Science  People  Locations  Timeline
Index: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Home > Timmy Mallett


Timmy Mallett is a former children's TV presenter and broadcaster who achieved cult status in the UK during the 1980s.

Mallett is most notable for his striking visual style, involving loud shirts, comedy glasses and a giant foam mallet he carries with him, as well as his 'utterly brilliant!' and 'bleurgh!' catchphrases.

His media career started while he was a student at the University of Warwick, where he worked for the student radio station ( Radio Warwick). After graduating with a history degree, he began his career at BBC Radio Oxford whilst studying for a Masters in history at Keble College, Oxford before moving onto Piccadilly Radio . His energetic style won him many fans and Sony Awards .

But it was in TV that he hit the bigtime. In 1984 he became a presenter of Wide Awake Club, a new Saturday morning children's programme on ITV's breakfast station TV-am. Mallett's personality came to dominate the show to such an extent that when TV-am found itself lacking a school holidays programme after the sale of Roland RatRoland Rat (also Roland Rat Superstar is a British television puppet character. He was created, operated and voiced by David Claridge who had previously been behind the Mooncat puppet in the ITV children's television programme Get Up and Go . Roland Rat w to the BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation BBC is primarily a national publicly-funded broadcaster based in the United Kingdom, which also has some international services. Some of the international services (such as BBC cable TV in America, Canada and elsewhere, he was offered the chance to present the replacement solo. The replacement, a spin-off of Wide Awake Club, was called WacadayWacaday was a children's television series that ran in TV-am's school holidays slot from 1985 until 1992 and was hosted by Timmy Mallett. Wacaday was introduced because Roland Rat, the puppet host of TV-am's previous holidays slot, had been sold to the BB and began broadcasting in 19851985 is a common year starting on Tuesday. Events January events January 1 Creation of the Internet's Domain Name System. January 17 British Telecom annouces they are going to abolish the famous red telephone boxes. January 23 A debate in the House of Lor.

Wacaday was even more successful than its parent. The programme was characterised by games such as 'Mallett's Mallet', where contestants were hit over the head by his famed mallet for getting answers wrong. A talking mini version of the mallet called Pinky Punky was introduced and soon became one of Mallett's established sidekicks along with Magic , his pet cocatiel.

At the height of his fame, Mallett formed the band Bombalurina and released the single ' Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini '. The song, produced by none other than Andrew Lloyd WebberAndrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born March 22, 1948) is a highly successful British composer of musical theatre. Throughout his career he has produced 15 musicals, the scores to two films Gumshoe and The Odessa File and a Latin requiem mass., entered the UK charts at number 23, rose to 13 the next week, then to 3 and finally to number 1 on August 19th 1990Events January January 3 Former leader of Panama Manuel Noriega surrenders to American forces. January 7 The Leaning Tower of Pisa is closed to the public due to safety concerns. January 9 Lt Gen Bazilio Olara Okello The man who led the coup aginst Dr Apo, where it stayed for three weeks. More than 1,000,000 copies of the single were sold in the UK before it went on to be a hit in over a dozen more countries. More, less successful, singles followed as well as an album, Huggin' an' a Kissin' .

Another memorable moment occurred when Mallett met the then-Prime Minister, Margaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born October 13, 1925) is a British politician and the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, a position she held from 1979 to 1990. She is a member of the Conservative Party and still - and hit her over the head with his giant mallet.

Wacaday ended in 19921992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday. Events January January The Internet Society is formed. January 1 Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General January 1 George H. Bush becomes the fi when TV-am lost its licence. Since then Mallett has made only limited TV appearances, preferring to concentrate on his behind-the-camera career centred around his production company, Brilliant TV .

As well as his broadcasting work, Mallett tours a lot of students' unions, performing for students who remember watching Wacaday when they were children. He also regularly performs in panto.

Mallett briefly returned to the limelight at the end of 2001 when he rescued a woman who had fallen into freezing waters at a marina in Hartlepool.



Read more »

Non User