ZZZap!
A giant comic book brought to life on screen.
ZZZap! is a British children's television comedy programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1993 to 21 September 2001. The show's concept centers on an 18-foot-tall comic book brought to life, produced by The Media Merchants and Meridian Broadcasting for ten series.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Children's
- Slapstick
- Comedy
- Arts & Crafts
- Starring
- Neil Buchanan
- Sophie Aldred
- Richard Waites
- Sarah Pickthall
- Deborah McCallum
- Claire Macaulay
- Voices
- Neil Buchanan
- Sophie Aldred
- Richard Waites
- Opening theme
- Keystone Chaos
- Theme music
- Ron Aspery
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English text only, aimed at the hard of hearing
- Series
- 10
Facts from the source article.
Format
The show kept a similar structure for most of its run. It opened with a title sequence showing quick clips of the characters, then moved into several short segments lasting two to three minutes, ending with the credits. In the first nine series, each segment began with a camera moving toward a panel on a giant comic. This shot was filmed in reverse—starting close on the panel and pulling back—and then reversed in editing. This helped the camera operator line up the shot squarely, especially for sketches like Cuthbert Lilly and Smart Arty where the same panel graphic often appeared on set. The giant comic had nine frames, some with a character representing that segment. For series 10, the comic transitions were swapped for a CGI roulette of the panels. The show was made for deaf children, so it relied heavily on visuals, with sound only for music and effects. In "The Handymen" segments, the audience often signed clapping instead of making noise. The first series had an intro filmed at Chequers Shopping Centre in Maidstone, showing a boy buying a comic called "ZZZap!" and using a 'Free TV Zapper!' to make it grow to 18 feet. From series 2 onward, this was dropped for a sequence showing the giant comic and introducing each character with a short video. Series 8 added some computer-generated elements, and by series 10 all transitions were computer-generated. The closing credits also varied between series.
Syndication
The series was later broadcast on the CITV channel in 2006, 2007, and 2009. Plans to air it as part of CITV's 30th anniversary in January 2013 were cancelled due to licensing issues. Segments featuring Smart Arty and The Handymen were repeated in the US and Canada on Fox Family's It's Itsy Bitsy Time and Treehouse TV, respectively, with Smart Arty renamed "Art to Art with Arty Art"; these ran from 1999 to 2001. ZZZap! also aired in its original format on TVOntario in Canada. The series was broadcast on military television networks BFBS and SSVC Television as part of children's blocks Children's SSVC and Room 785, reaching Germany, Belize, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Falkland Islands, and Gibraltar.
Music
The show uses library music to score sketches and filler panels. The theme tune is "Keystone Chaos" by Ron Aspery from the KPM library. The background music for most The Handymen sketches is "Memories of the Music Hall" by Roger Webb from the De Wolfe Music Library. For Cuthbert Lilly sketches, tracks from the Music House Library (KPM Music) include "Vintage Hollywood" by Alan Hawkshaw, "Animal Capers" by Tony Kinsey, "Busy Days", "English Country Garden", "He'd Have To Get Under", and several compositions by Ron Aspery such as "Banana Skin", "Bundle Of Fun", "Goodbye Rodney", "Jobsworth", "Morning Darling!", "Roll Up! Roll Up!", "Round the Bend", "Tea Dance", "What A Cheek!", and "Runaround". From the Parry Music Library, "Follies" is used. The London Theatre Orchestra contributes "Match Of The Day (Offside)". Carlin Library tracks include "King Cotton", "The Jolly Parade", "Happy Oompah", "Toy Car", "Circus Clowns", "Coach Trip", "Fred Scuttle", "Jugglers", "Sax Of Fun", "Shark Alert", "Circus Rag", "Captain Country", "Stop That Sax", "Ben Hill Billy", "String Holiday", "Green Tulips", and "Julliette". Sonoton Music provides "Dapper Flapper", "Rag 'n Bone", "Rattle Them Bones", "Scotch On The Rocks", and "Supper At The Savoy". De Wolfe Library tracks include "Jangle Man" and "The Clowns Are In Town". FirstCom Music contributes "Make It Stop Ok?". BMG Production Music on RCA Label also supplies tracks for Cuthbert Lilly sketches.
More in Television Shows Produced by Meridian Broadcasting
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