| Runtime: | 12 x 25mins, 15 x 10mins |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Company: | White Magic Productions World Audio Visual Entertainment plc. |
| Location: | Ewart Television Studios (Series 1) IDC Stonebridge Studios (Series 2) Cannon Elstree Studios (Series 3) |
| Num Seasons: | 3 |
| Num Episodes: | 27 |
Wizbit is a 1980s BBC children's television show about an alien magician, Wizbit. It starred the established TV and stage magician Paul Daniels and his assistant Debbie McGee.[1] [2]
The series is set in Puzzleopolis, a town inhabited by walking, talking sponge-balls, dice, magic wands, playing cards and rabbits, where the protagonists must solve puzzles. Wizbit's year-and-a-day mission is to find out all about planet Earth.
The show is partly educational, with the (often lateral thinking) puzzles Wizbit is set often being presented to the audience at home, with the solutions being revealed towards the end of the episode. Wizbit's magic word was "Ostagazuzulum", and he came from the planet WOW, an acronym for "World of Wizards".[3]
The show was created by Barry Murray, who had formerly been Mungo Jerry's record producer, with assistance from Daniels. Its theme tune is based on a song by Lead Belly, named "Ha-Ha This A Way", sung by Daniels. All rights to characters and designs were retained by Daniels, and the music rights by Murray.
Production for the series started in 1985.
During the show's cancellation in 1988, re-runs continued to air until 24 July 1989. A CGI revival of the series was announced in 2009 with a movie set for Summer 2010 with the production of the reboot was ready to being made in 2007 but they were both cancelled and the production of the Wizbit revival stopped. Books based on said revival have been released however.
The show has also aired overseas being shown in Singapore, Ireland and Malaysia as well as on British forces television in Germany and Cyprus.