Why Don't You?

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Why Don't You?
Format	Children's TV.
No. of series	42
Production
Producer(s)	Peter Charlton, Patrick Dowling, Catherine MacFarlane
Running time	25 minutes.
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC1
Original run	20 August 1973 – 21 April 1995
External links
IMDb profile

Why Don't You? or Why Don't You Just Switch Off Your Television Set and Go and Do Something Less Boring Instead? was a BBC children's television series broadcast in 42 series between 20 August 1973 and 21 April 1995. It went out on weekday mornings during the school holidays. The format consisted of gangs of children performing suggestions from viewers who wrote in to the show. Typically these were arts-and-crafts activities involving cutting up paper, or games and magic tricks children could learn to impress their friends.

Russell T. Davies was at one time a producer and director for Why Don't You? before going on to greater fame as writer of Queer as Folk and producer of the 2005 revival of Doctor Who. Under Davies' direction, the format of the series shifted from magazine show to drama, with plots frequently centering around harebrained young Welsh presenter Ben (Ben Slade) and his increasingly elaborate inventions. Slade was the longest serving presenter in the show's 22 year run.