Found another British imported show, though I don't know how many here remember it, called
"Zzzap!". Apparently it was created by the same people who did "Art Attack!" (Neil Buchanan was one of the producers and actors in the show). On one hand I can see how it's pretty unique for a kids show (Variety comedy show with a comicbook theme. There's something you don't see everyday.) On the other hand it's a little dangerously bordering on nightmarish surreallism at points (The use of fog and stormy atmosphere in between scenes, lack of dialouge, random repeated gesturing, and the loud "humming" noise in the background are weird enough. But what's up with the random leg dangling out of a panel or the twitching eye with the inexplicable caption of "Bang."?).
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtbWuYEp_eU"]Zzzap! Series 1[/ame]
As I was very young when I first watched it was little unnerving, but this guy was what pretty much drove me off the show for a few years, "Tricky Dicky".
(Note: The clip is really a mishmash of scattered things but you get the idea.)
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb_m7QTHkp4"]Tricky Dicky sketch[/ame]
For those wondering, the idea was that the character would devise an "impossible" challenge (such as popping 100 balloons on a schoolbus, in two minutes, without any pins), essentially lure random kids into said challenge, and sometimes shortchange the challenge midway to make it more "interesting," all the while creepily giggling, lurking, and gesturing from the sidelines. The whole "spy" thing (which is odd since you'd think with the name, typewriter, and "office," they'd be going for "detective") is simply to justify the end of the "sketch" where the kids succeed, and he defeatedly brings out a sign saying "Mission Possible," or they fail and he triumphantly brings out "Mission Impossible."
True, he looks silly today, but back then, at a young age, he was akin to a faceless "Joker"-type character, not to mention there are some unfortunate implications with some of his actions (in the aformentioned challenge he lured the kids by "comically" setting up a bus stop, luring kids onto a schoolbus he pulls up, and then drives off with them.) Turns out my "fear" of the character was somewhat validated, as, after the first series, the character was booted from the roster and replaced with "Daisy Dares You" (essentially the same concept, only with a girlish daredevil as the "host") as they had recieved too many complaints that he scared the viewers.
