Bonkers!
Bonkers! was an ATV variety show, distributed by ITC Entertainment in the United States for syndication during the 1978-79 television season with 24 episodes in total being made,[1] and later airing in 1979 in the United Kingdom. Made at ATV's Elstree studios near London.
| Bonkers! | |
|---|---|
| Created by | The Hudson Brothers |
| Starring | Bob Monkhouse and The Hudson Brothers |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Jack Burns |
| Running time | 30 minutes (including commercials) |
| Production company(s) | ATV |
| Distributor | ITC Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | 4:3 |
| Original release | 1979 – 1979 |
Starring Bob Monkhouse and the Hudson Brothers – Bill, Brett and Mark – the show featured sketches, guest stars and musical numbers from the chorus dancers known as The Bonkerettes. Whilst not a big hit for ATV, it gained a cult audience in the United States where it was compared to Saturday Night Live.
After four episodes the show was curtailed in the UK by the 13-week-long ITV strike of 1979. When ITV returned only a small number of companies mainly Border Television, ATV, Granada and UTV broadcast a few additional episodes, however the series was not fully broadcast in the UK.