Bitz & Bob Explained

Creator:Daniel Bays
Director:Kitty Taylor
Country:United Kingdom
Canada
Theme Music Composer:Sanj Sen
Composer:Mick Cooke
Language:English
Num Episodes:44
Network:CBeebies
Opentheme:Work it Out
Executive Producer:
  • Vanessa Amberleigh
  • Bob Higgins
Producer:Barry Quinn
Company:BBC Children's Productions[1]
FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment (series 1)
Jellyfish Pictures
Boat Rocker Media (series 2)
Runtime:10 minutes
Num Seasons:2

Bitz & Bob is a children's animated television series that originally aired on CBeebies.[2] The series focuses on the adventures of a sister and brother, who explore various concepts related to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) through imaginative play and problem-solving.

Premise

The series centers on Bitz, an inventive and resourceful girl, and her younger brother Bob. Together, they embark on adventures in Craft City, a technologically advanced city where they utilize their STEAM skills to solve problems and overcome challenges. [3]

Characters

Bitz (voiced by Dolly Heavey) is Bob’s older sister who solves problems, builds, and fixes. She has a younger brother, Bob. Her catchphrase is: "Time for a Bitz brain blitz!"

Bob (voiced by Duke Davis) is Bitz's younger brother. He is dressed as a robot/dinosaur made out of cardboard. He helps out Bitz to solve problems. His catchphrase is: "Bitz blitzed it!" and "Awesome!"

Purl (voiced by Maria Darling) is a soft ragdoll (she wears rollerskates on some episode) and Bitz's bestie. She is a perfectionist, and loves adding a touch of glitter on every project. Her catchphrase is "Oh my shiny sequins!"

Bevel (voiced by Rob Delaney[4]) is a cool monster-like action figure and power tool and is Bob's favorite toy. He is an ultimate action guy with a sensitive side, but not truly clever or brave. He speaks with an American accent, his catchphrase is "BOO-YAH!" which he says in every occasion.

Zip and Pop (voiced by Marc Silk and Maria Darling respectively) are two slapstick-loving, practical joking brother and sister zip up cloth dolls. They can carry tools and mechanical stuff. In a clumsy, curious and comical double act, they find pretty much everything hilarious. Impulsive and impetuous, they do not like being alone, sitting still or being unzipped.[5]

Production

BBC and FremantleMedia produced the series along with Jellyfish Pictures.

After Boat Rocker Media acquired FremantleMedia's Kids and Family Division, they started producing it.[6]

Broadcast

The series aired on TVOKids and Knowledge Kids in Canada, EBS in South Korea, SVT in Sweden, NRK in Norway, YLE in Finland, Hop! Channel in Israel, KiKa in Germany, Nat Geo Kids in Latin America and Brazil, Kiwi TV in Hungary, Minimax in Czech, TVP ABC in Poland, BNT 2 in Bulgaria, France 5 in France, and GOOD TV in Taiwan. In some territories, it was offered to show it on Nick Jr. or Disney Junior. In Scotland, it was shown in BBC Alba and translated in Scot Gaelic as Bitz agus Bob (similar to predecessor back in 2001).[7]

You Can Do it Too!

A complementary short-form live-action companion show, Bitz & Bob: You Can Do It Too!, offers viewers the opportunity to experiment with a related STEAM project at home. [8]

References

  1. Known as CBeebies Production for the first season.
  2. Web site: CBeebies and FME Kids Engineer 'Bitz & Bob'. Milligan. Mercedes. 2016-06-17. Animation Magazine. en-US. 2019-03-03.
  3. Web site: BBC - Bitz & Bob - Media Centre . 2019-03-04 . www.bbc.co.uk.
  4. Web site: Rob Delaney interview - Bitz & Bob. 2018-02-20. British Comedy Guide. en-GB. 2019-03-03.
  5. Web site: BBC - The Characters - Media Centre. www.bbc.co.uk. 2019-03-04.
  6. Web site: Bob Higgins Named EVP Kids & Family Content at Boat Rocker Studios. Milligan. Mercedes. 2019-02-07. Animation Magazine. en-US. 2019-03-03.
  7. Web site: Boat Rocker takes Bitz & Bob worldwide. 2019-03-03.
  8. Web site: Bitz & Bob: You Can Do It Too Archives. Animation Magazine. 3 May 2018 . en-US. 2019-03-03.