CÖ÷²¥´óÐã Winter/Spring 2009
Programmes N-Z
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Newsround
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Newsround has been dedicated to
bringing children the news for over 36
years, making the important issues of the
day relevant and easily understandable for kids.
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Television's
only daily current affairs programme specifically made for
young people has recently been given a re-launch with a
brand new look and three new presenters for a new
generation of children.
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Newsround continues to make one-off specials, which cover
difficult subjects, such as recent reports on knife crime and
divorce, in a sensitive and accessible way.
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Presented by Ore Oduba and Sonali Shah live from Ö÷²¥´óÐã
Television Centre in London, Newsround now has its very
own news bureau in Manchester, bringing all the latest
news from the nations and regions to uniquely deliver
world class journalism exclusively for children and young
people across the UK.
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As well as delivering up-to-the-minute news, Newsround's
website also encourages children to share their own views
and engage in debates by joining chats on the message
boards, voting on the issues that matter to them, pitting their
wits in a choice of quizzes, and watching the amazing press
pack reports made by other Newsround viewers.
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PH
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Paradise Café
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Paradise Café is a new drama set in the middle of the South Pacific on the beautiful
island of Rarotonga.
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It's a perfect summer on the exotic island and when Robbo and his kid sister, Megan, set
up a beachfront café serving smoothies in the sun with their new island friends, Abi and
Tai, it seems nothing can go wrong.
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But exploding smoothie makers, mixed-up orders
and a cash flow crisis soon put the group's loyalty, friendship and trust to the test.
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As if that wasn't enough, the fledgling business is plagued by legions of sea ghosts set
free from a hidden prison within the rotting coral at the bottom of the ocean.
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The sea
ghosts seem to think the café is a cool place to turn up for a mochaccino and a laugh,
but a café full of ghosts isn't good for business.
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While some of the sea ghosts are simply mischievous and play unpredictable tricks, the
bad, scary ones are out to cause more serious trouble for the café gang, even threatening
the island itself.
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As well as a ghost story to deal with in every episode, the kids have some bigger
mysteries to solve.
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Why are the ghosts showing up at all? Where has the stunning Chloe
come from? Who is the mysterious, mythical "Sea Born" hero who will save the island
from the ghosts? And how come Tai can hold his breath underwater for ages?
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With its unique mix of a beautiful beach setting, absorbing mystery and edge-of-the-seat
thrills, Paradise Café will constantly surprise the audience with scary twists in its
sun-kissed tales.
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Paradise Café is also being shown on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã HD channel.
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An Initial (an Endemol Company) production for CÖ÷²¥´óÐã.
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KN/MM
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Richard Hammond's Blast Lab
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Top Gear star Richard Hammond hosts Blast Lab, a new science-based
game show for CÖ÷²¥´óÐã and his first show for children.
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Based in a
fictitious underground laboratory in the grounds of his supposed stately
home, Richard invites two groups of three friends to take part in his
crazy experiments and compete to win prizes.
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While the winning team take their prizes home, the losers get to blow
up their prizes – all in the name of science. The opportunity to push the
plunger is a treat in itself, even if it means sacrificing the booty.
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Each show focuses on a different scientific theme or principle.
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In the "mini science" round, Richard's former science teacher, Mini Miss (she is 65-years-old-but, due to a failed Hammond time-travel experiment, has returned to
the present day as a 10-year-old), asks the teams to take part in experiments
that range from building rockets that demonstrate Newton's Third Law to
exploring the properties of water tension.
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Each experiment is designed to
have true "take away" value, so children can replicate them at home.
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After each mini science round, Richard expands on the theory by sending
his technicians (Lab Rats) into the field to test the principles to the max, with
some spectacular results.
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These films have a genuine "wow" factor, bringing
the excitement of science to a broad audience. These experiments are ones
to admire from afar and definitely not to be tried at home.
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Richard is joined in his secret Lab by Ninja Nan – a 70-year-old lady in charge of security, who may appear
frail but is a fully trained Ninja.
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There are also a
variety of Lab Rats (poor beleaguered technicians at
Richard's beck and call) and his beloved car,
Oliver, the Opel Kadett he brought back from a
Top Gear filming trip to Botswana.
