Wide Awake Club debuted on Saturday 13 October 1984 as the first live kids show on TV-am.
Airing for an hour each Saturday morning at 8.30 (and later, at 7.30) the lively show was presented by Timmy Mallett, Michaela Strachan (pictured below), Tommy Boyd, James Baker and Arabella Warner.
The live show combined comedy, games, celebrity guests, music, competitions, cartoons and viewer interaction.
Eventually extended to two hours, the show incorporated episodes of The Shoe People, Jemand Flipper.
At its peak, it had a viewing audience of over six million viewers, comprised mainly of its target age group of 6 – 12-year-olds, but with some viewers as young as two years old and a respectable adult following.
Wide Awake Club spawned two spin-offs: Wacaday – a show which aired during the school holidays that became even more successful than its parent – and WAC Extra, a Sunday morning version of the show.
To join the Wide Awake Club, viewers were asked to send a stamped addressed envelope to WAC, TV-am, PO Box 200, London, NW1 8TQ.
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The live show combined comedy, games, celebrity guests, music, competitions, cartoons and viewer interaction.
