Ooh, I could crush a grape! Crackerjack is coming back
THE BBC is reviving cult classic children’s TV show Crackerjack.
The show - with its famous ‘crush-a-grape’ catchphrase - was a staple of children’s television the mid 1950s to the mid 80s and marked the start of the weekend with its mix of sketches, pop performances and games.
Now, 35 years after its last outing, it is making a comeback and will be made right here at MediaCityUK in Salford by BBC Children’s In-House Productions.
TV bosses say the retro classic, which will be on CBBC and BBC iPlayer, will be ‘revitalised for today’s connected generation giving them an all-round, interactive experience while retaining the beating heart of what etched Crackerjack into the affections of British children for three decades’. It will feature ‘a heady mix of jawdropping magic, laugh-out-loud comedy and silly studio sitcom’ and will air on Fridays with hundreds of kids in the studio taking part in the fun. As part of the new show, ‘Double or Drop’ returns in which kids get plucked from the audience to answer questions and go head to head to win prizes - or cabbages if they get it wrong - and the muchcoveted Crackerjack pencil.
The show was originally presented by This is Your Life’s Eamonn Andrews. He was followed by Leslie Crowther, Michael Aspel, Ed Stewart and Stu Francis.
This new series will be presented by BAFTA winning and children’s TV favourites, Sam and Mark, and will air next year.