Fun Song Factory
Fun Song Factory is a British preschool children's show originally filmed for video. It was created in 1994 by Will Brenton and Iain Lauchlan, part of the Playdays production team. Seven shows made exclusively for release on VHS between 1994-1997 presented by Lauchlan and Dave Benson Phillips. The videos sold a total of 750,000 copies in the UK before a series was commissioned by GMTV in 1998 The BAFTA-nominated TV show was originally presented by Justin Fletcher, Katy Stephens, Karl Woolley, Alex Lovell and again Dave Benson Phillips alongside a costumed character named Ozzy who also starred in the later video recordings. This show was nominated for a BAFTA in 1998. In 2004, CITV commissioned an updated version with shorter episodes, featuring a new cast that included a puppet named Harry.
| Fun Song Factory | |
|---|---|
 Logo for the 2004 series | |
| Genre | Children's Pre-School |
| Created by | Will Brenton & Iain Lauchlan |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 92 (7 live) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Tell-Tale Productions |
| Running time | 20 mins (GMTV Series) 10 mins (CITV Series) |
| Production company(s) | Tell-Tale Productions Abbey Broadcast Communications (Original DTV Videos and 1998 TV series) Entertainment Rights PLC (2004 series) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV Network (CITV/GMTV) |
| Original release | 1994 – 2006 |
Original production
It was created in 1994 by Will Brenton and Iain Lauchlan, part of the Playdays production team, who later went on to create and produce Tweenies, Boo!, BB3B, and Jim Jam and Sunny.
The first production was a show made exclusively for release on VHS, filmed at the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon, presented by Iain Lauchlan, Sarah Davison and Dave Benson Phillips. The video was a commercial success, and led to a second being filmed at Chicken Shed in North London, this time presented by Iain, Dave, and Michelle Durler.
Seven videos were shot, selling a combined total of 750,000 copies in the UK before it was commissioned by GMTV for a series in 1998. The TV show was originally presented by Justin Fletcher, Katy Stephens, Karl Woolley, Alex Lovell, and Dave Benson Phillips alongside a costumed character named Ozzy who also starred in the later video productions. This show was nominated for a BAFTA in 1998.
Reboot production
In 2004, CITV commissioned an updated version of the show featuring an all new cast. The cast members in this version all had acting names rather than using their real names. The cast for this new version was Aston Merrygold of JLS as Cookie, Laura Hamilton as Melody, Chris Till as OJ, Kerry Newell as Cal, and Polly Parsons as Paige. They were joined by Ozzy from the previous series and a puppet named Harry. The episodes were also shorter than in the 1998 version, as they lasted 10 minutes rather than 20.
Live Shows (1994-97)
- Fun Song Factory (1 December 1994) - Presented by Iain Lauchlan, Sarah Davison and Dave Benson Phillips
- Fun Song Factory 2 (5 January 1996) - Presented by Iain Lauchlan, Michelle Durler and Dave Benson Phillips
- Party Time at the Fun Song Factory (26 July 1996) - Presented by Iain Lauchlan, Sarah Davison and Dave Benson Phillips
- The Fun Song Factory at Old MacDonald's Farm (28 September 1996) - Presented by Iain Lauchlan, Sarah Davison and Dave Benson Phillips
- Christmas at the Fun Song Factory (30 November 1996) - Presented by Iain Lauchlan, Sarah Davison and Dave Benson Phillips
- Fun Song Factory - Fun and Games (24 September 1997) - Presented by Iain Lauchlan, Katy Stephens and Dave Benson Phillips
- Fun Song Factory - Nursery Rhyme Land (5 November 1997) - Presented by Iain Lauchlan, Sarah Davison and Dave Benson Phillips
UK VHS and DVD releases
- Abbey Home Media (then named Abbey Home Entertainment, through Tempo Pre-School, 1994–1998)
- PolyGram Video (1999)
- Universal Studios Home Entertainment (1999–2007)
- Right Entertainment (2004–2007)
| VHS Title | Release Date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Fun Song Factory: Colours, Collywobbles and Hide and Seek (0585923) | 14 September 1998 | Colours, Collywobbles, Hide and Seek |
| Fun Song Factory: Please and Thank You, Picnic Time and Helping (0585963) | 26 October 1998 | Please and Thank You, Picnic Time, Helping |
| Double the Fun at the Fun Song Factory (0419923) | 22 March 1999 | Birthdays, People Who Help, Sounds, Big and Small, Farm Animals, Numbers |
| Making Friends with the Fun Song Factory (0612613) | 12 July 1999 | Making Friends, Water, Senses |
| Fun Song Factory: Music (0619963) | 11 October 1999 | Music, Creepy Crawlies, Wild Animals |
| Fun Song Factory Double Pack: Out and About (0783623) | 20 March 2000 | Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Times of the Day, Letters and Words, Transport |
Fun Song Factory (1998 TV series) episodes
- "Birthdays" 30 May 1998
- "Sounds" 6 June 1998
- "Big and Small" 13 June 1998
- "Farm Animals" 20 June 1998
- "Numbers" 27 June 1998
- "Please and Thank You" 4 July 1998
- "Picnic Time" 11 July 1998
- "Helping" 18 July 1998
- "Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" 25 July 1998
- "Colours" 1 August 1998
- "Collywobbles" 8 August 1998
- "Hide and Seek" 15 August 1998
- "Making Friends" 22 August 1998
- "Senses" 29 August 1998
- "Music" 5 September 1998
- "Creepy Crawlies" 12 September 1998
- "Wild Animals" 19 September 1998
- "Times of the Day" 26 September 1998
- "Transport" 3 October 1998
- "Water" 10 October 1998
- "Seasons of the Year" 17 October 1998
- "Letters and Words" 24 October 1998
- "People Who Help" 31 October 1998