Television Presenting? Child's Play!

"I could do that! How hard is it to present a television programme?" The regular call of viewers throughout the land as they see many numbers of faces on their screens day in and day out, as Sue Peacock would testament quite hard on your debut. Sue was picked by Esther Ranzen and her Big Time team to be give the chance to co-present Nationwide along with Frank Bough, the pro's pro. But thinking about presenting especially in children's television, there has been so many presenters over the years since Phillip Schofield took on in-vision continuity in the afternoons replacing the BBC1 robot. Which itself seems alright as Phillip had a radio and television career in New Zealand before coming home and to bigger and better things.

Go-pher broke...

Beyond Phillip the rota of stars who have taken the route of children's television is amazing, but one thing stands out if you were to consider what most of them had done before they wouldn't it even get on the screen today! It maybe said that times were different, with most presenters coming through the media studies route and having been trained in what they should say and to a template. Not that's there anything wrong with that if they are good. 

For example with Play School, most of the protagonists came from a dramatic background such as Gordon Rollings and also Brian Cant as well, Rollings later playing parts in two of the Superman movies with Cant still working occasionally with an appearance earlier this year in BBC 1's 'Doctors'. Their communication skills such as also Toni Arthur and Carol Chell would qualify for them to be good presenters, but then the waters get muddied. Some of the people who joined in the 1970's were to re-write the script literally. Don Spencer was a folk singer but with experience of Play School in Australia, bringing musical experience to the mixture which was already there with the vast experience of singing the theme to 'Fireball XL5'. Added with Julie Spencer, Floella Benjamin, Stuart McGugan, Ben Bazell, Eric Thompson and so many more as well.

"Let's make it a date!"

Then we come to three men who came from left field, who looking at their combined CV's they would not have struck the average person as children's television material. Johnny Ball, now know as a leading light on promoting science through his television programmes and later on his stage shows. But back when he was give the job of entertaining the under 5's that Johnny had already been a stand-up comedian and a Redcoat at Butlin's as well. Hardly, a glowing CV you might say but number two was even more from left field!

On the ball!

Derek Griffths, what can you say about him? Legend is a word which bandied about so easy, but Derek could fit in anywhere. There was time where you could just turn on the television there he would be starring in a drama, singing a song, doing a bit of light entertainment with the best of the day even appearing with Terry Scott and June Whitfield for a touch of sitcom. In 1997, Griffiths originated the role of Lumière in the original West End production of Beauty and the Beast  and played the role of The Child Catcher in the West End run of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 

Ice, ice baby...

Finally comes Fred Harris, a one time teacher who decided he needed a change of career so one wet and dull afternoon coming back from teaching he was passing a television rental shop and saw Play School on the bank of televisions. So with a thought of "I could give that a go!" and waited until the end to see the name of Cynthia Felgate and decided to write off to ask if they need anyone else to present and put himself forward as a presenter. From this, Fred was launched onto a new path of comedy taking in 'The Burkiss Way' and its television counterpart 'End of Part One'. Which lead to in one episode, threatening to squash a hamster if the show didn't get a better time slot and was taken out of the children's programmes on a Sunday afternoon. Dramatic you might say, but this helped Fred cement his relationship with the viewing public as such for being a steady hand when needed but also with the freedom to be as surreal as a 'Python' member. 

A right One Show!

The worst case? Oh no, that goes to a young lady who had been an actress and had make a career out of being attractive in a number of films both horror and also some which were a bit saucy. She was Jenny Hanley, Jenny had the unenviable task of replacing Susan Stranks on Magpie in 1972. But with the able hands of Mick Robertson, Douglas Rae and later Tommy Boyd, she became action girl for a whole generation of young girls and boys and even maybe crush material as well! Well, she had learned from the best though as she had been a Bond Girl in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. No better qualified then learning from 007 himself... She etched herself on the memories who saw her and stayed with the programme until its end in 1980, thus proving a movie career maybe the best option for being a Children's presenter.

Jumper-ing to conclusions...

There have been people who've gone the other way such as Jake Humphrey, the BBC's F1 anchor who had previous experience working for IMG's television sport division learning from Anglia's Gerry Harrison. He's proven that you can make the leap, as for Ortis Deeley... Well, everyone knows you can't run before you can walk... Though if you've got rubber legs as well, its twice as worse..

It shouldn't happen to a Kids TV presenter? Maybe it might, maybe it should... But always remember, Television Presenting, it can be Child's Play where ever you enter it from...

Here's a starter for ten...

Like many people I am often to found shouting at the television, where as they maybe not agree with what's on there. Its more then likely I'm shouting out to the answer to a question, well most of the time...

But the game or quiz show is something I've always loved, my earliest memories are of Ted Rodgers and Dusty Bin on Saturday night at my Nan and Grandad's watching 3-2-1. The show always seemed like light years away from my own life, as it proudly boasted at the start of the edition 'It's a Quiz, It's a Game, It's Fortune and  Fame!' Really, I don't know apart from the contestants who guessed Chopin and Beethoven for a question about Handel if any got the fame they wanted from it... Judging by their answers maybe infamy then anything else.

