What's Up Doc? (British TV series)
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| What's Up Doc? | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Children's entertainment |
| Presented by | Andy Crane Yvette Fielding Pat Sharp Jenny Powell |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 102 |
| Production | |
| Production location | The Maidstone Studios (1992-94)[1] |
| Production companies | TVS (1992) Scottish Television (1993-95) |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 5 September 1992 – 29 April 1995 |
What's Up Doc? is a British children's entertainment show that aired on ITV on Saturday mornings from 5 September 1992 to 29 April 1995.[2] It was hosted by Andy Crane, Yvette Fielding, and Pat Sharp. Jenny Powell replaced Fielding for the final part of the series.
The first two series were produced at The Maidstone Studios before moving to the studios of Scottish Television in Glasgow for the final series.
Format
[edit]The series included a variety of characters such as Simon Perry, Colin, Wooly, Billy Box, Baljit, Pasty the Worm, Mister Spanky, Naughty Torty, Gaston, Sam Sam, and the wolves Bro and Bro. What's Up Doc? was designed to promote and feature products created by Warner Bros. in the UK which included video games, movies, tours of their studios, and their vast library of Looney Tunes animated shorts from which the "What's up Doc?" catchphrase was derived, and new animated series; Animaniacs, Batman: The Animated Series and Taz-Mania.
What's Up Doc? made use of the "phone-in" game format made popular by BBC mainstays such as Going Live. Phone-in games that featured on the programme included Hugo the Troll and Joe Razz. The show was also responsible for the success of Batman: The Animated Series and Animaniacs on terrestrial television. Music was a large part of the show and played a role in launching the careers of music groups Take That, East 17 and Eternal.[citation needed]
What's Up Doc? featured puppet comedian duo Don Austen and John Eccleston as the show's central new puppet characters, a pair of wolf brothers named Bro and Bro who would comically "devour" any celebrity guest on the losing side of the phone-in games.
Despite its initial success, the Independent Television Commission later expressed concerns about the anarchic humour of What's Up Doc? which was often considered insensitive for a Saturday morning children's programme. Concerned that Warner Bros. would pull the plug on their involvement with the show, Scottish TV requested that the show's humour be toned down to an acceptable level. The show's producers refused and eventually resigned at the end of the second series, along with many of its cast including Austen and Eccleston who were given a spin-off series, Wolf It, also on Children's ITV.
The third series saw production move to Scottish Television's own studios in Glasgow, but without much of its original cast. A decline in ratings led to the show being cancelled in April 1995.
Series guide
[edit]| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 September 1992 | 1 May 1993 | 34 |
| 2 | 4 September 1993 | 30 April 1994 | 35 |
| 3 | 3 September 1994 | 29 April 1995 | 33 |
Episodes
[edit]This is the episode list of What's Up Doc? episodes that aired on Saturday mornings on ITV. The show lasted for a total of 102 episodes from 1992 to 1995.
Series 1 (1992-93)
[edit]| Episode | Broadcast | Guests | Cartoons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 5 September 1992 | ||
| 02 | 12 September 1992 |
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| 03 | 19 September 1992 |
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| 04 | 26 September 1992 |
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| 05 | 3 October 1992 |
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| 06 | 10 October 1992 |
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| 07 | 17 October 1992 |
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| 08 | 24 October 1992 |
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| 09 | 31 October 1992 |
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| 10 | 7 November 1992 |
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| 11 | 14 November 1992 |
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| 12 | 21 November 1992 |
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| 13 | 28 November 1992 |
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References
[edit]- ^ "Ex-ITV Regional Studios". TV Studio History. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "What's Up Doc? – Nostalgia Central". nostalgiacentral.com. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
External links
[edit]- 1992 British television series debuts
- 1995 British television series endings
- 1990s British children's television series
- British television shows featuring puppetry
- British English-language television shows
- ITV children's television shows
- Looney Tunes television series
- Television shows edited from films
- Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
- Television shows produced by Scottish Television
- Television shows produced by Television South (TVS)