SMart is a British CBBC television programme based on the subject of art, which began in 1994. The programme is recorded at BBC Television Centre in London. The format is similar to the Tony Hart programmes Take Hart and Hartbeat. The show was revamped into an hour-long show in 2007, it was previously a 25 minute show. The 'older' 25 minute shows also featured Morph, originally from Take Hart.
| SMart | |
|---|---|
| SMart The SMart Logo | |
| Genre | Art |
| Presented by | Kirsten O'Brien (1999–present) Mike Fischetti (2007–present) |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 16 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Joe Godwin |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One (1994-2006) BBC Two (2007-2008) CBBC Channel (2009-present) |
| Release | 5 October 1994 – present |
The Programme
The original theme tune was composed by Kjartan Poskitt, famous for the Murderous Maths series of books. From 2003, a different tune was used, written by Steve Brown (known as the fictional musical director Glen Ponder in Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge). In 2007, this was remixed in line with the new format.
In 2007, the new autumn series had a new format mixing some of the old segments with new ideas. It was aired on Sunday, and repeated on Wednesdays. It involved more child participation in games and celebrity guests.
The format was utilised again when a new series began with a new timeslot on Sunday 29 June 2008, airing on CBBC on BBC Two, still presented by Kirsten O'Brien and Mike Fishetti. A special tribute to Mark Speight was also broadcast. Along with this new format, guest presenters appear each week to assist the two presenters.
Following the death of presenter Mark Speight's fiancee Natasha Collins in January 2008, repeats of the show and its CBeebies spin-off SMarteenies were suspended. Speight left the programme, saying his "tragic loss" had left him unable to continue; he later committed suicide.[1] The BBC indicated that there would still be a new series of SMart in the autumn, but editions featuring Speight are unlikely to be repeated.[2]
Series 16 began airing on 3 January 2009 in the same style to the series before. The major change was that the original airings moved to the CBBC Channel rather than BBC Two. Kirsten O'Brien and Mike Fischetti both returned to host the show and the show continued to have guest presenters. The games involving children in the studio were dropped and instead children participated via webcam or pre recorded on location. The show also added segments on fun aspects of digital photography.
Spin-offs
The success of SMart allowed it to spawn various spin-off series. The first was SMart on the Road where either Mark Speight or Kirsten O'Brien, with the help of Lizi Botham, would travel around the country helping people with major projects, for example decorating a room or making a fun garden. It starred Kirsten O'Brien, Mark Speight, Jay Burridge and Lizi Botham.
SMarteenies was the second spin-off, where Kirsten, Mark, Jay and "Bizi Lizi" went through fun makes for younger viewers, including man of letters and shapes and Kirsten's Household Makes with Doogie the Dog. This programme was specifically aimed at a younger demographic, roughly from 3–6 years old on was aired on CBeebies. It starred Kirsten O'Brien, Mark Speight, Jay Burridge and Lizi Botham.
A special episode, SMart Africa, was made by the BBC to coincide with Africa week. The episode contained easy ways to make things. This episode, with Kirsten O'Brien and Mark Speight, was aired as part of the 2003 series.
Presenters
Current Presenters
| Presenter | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Kirsten O'Brien | 1999 | present |
| Mike Fischetti | 2007 | present |
Guest Presenters
2007
| 9 September | 16 September | 23 September | 30 September | 7 October | 14 October | 21 October | 28 October | 4 November | 11 November | 18 November | 25 November | 2 December | 9 December | 16 December | 23 December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lil' Chris | Ross Lee | Anne Foy | James Phelps & Oliver Phelps | Lizo Mzimba | Stephanie McIntosh | N/A | N/A | Dani Harmer | Jake Humphrey | Andy Akinwolere | Edith Bowman | Ed Petrie | Iwan Thomas | N/A | N/A |
2008
| 29 June | 6 July | 13 July | 20 July | 27 July | 3 August | 10 August | 17 August | 24 August | 31 August | 7 September | 14 September | 21 September |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Nixon & Mark Rhodes | Melvin Odoom | Ed Petrie | Ortis Deley | Lizo Mzimba | Andy Akinwolere | Michael Absalom | James MacKenzie | Ben Hanson & Ciaran Joyce | Ted Robbins | Rani Price | Sam Nixon & Mark Rhodes | Zöe Salmon |
2009
| 3 January | 10 January | 17 January | 31 January | 7 February | 14 February | 21 February | 28 February | 7 March | 14 March | 21 March | 28 March | 4 April |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barney Harwood | Arlene Phillips & Bruno Tonioli | Ben Major | Carol Kirkwood | Johny Pitts | Martin Offiah | Konnie Huq | Phillps Idowu | The Saturdays | Michael Absalom | Helen Skelton & Joel Defries | Andy Akinwolere | Bill Oddie |
Former Presenters
| Presenter | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Zoë Ball | 1994 | 1996 |
| Josie D'Arby | 1996 | 1998 |
| Jay Burridge | 1994 | 2002 |
| Susan Ribeiro | 2002 | 2003 |
| Lizi Botham | 1999 | 2004 |
| Mark Speight | 1994 | 2008 |
Series Guide
| Series | Editions | Start Date | Finish Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1 | 6 | October 5, 1994 | November 9, 1994 |
| Series 2 | 12 | October 12, 1995 | December 21, 1995 |
| Series 3 | 11 | October 3, 1996 | December 19, 1996 |
| Series 4 | 12 | October 2, 1997 | December 18, 1997 |
| Series 5 | 11 | October 1, 1998 | December 17, 1998 |
| Series 6 | 12 | October 7, 1999 | December 23, 1999 |
| Series 7 | 12 | October 5, 2000 | December 21, 2000 |
| Series 8 | 13 | November 13, 2001 | December 27, 2001 |
| Series 9 | 13 | November 12, 2002 | January 1, 2003 |
| Series 10 | 10 | October 20, 2003 | December 23, 2003 |
| Series 11 | 14 | October 18, 2004 | March 20, 2005 |
| Africa Week Special | 1 | July 4, 2005 | July 4, 2005 |
| Series 12 | 15 | November 29, 2005 | December 22, 2005 |
| Series 13 | 15 | November 18, 2006 | January 16, 2007 |
| Series 14 | 16 | September 12, 2007 | December 23, 2007 |
| Series 15 | 13 | June 29, 2008 | September 21, 2008 |
| Series 16 | 13 | January 3, 2009 | April 4, 2009 |
Smart On The Road Series Guide
| Series | Editions | Start Date | Finish Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1 | 12 | January 8, 1999 | March 26, 1999 |
| Special | 1 | April 9, 1999 | - |
| Series 2 | 13 | January 10, 2000 | March 27, 2000 |
| Specials | 2 | March 28, 2000 | May 29, 2000 |
| Series 3 | 12 | January 5, 2001 | March 23, 2001 |
| Special | 1 | March 30, 2001 | - |
| Series 4 | 13 | December 28, 2001 | March 22, 2002 |
| Series 5 | 13 | January 14, 2003 | February 25, 2003 |
References
- ^ "Presenter Speight hanged himself". BBC News Online. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
- ^ "TV presenter left suicide notes". BBC News Online. 16 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-16.