Zokko!
Zokko! was a BBC television programme for children that ran for 26 episodes of 22 min duration between 1968 and 1970. It was devised by newcomer Paul Ciani and veteran children's TV producer Molly Cox and was ground-breaking in being the first children's "television comic".
Description
It featured a mixture of animations and music hall jokes. Viewers were asked to send in their own jokes. The programme used short sequences using models set to music, studio variety acts, film clips, magic, narrated comic strips, and specially shot films using pop songs by the likes of Georgie Fame, Alan Price, Harpers Bizarre, Randy Newman. The show was named after its original 'presenter', a flashing/talking pinball machine called 'Mr Zokko!' with a gaping skull shaped head which introduced the clips and then scored them in its slow and sad robotic voice e.g. "Zok-ko, Score Fif-teen".The programme is now regarded as "the first televised children's comic". Apart from a compilation of highlights, only two complete episodes remain in the BBC's archives, both from the second series. These episodes were Season 2 episode 5 and Season 2 episode 13, the latter being the final edition, and episode 5 being the first episode to be broadcast in the 1970s. Both series’ were made in black and white. The second series omitted the pinball machine links, which were replaced by pop-art captions heavy on exclamation marks and question marks, linked with a similar electronically treated voice; "All for fun - fun for all - it's Zokko!" The main title theme was music by Brian Fahey and was released as a single, under the name Zokko's Band.
Try Again Jonah! was also a feature on the show.