''Record Breakers'' was a British children's TV show, themed around

world records A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book '' Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizat ...

and produced by the BBC. It was broadcast on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

from 15 December 1972 to 21 December 2001. It was originally presented by Roy Castle with

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

founders twin brothers Norris McWhirter and

Ross McWhirter Alan Ross McWhirter (12 August 1925 – 27 November 1975) was, with his twin brother, Norris, the cofounder of the 1955 ''Guinness Book of Records'' (known since 2000 as ''Guinness World Records'') and a contributor to the television programm ...

. The programme was a spin-off series from ''

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Te ...

'' which had featured record breaking attempts overseen by the McWhirter twins. The closing theme was "Dedication", performed by Roy Castle, who broke nine world records on the show himself. Producers of the series over the years were, Alan Russell (its creator), Michael Forte, Eric Rowan,

Greg Childs Gregory Stuart Childs is a British Children's Media consultant. Career He was the producer of the British television show, ''Record Breakers'', for ten years from 1988 to 1998. In 1998 he launched the first internet services for Children's B ...

, Annette Williams and Jeremy Daldry. As well as interviews with people who held British or World records, early editions of the programme would include a feature in which the studio audience would test the McWhirter brothers on their (almost infallible) knowledge of records, and the climax of each show would usually be a world record attempt in the studio. Ross was murdered by a

Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish re ...

gunman in 1975, but his brother continued to appear on the show in the "Norris on the Spot" feature. By the time ''Record Breakers'' was cancelled, it had been on air for 29 years, 7 days and was one of the longest-running TV programmes in Britain.

Hosts

Other hosts included Dilys Morgan (1973),

Fiona Kennedy Fiona Kennedy Clark, OBE, DL is a Scottish singer, actress, and broadcaster, and the daughter of Scottish and Gaelic singers Calum Kennedy and Anne Gillies. As a child, she appeared with her parents as they performed as a family, and this dev ...

(1983–86), Julian Farino (1985–86), Mark Curry (1995) and

Ronald Reagan Jr. Ronald Prescott Reagan (born May 20, 1958) is an American liberal political commentator, writer, radio personality, television host, and dancer. He is a former radio host and political analyst for KIRO and Air America Radio, where he hosted his ...

(1996–97).screenonline: Record Breakers (1973–2001)
/ref> After Castle died in 1994, the show was hosted by Baker and Akabusi, then Linford Christie took over in 1998 with co-presenters Jack Lattimer, Jez Edwards (1998–2001),

Kate Gerbeau Kate Gerbeau (née Sanderson; born 9 August 1968 in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham) is an English television presenter and news reader, currently on ''British Forces News''. Education Gerbeau went to school in Formby and graduated from Bristol ...

(1998) and

Sally Gray Constance Vera Browne, Baroness Oranmore and Browne (''née'' Stevens; 14 February 1915 – 24 September 2006), commonly known as Sally Gray, was an English film actress of the 1930s and 1940s. Her obituary in ''The Irish Times'' described he ...

(1999–2000). Fearne Cotton was the host for the final series in 2001 with Edwards and Shovell.

Specials

''All Star Record Breakers'', which ran annually from 1974 to 1982, was a special Christmas edition of the show. Castle was joined for this extended edition by virtually all the BBC's children's TV presenters for music and dance numbers, which generally culminated with the ensemble cast performing a classic story.

Transmission guide

Original series

''All Star Record Breakers''

Specials

''Record Breakers Gold''

References

{{reflist

External links

British Film Institute Screen Online
1972 British television series debuts 2001 British television series endings 1970s British children's television series 1980s British children's television series 1990s British children's television series 2000s British children's television series BBC children's television shows BBC reality television shows British reality television series English-language television shows Guinness World Records

Hosts

Specials

Transmission guide

Original series

''All Star Record Breakers''

Specials

''Record Breakers Gold''

See also

References

External links