Dramarama (TV series)

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For other uses, see Dramarama.
Dramarama
Genre Drama
Science fiction
Format children's anthology series
Created by Anna Home[1]
Starring varied by episode
Country of origin United Kingdom
Production
Executive producer(s) varied by episode
Producer(s) varied by episode
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) ITV
Broadcast
Original channel ITV Network (CITV)
Original run 12 September 1983 – 21 August 1989

Dramarama is the name of a British children's anthology series broadcast on ITV between 1983 and 1989. It tended to feature drama of a science fiction or supernatural bent. The series was created by Anna Home, then head of children's and youth programming at TVS, however production responsibilities were divided amongst most of the regional ITV franchise holders. Thus, each episode was in practice a one-off production with its own cast and crew, up to and including the executive producer.

Dramarama was largely a place for new talent to prove themselves and was a launching pad for the likes of Anthony Horowitz, Paul Abbott, Kay Mellor, Janice Hally, Tony Kearney,[2] David Tennant and Ann Marie Di Mambro. It was one of Dennis Spooner's last credits.

One of Dramarama's episodes, "Dodger, Bonzo And The Rest", gained so much popularity that it was turned in to its own series the following year. It starred Lee Ross and was based around a large foster home. The episode "Blackbird Singing In The Dead of Night" was developed by Granada into the TV series Children's Ward. It was also repeated for the first time since its original broadcast on 5 January 2013, during CITV's 30th anniversary Old Skool Weekend. The Series 7 episode "Back To Front" – notable for featuring a mirror image of the Yorkshire Television logo card at the end – was repeated on 6 January 2013, again as part of CITV's 30th anniversary Old Skool Weekend.

Episodes

90 episodes (1983–89)

Series one (1983)

  1. Mighty Mum And The Petnappers (TVS)
  2. Rip It Up (TVS)
  3. Venchie (Tyne Tees)
  4. Jack And The Computer (TVS)
  5. Because I Say So (Central)
  6. Bully For Cosmo (Central)
  7. Messages (Tyne Tees)
  8. The Young Person's Guide To Getting Their Ball Back (TVS)
  9. Sweet Revenge (Central)
  10. The Restless Ghost

Series two (1984)

  1. Night Of The Narrow Boats (Central)
  2. Fowl Pest (TVS)
  3. Dodger, Bonzo And The Rest (Thames)
  4. Que Sera (TVS)
  5. Stalemate (Central)
  6. Snoop! (Thames)
  7. Mr. Stabs (Thames)
  8. Josephine Jo (Central)
  9. The Purple People Eater (TVS)
  10. On Your Tod (Thames)
  11. The Old Firm: Two For Starters (Granada)
  12. Rachel And Rosie (TVS)

Series three (1985)

  1. Easy (TVS)
  2. The Coal Princess (Tyne Tees)
  3. Look At Me (Central)
  4. The Young Person's Guide To Going Backwards In The World (TVS)
  5. The Audition (Tyne Tees)
  6. The Universe Downstairs (TVS)
  7. A Proper Little Nooryeff (Central)
  8. Frog (TVS)
  9. Private Eye (Scottish)
  10. Emily (TVS)
  11. Silver (Scottish)
  12. The Golden Conch (HTV)
  13. Purple Passion Video (HTV West)

Series four (1986)

  1. The Come-Uppance of Captain Katt (TVS)
  2. A Couple Of Charlies (Central)
  3. Wayfarers (Scottish)
  4. Play Acting (HTV)
  5. Last Days At Black Bert's (TVS)
  6. Maureen Reid, Where Are You? (Scottish)
  7. Flashback (HTV West)
  8. Direct Action (TVS)
  9. Waiting For Elvis (Scottish)
  10. Just A Game (TVS)
  11. Flyaway Friend (Tyne Tees)
  12. Pig Ignorance (Thames)
  13. Jessie's Place (Thames)
  14. Frankie's Hat (Thames)

Series five (1987)

  1. Cannondrum (TVS)
  2. Snap (TVS)
  3. The Horrible Story (Thames)
  4. My Friend Julie (Thames)
  5. The Creature Beyond Torches' End (TVS)
  6. My Mum's A Courgette (Scottish)
  7. Brainwaves (Scottish)
  8. Undertow Of The Armada (Ulster)
  9. Stan's First Night (Scottish)
  10. Living Doll (TVS)
  11. Peter (Central)
  12. The Halt (Central)
  13. Mr Magus Is Waiting For You (Thames)
  14. Tam (HTV West)
  15. A Spirited Performance (HTV Wales)
  16. Badger On The Barge (Border)

Series six (1988)

  1. Forever Young (Granada)
  2. The Macramé Man (Scottish)
  3. The Wrong Button (Central)
  4. Bubbles (Granada)
  5. Blackbird Singing In The Dead Of Night (Granada)
  6. Big T For Trouble (Tyne Tees)
  7. Room For One More (Scottish)
  8. Making Waves (TVS)
  9. Just A Normal Girl (Husson Productions for Central)
  10. Now You See Them (TVS)
  11. Bogeymen (TVS)
  12. The Alien (Border)
  13. The Secret Of Croftmore (Scottish)
  14. The Bubblegum Brigade (HTV)
  15. Playing For Wales (HTV Wales)
  16. Snap Decision (Husson Productions for Central)

Series seven (1989)

  1. Codzmorf (TVS)
  2. Ghost Story (Granada)
  3. Badger (Granada)
  4. Back To Front (Yorkshire)
  5. Monstrous (HTV Wales)
  6. The Pisces Connection (HTV West)
  7. Rosie The Great (Teliesyn Productions for Thames)
  8. Snakes And Loofahs (KPO Ltd/Border)
  9. Just Wild About Harry (Tyne Tees)
  10. Mitchin (TSW)
  11. In The Pink (Husson Productions for Central)

Only four ITV companies did not contribute to the series: Anglia, Channel, Grampian and LWT. LWT most likely did not contribute because Dramarama was a weekday series (therefore Thames made London-based episodes). It is unknown why the other three did not produce episodes, although Channel could have refused owing to its small size.

Video

A videotape containing the episodes "Big T for Trouble", "Just Wild About Harry" and "Venchie" (all Tyne Tees productions) was released by Video Gems, c. 1990. It is now out of print.

References

  1. ↑ BFI biography of Anna Home, indicating her as responsible for the show's setup.
  2. ↑ "'Scott and Jo' heading for Braehead to sign books". Paisley Daily Express. 1 November 2012. 

External links

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