Bitsa

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Bitsa
Format	Art, Children's, Craft
Created by	Paul Goddard
Developed by	Paul Goddard
Starring	Caitlin Easterby Simon Pascoe
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of episodes	77
Production
Running time	30 mins
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC One
Original run	8 January 1991 – 20 March 1996

Bitsa was a British television programme broadcast from 1991 - 1996 on BBC 1. It involved creative arts and "makes" very much like later show SMart. It was repeated for a time on the now defunct digital channel BBC Choice.

The show featured two presenters, Simon Pascoe and Caitlin Easterby, who would create craft projects from household junk and craft materials. Sometimes the items created were quite complex and advanced, but were always presented with instructions for viewers to follow. The show also featured a 'challenge' section, in which school children would shout three numbers corresponding to a selection of numbered boxes, each containing a different material, for example cardboard tubes, sticks or fabric. The presenters would then have three minutes to create something using only these materials. Much fervent use of a glue gun often ensued.

The theme tune for Bitsa was written by Peter Charlton and the original musical arrangement was by Bill Le Sage, but after the first series the tune was reworked by Mark Reader from the rock band Strider. Mark Reader also wrote the music for the 3 minute challenge and composed all the rest of the music for the show.

Other items featured on the show included clips of children presenting craft projects they had made themselves, and footage of the presenters travelling around the country in their van visiting local schools. There was also a robotic puppet (made from glued together craft materials) named 'Hands' who would quickly make a small item, often mechanical in nature, from small items such as pieces of card, elastic bands or matchboxes, who would hum as he worked, then present the completed item with a flourish.

Bitsa was devised and written by Peter Charlton and Paul Goddard, who himself operated the character of Hands. He later went on to work on other BBC children's shows, including the Fimbles. Two books have been produced to accompany the series. Brian Jamieson directed most of the programmes though the last series was directed by Will Donaldson, better known as co-producer of "Tweenies".