know if this is my mind playing tricks on me, but I'm sure that version of the Otis puppet was used on one of the CBBC on Prime/Choice/Nickelodeon strands at the same time the new one was being used on the main CBBC.
JA
james-2001
The whole CBBC on Nickelodeon thing was bizarre to be honest, I wonder how it came about. Although when I saw it they didn't have Otis, they had a completely different puppet who never appeared on CBBC itself.

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