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A September Films production for CÖ÷²¥´óÐã.
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TD
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Runaway
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The world of child runaways is tackled by award-winning writer and
director Paul Wilmshurst (Trial And Retribution, Forgiven), in a new
three-part drama.
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Lifting the lid on the little known world of homeless
children, the story explains how they came to be runaways and the
every day risks they face trying to survive in a hostile adult world.
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Sean, played by William Miller (Oliver in the Ö÷²¥´óÐã's Oliver Twist), is an
11-year-old fleeing an unhappy home life and bullying at school.
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Taking to the streets, he meets repeat runaway Molly, played by
newcomer Saffron Coomber.
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Together they try to survive by sleeping
rough, stealing and eventually falling into the clutches of a deceptive
individual.
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The series follows the police search for Sean and the emotional
ramifications for his mum and the brothers he has left behind.
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Sean's
occasional imaginings, fears and fantasies are shown in animated
sequences to illustrate his heightened senses.
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Shot on location, Runaway is a thought-provoking and insightful
drama mixing excitement, jeopardy and adventure.
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Runaway is also being shown on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã HD channel.
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VT
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Sofa Surfers
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Sofa Surfers (street slang for homeless children) tells five stories of child
poverty.
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There are 130,000 homeless children in Britain today and this
ground-breaking series offers a surprising mix of touching stories by giving
the children caught up in them a voice.
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All aspects of their lives are filmed
by the documentary team and the kids will have their own cameras to
take with them to record their experiences for themselves.
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There is humour amid the pathos as, for many of the young contributors,
the ability to find something to laugh at is the key to holding onto their
self respect.
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Many homeless children keep their situation a secret from
their friends, school and people in their community.
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In every episode of
Sofa Surfers, the documentary team will be present when they reveal this
enormously important fact about their lives to a person close to them.
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The documentary follows them as they pluck up the courage to be open
about something that embarrasses them and that they would rather keep
private. It also shows how the person they trust with this important secret
reacts.
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The series is stripped over a week and, every day, one of the
28-minute films follows one child's extraordinary life – showing the
different aspects and realities of homelessness.
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In the final episode, the homeless children featured during the first four
programmes go on holiday together.
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It will be the first holiday of their lives
and, for some, the first time they have met another homeless child beyond
their own family.
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Children can get involved online. After each programme, they can log on
to the CÖ÷²¥´óÐã website for an exclusive interview with a sofa surfer. There is
also a family tree and scrapbook for each child featured in the series.
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A Walsh Bros. Production for CÖ÷²¥´óÐã.
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VT
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Sorry I've Got No Head
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A fast-paced, irreverent comedy, Sorry I've
Got No Head returns for a second series starring
some of the best of British comedy talent.
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The "grown up" sketch show for children,
in which all the roles are played by adults,
is made by So Television.
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The first run
featured Marcus Brigstocke, Mel Giedroyc and
Anna Crilly.
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The new series contains a huge variety of
sketches, some historical, some contemporary
and promises even more laughs and mayhem.
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Returning favourites include The Witchfinder,
proclaiming "she’s a witch" at every
opportunity; Jasmine and Prudith who think
everything will cost "a thousand pounds"; and
Ross from the Outer Hebrides, who has the
dubious distinction of being the only pupil in a
school with only one teacher.
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There will also
be a host of new characters to surprise and
delight.
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Front Desk
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Stickers
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Stickers is an exciting new feature coming to myCÖ÷²¥´óÐã,
a new website in which children have their own "dens" or
personal space.
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Den owners will be able to create clever and witty short slogans
on t-shirts and then store them in a wardrobe in their den, which
their friends will be able to see when they drop by. They will
even be able to send the t-shirts to chosen friends as gifts.
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Stickers is a major leap forward in the interactivity of myCÖ÷²¥´óÐã,
offering a new and creative way for den owners and their friends
to connect with each other, while maintaining the safe and
secure environment of the CÖ÷²¥´óÐã website.
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A Magic Lantern production for CÖ÷²¥´óÐã.
