Zzzap! is a fantastic TV show. It ran from 1993-2001 and is now being sorely missed. Series One of Zzzap! was just excellent. Cuthbert Lily, Daisy Dares You, Smarty Arty, The Handymen and Tricky Dicky were just some of the weird and wonderful characters contained in this giant comic. Zzzap! was basically comic sketches come to life. Each characters antics would be watched through the panels of each comic frame. Zzzap! was originally designed for deaf children, so it has a much wider visual appeal, ensuring all of the story lines key elements are portrayed through the characters movements and through big comical words popping up on the screen. The big characters have always been Cuthbert Lily and Daisy Dares. Cuthbert Lily was a fantastic slapstick legend. He was dead silly, and always ended up getting into mishap or trouble! Daisy Dares was a ragtag young woman who would get kicks out of making a crowd of schoolchildren complete a practically impossible task; usually involving cold baked beans, old milkshake, or anything mouldy, rancid, old and gunky. There has also always been the Handyman as well. Expert craftsmen in the form of two silk-gloved arms. These arms would make games, food, drinks and toys right before your very eyes, in a clear and concise manner, in a way that makes it easy for children both deaf and hearing to remember how to make. Then, there was Smarty Arty (played by the fantastic Neil Buchanan), a fantastically funny artist, who could draw things such as cars and people, and make them come to life! In the recent series there has also been the goof-ball character Minnie the Mini Magician, and irritating, boring character; but don't let her put you off of this unmissable television show. Two thumbs up!
