Crackerjack

When children first sat down to watch Crackerjack it was 5.15pm on Wednesday 14 September 1955. So the famous rallying cry "It's Friday.. It's 5 to 5... it's Crackerjack" was not from the original programme, but appeared several years later.

From the outset the live audience of children was crucial to the energy of the show, whether shouting out "Crackerjack" every time the word was mentioned, singing along with the pop acts that appeared, or as contestants in the games. Lucky winners were given a Crackerjack pencil. When Queen Elizabeth visited the production in 1961 she was presented with Crackerjack pencils for her children.

Crackerjack featured a host of presenter stars over the years. Leslie Crowther followed Andrews, then Michael Aspel, Ed Stewart and Stu Francis. Comedy support came from Peter Glaze, Don Maclean, Jack Douglas and The Krankies, among others. The programme also featured the quiz game "Double or Drop", devised by presenter Eamonn Andrews.

Crackerjack survived until 1984, with some changes to its basic formula: 'gunge' was introduced, and the Crackerjack pencil became a pen. The show was the forerunner to many Saturday morning children's programmes, and still inspires a reflex "Crackerjack" from many viewers who hear the name. Crackerjack was revived for a new generation on the CBBC channel in January 2020, presented by Sam & Mark (Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes).