Record Breakers
Record Breakers is a British children's TV show, themed around world records and produced by the BBC. It was broadcast on BBC1 from 15 December 1972 to 21 December 2001.[1] It was originally presented by Roy Castle with Guinness World Records founders twin brothers Norris McWhirter and Ross McWhirter. The programme was a spin-off series from Blue Peter which had featured record breaking attempts overseen by the McWhirter twins. Producers of the series over the years were, Alan Russell (its creator), Michael Forte, Eric Rowan, Greg Childs, Annette Williams and Jeremy Daldry.
| Record Breakers | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Linford's Record Breakers (1998–2000)' |
| Created by | Alan Russell |
| Developed by | BBC |
| Presented by |
|
| Judges |
|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 30 |
| No. of episodes | 276 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Original release | 15 December 1972 – 21 December 2001 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Blue Peter |
The closing theme was "Dedication", performed by Roy Castle, who broke nine world records on the show himself.[2]
As well as interviews with people who held British or World records, early editions of the programme would include a feature in which the studio audience would test the McWhirter brothers on their (almost infallible) knowledge of records, and the climax of each show would usually be a world record attempt in the studio. Ross was murdered by a Provisional IRA gunman in 1975, but his brother continued to appear on the show in the "Norris On The Spot" feature.
Hosts
Other hosts included Dilys Morgan (1973), Fiona Kennedy (1983–86), Julian Farino (1985–86), Mark Curry (1995) and Ronald Reagan Jr. (1996–97).[3] After Castle died in 1994, the show was hosted by Baker and Akabusi, then Linford Christie took over in 1998 with co-presenters Jack Lattimer, Jez Edwards (1998–2001), Kate Sanderson (1998), Sally Gray (1999–2000). Fearne Cotton was the host for the final series in 2001 with Edwards and Shovell.
Specials
All Star Record Breakers, which ran annually from 1974 to 1982, was a special Christmas edition of the show. Castle was joined for this extended edition by virtually all the BBC's children's TV presenters for music and dance numbers, which generally culminated with the ensemble cast performing a classic story.
Longevity
By the time Record Breakers was cancelled, it had been on air for 29 years, 7 days and was one of the longest-running TV programmes in Britain.
Transmission guide
Original series
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 December 1972 | 19 January 1973 | 6 |
| 2 | 5 October 1973 | 9 November 1973 | 6 |
| 3 | 5 November 1974 | 17 December 1974 | 7 |
| 4 | 30 September 1975 | 11 November 1975 | 7 |
| 5 | 27 October 1976 | 1 December 1976 | 6 |
| 6 | 7 October 1977 | 18 November 1977 | 7 |
| 7 | 24 October 1978 | 12 December 1978 | 8 |
| 8 | 6 November 1979 | 18 December 1979 | 7 |
| 9 | 22 October 1980 | 7 January 1981 | 12 |
| 10 | 21 October 1981 | 23 December 1981 | 10 |
| 11 | 27 October 1982 | 22 December 1982 | 9 |
| 12 | 25 October 1983 | 20 December 1983 | 9 |
| 13 | 8 January 1985 | 5 March 1985 | 9 |
| 14 | 1 November 1985 | 20 December 1985 | 8 |
| 15 | 21 October 1986 | 16 December 1986 | 9 |
| 16 | 27 October 1987 | 22 December 1987 | 9 |
| 17 | 21 October 1988 | 16 December 1988 | 9 |
| 18 | 20 October 1989 | 15 December 1989 | 9 |
| 19 | 28 September 1990 | 14 December 1990 | 10 |
| 20 | 27 September 1991 | 13 December 1991 | 10 |
| 21 | 25 September 1992 | 11 December 1992 | 10 |
| 22 | 24 September 1993 | 10 December 1993 | 10 |
| 23 | 7 October 1994 | 23 December 1994 | 12 |
| 24 | 29 September 1995 | 22 December 1995 | 13 |
| 25 | 23 September 1996 | 16 December 1996 | 13 |
| 26 | 26 September 1997 | 19 December 1997 | 13 |
| 27 | 16 October 1998 | 18 December 1998 | 10 |
| 28 | 1 October 1999 | 19 November 1999 | 8 |
| 29 | 20 October 2000 | 8 December 2000 | 8 |
| 30 | 2 November 2001 | 21 December 2001 | 8 |
All Star Record Breakers
| Air Date |
|---|
| 27 December 1974 |
| 30 December 1975 |
| 24 December 1976 |
| 28 December 1977 |
| 27 December 1978 |
| 27 December 1979 |
| 24 December 1980 |
| 27 December 1981 |
| 26 December 1982 |
Specials
| Entitle | Air Date |
|---|---|
| Japan Domino Toppling Special | 10 April 1981 |
| The Big Jump Special | 25 October 1985 |
| Dominoes Special | 17 February 1988 |
| Roy Castle Tribute Special | 30 September 1994 |
| Record Breakers: Roy Castle Personality Plus | 28 December 1994 |
Record Breakers Gold
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 January 1997 | 24 March 1997 | 13 |
| 2 | 5 January 1998 | 30 March 1998 | 13 |
See also
References
- Sheridan, Simon (2004). The A-Z of Classic Children's Television: From Alberto Frog to Zebedee. Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. pp. 217–221. ISBN 1903111277.
- Norris Mc Whirter - 1994 Roy Castle tribute special
- screenonline: Record Breakers (1973-2001)