Daily Mail: A look-back at CITV's most iconic shows as the channel closes

Story from Daily Mail:

CITV is set to close its doors on Friday after four decades on the airwaves, having birthed an slew of legendary children's shows that put its US rivals to shame.

The brand was originally launched back in 1983 as an afternoon segment on ITV, before being moved to its own channel in 2006.

Since its debut, CITV has been the home of many British TV classic, and kickstarted the careers of stars such as Holly Willoughby, Ant and Dec and Stephen Mulhern.

The brand is closing so ITV can move its entire slate of children's programming to its streaming platform ITVX, with a dedicated destination called ITVX Kids, which launched in July.

So, as fans prepare to say goodbye to CITV when it closes at 9pm on September 1, MailOnline takes a look-back at its most iconic shows... 

SMTV: Live:

For years ITV struggled to match the BBC when it came to Saturday morning programming, but in 1998 they launched SMTV: Live.

The show was hosted by Ant and Dec and Cat Deeley, and featured a myriad of famous sketches and segments including Eat My Goal and Wonky Donkey.

One of the show's most legendary moments came during their Friends spoof Chums, with Dec set to 'marry' Cat in front of a star-studded audience that included big names such as Amanda Holden, Denise Van Outen and Frank Skinner.

While the trio departed the show in 2001, it continued to air with a selection of new hosts such as Brian Dowling, Tess Daly and Stephen Mulhern, before ending for good in 2003.

The show launched the careers of its original three hosts, and they even reunited in 2021 for a one-off Chums sketch in honour of SMTV's belated anniversary.

Art Attack:

Art Attack became one of CITVs' most long-running shows hitting the network in 1990 and airing for 17 years.

Hosted by art guru-turned rock musician Neil Buchanan, the show saw him demonstrate an array of works step-by-step.

The makes would always include a so-called 'Big Art Attack,' which would be produced on a grand life-size scale.

Neil's skills with art were so renowned, he was even the subject of a conspiracy theory from users believing he was the mysterious artist Banksy.

While the show ended in 2007, it was revived by Disney Junior for four years in 2011.

My Parents are Aliens:

My Parents Are Aliens was first released back in 1999, and focused on orphans Mel, Josh, and Lucy Barker, who were taken in by their foster parents Brian and Sophie Johnson, only to discover that they were aliens who crash-landed on earth.

The show starred Tony Gardner and Carla Mendonça as the titular parents, and ran for eight series before ending in 2006.

Among those to star in the series was Alex Kew, who played the spiky-haird pre-teen Josh, though he appears noticeably different now after pursuing a career in music.

In March 2023, star Tony also revealed the cast had reunited after 17 years to watch his performance in Accidental Death of an Anarchist at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London.

Joining them was Charlotte Francis, who played Lucy Barker and Olisa Odele, who took on the role of CJ.

Stephanie Fearon, who joined the show as replacement for the character Harriet, also attended alongside Jordan Maxwell, who played Frankie Perkins.

Ministry of Mayhem:

CITV had difficult shoes to fill when SMTV came to an end in 2003, but they continued their run of Saturday Morning success stories with the chaotic Ministry of Mayhem.

Known for gunging its guests and crazy games, the show kickstarted the careers of British TV favourites Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern, while Michael Underwood also appeared during its first five months.

The show was later renamed Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown, and aired from January 2004 to July 2006.

In recent years, many classic clips of Holly's kids TV days have resurfaced, including the moment she dressed up as a French maid.

During an interview with the Daily Mail, Holly previously revealed: 'I spent three years of my life dressed as a French maid… and it certainly got a response, but I don't like to think about all the boys who harboured crushes on me.

'I inevitably ended up covered in cake when I wore it, and cream is just the worst thing. No matter how hard you scrub, you can't get the smell of a custard pie off your skin.'

Jungle Run:

Hosted by Dominic Wood, Chris Jarvis and later Michael Underwood, Jungle Run was a CITV fixture for seven years.

Made in vein of The Crystal Maze, the show saw a group of children complete a series of jungle challenges to win treasure from the Temple of the Jungle King.

Each task would see them collection bananas, and later silver statues, to win enough time in the Temple to collect different prizes.

Following the news that CITV would be closing, former host Michael, who now works as a primary school teacher, took to Twitter to reflect on his time on the show.

He said: 'So #CITV is closing on 1st Sept. I suppose it was inevitable, but that doesn't make it any less sad. I had so many memorable moments on @ChildrensITV and was fortunate enough to present on the legendary #JungleRun.

'It was easily one the best experiences I had on children's TV.'

Sooty:

Sooty had been around for many years before it was broadcast on ITV, and was first aired on the BBC back in 1985.

The legendary yellow mute puppet appeared in a slew of different series, including Sooty Heights, Sooty & Co. and two shows simply titled Sooty.

Richard Cadell has most recently appeared with the character and his pals Sweep and Soo, forever getting into scrapes and mischief.

Cadell purchased the rights in 2007 and has since focused on ensuring the survival of the brand with new stage shows and television programmes.

Last year it was reported that Sooty is finally set to crack America 75 years after his debut, as Richard has revealed that he is in 'advanced talks' with a top network about a show across the pond.

Tots TV:

One of CITV's most legendary puppet shows, Tots TV focused on the antics of three characters who embarked on various adventures and hijinks in a stable next to their secret house.

The female puppet, Tilly, famously spoke in French while her two pals Tom and Tiny spoke in English.

The show was first broadcast on CITV from 1993 until 1998, and its former set lay abandoned for 20 years before it was discovered by YouTuber 'Lost with Lou', in Warwickshire in 2017.

First broadcast on CITV, it was then was picked up by Public Service Broadcasting in the US where the French speaking Tilly changed to a Spanish speaking one.

Each episode lasted for 20 minutes and a number of exciting adventures ensued including a visit to Loch Ness in Scotland where the trio went on the hunt for the world famous monster who has also appeared in other cartoons like Scooby Doo.

Those who watched it will remember that the three puppets who lived there had a pet donkey who was creatively named Donkey.

HOW:

First broadcast in 1966, the HOW brand was conceived as an explanation for 'pub tricks' and demonstrations that could settle adult arguments, before being changed to suit a younger audience.

Topics commonly covered included science, history, mathematics, and simple puzzles, and the show was named thanks to its replication of the Native American greeting.

Its original run starred Fred Dinenage, Bunty James, Jon Miller, Dr. Tom Gaskell, Jill Graham and Marian Davies, before coming to an end in 1981.

Nine years later, CITV revived the series as HOW 2, once again starring Fred alongside Carol Vorderman, Gail Porter, and Sian Lloyd, which ran for 16 years.

In 2020, it was revealed that the show had been revived yet again, starring Vick Hope, Sam Homewood and Frankie Vu.

Bernard's Watch:

One of CITV's few scripted series, Bernard's Watch focused on a schoolboy who was able to stop time with a magic timepiece, and aired from 1997 until 2005.

Narrated by Liza Tarbuck, David Peachey originally played the titular character, before Ryan Watson took over in 2004.

Each episode focused a problem or simply doing day-to-day things and trying to sort them out, using the watch.