Let’s talk of cabbages and things
We look back to booby prizes and comedy skits as children’s TV series Crackerjack! is rebooted after a 35-year break
IT’S Friday, it’s five to five, and it’s CRACKERJACK! Long-running children’s show Crackerjack! meant the start of the weekend for youngsters up and down the country.
It offered comedy sketches, slapstick, pop music and spoofs of the latest chart hits. There was also the chance to win armfuls of prizes – or cabbages – in a competition called Double Or Drop, which was devised by original host Eamonn Andrews.
But no young contestant left empty-handed as there was always the consolation prize of a Crackerjack! pencil. In fact, even Queen Elizabeth was presented with coveted Crackerjack! pencils in the 1960s to give to her children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
The BBC show began in 1955 as a fortnightly offering before switching to a weekly
slot on Fridays.
It ran for nearly 30 years, being hosted by a variety of presenters including Eamonn Andrews, Leslie Crowther, Michael Aspel, Ed “Stewpot” Stewart and Stu Francis.
Former bespectacled Crazy Gang extra Peter Glaze was a regular with composer Bert Hayes providing the music for the BBC children’s TV show.
Crackerjack! was broadcast live in front of an audience of enthusiastic youngsters and they were entertained by a variety of music guests over the years including The Who, Roy Orbison, Tom Jones, the Bee Gees, Lulu and Status Quo.
Sadly, more than 300 episodes have been lost over the years but the show will be returning to screens next year, 35 years after it was cancelled in 1984. The new 10-part series will be presented by duo Sam and Mark and will be available on CBBC and iPlayer. The BBC says that the new Crackerjack! will be updated for “today’s 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”.
The new show will also offer a mixture of magic, comedy and silly studio sitcom... along with the original Double Or Drop contest.
The cabbages could be making a comeback.