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Front Desk
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Trapped
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Set in an amazing fairytale world of suspicion,
sabotage and strange characters, the third series of Trapped, CÖ÷²¥´óÐã's gripping, gothic game show, comes with a
cruel twist.
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Each week, a group of six friends – The Unfortunates – are winched in a
cage to the top of a mysterious tower watched by the ancient, creepy and
deeply horrible Caretaker (Simon Greenall).
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Once inside, they are guided by the
voice of the tower's unseen mistress (played by actress, comedian and impressionist
Faith Brown) as they work together to move down the floors to freedom.
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On each floor, one of The Unfortunates will be trapped, until only one is left to escape
from the tower.
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The dark twist is that one team member, a secret saboteur selected by
the Voice, is working to ensure that the others fail.
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Will the team discover them? If they guess wrong, an innocent Unfortunate will be trapped and the saboteur, combining subterfuge and downright sneakiness to ruin the
challenge, will be free to move down to the next floor.
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Featuring children from every part of the UK and combining a fantastic CGI
world, superb comedy performances and scary games backed by an
atmospheric original score, Trapped is a truly unique game show from
CÖ÷²¥´óÐã, where the only prize is freedom.
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Front Desk
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Tronji
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Tronji is an unforgettable new multi-media experience for six-to-eight-year-olds, incorporating an animated
television series, website and massive multi-player
online game, in which children are given a unique
opportunity to create their own avatar character and
then explore the world of Tronji.
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A world parallel to our own, it is populated with brilliant landscapes and wonderful characters, all
thoroughly happy with their crazy home.
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The most
important of these characters are brother and sister, Tronji
I and Tronji O, and the Great Eek, who oversees all the
activity that takes place there.
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When something catastrophic called "Wobble" happens,
the Tronji World fragments. Colour and happiness drain
away and Tronji I disappears, becoming stranded in our
world, along with the lost colour and happiness – which
appear in the form of little stones called "gems".
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Only children can enter Tronji World and, using their
special skills, they can help restore colour and happiness
and reunite Tronji I with his sister.
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Reflecting the experience of the TV programme, players
can create their own unique avatar to explore a detailed
3-D representation of Tronji World as seen in the series.
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The site allows children to catalogue the many unique
landscapes and characters within Tronji World and,
individually or collaboratively, complete a range of
missions while documenting their adventures in the
Tronjipedia (a kind of Tronji PDA).
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Access to the game will be through the CÖ÷²¥´óÐã website, where entrants must register using the CÖ÷²¥´óÐã registration
infrastructure, ensuring that it is a safe online environment
for the target audience.
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In each programme, a different set of children will be
transported into the world to solve problems and bring
back colour and happiness to another part of Tronji.
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A Ragdoll production for CÖ÷²¥´óÐã.
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TD
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Who Wants To Be A Superhero?
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CÖ÷²¥´óÐã favourites Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes are on
the hunt for a brand new superhero.
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Unlike other
contests, Who Wants To Be A Superhero? demands
courage, integrity and determination beyond mere
earthly talents.
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Each contestant (aged between nine and 13) will
create their own unique, never-seen-before superhero character, including original name, catchphrase and
superpowers.
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The last superhero standing receives the
ultimate reward – immortality with a starring role in
their very own comic book created by the master of
the genre, Stan Lee (The Hulk and Spiderman).
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The last superhero standing will fly to Hollywood to
meet the legendary creator in person and collect
their personalised comic book.
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Over the course of the series the aspiring superheroes test their abilities and try to
overcome their limitations, doing whatever it takes to prove that they are truly
super.
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Each week, they face challenges designed to test their courage, integrity,
self-sacrifice, compassion and resourcefulness – all the qualities that a true
superhero must possess.
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And each week, one superhero powers down,
transforming back into their real identity and returning home.
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Before Sam and Mark begin their quest to find the world's next great superhero,
they are trained in "superhero spotting" by Stan Lee himself, qualifying them to
host auditions for budding heroes across the country – culminating in a final
audition in London.
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Eventually, 13 wannabe heroes will leave their normal lives
behind and move into a secret lair to face a series of missions as they begin their
transformations into real-life superheroes.
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Only the strongest superhero will have the inner strength and nobility to
open the gates to comic-book immortality.
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Front Desk
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