Kerwhizz

Kerwhizz is a British live-action animated children's television game show created by Tony Reed and Alan Robinson, which originally aired on CBeebies between 2008 and 2011. The series uses a mix of CGI and live action, and is targeted towards 4-6-year-olds. Series 1 was filmed in March 2008, so series 2 was filmed in July 2010.

Summary

Kerwhizz is moderated and presented by the Kerwhizzitor, the only regular live-action character. Three teams of two CGI characters, each comprising a human child racer and a part-living, part-mechanical animal pet, must answer five rounds of questions, each featuring a regular 2D animated animal character, to win a choice of pod mod for their respective racing pods. In addition, one of the five rounds offer the chance to win a mystery pod mod. Each pod mod and mystery mod is an unconventional accessory that may or may not give its user a better chance of winning the race. The teams are cheered on by three groups of live-action children dressed in the teams' colours and waving team flags. Points are scored based on how many questions are answered correctly.
All of the questions are multiple-choice with the answers being colour-coded red, green, yellow, and blue. Once the question rounds are complete, the teams choose their pod mods. Then, the teams' pods are assembled and built around them and their respective pod mods are installed, fitted and added to their pods. The pods are then raised through the roof of the studio into the CGI race world. Each race world is a themed racing environment containing three or occasionally four zones and each story and race comprises two or occasionally three laps. All of the teams are likely to encounter unexpected setbacks and opportunities along the way, making the outcome of each race unpredictable. Each episode ends when the race is won and the winner revealed, after which some of the teams are shown doing activities based on the theme of the race, announced by the Kerwhizzitor.

Cast and characters

Questionmaster

Kerwhizzitor is a young man who moderates the quiz, asks the questions, makes bad puns and rhymes based on the theme and tries to keep the teams in order. In the race world and the story world sequences Kerwhizzitor commentates.

Contestants

Team Ninki comprises Ninki, a dark-skinned Mid-European girl with bunches and a singing voice that is commonly said to be "terrible" ; and Pip, a green-furred bipedal Scottish terrier with an extendable metal neck. Pip can't speak, but can often shape his barks and growls into an approximation of words. Despite this Ninki sometimes fails to hear him when he has an answer to a question and offers her own answer which is usually incorrect instead, causing him to growl in frustration.Team Twist comprises Twist, a blonde haired Caucasian boy with a fixation for style; and Snout, who resembles an orange-furred, two legged woolly mammoth with a plastic trunk and has a fixation of his own with sprouts. In the episode "Planet Snout" the eponymous planet is revealed to be his home world and the origin of his sprout obsession. It is also revealed that Snout has two nephews called Rocco and Rico.Team Kit comprises Kit, a fair-skinned Japanese girl with blue hair who is very brainy and good at thinking around problems; and Kaboodle, who is basically a furry ball creature with two conical plastic ears/antennae and a springy conical plastic leg. She appears to be less mature than the other racers and often requires emotional support from Kit. She is able to electrify anything after bouncing for long enough.

Question hosts

These characters appear in the flash-animated question sequences. None of them speak, since the questions are all read by the Kerwhizzitor. In many episodes they, or characters based on their designs, also appear in CGI form in the race world sequences, where they are much bigger than the human contestants.Natterjack the Toad presents two questions per episode based on picture recognition. A typical question might involve the teams identifying one of four pictures that is identical to one that Natterjack has drawn.Burping Hurbert the Burpasaur presents one question based on visual memory. This typically involves Hurbert eating one of several objects and the teams having to choose which one it was from four alternatives.King Pong the Skunk presents "Hunt That Skunk", in which he hides in or behind four objects in rapid succession. Pip, Snout, and Kaboodle have to decide which object was his last hiding place in order to win the Mystery Mod. King Pong's appearance is always heralded by a smelly green vapour. Occasionally he is replaced by his relatives, such as the pirate Long Pong Silver, or by Queen Pong or Princess Pong.Kat Kool the Cat presents "Kat Kool's Sound Round", a question based on auditory memory. Typically Kat Kool or his band will play a tune, and the teams must then choose which of four alternative tunes matches.

