''The Shak'' was an Australian children's television program broadcast on the
Nine Network
Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
. Its four hosts, Curio (
Drew Jarvis), Nitro (
Beau Walker), Picasso (Kendal Nagorcka) and Eco (Jacqueline Duncan) answered viewer questions, queries, dares and challenges in an entertaining and educational manner. Each host's name relates to their personality and the type of stories they present. Viewers sent questions and suggestions to the presenters via the shows website.
Production
The series was filmed, for the main part, at a studio resembling a large shed or shack, hence the name "Shak", it decorated with all manner of objects. The characters arrived via a prop of a wave, and exited through a door on the other side of the shack. They were known as 'Shaksters', as were the viewers. Other filming was done at various attractions and locations on the
Gold Coast where the Shak was set, with
Dreamworld being a regular filming spot.
In 2006, the filming was done at
Sea World but in early 2007, filming was moved to the
WhiteWater World
WhiteWater World is a seasonal water park situated in the suburb of Coomera, Queensland, Coomera on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Australia. It is owned and operated by Coast Entertainment and is the sister park to Dreamworld (Austral ...
theme park. This was explained via an explosion made by Curio, which resulted in the Shaksters moving. and the opening titles were fully animated however in 2007 it was changed to a mix of live action and animation.
Ending
The show ended in mid-2008 so it could make way for the Sequel
The Shak at Home which had Curio, Nitro and Picasso living in a share house. Picasso later left the show and was later replaced by a new character named Willow. The sequel ended on 13 January 2010
Series summaries
Series 1 - Series 1 first aired in 2006 at 4:00pm weekdays, It replaced
Hot Source. The opening was entirely cartoon animated and had the whole original cast which included Eco, Curio, Nitro And Picasso. The show was not very popular, but soon gained a steady audience.
Series 2 - Series 2 aired in early 2007. This series had a lot more comedy and entertaining segments with Drew Jarvis showing his talent with his alter egos. This series had an audience boost and was better received by audiences.
Series 3 - Series 3 aired in late 2007.
Series 4 - Series 4 aired in January–March 2008.
Series 5 - Series 5 was shown in 2008 with a number of guests, Such as
Bert Newton
Albert Watson Newton (23 July 1938 – 30 October 2021) was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie–winning entertainer, and radio, theatre and television personality and compère.
Ne ...
as Curio's Grandfather and a number of athletes, dancers and people associated with the themes. All of the cast returned for this series.
Series 6 - Series 6 was shown in November–December 2008.
Series 7 - Series 7 was shown in early 2009 and was the last series of the original format. It was called the best series by audiences. It was the highest rating series at that time. This was Eco's last season.
Series 8'' and beyond - This season changed format into half hour scripted acting where Picasso, Nitro and Curio shared a house together, and the storylines revolved around this. It was a half hour multi cam format.
International airings
Canada
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TVOntario
TVO (stylized in all lowercase as tvo), formerly known as TVOntario, is a Canadian Public broadcasting, publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It operates ...
Papua New Guinea
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EM TV
References
External links
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The Shak - Episode Guide , LocateTVAustralian TV Guide - yourTV.com.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shak, The
Australian children's education television series
Nine Network original programming
2006 Australian television series debuts
2009 Australian television series endings
Television shows set in Gold Coast, Queensland
Australian English-language television shows