1 9 7 0 (UK)
9 x 20 minute episodes
Ed “Stewpot” Stewart hosted this short-lived Saturday morning show, appearing in the opening credits racing through the streets of London on his bicycle en route to Television Centre.
There Stewpot was joined by Zed, a robot with a Brummie accent (he was voiced by Anthony Jackson) who was prone to malapropisms and believed he was the true star and that the show should be renamed Zed and Ed!
This clash of egos provided several comedic interludes (Ed gets Zed dumped on the corporation rubbish tip whilst Zed locks Ed in his dressing room just before a show).
The show presented a lot of pop music including (mimed) studio performances by Mud, Hot Chocolate, White Plains, Vanity Fare, Sounds Incorporated and Herman’s Hermits.
There were also mini sketches shot on location – such as cowboy Ed chasing a bandit to the strains of Ride Your Pony – and a segment called “Ed’s Electric Kinema” serving up clips from Fantasia, Alice In Wonderland, The Aristocats and The Wizard of Oz.
Each episode also featured the illustrated adventures of Ed the Eminent Expert, a crime-solving genius.