Abacat's What If's/Abadaba

**Abadaba** is a British preschool magazine and entertainment programme, which ran from 6 September 1993 to 24 April 1998, created by Janie Grace, a producer for BBC children's programmes and later *Wizadora*, which debuted while Grace conceived Abadaba.

The series was originally conceived as a new tentpole children's show for the ITV network following the axing of *Rainbow* in 1992, and produced by Central in the Midlands. It was intended to teach early learning and develop language and social skills for pre-school children and went on to win awards. During it's time on air, it aired daily at 12:30 on ITV2.

The show's initial executive producer for the first two series was Anne Wood, away from Ragdoll Productions, eventually replaced in Series 3 by Will Brenton, who went on to co-create *Tweenies* with Iain Lauchlin, who produced the series from Series 5 onwards.

To this day, Abadaba still has a cult following, and is frequently referenced on TV programmes, as well as on radio and the internet. DVD's and books have been released and some episodes are streaming on ITVX.

A special, The Story of Abadaba, aired on ITV2 on 24 December 2021, based on the success of The Story of SM:TV Live aired the previous year. In the special, creator Janie Grace and executive producer Will Brenton reunited with Kate Robbins, Dave Benson-Phillips, Sophie Aldred, Justin Fletcher, Stephen Fry and Michael Fenton Stevens, alongside appearances from celebrities who grew up watching the show, and other members of the production team, including Dawn Airey, Vanessa Chapman and David Liddiment, to discuss the history of the show and it's best moments.

## Premise

The show primarily takes place at 123 Sweet Street, where the main characters lived. Whilst some episodes were purely educational in format involving the characters learning about that particular episode's subject, interspersed with real-world footage, songs, stories and animations related to that same subject, others were more story driven and frequently involved special things happening or the characters doing something related to the theme of that day's episode.

The main characters were two cats, the gentle, kind Abacat, the impulsive Cheesy, and a bumbling anthropomorphic cookie, Ruskman, and an assertive sentient clock, Mr. Clockface. They lived on the same street as Astro, a magic rabbit, and Cosmo, a magic hamster, Abacat and Cheesy's sister Honey and their human parents/owners Sarah and Tom, Katie the Sun and Ollie the Moon, and Dave Benson-Phillips as the Sweet Street Shopkeeper.

## Development

ITV2 launched in September 1992, replacing Channel 5. Janie Grace was appointed as controller of children's and youth programmes for the new channel having previously worked with the BBC producing *Jackanory* and *No. 73* for TVS.

From before ITV2's launch, Grace pushed for a daily edutainment programme for preschool children. The programme would involve a main host interact not just with fellow humans and puppets but animated characters too.

In each episode there would be songs, games, stories, poems, animations and specially filmed items taking a look at the real lives of children aged 3-6.

This was not long after Thames announced they were to discontinue Rainbow, ITV's flagship programme for young children, in December 1992 after 20 years and minimal changes, to give room for new shows. Grace's new show would bring the Rainbow format into the 90's with big updates to the way it would be presented and to make it more relevant for the "faster paced, brighter" 1990's, whilst still keeping a gentle, homely aura.

The show began to assemble a cast of voices pulled both from children's television internally and from outside the world of children's TV. The likes of Stephen Fry, Emma Wray and Michael Fenton Stevens - more usually seen at the time in comedy programmes, would lend the voice cast to the various characters in the series alongside reading out stories and poems and singing songs.

The producers also went on a search throughout Britain's primary schools to find children to feature in the short "window on the world" films and also to voice other animated characters, notably Astro and Cosmo.

## Characters

### Abacat

Abacat is a purple kitten, who is often portrayed as sensible, kind, calm and helpful. He is the owner of 123 Sweet Street. Most of the time he is very lively and often gets the starring role in the songs, poems and plays the group act out in episodes.

### Cheesy

Cheesy is a small orange cat, but has a completely different personality to him. He is very hyperactive and mischievous compared to Abacat.

### Astro

Astro is a blue male rabbit. He is a confident, practical member of the group, and often likes to make things and solve whatever problems run in the way of the rest of the group.

### Cosmo

Cosmo is a pink female hamster, and is Astro's cousin. She is a creative member who likes to draw and paint but also make her own music and do other crafty or creative things.

### Ruskman

Ruskman is an anthropomorphic cookie. He is playful and pretends he is a superhero, hence his name, but often ends up on the wrong side of the problem, even though he always means well.

### Mr. Clockface

Mr. Clockface is an anthropomorphic analog clock, who is depicted as a very wise character, who knows a lot about every subject ever in the world.

## Broadcast

### Initial transmission

Abadaba was for all ten series shown on ITV2 on weekdays at 12:00pm, initially on it's own but later forming part of an hour long Children's ITV strand from 12:00-13:00 beginning from 3 October 1994, co-inciding with the launch of the second series.

Episodes would be repeated on ITV on occasion, and 20 minute edits of the Series 1 episodes, cutting down on the songs and other animations, were shown during early 1994 on Mondays and Fridays at 3:40pm on the ITV network.

Repeats of the Series 4 episodes ran on the ITV network, unedited, from June-September 1995 on Fridays from 3:30pm to 4:00pm. At the same time, the lunchtime ITV2 strand ran an alternative schedule for the summer.

Abadaba's first Christmas special was seen again on ITV at 3:40pm on Friday 15th December 1995, meaning that day was a rare occasion where preschool programmes in the afternoon CITV slot ran past 4pm. This wouldn't happen again until *Rosie & Jim* aired at 4pm in 1997 due to election coverage.

The second Christmas episode was then repeated on ITV on 25th December 1995 at 10.25am.

### Repeats

Abadaba continued to be repeated after 1998 on digital television channels. It was broadcast on Nick Jr. between 1991 and 2001, Sky Mini from 2001 to 2005 and the CITV channel from 2003 to 2009.

## Merchandise

1. ↑ BBC One - The Surprising Story of Kids TV (Oct 2022)
2. ↑ ITV1 - 30 Years of CITV (Dec 2012)
3. ↑ ITV2 - 30 Years on ITV2 (Sep 2022)