Premiering on Tuesday 8 January 1991, Simon Pascoe and Caitlin Easterby came across like members of Ollie Plimsolls’ “Legz Akimbo” theatre troupe as they presented this fast-paced “anarchic™” BBC show.
The enthusiastic duo (I suspect amphetamines may have been involved) showed young viewers at home how to make unusual, pointless – or “zany™” – items out of bits of old cardboard, milk cartons, loo rolls, string, straws, and general household rubbish – or “bitsa this, bitsa that” as they sang in the theme song.
The creative “make” segments (which were like a spin-off of one of the jokiest parts of Blue Peter) were interspersed with manic slapstick interludes and corny puns from Caitlin and Simon.
Episodes featured an outside broadcast segment from a different primary school each week, where school kids presented craft projects they had made themselves.
A pair of creepy disembodied hands (called “Hands”, natch) also appeared. These were operated by Paul Goddard, one of the show’s writers.
It was all a bit like a bad fever dream.
Presenters
Caitlin Easterby
Simon Pascoe Hands
Paul Goddard
