Kerwhizz
Kerwhizz is a British children's television game show commissioned by Michael Carrington and aired on CBeebies. The series uses a mix of CGI and live-action, and is targeted towards four to six-year-olds.[1] Kerwhizz originally ran from 3 November 2008 to 11 May 2009. A new series began on CBeebies on 7 March 2011, running on weekdays until 25 March. Re-runs of the new episodes continued except on bank holidays until 6 May.[2][3]
| Kerwhizz | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's game show |
| Presented by | Jacob Scipio (as the Kerwhizzitor) |
| Voices of | Kriselle Basilio Teika Donyai Yasmin Garrad Alex Velleman Jermaine Woods |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 41 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Alison Stewart[1] |
| Producer(s) | Stephen Cannon[1] |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Studio 100 |
| Distributor | M4E AG |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBeebies |
| Original release | 3 November 2008 - 25 March 2011 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Summary
The show is moderated by Kerwhizzitor (Jacob Scipio), the only regular live-action character. Three teams of CGI characters, each comprising a human child and a part-living, part-mechanical animal, must answer four rounds of questions, each featuring a regular 2-D animated character, to win a choice of pod mod for their respective racing pods. In addition, one round offers the chance to win a mystery mod. Each mod is an unconventional accessory that may or may not give its user a better chance of winning the race. The teams are cheered on by three groups of live-action children dressed in the teams' colours and waving team flags.
All of the questions are multiple-choice, with the answers colour-coded red, green, yellow or blue (not coincidentally, these are the standard colours of the function buttons on TV remote controls). Once the question rounds are complete, the teams' pods are assembled around them and the respective mods are installed. The pods are then raised through the roof of the studio into the CGI race world. Each race world is a themed environment (the questions usually include clues to the theme) containing three, or occasionally four, zones, and each race comprises two laps (except in "The Deserted Desert Dash", which is a novelty race with no set route and a hidden finish line). All of the teams are likely to encounter unexpected setbacks and opportunities along the way, making the outcome of each race unpredictable.
Characters
Questionmaster
- Kerwhizzitor (Jacob Scipio) moderates the quiz, asks the questions, makes bad puns and rhymes and tries to keep the teams in order. In the race world sequences Kerwhizzitor commentates.
Contestants
- Team Ninki comprises Ninki (voice: Kriselle Basilio), a dark-skinned girl with bunches, a mid-European accent and a terrible singing voice (although while introducing her team at the beginning of each episode she sings well); and Pip, a green-furred dog somewhat resembling a Scottish terrier with an extendable metal neck. Pip can't speak, but can often shape his barks and growls into an approximation of words. Despite this Ninki sometimes fails to hear him when he gets a question right and offers her own wrong answer instead, causing him to growl in frustration. Team colour: yellow. Team logo: yellow star.
- Team Twist comprises Twist (voice: Alex Velleman), a highly confident, if not overconfident, blond boy with a fixation for style; and Snout (voice: Jermaine Woods, not credited on series 2) who resembles an orange-furred, two-legged woolly mammoth with a plastic trunk, and has a fixation of his own, with sprouts. In the episode "Planet Snout" the eponymous planet is revealed to be his homeworld and the origin of his vegetable obsession. It is also revealed that Snout has two nephews, Rocco and Ricco. Team colour: blue. Team logo: blue spiral.
- Team Kit comprises Kit (voice: Telka Donyai), a fair-skinned girl with blue hair who is very brainy and good at thinking around problems. Though her confidence in her abilities is as great as Twist's, occasionally causing some girl-boy rivalry between them; and Kaboodle (voice: Yasmin Garrad), who is basically a furry ball with a face, two conical plastic ears/antennae, and a springy conical plastic leg. She appears to be less mature than the other racers, and often requires emotional support from Kit. Team colour: pink. Team logo: pink lightning bolt.
Question hosts
These characters appear in the flash-animated question sequences. None of them speak, since the questions are all read by Kerwhizzitor. In many episodes they, or characters based on their designs, also appear in CGI form in the race world sequences, where they are much bigger than the human contestants.
