What's Up Doc? (British TV series)

What's Up Doc? is a British children's entertainment show that aired on ITV on Saturday mornings from 5 September 1992 to 29 April 1995. It was hosted by Andy Crane, Yvette Fielding and Pat Sharp. Jenny Powell replaced Fielding for the latter part of the final series. The first two series were produced at Maidstone, before transfer to Glasgow.

This article is about the British television show. For the Australian show, see What's Up Doc? (Australian TV series).

What's Up, Doc?
GenreChildren's entertainment
Presented byAndy Crane
Yvette Fielding
Pat Sharp
Jenny Powell
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time75–105 minutes
Production companiesTVS (1992)
Scottish Television (1993-5)
Release
Original networkITV
Picture format576i (SDTV)
Original release5 September 1992 (1992-09-05) –
29 April 1995 (1995-04-29)

Format

The series also included a variety of characters including Simon Perry, Colin, Wooly, Billy Box, Baljit, Pasty the Worm, Mister Spanky, Naughty Torty, Gaston, Sam Sam, and Bro and Bro the Wolves. What's Up Doc? was designed to promote and feature products created by Warner Bros. in the UK of which included video games, movies, tours of their studios, and of course, their vast library of Looney Tunes animated shorts from which the "What's up Doc?" catch phrase was derived, and new animated series; Animaniacs, Batman: The Animated Series and Taz-Mania.

What's Up Doc? made use of the "phone-in" game format made popular by BBC mainstays such as Going Live, using revolutionary for the time games technology to escalate the experience thanks in part to the budget and resources of Warner Bros. Phone-in games that featured on the programme included Hugo the Troll and Joe Razz. The show was also responsible for the success of Batman: The Animated Series and Animaniacs on terrestrial television. Music was also a huge part of the show and played a large role in launching the careers of music groups Take That, East 17 and Eternal.

What's Up Doc? was also notorious for launching the careers of puppet comedians Don Austen and John Eccleston as the show's central new puppet characters, a pair of wolf brothers named Bro and Bro who, amongst other dastardly deeds, would comically "devour" any celebrity guest on the losing side of the phone-in games. The pair soon earned a spin-off series, Wolf It, on the weekday Children's ITV block.

Series guide
SeriesStart dateEnd dateEpisodes
1
5 September 1992
1 May 1993
34
2
4 September 1993
30 April 1994
35
3
3 September 1994
29 April 1995
33
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