Playbus / Playdays (BBC 1988-1997, Zoe Ball, Simon Davies)

Pre school show that carried on where Play School left off. Each day the Playdays bus stopped off at a different (studio) location. Always on board for the ride were puppets Peggy Patch and Poppy the Cat, on Mondays the show stopped at the Lost Property Office where the puppet Why Bird lived, amongst the things people had left behind. Besides the Lost Property office the bus would also stop at the Playground (on a Tuesday) for fun and games, on Wednesdays it was the Dot stop (Dot didn’t speak and was played by Rebecca Higgins, The Dot Stop though was later replaced by the Roundabout Stop (in 1992) where the gang would find musical Mr Jolly. Thursdays was The Patch stop with fun and games for Peggy Patch the doll whilst Fridays was about dress up and play in The Tent Stop (until 1995 when the action moved to Poppy’s house).

The series was initially known as Playbus (until the 25 December 1989) before the name change to Playdays. Obviously very similar in style and content to Play School but the BBC wanted to offer up a more diverse show for the 1980’s and 90’s pre-schooler. Some well known faces turned up as presenters including the likes of Zoe Ball and the ubiquitous kids presenter Dave Benson Phillips. The show was filmed at Capital Group Studios.

production details
UK / BBC-Felgate Productions/ x20m-e / Broadcast 17 October 1988 – 28 March 1997

Creator: Cynthia Felgate / Music: Richard Brown / Producers: Clare Bradley, Penny Lloyd, Barbara Roddam, Anne Reay, Michael Cole, Ann Gobey, Kate Marlow / Executive Producers: Cynthia Felgate, Andrew Thomas

Puppet Voices
SUE MONROE as Poppy
SALLY PRESIG as Peggy Patch
ELLIE DARVILL as Why Bird
NICK MERCER as Moriss
MICHELE DURLER as Milly

LIZZIE was played by Elizabeth Watts
MR ROBIN was played by Robin Fritz and then Clive Duncan and finally Andy Hockley
CHARLIE GRINDLE was played by Nick Mercer
DOT was played by Rebecca Higgins and others were played by Liz Kitchen, Eithne Hannigan, Dyanne White
MR DOMINO was played by Stephen Cannon
BITSY BOB was played by Michele Durler

Presenters Included
ZOE BALL
DAVE BENSON PHILLIPS
CAROLENE HINDS
BRIAN JAMESON
SIMON DAVIES
CHRIS JARVIS
NICK BAKER
VANESSA AMBERLEIGH
STUART BRADLEY
TRISH COOKE
ELIZABETH FROST