- Natterjack the toad presents two questions per episode based on picture recognition. A typical question might involve the teams identifying one of four pictures that is identical to one that Natterjack has drawn.
- Burping Herbert the burpasaur presents one question based on visual memory. This typically involves Herbert eating one of several objects and the teams having to choose which one it was from four alternatives.
- King Pong the skunk presents "Hunt the Skunk", in which he hides in or behind four objects in rapid succession. Pip, Snout and Kaboodle have to decide which object was his last hiding place in order to win the Mystery Mod. King Pong's appearance is always heralded by a smelly green vapour. Occasionally he is replaced by his relatives, such as the pirate Long Pong Silver (who smells even worse), or by Queen Pong or Princess Pong (who both smell very nice and produce fragrant pink vapour).
- Kat Kool the cat presents "Kat Kool's Sound Round", one question based on auditory memory. Typically Kat Kool or his band will play a tune, and the teams must then choose which of four alternative tunes matches.
Episodes
Series 1 and 2 (2008-2011)
| Series | Episode | Title | Winner | Route | Podmods | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Vegetable Valley Alley | Twist | Pumpkin Parade Fruit Falls Corn Cob Corners Pong's Patch Radish Road | Gleaming Garden Snippers (Kit) Spade (Twist) Packet of Seeds (Ninki) Giant Sprout (Mystery, Twist) | 3 November 2008 |
| 1 | 2 | The Slip and Slide Snow Ride | Kit | Snow Stretch Glacier Gully Snow Drift Rift Don't Sink Rink | Crampon Claws (Kit) Supersonic Skis (Ninki) Expander Specs (Twist) Bobble Hat (Mystery, Ninki) | 10 November 2008 |
| 1 | 3 | Castle Kingdom | Ninki | Drawbridge Gate Field of Shields The Knight's Table | Lance (Ninki) Plastic Fantastic Sword (Kit) Tur-bow (Twist) Egg (Mystery, Ninki) | 17 November 2008 |
| 1 | 4 | Bedroom Zoom | Kit | Mobile Junction Under Bed Cosy Comfy Corner Sweet Dream Street | Mega Moonbeam Super Torch (Ninki) Shooting Star (Twist) Teddy Bear Tim (Kit) Giant Alarm Clock (Mystery, Twist) | 24 November 2008 |
| 1 | 5 | The Daring Dino Dash | Twist | Fossil Forest Dino Egg Gulch Old Crusty | Musical Conch Shell (Ninki) Diviner (Kit) Daffodactyl Flower (Twist) Scarf (Mystery, Twist) | 1 December 2008 |
| 1 | 6 | Hat-Trick Highway | Ninki | Top Hat #1 Top Hat #2 Top Hat #3 | Future Ball (Ninki) Wonder Wand (Kit) Natterjoker (Twist) Corrector (Mystery, Twist) | 8 December 2008 |
| 1 | 7 | Funfair Freeway | Kit | Helter Skelter Felter Bumper Car Bypass Faster Than Moster Roller Coaster | Balloons (Ninki) Rubber Bumpers (Kit) Candy Flosser (Twist) Free Ride (Mystery, Twist) | 15 December 2008 |
| 1 | 8 | The Great Space Race | Ninki | The International Space Station Asteroid Felter The Mysterious Rings of Saturn The Hyper-Space Toll Booth | Keryptonite (Kit) Faster Feather Duster (Ninki) Comet Catcher Net (Twist) Time-Travelling Clock (Mystery, Kit) | 5 January 2009 |
