Wizbit

WIZBIT
Made by: ?
Shown on: BBC
Years shown: 1986-7
Theme tune: “Ha ha, this-a-way/Ha ha, that-a-way/Ha ha this-a-way/My oh my!”

The names Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee usually strike horror into the hearts of all patriotic Brits. The famous, short-statured magician should never have been let anywhere near children’s television, but the fact remains that he was, and this was what he came up with (Debbie was responsible for that oh so striking theme song.)

Each episode was 'introduced' by Daniels from his dressing room at Paul's Playhouse (possibly the only place that would give him work these days); he'd do a few tricks and tell the viewers a story about Wizbit.

Wizbit was a yellow, conical shaped magician who came from WOW (World of Wizards, or world of anything else you can think of that begins with ‘w’), but now lived in Puzzleopolous. He was friends with a giant rabbit called Woollie, and lived near Squidgy Bog, a purple jive-talking bog who I used to be quite wary of. Wizbit’s enemy was Professor Doom, who lived in a giant fist in the sky (?!) with his cat, Jinx; and if he wasn’t braving his wrath, he was being challenged to solve riddles by the stingy, jobsworth gate-keeper at Puzzle Gate. Puzzleopolous was not somewhere to be recommended as a holiday resort: aside from the uninviting bog, the locals were seriously weird; there were supposed comedians, Spoof and Bluff (who looked like Marcel Marceau and Oliver Hardy), melancholy clown Pierre-oh, Grocer Green, and Madame Martinka, the town’s resident Mystic Meg. Run for the hills.

SQUARE EYES RATING: 3/10