Fully Booked: Zoe Ball and Grant Stott check in
Sure it’ll be zany and fast-paced, anarchic even, but the 880’s new Saturday morning kids show comes with this guarantee - N0 GllllGE.
Fully Booked will be two hours of fun and frolics beamed out across the nation from Studio A in BBC Scotland’s Glasgow headquarters. The two main presenters have children’s television in their blood: Grant Stott is brother of former Blue Peter presenter John Leslie, while Zoe Ball is daughter of eccentric maths whizz Johnny Ball.
Like his brother, Stott has made quite a career out of kids television, having previously worked in the BBG’s education department and as
presenter of Scottish Television’s Wemyss Bay 902101. ‘I just wanted to get into TV and it was the children’s television door which opened first,’ he says. ‘John and I both fell into this business accidentally.’
To get in character, Stott still
watches tapes of classic episodes of Tiswas, which always was the Rolling Stones to Swap Shop’s Beatles. lle
reckons Tiswas was never bettered by ‘
the stream of irreverant zoo-TV kids shows it spawned. ‘l’ve worked every
Saturday morning for the last four : years so I can’t really comment on the
later stuff,’ he says diplomatically.
Fully Booked is set in a hotel with a Highland cow called Morag providing the necessary cuddly animal factor. There will be a Scottish flavour to many of the items, which include celebrity phone-ins, pop hands, a sports slot introduced by Kriss Akabussi and a treasure hunt game filmed in the Highlands.
The flow of gunge, which for years has been a staple of every Saturday
morning kids show, has been
I stemmed, however. ‘Kids like nothing 3 more than seeing other people getting i gunged but there’s only so many ways of doing it,’ says Stott.
Instead, Fully Booked promises to be
' nothing but good, clean fun. (Eddie Gibb)
Fully Booked starts on Saturday 22
5 April at 8.30am on 8881.
Rain or shine, our at-a-glance guide will see you through. Events are listed under outdoors or indoors columns, and then divided by city. Kids listings compiled by Ellie Carr.
Outdoors
I Easter Fun at Haggs Castle H aggs Castle Museum. 100 St Andrews Drive. 227 2725. Until Sun 23 Apr. Various times. Booking essential. Ages 4—12. Catch the last few days of Easter activities at Haggs Castle museum and make animal masks. stained glass pictures and spring flowers to take home.
I The Rite of Spring Rouken Glen Park. Sun 23 Apr. lptn. Tickets from 0141 227 551 l. Eastwood Arts Festival draws to a close with a final fling in Rouken Glen Park. A family sculpture session gets the ball rolling at lpm. and is followed up by as much in the way of music. theatre. and ' dance events as your average day out can handle. The main show comes from Fablevision at 6.30pm. who round off
their act by leading the audience into a grand torchlit procession through the park to banish winter. welcome Spring and mark the end of the festival for another
year.
Indoors
Activities and Fun
I I Drama Workshops Couper institute: : Wednesdays from 26 Apr; Partick Burgh
Hall: Thursdays from 27 Apr. Both venues: 5.30—6.30pm. 6—8 years; 6.30-7.30pm. 9—11 years. £1.50 per session. Call 227 5005 for further details.
1 New weekly drama workshops organised
: by the Department of Performing Arts. Film I The Mighty Ducks (U) Cannon
Clarkston Road. Muirend. 637 2641. Sat 22 Apr. 10.30am. £1.60 (kids and adults).
! !
Doors open at 10.30am. See Film index. I Mrs Doubtfire (PG) Cannon Clarkston
Road. Muirend. 637 2641. Sat 29 Apr.
l0.30am. £1.60 (kids and adults). Doors open at 10.30am. See Film index.
Theatre
I Scottish Mask and Puppet Theatre 8—10 Balcarres Avenue. Kelvindale. 339 6l85. 2pm. £2.50 (£1.50) Sat 22 Apr Hansel & Gretel (ages 5—8). Hunter Puppet Theatre do the children's favourite in a traditional booth show with music and audience participation. Sat 29 Apr The Three Giants (ages 5--adults). Clydebuilt Puppet Theatre call on the services of life sized-body puppets to tell the story of a stushie between Finn MacCool. the famous Irish giant and .‘vchonigle. the Scottish giant. I The Singing Kettle Cumbernauld Theatre. 01236 732887. Uittil Sat 22 Apr. ' 7.45pm. £6 (£5). An all new singalong show from those Singing Kettle children's entertainers. I The Magic Island: Mayfest Mitchell Theatre. Granville Street. 305 7666. Tue 2—Sat 6 May. Various times. £5 (£2). See photo caption.
Activities and Fun I Edinburgh Fling Thurs 27 Apr—Sat 6 May. City-wide. Ticket line 220 4349. Ten years old and getting bigger every year. Edinburgh's own community festival has now graduated from Spring to early Sumtner and dropped the old Spring Hing . line for a spot of Edinburgh prestige in its title. The event kicks in with a lively launch on The Mound precinct at : 12.30pm on Mon 24 Apr with bands. Scot FM roadshow and special guests. and continues over the following few weeks ‘ with a packed programme of theatre. ; music. days out. workshops etc. and lots of it geared towards children and families. Magic Bob and Mr Boom are here to entertain you. liDC countryside rangers invite you to go wild and Hillend Ski Centre open their slopes for a Ski Challenge in aid ofcharity. For information on these and other children‘s events contact the Fling co-ordinator. 520 4878. g I Saturday Stories Netherbow Arts 3 Centre. 43 High Street. 556 9579. 2.30—4pm. £3. Ages 6-9. Sat 22 Apr The Netherbow's weekly storytelling and activity sessions return 3 with Russian fairy tale Balm Yuga and a - chance to dip into the art of water colour painting. 1 Sat 29 Apr Take your places for The King
is in The Basket. followed up by a spot of puppet making.
Exhibitions
I Animal Magic Royal Museum of Scotland. Chambers Street. 225 7534 (ex 219). Until 11 Jun. Mon—Sat. lO—Spm; Sun l2—5pm. All ages. Free. See Art listings. Special storytelling sessions are available to nurseries and creches. book in advance with the museum.
I Flora of China lnverleith House. Royal Botanic Garden. 552 717 l. Until 23 July. 10—5pm. Free. The fabulous flora of China. which covers one-eighth of all known plant species. featured in this new exhibition at the Botanics. See Art preview.
I Star Trek: The Exhibition City Art Centre. 2 Market Street. 529 3993. Until 7 May. Mon. Tue and Sat lO-5pm; Wed—Fri 10—9pm and Sun noon—5pm. £3.50 (£2 kids/cone); family ticket £9. See Art listings.
film
I Aardman Animations (PG) Filmhouse. Lothian Road. 226 2688. Sill 22 Apr. 2.30pm. £1.50 (Adult £2.50). See Film index.
I Lord of the Rings (PG) Filmhouse.
Lothian Road. 226 2688. Sat 29 Apr. 2.30pm. £1.50 (£2.50). See Film index.
W
Activities and Fun
I Easter Week at Kelburn Kelburn Country Centre. Fairlie. Ayrshire. 01475 568685. Until Sun 23 Apr. 10am—6pm. Admission to centre £3.50 (£2). All Kelburn‘s usual attractions: The Secret Forest. horse-riding. adventure courses. stockade. soft play room anti shop and cafe as well as special Easter events like egg hunts. egg decorating. Easter picture competition and a quest to find the Golden Egg.
I Loudon Castle Park Galston. Ayrshire (off the A719) 01563 822296. Seven days. 10am-dusk. £5.99 (under-3 free). Scotland's new family fun park. set in the majestic 500acre grounds of London Castle. ancient home of the Campbells of London. Giant carousel. helter-skelter. pirate ship. bouncy castle. pets corner and the red deer park are among the attractions. Refreshments can be had in the licensed cafe/restaurant.
I. y I,
Hotline 0141 305 7666.
I The Magic Island Mitchell Theatre, Granville Street. 305 7666. Tue 2-Sat 6 May. Various times. £5 (£2). Beware the Mayfest programme. For it does not label kids’ shows as such. A noble gesture towards the art of children’s theatre indeed, but somewhat confusing for information-seeking parents. There are though, lurking in there beside the big people’s shows, some right wee gems aimed at a family audience, not least of which is the Scottish premiere of Liz Lochhead’s The Magic Island (see picture above) as performed by the ever popular Tag Theatre Go. A rich re- working of Shakespeare’s Tempest, it tells the tale of Prospero the magician, toppled from fame by his wiclted brother Antonio the accountant, and Prospero’s subsequent shipwreck on a magical island. Elsewhere the equally well loved Communicado Theatre are in full flow with a round of Tall Tales For Small People drawn from Scotland’s rich tradition of storytelling. Terrifying changelings, beautiful swans and three-legged pots figure in tales told by a six-strong cast of actors, including Peter Grimes and Gerry Mulgrew and accompanied by live music. Details of these and other Mayfest events suitable for children can be obtained from 0141 552 8000. Ticket
The List 21 Apr-4 May 1995 81