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Iconic kids show 'Crackerjack!' is making a comeback

Sam and Mark BRMB Live 2011 at the LG Arena Birmingham, England – 26.11.11 Credit Mandatory: Cameron Clegg/WENN.com
Sam and Mark BRMB Live 2011 at the LG Arena Birmingham, England – 26.11.11 Credit Mandatory: Cameron Clegg/WENN.com

Children’s TV show Crackerjack! is returning to screens, the BBC has announced.

The programme, which originally ran from 1955 until 1984, will be made at MediaCityUK in Salford by BBC Children’s In-House Productions and will be available to watch on CBBC and iPlayer.

Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes, known collectively as BAFTA-winning presenters Sam & Mark, are set to host the reboot which the BBC has described as “a heady mix of jaw dropping magic, laugh out loud comedy and silly studio sitcom”.

It will still air on Fridays with hundreds of kids in the studio taking part in the fun. The show was originally presented by This Is Your Life’s Eamonn Andrews. He was followed by Leslie Crowther, Michael Aspel, Ed Stewart, and Stu Francis.

The show will be updated for “today’s connected generation giving them an all-round, interactive experience while retaining the beating heart of what etched Crackerjack into the affections of British children for three decades”, the BBC said.

Cheryl Taylor, head of content for BBC Children’s, said: “Crackerjack is just one of several fabulous series that Children’s In-House Productions have developed this year. It’s the perfect vehicle for our much-loved stars Sam and Mark and promises to usher in a new era of frenetic family fun and whizzbang audience antics.”

Helen Bullough, Head of Children’s In House Productions, says: “We can’t wait to introduce a new set of Crackerjack ‘crush-a-grape’ catchphrases to a new generation of fans! The format has always been an amazing showcase for talent. And that commitment to showcasing talent is always at the heart of our wider production ambitions too, and a common theme across all of these new commissions for In House, across all the age groups we serve and from writers to on screen performers.”

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