OTT (Over The Top)

[Twocky61]

OTT (Over The Top) was an evening adult version of the Saturday morning kids show TISWAS

Did anyone watch it?

[staffslad]

Re: OTT (Over The Top)

Yes, I remember watching it. I think it was shown on Saturdays, very late. If memory serves, the first episode featured the infamous balloon dance. To be honest, I didn't think it was as good as Tiswas, which I watched from the very start. Tiswas was anarchic, and once it had gotten into its stride with sidekicks like Sally James, Lenny Henry, John Gorman and Bob Carolgees, it was a quasi-adult show--no way it would be made today for Saturday morning screenings.

[Twocky61]

Re: OTT (Over The Top)

I always felt TISWAS was far better than Multi Coloured Swapshop

TISWAS was more anarchic whereas MCSS was too twee

Similar to Magpie & Blue Peter

[zabadak]

Re: OTT (Over The Top)

I liked OTT, great laugh!

[staffslad]

Re: OTT (Over The Top)

I always felt TISWAS was far better than Multi Coloured Swapshop

TISWAS was more anarchic whereas MCSS was too twee

Similar to Magpie & Blue Peter

I agree that Tiswas was better than MCSS. Where else would you see Bernard Manning, Jim Davidson and Frank Carson on a kids' TV show? MCSS gave the impression that it was all very stage-managed, whereas with Tiswas it seemed that anything could happen at any time.

To my knowledge, OTT hasn't been repeated, and was quite controversial at the time. However, looking back, it seems to me that Tiswas was far more daring and subversive, given its supposed intended audience and broadcast slot.

[Richard1978]

Re: OTT (Over The Top)

OTT got in trouble a few times for living up to it's name, one being a time when some rats were let loose in the studio & ended up being stamped on.

[Twocky61]

Re: OTT (Over The Top)

The unusual thing at the time on TISWAS they included the camera crew in the show

[tex]

Re: OTT (Over The Top)

i have a vague recollection of phil collins getting cream pied (does this mean something else these days?)

[George 1978]

Re: OTT (Over The Top)

I don't remember it personally because I was too young, but I assumed that OTTT was to Play Away what Tiswas to Play School - more older and mainstream if you like.

There is a TVS clip online where they joined the programme ten minutes after the other regions because of the fact that they were showing a different film to the rest of the network. The other regions were showing the second Sweeney film, and TVS were showing the first one which was ten minutes longer - I might have got the two Sweeney films the wrong way round, but never mind.

TVS finished the film, went into adverts and continuity and the announced OTT and went into the programme in the middle of the sketch. It seems that Chris Tarrant was aware that TVS had only and asked why they were so late in joined the programme later than the others.

OTT was made by Central and was live, and so that TVS were unable to time-shift on a delay back then, so how did Tarrant know that TVS did not join OTT until later on, but presumably did not know the reason why? And did they know which regions were showing it and which were not? As it was a networked programme, it would have been assumed that all of them were of course. I would have assumed back then that the complexity and obscurity of the different ITV regions would have meant that one region would have not known what the other was showing.

[angliaknight]

Re: OTT (Over The Top)

I have 10 episodes of O.T.T. on dvd, bought from a fan of Tiswas, remember it wasnt cheap either, but well worth it, a piece of live tv history.

[Richard1978]

Re: OTT (Over The Top)

I don't remember it personally because I was too young, but I assumed that OTTT was to Play Away what Tiswas to Play School - more older and mainstream if you like.

There is a TVS clip online where they joined the programme ten minutes after the other regions because of the fact that they were showing a different film to the rest of the network. The other regions were showing the second Sweeney film, and TVS were showing the first one which was ten minutes longer - I might have got the two Sweeney films the wrong way round, but never mind.

TVS finished the film, went into adverts and continuity and the announced OTT and went into the programme in the middle of the sketch. It seems that Chris Tarrant was aware that TVS had only and asked why they were so late in joined the programme later than the others.

OTT was made by Central and was live, and so that TVS were unable to time-shift on a delay back then, so how did Tarrant know that TVS did not join OTT until later on, but presumably did not know the reason why? And did they know which regions were showing it and which were not? As it was a networked programme, it would have been assumed that all of them were of course. I would have assumed back then that the complexity and obscurity of the different ITV regions would have meant that one region would have not known what the other was showing.

I guess Chris Tarrant had been told in advance that TVS were showing something different, & was given a cue at the exact time they would be picking up the broadcast, as it would be the basis for a "you don't know what you've been missing" joke.

[Twocky61]

Re: OTT (Over The Top)

The other thing TISWAS did was have the kid's parents in a cage to throw buckets of water at lol

[George 1978]

Re: OTT (Over The Top)

I guess Chris Tarrant had been told in advance that TVS were showing something different, & was given a cue at the exact time they would be picking up the broadcast, as it would be the basis for a "you don't know what you've been missing" joke.

I bet that the other regions didn't get it, but never mind. I suppose it had comparisons with when HTV shown a series called Ten on Saturday where they opted in and out of various regions; Tiswas, Our Show, etc. I am sure I heard somewhere that Tarrant would have said "HTV are leaving us now" when the opt outs ended.