Timmy Mallett and Michaela Strachan: how we made Wide Awake Club

‘We’d start the show by sliding down a tube. Timmy would fart in it to put us off’I was studying musical theatre at the ArtsEd school in London and got picked to join a dance troupe called Wacky Feet, for the Wide Awake Club pilot. I went on to do Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in the West End, then I heard that TV-am were looking for new children’s presenters. At the audition I sang The Chicken Song from Spitting Image waving a rubber chicken in the air. They must have thought, “She’s completely bonkers,” which was exactly what they were looking for. So I joined in 1986, at the age of 20. I was still doing Seven Brides. I had to be in TV-am by 3.30 in the morning, then do matinee and evening performances at the theatre. Oh, for the energy of youth. Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jul/20/wide-awake-club-timmy-mallett-michaela-strachan #children's_tv #breakfast_tv #culture #itv_channel #television #television_industry #television_&_radio #media #entertainment_tv