Ted Rogers cartoon not included...

Though the spirit of these shows have changed, from winning a Hi-Fi we got all the way through to Robert Kilroy-Silk asking people to shaft each other. Having said that, that sounds very creepy!

My love for questions for winning what was seemingly tat, came through the old Friday 7pm quiz spot from BBC1 and ITV. Friday represented the start of the weekend and the start of light entertainment galore. Easy on the eye the titles may have not been, but the pure content was almost like a warm lounge fire in Autumn and Winter time. In particular the one show which makes think of those times is 'Play Your Cards Right', following Brucie's move to ITV in 1978, Michael Grade looked to find Bruce a format which would work for him. So over to America and one was found, but not seemingly the one that Brucie wanted to do. His idea was to ask Bob Monkhouse to a swap deal for Family Feud, what was going to turn into Family Fortunes. Grade had bought Card Sharks to be able to make a British version of that, with some format tweaking came forth was 'Play Your Cards Right'.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall... Who's the Bruciest of them all?"

The thrill of 'Higher and Lower!' was something get excited about, the audience were encouraged to get involved in the game. This hadn't been seen by viewers before, the excitement would there in your living room on a weekly basis. On a turn of a card, a car could be won or lost. Some people might say that's random chance, but the build up to that moment was almost as thrilling as the game itself. In those few moments it was evident that Bruce Forsyth is a gameshow god, the pace, the control, the thrill of it all...

As Bob Monkhouse once in an interview, that the pause between the question and correct is the key thing of being a great gameshow host. Tension can be ramped up, the anticipation of the answer, never knowing if it will be wrong or right. We are willingly able to look on at these hosts and look at what they are doing, but not everyone can make a good gameshow host. Charm and charisma are two key factors, likeablity of the host another. This works so well with Terry Wogan, hearing his charm at work also being able to walk and talk at the same time like he did on the radio.

Hmm. I'm sure there a message in there, but I just can't work it out!

A gameshow can be key to a good schedule, but it can hold a place in people hearts for ever, all for the turn of a card...

Off course you can...

Some people may question where about the quest and thirst for knowledge comes from, what makes up someone who wants to learn more and more. I will admit I've never been the most intelligent of beings, but I've always had a thirst for learning new things. After leaving school as a 16 yr old with no GCSE's this made me want to know more about the media and the industry surrounding it. Fine, I could read TV listings from a young age but I wanted to know about the companies behind the programmes and the people who made them.

Like many things nowadays, anything like this is seen in the newspapers as quirky and odd. These stories come with a 'Good for a Laugh' image, but I don't never see this as that. Since I have been tweeting I have learned more and more from various people and their knowledge of such things, where as I would have looked at a book and read now I can discuss with people about all angles of an industry set up to inform, educated and entertain us. 

Learning such information on my own seems like a little triumph for myself, knowing that I can know something that it might not be 100% right, but just the knowledge of knowing that particular fact. Then again some of the most influential people in the media and entertainment sphere have search for that knowing all their lives. By example Jeremy Beadle was supplying information to shows, Bob Monkhouse built up a huge collection of videos of shows and other items as well. We all want to be able to say 'Here's something that you don't know...' Maybe such not as pub trivia but being able to impart knowledge to other people each and every day. I read mostly reference books and autobiographies of people and have done all through my life, knowing what people have been through to get where they are today. A good true life story is as good as a fictional one, where as you could say that you couldn't make it up at all. 

By using this knowledge I can impart thing onto other people and help them in whatever I do, even by doing this and passing on little bits of knowledge to the likes of Iain Lee and Danny Baker, if they used them that was upto to them. But knowing I can provide a little bit of trivia and knowledge with what I do, it makes an audience sit up and listen. I'm not saying that I'm no memory champion as such, but when you are given a hand of cards to be able to sit in front of a television set, it'll be used to do so.

I was never going to be a world champion being able to kick a ball around, but knowing that Mickey Dolenz  

directed Metal Mickey, that's one thing I will take with me....

The new bits...

Hello people,

Yes, at last this is Boggenstrovia's Bit!

Now who is Boggenstrovia? Some might know me as Rob, others as Mr Chicken...

But I am one and the same, so I will using this to write thoughts, show stuff and also give opinions.

So what about me?

Some might call me a simpleton from Portsmouth, others may call me other things but I know what I am and that is a twit... No, hang on that's not right!

But I just love television, from the days when I used to draw the Westward logo with crayons to being able to recite the TV page from the Daily Mirror even giving advice on what to watch that night. I was brought up on Light Entertainment and those programme hold a lot for me...

Though I like sport, please don't run away! I can see you edging there!

Like I was saying thought, I like sport I won't blog all the time about it... Only if its relevant to the blog etc...

But by using this blog I will be able to show you something from my past as well, wondering how a young boy from Portsmouth grew up into a misanthrope and maybe still growing up as well...

So that's the first blog and away we go!