Episodes

Series	Episode	Quiz Winner	Race winner	Title	Route	Podmods	Original air date
1	1	Kit	Twist	Vegetable Valley Alley	Pumpkin Parade Fruit Falls Corn Cob Corners Pong's Patch Radish Road	Gleaming Garden Snippers Spade Packet of Seeds Giant Sprout	7 January 2008 29 September 2008 3 October 2008
1	2	Ninki	Kit	The Slip and Slide Snow Ride	Snow Stretch Glacier Gully Snow Drift Rift Don't Sink Rink	Crampon Claws Supersonic Skis Expander Specs Bobble Hat	14 November 2008
1	3	Twist	Ninki	Castle Kingdom	Drawbridge Gate Field of Shields The Knight's Table	Lance Plastic Fantastic Sword Tur-bow Egg	21 November 2008
1	4	Ninki	Kit	Bedroom Zoom	Mobile Junction Under Bed Cosy Comfy Corner Sweet Dream Street	Mega Moonbeam Super Torch Shooting Star Teddy Bear Tim Giant Alarm Clock	28 November 2008
1	5	Kit	Twist	The Daring Dino Dash	Fossil Forest Dino Egg Gulch Old Crusty	Musical Conch Shell Diviner Daffodactyl Flower Scarf	5 December 2008
1	6	Kit	Ninki	Hat-Trick Highway	Top Hat #1 Top Hat #2 Top Hat #3	Future Ball Wonder Wand Natterjoker Corrector	12 December 2008
1	7	Kit	Kit	Funfair Freeway	Helter Skelter Felter Bumper Car Bypass Faster Than Moster Roller Coaster	Balloons Rubber Bumpers Candy Flosser Free Ride	19 December 2008
1	8	Kit	Ninki	The Great Space Race	The International Space Station Asteroid Felter The Mysterious Rings of Saturn The Hyper-Space Toll Booth	Keryptonite Faster Feather Duster Comet Catcher Net Time-Travelling Clock	9 January 2009
1	9	Ninki	Twist	Bowling Alley Rally	The Twisty Turny Tunnels Skittle Forest King Pong's Shoe Room Bowling Alley Alley	Lucky Bowling Arm Charm Super Speakers Quicker-Sticker Sticky Stuff Skittle Stopper	16 January 2009
1	10	Twist	Ninki	The Ace Choc Chase Race	Choco Way The Choco Block The Chocolate Drop Chocolate Fountain Mountain Home Sweet Home Street	Bubbler Marshmallow Maker Fruit-and-Nutter Gripper-Dipper	23 January 2009
1	11	Kit	Kit	Underwater Whizzway	The Avenue of Arches The Sunken Ship Wreck The Vortex The Weed Way	Rusty Anchor Plug Fish Food Muncher Fish	30 January 2009
1	12	Ninki	Twist	The Supershape Showdown	The Polygon Pass The Round and Round-a-bout The Triangle Tangle The Star Jump	Prankstar Super-Springy Thingy Totally Triangular Shape Cutter Stumbling Block	6 February 2009
1	13	Kit	Ninki and Kit	Egypt World	The Giant Pyramid The Tunnel of Cheops Chambers Crazy Colonnades	Really Useful Relic Papyrus Password Eat-My-Duster Ancient, Light-Reflecting Gem	13 February 2009
1	14	Twist	Ninki	Supermarket Sprint	Trolley Dash Turn Fresh Food Freeway Silly Isles Cheddar Gorge Checkpoint Checkout	Tip-Top Trolley Dodger Label Enabler Shopping Bag Cheap-at-Half-the-Price Super Stacker	20 February 2009
1	15	Twist	Twist	Goldfish Gulp	Pipe Wipeout Weedy Way Fishy Fortress	Big, Bouncy Bubble Propellor Rubber Ring Fishy Fin	27 February 2009
1	16	Twist	Ninki	Whiffy World	Stinky Sock Street Queen Pong's Pungent Patch Putrid Pipes	Super Socker Super Sucker Pongy Plunger Giant Pepper Pot	6 March 2009
1	17	Ninki	Kit	Opposite World	The Upside-Downs The Arrow Route Floating Freeway	Faster Blaster Goer Slower Flashlight Swapsie	13 March 2009
1	18	Kit	Twist	Crazy Racy Golf	Hole #1: Natterjack Sphinx Street Hole #2: Pong's Parade Hole #3: Kat Kool's Causeway	Right-On Cue Putt-Putt-Putter Plug Mod Mega Bouncing Ball	20 March 2009
1	19	Kit	All	Daredevil Dreamway	Boodle's Bounce-a-bout Snout's Amazing Maze Pip's Place	Sniffertron Practical Pointer Pip's Perfect Pod Mod Pod-in-a-Box	27 March 2009
1	20	Ninki	Kit	The Fairy Tale Trail	The Beanstalk Cloud Pass The Giant's Castle	One Wish Two Wishes Three Wishes Nattertoad	3 April 2009
1	21	Ninki	Ninki	The Marvellous Musical Marathon	Kat Kool's Nifty Notes Tuba Tunnel Thumper Jumper Cymbal Straight	Mega megaphone Cool Conductor Super Speakers Wonderhorn	10 April 2009
1	22	Twist	Kit	Party Paradise	King Pong's Parcel Pass The Balloon Room The Dancing Disco	Food Finding Fork Power Party Popper Pressing Presser Parcel	17 April 2009
