''Wizbit'' is a 1980s

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

children's television show about an alien magician, Wizbit. It starred the established TV and stage magician

Paul Daniels Newton Edward Daniels (6 April 1938 – 17 March 2016), known professionally as Paul Daniels, was an English magician and television presenter. He achieved international fame through his television series '' The Paul Daniels Magic Show'', whic ...

and his assistant

Debbie McGee Debra Ann McGee (born 31 October 1958) is an English television, radio and stage performer who is best known as the assistant and widow of magician Paul Daniels. McGee is a former ballet dancer and for three years was artistic director of her ...

. The series is set in Puzzleopolis, a town inhabited by walking, talking sponge-balls, dice, magic wands, playing cards and rabbits, where the protagonists must solve puzzles. Wizbit's year-and-a-day mission is to find out all about planet

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

. The show is partly educational, with the (often

lateral thinking Lateral thinking is a manner of Problem solving, solving problems using an indirect and creativity, creative approach via reasoning that is not immediately obvious. Synonymous to thinking outside the box, it involves ideas that may not be obtai ...

) puzzles Wizbit is set often being presented to the audience at home, with the solutions being revealed towards the end of the episode. Wizbit's magic word was "Ostagazuzulum", and he came from the planet WOW, an acronym for "World of Wizards". The show was created by Barry Murray, who had formerly been

Mungo Jerry Mungo Jerry (formerly known as Mungo Jerry Blues Band) are a British rock band formed by Ray Dorset in Ashford, Middlesex, in 1970. Experiencing their greatest success in the early 1970s, with a changing line-up always fronted by Dorset, the ...

's record producer, with assistance from Daniels. Its theme tune is based on a song by

Lead Belly Huddie William Ledbetter ( ; January 1888 or 1889 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk music, folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the ...

, named "Ha-Ha This A Way", sung by Daniels. All rights to characters and designs were retained by Daniels, and the music rights by Murray. Production for the series started in 1985. During the show's cancellation in 1988, re-runs continued to air until 24 July 1989. A CGI revival of the series was announced in 2009 with a movie set for Summer 2010 with the production of the reboot was ready to being made in 2007 but they were both cancelled and the production of the Wizbit revival stopped. Books based on said revival have been released however. The show was also broadcast in Singapore, Ireland, Malaysia, and on British forces television in Germany and Cyprus.

Characters

* Wizbit, a large yellow cone-shaped wizard's hat, voiced by Paul Daniels and played by Tony Friel * Wooly, an white rabbit, best friend of Wizbit, also voiced by Paul Daniels * Wilbur, Wooly's younger brother * Squidgy Bog, a purple swamp monster, voiced by Martin Daniels * Professor Doom, a moustachioed evil genius and arch-villain who lives in a castle, which sits atop a giant stone fist in the sky. Played by Rob Inglis * Jinx, Professor Doom's cat * Badbit, an evil version of Wizbit generated by Professor Doom * The Gatekeeper, a woman who guarded the gates to Puzzleopolis by refusing to let anyone in until they had solved a riddle, played by Vicky Licorish * Madame Martinka, a fortune teller who owned the magic shop in Puzzleopolis * Grocer Green, a greengrocer with green hair * Pierre Oe, a mime artist * Spoof & Bluff *

(playing himself) who owned the theatre in Puzzleopolis * Various townsfolk shaped like magician's props - spongeballs, dice, wands and so forth * Troll, a hideous and vicious purple-haired hag.

References

External links

*
Retro Junk

1986 British television series debuts 1988 British television series endings 1980s British children's television series BBC children's television shows Television shows shot at EMI-Elstree Studios Fictional characters who use magic British children's fantasy television series British television shows featuring puppetry British television magic series British English-language television shows {{BBC-children-tv-prog-stub