Crackerjack winners receive prizes, late 1950s

Crackerjack was a British children's comedy/variety BBC television series. It started in 1955 and ran until 1984. Through its long run it featured Eamonn Andrews, Leslie Crowther, Ed "Stewpot" Stewart, Stu Francis, Peter Glaze, Don Maclean, Michael Aspel, Jan Hunt, The Krankies, Bernie Clifton and Ronnie Corbett amongst many others. Image File history File links Crackerjack_screenshot. ... Image File history File links Crackerjack_screenshot. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of £4 billion. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was a Irish born television presenter in the United Kingdom. ... Leslie Crowther (born Nottingham 6 February 1933 and died Bristol 28 September 1996) was a British comedian with TV experience from the 1960s, as presenter of such programmes as The Black and White Minstrel Show and long-running childrens institution, Crackerjack (with Peter Glaze) for the BBC from 1960... Ed Stewart (born April 23, 1941 in Devon) is a radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom. ... Stu Francis (born 1951, Bolton, Lancashire, United Kingdom) is a slightly camp British comedian who achieved celebrity as lead presenter on childrens favourite Crackerjack (1979 to 1984) and followed this with Ultra Quiz but subsequently faded. ... Peter Glaze (17 September 1924 – 20 February 1983) was a 20th Century British comedian. ... Don MacLean is a British comedian, born 11th March, 1944, who hosted BBC television series Crackerjack with Michael Aspel, Peter Glaze, and Jan Hunt in the 1970s. ... Michael Aspel (b. ... Jan Hunt was a 20th Century British comedienne, who appeared on BBC television series Crackerjack with Michael Aspel, Ed Stewart,Peter Glaze, and Don MacLean in the 1970s. ... The Krankies are a Scottish comedy duo that enjoyed success as a cabaret act in the 1970s and on television in the 1980s. ... Bernie Clifton (born in St Helens, Merseyside) is a British comedian and entertainer who appeared on the BBC television series Crackerjack with Michael Aspel, Peter Glaze, Don Maclean and Jan Hunt in the 1970s. ... Ronnie Corbett in Extras Ronald Balfour Corbett, OBE (born 4 December 1930 in Edinburgh, commonly credited as Ronnie Corbett) is a British comedian and actor, best known as one of The Two Ronnies. ...

The format of the programme included competitive games for teams of children, a music spot, a comedy double act, and a finale in which the cast performed a short comic play, adapting popular songs of the day and incorporating them into the action.

One of the most memorable games was a quiz called "Double or Drop", where each contestant was given a prize to hold for each question answered correctly, but given a cabbage if they answered incorrectly. They were out of the game if they dropped any of the items they were holding.

It was an accepted unwritten rule that whenever a presenter spoke the word 'Crackerjack', the audience would shout "Crack-er-jack!" loudly. This custom has passed into popular culture.

A standard consolation prize to children who appeared on the show was the Crackerjack Pencil (later upgraded to a Crackerjack pen).

The show was introduced with the phrase "It's Friday, it's five o'clock. . . It's Crackerjack!", and sometimes with "It's Friday, it's five to five. . . It's Crackerjack!".

In the mid to late seventies (c.1977) a talent contest element was added to the show. The strand was called "Crackerjack Young Entertainer of The Year" and featured children from throughout the UK who had successfully passed audition stages, get their shot at stardom on the small screen.

In 1982 in a bid to try and boost flagging ratings Crackerjack introduced gunge into it's games and launched a new game called 'Take a Chance' in which the celebrity guests could score extra points for the contestant they had teamed up with. Failure to answer questions correctly led to Stu Francis and/or the celebrity guest being covered in gunge. Insert non-formatted text hereGunge is a British colloquial term used to describes a runny substance, similar to [[paint] == Headline text ==] that is often featured in game shows and charity events. ... Stu Francis (born 1951, Bolton, Lancashire, United Kingdom) is a slightly camp British comedian who achieved celebrity as lead presenter on childrens favourite Crackerjack (1979 to 1984) and followed this with Ultra Quiz but subsequently faded. ... Insert non-formatted text hereGunge is a British colloquial term used to describes a runny substance, similar to [[paint] == Headline text ==] that is often featured in game shows and charity events. ...

See also

• Hanger 17

Hangar 17 is best viewed as a Crackerjack for the early 1990s. ...

External links

• Crackerjack at bbc.co.uk
• Clips from whirligig tv
• British Film Institute Screen Online
• Description at ukgameshows.com