Kerwhizz

Did You Know?

• Development was revealed in February 2008 when CBeebies commissioned a multi-platform gameshow combining live-action with CGI animated elements.
• CBeebies Production produced the series while Blue Zoo Animation Studio provided animation services; Studio 100 joined as co-producer two months later.
• In 2011, cartoonist Michael Mitchell sued the BBC and CBeebies claiming the Kerwhizz human CGI characters were based on his designs for The Bounce Bunch; the court found no copyright infringement.

Summary

The show is hosted by the Kerwhizzitor, the only live-action regular. Three teams of two CGI characters—a human child racer and a part-living, part-mechanical animal pet—answer five rounds of questions, each featuring a 2D animated animal character, to earn a choice of pod mod for their racing pods. One round offers a mystery pod mod. Pod mods are unconventional accessories that may or may not improve a team's racing chances. Live-action children in team colours cheer them on. Points are awarded for correct answers to multiple-choice questions with colour-coded options. After the quiz, teams select their pod mods, their pods are built and fitted with the mods, and the pods rise into a CGI race world. Each race world is a themed environment with three or four zones; races consist of two or three laps, except in "The Deserted Desert Dash," which has no set route and a hidden finish line. Unexpected setbacks and opportunities occur during the race. Each episode ends with the winner revealed and some teams shown doing theme-related activities.

Cast and characters

The Kerwhizzitor, voiced by Jacob Scipio, moderates the quiz, asks questions, makes puns and rhymes, and commentates during race sequences. Team Ninki consists of Ninki, voiced by Kriselle Basilio, a dark-skinned Mid-European girl with bunches who is said to have a terrible singing voice yet sings well during introductions; and Pip, a green-furred bipedal Scottish terrier with an extendable metal neck who cannot speak but shapes his barks into approximations of words, often frustrating Ninki when she ignores his answers. Team Twist includes Twist, voiced by Alex Velleman, a blonde Caucasian boy focused on style; and Snout, voiced by Jermaine Woods (uncredited in series 2 for unknown reasons), an orange-furred, two-legged woolly mammoth with a plastic trunk obsessed with sprouts. The episode "Planet Snout" reveals Snout's home world and the origin of his sprout fixation, and introduces his nephews Rocco and Rico. Team Kit comprises Kit, voiced by Telka Donyai, a fair-skinned Japanese girl with blue hair who is brainy and good at problem-solving; and Kaboodle, voiced by Yasmin Garrad, a furry ball creature with two conical plastic ears and a springy plastic leg who is less mature and can electrify things after bouncing. The flash-animated question sequences feature characters that do not speak; they sometimes appear in CGI form in the race world, much larger than the human contestants. Natterjack the Toad presents two picture-recognition questions per episode. Burping Hurbert the Burpasaur presents one visual-memory question per episode.