| 1 | 9 | Bowling Alley Rally | Twist | The Twisty Turny Tunnels Skittle Forest King Pong's Shoe Room Bowling Alley Alley | Lucky Bowling Arm Charm (Ninki) Super Speakers (Twist) Quicker-Sticker Sticky Stuff (Kit) Skittle Stopper (Mystery, Kit, not taken) | 12 January 2009 |
| 1 | 10 | The Ace Choc Chase Race | Ninki | Choco Way The Choco Block The Chocolate Drop Chocolate Fountain Mountain Home Sweet Home Street | Bubbler (Kit) Marshmallow Maker (Twist) Fruit-and-Nutter (Ninki) Gripper-Dipper (Mystery, Twist) | 19 January 2009 |
| 1 | 11 | Underwater Whizzway | Kit | The Avenue of Arches The Sunken Ship Wreck The Vortex The Weed Way | Rusty Anchor (Kit) Plug (Twist) Fish Food (Ninki) Muncher Fish (Mystery, Kit) | 26 January 2009 |
| 1 | 12 | The Supershape Showdown | Twist | The Polygon Pass The Round and Round-a-bout The Triangle Tangle The Star Jump | Prankstar (Ninki) Super-Springy Thingy (Twist) Totally Triangular Shape Cutter (Kit) Stumbling Block (Mystery, Kit) | 2 February 2009 |
| 1 | 13 | Egypt World | Ninki & Kit | The Giant Pyramid The Tunnel of Cheops Chambers Crazy Colonnades | Really Useful Relic (Ninki) Papyrus Password (Kit) Eat-My-Duster (Twist) Ancient, Light-Reflecting Gem (Mystery, Kit) | 9 February 2009 |
| 1 | 14 | Supermarket Sprint | Ninki | Trolley Dash Turn Fresh Food Freeway Silly Isles Cheddar Gorge Checkpoint Checkout | Tip-Top Trolley Dodger (Twist) Label Enabler (Kit) Shopping Bag (Ninki) Cheap-at-Half-the-Price Super Stacker (Mystery, Twist) | 16 February 2009 |
| 1 | 15 | Goldfish Gulp | Twist | Pipe Wipeout Weedy Way Fishy Fortress | Big, Bouncy Bubble (Ninki) Propellor (Twist) Rubber Ring (Kit) Fishy Fin (Mystery, Twist) | 23 February 2009 |
| 1 | 16 | Whiffy World | Ninki | Stinky Sock Street Queen Pong's Pungent Patch Putrid Pipes | Super Socker (Twist) Super Sucker (Kit) Pongy Plunger (Ninki) Giant Pepper Pot (Mystery, Twist) | 2 March 2009 |
| 1 | 17 | Opposite World | Kit [NB slowest pod wins] | The Upside-Downs The Arrow Route Floating Freeway | Faster Blaster (Ninki) Goer Slower (Kit) Flashlight (Twist) Swapsie (Mystery, Ninki) | 9 March 2009 |
| 1 | 18 | Crazy Racy Golf | Twist | Hole #1: Natterjack Sphinx Street Hole #2: Pong's Parade Hole #3: Kat Kool's Causeway | Right-On Cue (Twist) Putt-Putt-Putter (Kit) Plug Mod (Ninki) Mega Bouncing Ball (Mystery, Twist, not taken) | 16 March 2009 |
| 1 | 19 | Daredevil Dreamway | All | Boodle's Bounce-a-bout Snout's Amazing Maze Pip's Place | Sniffertron (Kit) Practical Pointer (Twist) Pip's Perfect Pod Mod (Ninki) Pod-in-a-Box (Mystery, Kit) | 23 March 2009 |
| 1 | 20 | The Fairy Tale Trail | Kit | The Beanstalk Cloud Pass The Giant's Castle | One Wish (Kit) Two Wishes (Twist) Three Wishes (Ninki) Nattertoad (Mystery, Ninki) | 30 March 2009 |
| 1 | 21 | The Marvellous Musical Marathon | Ninki | Kat Kool's Nifty Notes Tuba Tunnel Thumper Jumper Cymbal Straight | Mega megaphone (Ninki) Cool Conductor (Kit) Super Speakers (Twist) Wonderhorn (Mystery, Ninki) | 6 April 2009 |
| 1 | 22 | Party Paradise | Kit | King Pong's Parcel Pass The Balloon Room The Dancing Disco | Food Finding Fork (Twist) Power Party Popper (Kit) Pressing Presser (Ninki) Parcel (Mystery, Twist) | 13 April 2009 |
