Play Away was a sister programme to Play School in the UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, aimed at slightly older children. It ran from 1971 until 1984. While Play School had a more gentle, intimate feel, featuring just two presenters in a studio with the usual collection of toys and pets, Play Away was much more lively, including songs, games and many jokes. The first eight series were shot in a studio, usually at BBC Television Centre, London, although certain episodes were recorded in Bristol or Manchester. Later episodes were recorded in front of a live studio audience. The format was a little like a music-hall variety show

Variety show

A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...

 or 'end-of-the-pier' show. The Musical Director was Jonathan Cohen

Jonathan Cohen (Musician)

Jonathan Cohen is an pianist, composer and musical director.He is particularly well known for his work on many BBC children's programmes from the 1960s to the 1990s, including Play School, Play Away, Rentaghost and Jackanory...

 on piano, with Spike Heatley

Spike Heatley

Spike Heatley, born North London, February 17, 1933, is a British jazz bassist.Heatley was with Vic Ash's sextet in 1958, together with Ian Hamer , Johnny Scott , and Alan Branscombe and had then joined The Jazz Couriers some weeks before they disbanded...

 on double bass and Alan Rushton on drums, often with accomplished guest musicians.

Presenters throughout the thirteen-year run included familiar Play School presenters such as Brian Cant

Brian Cant

Brian Cant is an English actor, television presenter and writer.-Personal life:Born in Ipswich, he currently lives in Buckinghamshire and is married to writer and director Cherry Britton, sister of TV presenter Fern Britton and actor Jasper Britton. They have three children, daughter Rose, and...

, Toni Arthur

Toni Arthur

Toni Arthur-Hay is an English director, former folk singer and television presenter.Arthur-Hay was born Antoinette Wilson in Oxford, England. She was educated at Mary Datchelor's Girls School in Camberwell and the Royal Academy of Music...

, Derek Griffiths

Derek Griffiths

Derek Griffiths is a British actor who appeared in numerous British children's television series in the 1960s to 1980s and more recently has played parts in TV drama.- Career :...

, Floella Benjamin

Floella Benjamin

Floella Karen Yunies Benjamin, Baroness Benjamin OBE DL is a British actress, author, television presenter, businesswoman and politician...

, Chloe Ashcroft

Chloe Ashcroft

Chloe Ashcroft was a presenter on several BBC children's TV programmes, including Play School, Play Away, Hokey-Cokey and Pie in the Sky. She also appeared in the Doctor Who story Resurrection of the Daleks playing Professor Laird...

, Johnny Ball

Johnny Ball

Johnny Ball is a British television personality, a great populariser of mathematics and the father of BBC Radio 2 DJ Zoë Ball.-Early life:...

, and Julie Stevens

Julie Stevens (British actress)

Julie Stevens is an English actress, best known in Britain for her appearances on children's television. She married actor John White in 1961....

, as well as lesser known presenters including Janine Sharp and Carol Chell

Carol Chell

Carol Chell is a British children's television presenter and TV executive. She originally qualified as a teacher, and produced many educational TV shows in the 1960s. She is best known for her work during the 1970s and 80's on BBC's Play School...

. Play Away also played host to future stars such as Anita Dobson

Anita Dobson

Anita Dobson is an English television actress and singer. She gained her highest profile while playing Angie Watts in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders...

, Jeremy Irons

Jeremy Irons

Jeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...

 and Tony Robinson

Tony Robinson

Tony Robinson is an English actor, comedian, author, broadcaster and political campaigner. He is best known for playing Baldrick in the BBC television series Blackadder, and for hosting Channel 4 programmes such as Time Team and The Worst Jobs in History. Robinson is a member of the Labour Party...

.

Some episodes of the series were wiped as recently as the early 1990s.

External links

• Play Away at bbc.co.uk
  Bbc.co.uk
  BBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
  
  
• British Film Institute Screen Online