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 Tiswas © 1974 ATV Network Limited, © 2004 Granada Media . This is a non-profit site intended for education about the British televison series Tiswas. This site acknowledges all copyrights and presents material under the 'Fair Use' clause of international copyright law, for the purpose of review. . |
Turn back slime Some memories of the show contributed by site visitors - people who were on Tiswas, and avid viewers.
Rob Francis Appearing on Tiswas in the early days. I was in fact a 'Tiswas Torrential Timer' on 3rd April 1976! Basically each week there would be a little sketch with some unsuspecting child getting drenched with a bucket of water. It happened so quickly that before I knew what had happened I was whisked away and dried up. All I can say it was a great experience, with my sister and I both joining the group of kids in the studio...all parents were in their own room watching the live show, safe from custard pies, water and anything else the team could get their hands on! I was 10 years old and couldn't wait for Saturday mornings...The Banana Splits, Count of Monte Cristo...The Flashing Blade, Arabian Knights...there were so many! But Tiswas was just an escape from reality...anything could happen at anytime. I had to write in, so you can imagine my excitement when I received an invitation to be a Tiswas Torrential Timer...bear in mind that I'm writing this from the perspective of a 10yr old and not a 39yr old... ha ha, who am I kidding :) So my mother, sister and I headed for Birmingham. It all seemed a little surreal, the building seemed huge and I remember being taken to a room full of other kids and their parents. When the show started I wasn't actually in the studio, but brought on when the sketch was about to take place. Talk about a rabbit in the headlights...I?d never experienced a TV studio, so to have all these faces and camera's pointing at me I must have looked terrified! I remember Chris Tarrant doing a sketch on what I recall was some kind of mock white stoned balcony backed with scenery. They were messing about behind me and before I knew it I was drenched and left with a bucket on my head. Chris lifted the bucket to ask my name, there was applause and I was whisked away to a room to have a dry change of clothing while a very nice lady called Jennifer Mooney dried my wet clothes, ironed them and handed them back to me. I then remember joining the kids in the studio after a commercial break and saw that my sister had been asked to sit within the group also. The show seemed to finish so quickly, but we were then invited to a corridor by the dressing rooms to get autographs and I recall that it was at that point I received my certificate! I just remember the whole production crew being incredibly friendly and very professional...everyone was looked after. Although I told friends at school I was appearing on the show, hardly anyone saw me....yet spookily when I was 18 and out with mates, I had a girl come up to me and said 'you might think this is strange, but weren't you on Tiswas many years ago?' My mates at that time didn't know I?d been on the show! Bizarre! I left that day with a certificate (I still proudly own to this day), autographs and a huge grin. The signatures are fading, but you can just make out Chris Tarrant, Trevor East and Peter Tomlinson. The wax seal is just holding...a one pence was used :) That Tiswas certificate has been kept with O level, A Level, and Diploma certificates for all these years...crazy I know, but hey...that's what the show was about. Rob's e-mailed in a scan of the certificate, and it will appear on this site shortly. |
  
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