| 1 | 23 | The Four Season Freeway | Twist | Spring Fling Summer Daze Automatic Alley | Nibbling Gnashers (Ninki) Brumbrella (Kit) Lead Guitar (Twist) Ticket to Boys for All Seasons concert (Mystery, Kit) | 20 April 2009 |
| 1 | 24 | The Super Ace Rainbow Race | Kit | Panorama Rama Loop-the-Loop Land White World | Top Drawer (Kit) Fade-Away Vanishing Block (Twist) Splatter (Ninki) Colour-Me-Wonderful Paint Set (Mystery, Ninki) | 27 April 2009 |
| 1 | 25 | Moonlight Night Flight | Twist | Starlight Expressway Dark Park Moonlight Parade | Clouder-Outer (Ninki) Cool Cat's Eyes (Kit) Shooting Starburst Boost (Twist) Flight of Fireflies (Mystery, Kit) | 4 May 2009 |
| 1 | 26 | Fun Food Freeway | Ninki | The Big Cheese The Wedge of Veg Pudding Lane | Frisky Whisk (Ninki) Grater-Scraper (Twist) Cheese Board (Kit) Chef's Hat (Mystery, Kit) | 11 May 2009 |
| 2 | 1 | Building Block Rock | Kit | Crane Corner Turning Tunnel The Working Herberts | Brick Basher (Ninki) Dino Demolition Ball (Twist) Foghorn (Kit) Mega Cone (Mystery, Ninki) | 7 March 2011 |
| 2 | 2 | The Ker-razy Cave Caper | Twist | The Looping Lava Tube Glacier Gully Stalactite Slalom | Rockin' Rocket Boosters (Kit) Hyper Heater (Twist) Picky (Ninki) Superstar Night Light (Mystery, Twist) | 8 March 2011 |
| 2 | 3 | The Play Place Race | Ninki | The Bouncy Castle Slippy Slope/The Musical Tubes Roller Squeeze Straight Ball Pond Plunge | Super Suckers (Twist) Big Wide Wedge (Kit) Blow-Up Bouncers (Ninki) De-tangler (Mystery Twist) | 9 March 2011 |
| 2 | 4 | Spooky Speedway | Twist | Hairy Scary Hallway Room of Choices The Web Way | Bat Wings (Kit) Lending Hand (Ninki) Glower (Twist) Spooky Sheet (Mystery, Ninki) | 10 March 2011 |
| 2 | 5 | The Speedy Greedy Bake Race | Kit | Steady Bready Bridge Donut Tunnel Bumpy Bun Jumps | Frisky Whisk (Kit) Getaway Tray (Twist) Icing Bag (Ninki) Dreamy Creamy Fondant Fancy (Mystery, Twist, not taken) | 11 March 2011 |
| 2 | 6 | Wild West World | Ninki | Tumble Weed Trail Tin Can Canyon Old Pine Gold Mine | Sheriff's Badge (Ninki) Lasso (Twist) Burpalo Nickel (Kit) Cowboy Hat (Mystery, Kit) | 14 March 2011 |
| 2 | 7 | Overgrown Garden Getaway | Twist | Long Forgotten Lawn Park and Glide Pond Tree-mendous Avenue | Hopping-glad frog legs (Twist) Creaky-Squeaky Lawnmower (Kit) Long Stick (Ninki) Hairdressing Set (Mystery, Ninki) | 15 March 2011 |
| 2 | 8 | City Speedway | Kit | The Statue of Ribbity The Subway Skyscraper Caper The Showtime Shimmy | Beat Bop Baton (Kit) Subway Tickets (Twist) Big Onion (Ninki) Year's Supply of Popcorn (Mystery, Ninki) | 16 March 2011 |
| 2 | 9 | Giant Jungle Jetway | Ninki | Undergrowth Expressway Tree Trunk Trail The Leaves | Leaping Lizard Legs (Ninki) Frog's Tongue (Twist) Zapper (Kit) Rain Cloud (Mystery, Ninki) | 17 March 2011 |
| 2 | 10 | Arty Crafty Caper | Twist | Origami Forest Glitter Falls Natter Stamp Street Paper Plane Pass | Safety Scissors (Ninki) Super Sticker (Twist) Perfect Painter (Kit) Ball of Super String (Mystery, Twist) | 18 March 2011 |
