Space Pirates (2007 TV series)
A musical space adventure for the whole family.
Space Pirates is a British children's television series that first aired on CBeebies in 2007. Created by Tony Reed, the show combines live action and animation, following the crew of the spaceship Guisto as it orbits Earth. It starred Luke Toulson as Captain DJ and featured the voice of Dominic Byrne as the alien reporter Zorst.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Bridget Caldwell
- Runtime
- 30 minutes per episode (approx.)
- Creator
- Tony Reed
- Writer
- Tracey Hammett
- Sheila Hyde
- Robbie Sims
- Ariane Sherine
- Sam West
- Edd White
- Starring
- Luke Toulson
- Kirsty Rider
- Connor Panayi
- Adam Carter
- Dominic Byrne
- Channel
- CBeebies
- First aired
- 3 November 2007
- Last aired
- 22 March 2008
Facts from the source article.
Background
Space Pirates was commissioned for the BBC's CBeebies channel and designed to reach all ages, aiming to bring families together to explore diverse musical performances. For six weeks from 9 November 2007, viewers could press the red button on their TV remote to choose one of three songs to hear at the end of the show. The series also appeared on the CBeebies slot on BBC Radio 7. In 2008, the episode "Music to Paint to" was nominated for a Banff World Television Award, and the show was nominated for Best Pre-School Live Action Series at the 2008 BAFTA Children's Awards.
Storyline
The spaceship Guisto, led by the vain and stupid Captain DJ (played by Luke Toulson), orbits Earth searching for music for Guisto Radio. Each episode's tenuous storyline involves two space-wise children, eight-year-old Honk and six-year-old Tonk, who trick Captain DJ and Lippy by selling them something worthless for doubloons or junk food. Lippy is a five-year-old half parrot, half microphone who often mocks Captain DJ, whose real name is occasionally revealed as Leslie. Zorst, a green barnacle clinging near the ship's exhaust, serves as newsreader, weather forecaster and traffic reporter, ending his reports with bad jokes and the line "If you don't get it, just forget it." Each episode features three musical acts: one performed live or specially recorded, one pop-video, and one cover song by three rats called The Jingles (Windy, Stringy and Brassy). A group of children on Earth, the Pirate Posse, vote on the best song, which plays out the show.
Music
The theme tune, written by Darren Loveday and former Busted keyboardist Chris Banks, was released as a downloadable single on iTunes. Radio presenter Chris Moyles popularised the song on his show, hoping to get it into the UK charts and beat The X Factor Christmas single "When You Believe" by Leon Jackson. The campaign resulted in no impact on the UK Singles Chart, though the song spent eleven weeks at number one on the iTunes Children's Chart. Moyles later played a mashup of the theme with the Ghostbusters theme, created by Chris Banks himself. Acts appearing on the show include The Ebony Steel Band, McFly, The Cheeky Girls, Jamelia, The Drifters, The Puppini Sisters, Julie Felix, the London Community Gospel Choir, and The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who stars in Space Pirates (2007 TV series)?
Space Pirates stars Luke Toulson, Kirsty Rider, Connor Panayi, Adam Carter and Dominic Byrne.
How many episodes of Space Pirates (2007 TV series) are there?
Space Pirates has 30 episodes across 1 season.
When did Space Pirates (2007 TV series) end?
Space Pirates last aired on 22 March 2008.
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