1	23	Kit	Twist	The Four Season Freeway	Spring Fling Summer Daze Automatic Alley	Nibbling Gnashers Brumbrella Lead Guitar Ticket to Boys for All Seasons concert	24 April 2009
1	24	Kit	Kit	The Super Ace Rainbow Race	Panorama Rama Loop-the-Loop Land White World	Top Drawer Fade-Away Vanishing Block Splatter Colour-Me-Wonderful Paint Set	1 May 2009
1	25	Kit	Twist	Moonlight Night Flight	Starlight Expressway Dark Park Moonlight Parade	Clouder-Outer Cool Cat's Eyes Shooting Starburst Boost Flight of Fireflies	8 May 2009
1	26	Twist	Ninki	Fun Food Freeway	The Big Cheese The Wedge of Veg Pudding Lane	Frisky Whisk Grater-Scraper Cheese Board Chef's Hat	15 May 2009
2	1	Twist	Kit	Building Block Rock	Crane Corner Turning Tunnel The Working Herberts	Brick Basher Dino Demolition Ball Foghorn Mega Cone	7 March 2011 9 July 2010
2	2	Kit	Twist	The Ker-razy Cave Caper	The Looping Lava Tube Glacier Gully Stalactite Slalom	Rockin' Rocket Boosters Hyper Heater Picky Superstar Night Light	8 March 2011 10 July 2010
2	3	Ninki	Ninki	The Play Place Race	The Bouncy Castle Start Line Slippy Slope/The Musical Tubes Roller Squeeze Straight Ball Pond Plunge	Super Suckers Big Wide Wedge Blow-Up Bouncers De-tangler	9 March 2011 11 July 2010
2	4	Kit	Twist	Spooky Speedway	Hairy Scary Hallway Room of Choices The Web Way	Bat Wings Lending Hand Glower Spooky Sheet	10 March 2011 12 July 2010
2	5	Kit	Kit	The Speedy Greedy Bake Race	Steady Bready Bridge Donut Tunnel through the Middle of Meringue Mountain Tackle the Bumpy Bun Jumps	Frisky Whisk Getaway Tray Icing Bag Dreamy Creamy Fondant Fancy	11 March 2011 13 July 2010
2	6	Ninki	Ninki	Wild West World	Tumble Weed Trail Tin Can Canyon Old Pine Gold Mine	Sheriff's Badge Lasso Burpalo Nickel Cowboy Hat	14 March 2011 14 July 2010
2	7	Twist	Twist	The Overgrown Garden Getaway	Long Forgotten Lawn Park and Glide Pond Tree-mendous Avenue	Hopping-glad frog legs Creaky-Squeaky Lawnmower Long Stick Hairdressing Set	15 March 2011 15 July 2010
2	8	Kit	Kit	City Speedway	The Statue of Ribbity The Subway Skyscraper Caper The Showtime Shimmy	Beat Bop Baton Subway Tickets Big Onion Year's Supply of Popcorn	16 March 2011 16 July 2010
2	9	Ninki	Ninki	The Giant Jungle Jetway	Undergrowth Expressway Tree Trunk Trail The Leaves	Leaping Lizard Legs Frog's Tongue Zapper Rain Cloud	17 March 2011 17 July 2010
2	10	Ninki	Twist	Arty Crafty Caper	Origami Forest Glitter Falls Natter Stamp Street Paper Plane Pass	Safety Scissors Super Sticker Perfect Painter Ball of Super String	18 March 2011 18 July 2010
2	11	Twist	Kit	Treasure Island Trail	Pirate Ship Wreck Coconut Grove Quick Sand Land	Hook Main Sail Rope Treasure Map	21 March 2011 19 July 2010
2	12	Twist	Ninki	The Toy Factory Track	Toy Toad Travelator Burpalloon Way Toy Pong Parade	Quick and Slick Oil Can Top Popper Spanner Toy Model of Kerwhizzitor "Thingamajig"	22 March 2011 20 July 2010
2	13	Twist	Twist	Planet Snout	Sprout Wood Crackle Crater Snoutsville	Fantastic Fan Which-Way Dish Pepper Pot Sprout Recipe Book	23 March 2011 21 July 2010
2	14	Twist	Ninki	The Zoom Around the Moon	Lunar Lane The Spaceship The Crater The Dark Side	Fiery Flare Force Field Space Helmets Super Duper Boosters	24 March 2011 22 July 2010
2	15	All	All	The Deserted Desert Dash	-	Eye Spy Big Ears Nifty Nose Magic Lamp	25 March 2011 23 July 2010

Broadcast

Nederlands: Ketnet
Hebrew: Hop! Channel
Hungarian: M2
South Africa: M-Net
Spanish: CBeebies
United Kingdom: CBeebies, BBC One

Reception

British psychologist Aric Sigman refers to Kerwhizz as a perfect example of what television makers claim is educational, despite his insistence to the contrary.

Lawsuit

In 2011, cartoonist Michael Mitchell sued the BBC and CBeebies, claiming that Kerwhizz human CGI characters were based on his own designs for a proposed series called The Bounce Bunch. The BBC and CBeebies denied these claims. In the England and Wales Patents County Court in December 2011, His Honour Judge Birss, QC found that the Kerwhizz characters did not infringe Mr Mitchell's copyright.