CiTV & Ministry of Mayhem thread

Yeah, but the thing with james leaving STUDIO Disney was that he was going to be announcing shows and doing some guest presenting (like he did for Kids Awards 2002).

I don't think Leah's really STUDIO Disney material. It will be weird, because on something like STUDIO Disney you've got to be yourself.

Shame Nick can't go back to the days of Nick ALIVE (if anyone remembers that here). Packed full of presenters and loads of live. It's a shame Nick L8R's very lazy and lacking in time. Also the fact that they use their best presenter Michelle for You're Nicked! I'd much prefer her on Nick L8R again.

Don't know if this has been mentioned here, but there is a press release on the ITV website about 4 new commissions for CiTV. 3 new comedy dramas, and an investigative factual series.

"Barking" sounds a bit like Woof! to me.

http://www.itv.com/uploads/files/1075826711078_0.10885803491007761.doc

Let's have a look:



Sounds like Malcolm In The Middle meets Pirate Islands (not overall, just to an extent what with "fantasy world" and all). Should be interesting.



Hmm... Talking animals aren't new (Wishbone for example, or Garfield - both talk as such but the former doesn't communicate with humans whereas the latter does on occasion) and the whole dog thing has already been played out to an extent by productions such as Woof and 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowal. I don't feel keen on this production, myself, I just think its going to be a remake of 100 Deeds to an extent.



Ooh, I like the sound of this, really I do. I must remember to watch this when it's on CiTV towards the end of the year. Sounds good. ten brothers and sisters! Bet they'll have fun casting that



Sounds very much like a kiddie driven version of How 2, which it probably is considering Scottish is making this. I dunno, How 2 meets Eureka meets that other science show that was on CBBC last year the name of which I do not recall?

Even better though is that these are all home grown. There's always a place for imports and so on but I mean, really its this sort of stuff we should expand on if we're ever going to get ITV Kids off the ground.

Talking about Pirate Islands, I noticed it was dropped today in favour of two episodes of Jimmy Neutron, which seems a bit strange.

Also, it's good to see the dual presenting continuing on most days, Gail said at the start that she was only on 'for a few weeks' didn't she? but now she seems just as permanent as Andy is

Tripple presenting if you count Swag!

I wasn't sure what happened with Pirate Islands. I didn't see last weeks. I thought when they were trailing Eliminator in the 4:30 slot that Pirate Islands would move to the 4pm. And today with it not being on, I thought it had finished last week. It's a bit strange if it didn't finish though to play it out since September and into the new year and then just drop it. Unless they are going to do a Star and air it every morning during half term.

The new programmes sound interesting. They don't entice me like the ideas of MPAA, Star and Seriously Wierd. All were funny, (Star was a sort of comedy drama, as was Seriously Wierd to an extent), yet all had very basic concepts.
Aliens crashland on earth, morph into humans, turn spaceship into house, adopt three kids to fit in.
Movie star young teen tries to live a normal life at school and home with his career always getting in the way.
Boy is cursed, and lives a life of wierd events and encounters.

The science series reminds me of something that was on Channel 4 on sunday mornings. I think it was called the investigators or something, where they were all in a house and had to solve science problems.

I'll have to wait to see how they appear on screen to give judgement though. A short paragraph doesn't tell you the script of the show.

Agreed CiTV does need more home grown stuff, much more. They could do with setting up live shows that could run for longer periods than 13 weeks.

They could do with commissioning some home grown animation. The likes of Yoko, Jakamoko, Toto in recent years, and most of the programmes on the 'pop' channel from the past. It may take longer to make than dramas, but kids love animation, thus why all nick & disney animations have strong followings.

They could do with another simple comedy, like MPAA, that's just simply comedy.

And what about proper drama on level with Children's Ward. I remember that they produced a powerful drama a few years ago, can't really remember it that well, though I remember it was around the time (and on similar lines) that CBBC aired the drama when the family had to escape Britain for Australia after people were after them.

Factual Programmes are almost absent from CiTV the year round. They have Brilliant Creatures and How 2 (you could also say Big Band, though that's more art attack than what it used to be). What happened to that show 'Mystery'? It was presented by Steve Wilson & somebody else. They basically went round and try to discover the answers of unsolved mysteries. A bit like the old Neil Buchannan series 'It's A Mystery'.

Games Shows wouldn't be bad too. For years they had success with Finders Keepers & Fun House. And when they dried up they started to replace them with programmes like Jungle Run (still going, good show), Pump it Up (I actually liked this, games all used inflatables, and gunge, water and a massive obstacle course at the end), Twister (a new version of fun house basically, they played games, went around the structure on quad bikes, then they had to collect the prizes off the structure whilst battling the elements of a twister, a rip off of fun house, but was still watchable), and PetSwap (not may years ago, but it was fun, friendly, great entertainment for little kids, and wasn't bad for viewing).
Now they seem to have Beat the Cyborgs (which to me is just, as i've said before Pokemon with Athletes! Where's the game? You pick one and tell them what to do!), and eliminator (which is just questions, and not a full on entertainment show, but was still great viewing this afternoon!). Even Disney Channel are jumping on the full blown entertainment game show with their new game show inside clyde.

Before they even consider launching an itv kids channel, they have a tremendous lot of work to do. More time, and a bigger budget would help!

It's odd that Gail & Andy are getting on well, I didn't think they would, but they are. She did say that she'd be there for a few weeks with Andy, but if she is only temporary, what will Andy do? He will either be left on his own (and with Swag of course), or have to get used to working with someone else.

Look who I spy is now on the princess productions talent management service; only mr Andy Jaye.

It seem's he's known for his "Easy Manner" on screen then, you can say that again!.
I never remember him on ITV2 I thought they only had that bloke with the funny voice on there along with all the ITV1 lot

I've followed this off and on since it started, I thought it would had finished by now. Just how long is it? I hear there's a second series in the making.



As has been said before, its all a matter of taste and preference. I am happy that MPAA has got its sixth series.



Mad For It will suffice.



That's home-grown? I thought Yoko, Jakamoko, Toto was an import!



Seem to have gone downhill on this since they got rid of Children's Ward. I suppose Pirate Islands in that sense is the same sort of thing only it seems to have gone on forever. Bernard's Watch is more drama-based now than it was but only because it was previously so blatantly set up in its approach to content. Not that the new kid (or the old one come to that) are/were particularly charming but then when is anybody who comes through the Carlton Workshop?



You mean "The Big Bang".



I thought Petswap was a silly idea, myself.

Twister was great, though the presenter did not suit it. I forget his damn name, Nigel something, used to be on Nickelodeon.

Jungle Run looked like it was scavenging around last time to fill up its commission order, what with all the celebrity specials and so on.

I liked Pump It Up, although it was heartwarming when one of the boys on a team (and this is absolutely true, it was mentioned on the programme) fell in love with a girl on one of the other teams and apparently ended up dating and seeing her after her team was knocked out of the competition. She then turned up as a spectator to watch her boyfriend in action. Well I thought it was sweet

Finders Keepers ran itself into the ground in the last couple of series. First it opened up the garage, then it dragged in Jet off the Gladiators. Plus there was then far too much talking, too much time in the garage and the house, which the original concept was based around when the original format was imported from Nickelodeon in America, just became a "oh sod it, let's stay in the garage" affair. A shame because it was good.

Fun House though was great but I believe it was good it was axed when it was. How long did it last, ten years or so? Most CITV stuff, if it lasts more than a couple of series, has a shelf life on the network of about ten years. I mean Fun House. Finders Keepers. Children's Ward. All lasted ten years or so and then disappeared. Think the only exception to this rule is Art Attack but that's lucky in its own way because its able to reinvent itself. Suppose it's as much a part now of CiTV as Countdown is of Channel 4 (when it's not dumped in silly timeslots but I disgress ).



There is no game in Beat the Cyborgs, it's Gladiators all over again in front of a group of kids. Just pick somebody, tell them to chuck themselves at a foam wall or something and there you go. Have Mark Speight interject every five minutes and there's your show.

Eliminator suffers from what I'd like to call "it's so realistic you know its fake". I mean Eliminator looks really quite scary and any twit knows its just an actor in big boots and fancy clothes and make up and what have you. But at the end of the day, what exactly is his purpose? Doesn't seem to do anything other than breathe heavily and look menacing. Mind you the same criticisms could be levelled at other shows with scarey people in them, like Knightmare for example, and that lasted eight years.

Sorry I did mean the Big Bang. Fat fingers!

Yeah Yoko, Jakamoko, Toto was a Cosgrove Hall production (same people who currently make Engie Bengy), and is a clever concept, as all they say are their made up names, therefore no language barrier, and it can be sold all over the world without having to be translated!

Great to see CiTV is getting some new home-grown shows.

I for one hate Inside Clyde on the Disney Channel. Nickelodeon had an attempt in March 2003 with "Off The Hook", a live gameshow but I also didn't like this.

I think it's because I probably just don't like gameshows. I get bored of them very easily. The only gameshow i've watched without switching the channel is probably CBBC's 50/50.

What about Get Your Own Back? I also missed one out for CiTV that I really liked; Globoloco!

Get Your Own Back.. too immature for me. It's a shame to see Lisa B there now, because I remember when she did the 5pm - 7pm slot on Nick by herself, she was really good and brang in the viewers. But now, she just seems crap.

An update on kids presenters we haven't seen in awhile - Jemma who used to be on Disney Live with Nigel, is now presenting Wedding Day on ITV1 (if anyone didn't know). Also, Sarah Cawood who used to present Nickelodeon and then Live & Kicking is now on This Morning as a reporter for I'm A Celeb specials.