Havakazoo

Havakazoo was a British pre-school television programme broadcast on Channel 5's Milkshake! block. It is often noted as one of the early original children's shows on the channel, though it first aired in 2002, not at the channel's 1997 launch.

The series was originally conceived as a flagship for the Milkshake! strand. Folk musician Vo Fletcher, who had previously released a successful children's album called *Spaceman Sid*, was asked to contribute songs. At that point, the programme did not yet have a name. One of Fletcher's album tracks was titled "Havakazoo," so that became the show's title, and the song was shortened and adapted for the series.

The main character was Messy, a robot-like clothes dryer built from discarded items. Each episode was hosted by Gabrielle Bradshaw and Jason Maverick, and followed a broad theme incorporating songs, stories, and activities in the studio. A short clip from the outside world was included in every show. The presenters often encouraged young viewers to participate at home by demonstrating how to make something. Episodes ended with both presenters signing off by saying, "Havakazoo."

The series aired on weekday mornings. A half-hour weekend episode featured Messy as a mascot, introducing a selection of shows from the strand, telling jokes, answering questions, and showing drawings sent in by viewers of any Havakazoo or non-Havakazoo characters, with Vo Fletcher playing guitar in the background. This weekend format was dropped in the second series when the sister show *Tickle, Patch and Friends* began in 1999.

From the second series, the show centred on a puppet dog named Watch Dog. Messy was reintroduced, and the format remained largely the same. A new segment featured a cartoon-style camcorder called Nosey, which showed clips from the outside world explaining how things worked (e.g., a steam train or washing machine), how things were made (e.g., pre-packaged sandwiches or bread), or children doing activities (e.g., making junk puppets or going on a riverboat trip). Nosey remained a segment within the programme and did not become a separate show.

In the third series, the programme was revamped. Songs, games, poems, stories, and regular segments continued, but the show did not center on bakers living in a windmill. All characters from the second series returned, and new ones were introduced.