| 2 | 11 | Treasure Island Trail | Kit | Pirate Ship Wreck Coconut Grove Quick Sand Land | Hook (Twist) Main Sail (Ninki) Rope (Kit) Treasure Map (Mystery, Twist) | 21 March 2011 |
| 2 | 12 | The Toy Factory Track | Ninki | Toy Toad Travelator Burpalloon Way Toy Pong Parade | Quick and Slick Oil Can (Twist) Top Popper (Ninki) Spanner (Kit) Toy Model of Kerwhizzitor (Mystery, Ninki, not taken) "Thingamajig" (extra mystery item, Ninki) | 22 March 2011 |
| 2 | 13 | Planet Snout | Twist | Sprout Wood Crackle Crater Snoutsville | Fantastic Fan (Kit) Which-Way Dish (Ninki) Pepper Pot (Twist) Sprout Recipe Book (Mystery, Ninki, not taken) | 23 March 2011 |
| 2 | 14 | The Zoom Around the Moon | Ninki [NB Kit drops out of race] | Lunar Lane The Spaceship The Crater The Dark Side | Fiery Flare (Ninki) Force Field (Twist) Space Helmets (Kit) Super Duper Boosters (Mystery, Kit) | 24 March 2011 |
| 2 | 15 | The Deserted Desert Dash | All | n/a | Eye Spy (Ninki) Big Ears (Twist) Nifty Nose (Kit) Magic Lamp (Mystery, shared by all) [NB all teams score equal points and are allowed to choose Mods cooperatively] | 25 March 2011 |
In other languages
- Polish: Kwizerr
- Dutch (Flanders): Kwiskwat
- Hebrew: Ready, Quiz, Hop! (In Hebrew Version, Kerwhizzitor was replaced by Israeli Host named Ron Quiz (Ron Chidon))
- Hungarian: Csűrcsavarosdi
Reception
British psychologist Aric Sigman refers to Kerwhizz as a perfect example of what television makers claim is educational, despite his insistence to the contrary.[4] Sigman goes on to say that "the phrase 'educational television' was, of course, invented by people who make television", "to me it's an oxymoron.".[4]
Lawsuit
In 2011 cartoonist Michael Mitchell sued the BBC, claiming that Kerwhizz's human CGI characters were based on his own designs for a proposed series called The Bounce Bunch. The BBC denied these claims. In the England and Wales Patents County Court in December 2011, His Honour Judge Birss, QC found that the Kerwhizz characters did not infringe Mr Mitchell's copyright.[5]
References
- Holmwood, Leigh (12 February 2008). "CBeebies to launch pre-school quiz show". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2009.
- "Kerwhizz, a new CBeebies mixed media pre-school quiz show" (Press release). 10 October 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2009.
Episodes were written by various writers including: Stephen Cannon, Barry Quinn, Alan Robinson, Helen Baker, Katie Simmons, Robbie Sims. James Shovlin, Sam West and Matt Lyons, Feri Tezcan
- "Kerwhizz kid" (Press release). 3 November 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2009.
- Kelland, Kate (12 February 2008). "Psychologist warns of "educational television" myth". Reuters. Retrieved 9 April 2009.
- "Mitchell v British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (2011) EWPCC 42". British and Irish Legal Information Institute website. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
External links
- Kerwhizz at BBC Programmes
- Kerwhizz on IMDb
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