The return of TISWAS???

[DungeonMasterOne]

Not sure what to make of this, but I've just heard on the radio that there is to be a one-off, 90 minute special new episode of TISWAS, featuring *all* the original cast! From the comments the presenters made (on Real Radio), methinks they grew up with it, as did many of us here.

Sally James gunged again after all these years!

[messylaura]

yeah i heard that too, gonna use the old cast too, so that will be wam with prunes?

would be great to see the likes of Holly etc in the mix too
kinda old and new, would be a good way to get Holly on Tiswas for a series run

[BillShipton]

Well, that will certainly be interesting.

Will his estranged wife put Tarrant in the cage?

I agree, a mix of old and new would be good. Nice to get some of the 80s guests out as well. I know Toyah would be up for it!

[messylaura]

ohhh yeah, Toyah, i bet Anthea Turner would love it too
she has appeared more than willing a few times to get messy

[bleach]

I wouldn't get too excited it sounds like the format is one of those terrible "an audience with" type programmes..It sounds like a one off show with more clips and interviews than getting say Girls Aloud gunged..below text is from the BBC website................

Anarchic 1970s children's programme Tiswas will return to ITV next year with original presenter, Chris Tarrant.

He will host a one-off show featuring classic sketches and interviews with guests who were "gunged" on the programme, such as Sir Trevor McDonald.

But Tarrant has launched an appeal for recordings of Tiswas, as many of the original tapes were scrapped.

"If anybody's got any videos that will help us put this programme together, please get in touch," he told the BBC.

Tiswas became a cult favourite when it hit the airwaves on Birmingham-based ITV station ATV in 1974.

'Disaster for television'


The show was a launch-pad for comedian Lenny Henry
It gradually went nationwide, and its mixture of sketches, cartoons and custard pie fights proved a hit - initially with the children's audience it was aimed at, but later with their parents as well.

The show's name was believed to be an acronym for "Today is Saturday, Watch and Smile".

It was cancelled by ATV's successor company Central in 1982, but spawned a short-lived late-night spin-off called OTT - Over The Top.

According to Chris Tarrant, more than 350 episodes of Tiswas were scrapped by a Central executive who called the show a "disaster for television".

Tarrant says he has been able to retrieve several tapes through the estate of comedian Kenny Everett, who was a big fan of the show.

Cast reunited

Many other episodes were saved by presenter Sally James' husband.

James will join Tarrant for next year's tribute show, along with co-stars Lenny Henry, Bob Carolgees and Spit the dog.

The villainous Phantom Flan Flinger is also due to make an appearance, although the producer who originally played the character, Glyn Edwards, has died.

The tribute programme will have a similar format to ITV's Audience With... series, where stars perform and answer questions from a celebrity audience.

Tarrant said it would mark the 30th anniversary of Tiswas becoming a national programme "that fundamentally changed children's television forever".

Members of the public who want to submit tapes of the original series can contact Tarrant's production company at the email address unimediaman@aol.com.

[Philis]

I was just going to post how you can't trust them to re-visit an old favorite

but BLEACH seems to have got there first with a fairly comprensive answer

[stonecastle]

I remember it well as I saw it alot while growing up in the Midlands. it started on ATV first and then went national around 1974. I also remember the 1982 offshoot OTT - over the top, which featured a gorgous girl getting a bucket of custard poured over her head at the start of each eposide.

[piemeplease]

Hmm and so soon after the BBC announced a one off reuniting of the Swap Shop presenters. Back to my early childhood I go.

[piemeplease]

I just found this website and although you are all very knowledgable compared to me, I thought you might like to see it.

http://www.tiswasonline.com/

[messylaura]

i never actully got to see tiswas the first time round

[andy250]

Would be nice to see it happen, though I suspect it would mostly be clips etc as bleach as explained, I've probably got most of the clips on my tapes. Now if they did a live one off version that would be funny.

regards


Andy

[Hayley]

Is this the excuse for Bill to get all his Tiswas anecdotes out? Not to mention his interviews with Sally and Tarrant.

Sounds like a clip show (without Jimmy Carr) but some of the clips might be good.

Bill will be sorry to hear about Glynn Edwards dying. I remember him telling me that he started his interview with him by saying "You invented the Phantom Flan Flinger..." to which he replied. "No, I DISCOVERED him - in a cave waiting to bring evil to the world..." He was a great bloke apparently.

Incidentally, and somewhat Ironically, Bill is currently in the studio chucking pies...

Hayley xx

[piemeplease]

lol, when i get the chance to come to the Splosh studios, I want Bill to dress as the phantom flan flinger.

[stonecastle]

Tiswas should have used thick whipped cream for their pies instead of shaving foam as it is much messier.

[DungeonMasterOne]

Tiswas should have used thick whipped cream for their pies instead of shaving foam as it is much messier.

That was probably the whole point - it was messy enough (in the days before natrasol, etc) and still reasonably easy to clean out of the studio and the gungee's clothes afterwards. Whiped cream would also have gone off very quickly under the studio lighting of the 1980s - ATV's old 70s-built floor-mounted TV cameras were a lot less sensitive than modern kit, so the lighting had to be intense, which meant a *lot* of heat.