Harry Hill's Shark Infested Custard

Harry Hill's Shark Infested Custard
Created by	Harry Hill Dean Wilkinson
Starring	Harry Hill Joann Condon Ronne Coyles Dave Thompson Siobhan Hayes Jake Chaplin
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Production company	Avalon Television
Distributor	Avalon Distribution
Release
Original network	CITV
Original release	21 October 2005 (2005-10-21) – 13 January 2006 (2006-01-13)

Harry Hill's Shark Infested Custard is a children's television series that was broadcast in the United Kingdom from 21 October 2005 to 13 January 2006. The show marked the first and currently only venture of comedian Harry Hill into the world of television for children. The show later began airing on Cartoon Network in October 2011 despite only thirteen episodes ever being made.^[1]

The show became more widely known when it was made available online on YouTube in January 2022.

Background[]

The series was produced by the long running production team of Hill, Avalon Television, and was initially broadcast on ITV between October 2005 and January 2006. Hill co wrote the series with the comedian Dean Wilkinson.

The series was originally broadcast at 4:30 pm on Fridays on CITV, the children's programming on the ITV Network. It also co starred Siobhan Hayes, Ronne Coyles, Dave Thompson and Joann Condon.^[2][3] The name of the show was derived from the punchline of the well known children's joke; What's yellow and dangerous? Shark infested custard!.

The show was deemed new territory for Harry Hill, as prior to its broadcast he had never produced any television show intended for children. However for many years Hill, whose comedy has always generally been free of smut and harsh language, had appealed to a large audience of all ages with his comedic routines.

While it may have originally been a surprise when Hill announced his show plans on his website, the cross to children's entertainment by August 2005 was not entirely unexpected.^[4][5] Two books – Harry Hill's Whopping Great Joke Book and Harry Hill's Bumper Book of Bloopers were both released in 2006 to tie in with the series.^[6][7]

Cancellation[]

Hill was quoted to have said that thirteen episodes of the series were produced. However, after only six episodes the first episode was reran on the network on 2 December 2005, and from then nothing was broadcast. The official website was subsequently removed shortly afterwards.

Hill himself expressed concern and disappointment over the post production and editing of the series. His official website stated the show would return in Spring 2006.

Synopsis[]

In a very similar setup to his Channel 4 breakthrough series Harry Hill (1997), the show included various sketches, recurring jokes, musical numbers, a segment entitled Meet The Johnsons, in which Harry would invite any family with the surname Johnson onto the show, and a Multi-Coloured Swap Shop style game entitled Help The Aged.

The series also featured classic characters from Harry Hill, such as Stouffer the Cat and Harry's son from his first marriage – ventriloquist doll Garry Hill. Several new characters were also introduced: Burly Caroline, Harry Hill Snr., Speed Camera Boy, a giant, and a musical genius called Evelynne Hussey. The self aware formulaic style continued with each show ending on a song as per Harry Hill.

Overview[]

The following blurb was used to synopsise the series when originally broadcast:

"Families of Johnsons will flock to climb Harold Hill…… Got a family of Johnsons? Plastered celebrities will struggle to be recognised…… Natasha Kaplinsky, the tap dancing armadillo will defend her title in Harry's Pet Idol…… Have you got a pet to challenge this thick skinned prima donna?.

This is a rare opportunity to watch bald men spell, to marvel at Evelynne's wonderful instrument and to find a friend for Speed Camera Boy – if you're very quick! In the studio, hundreds of 8 to 11 year olds will out the woman with the annoying laugh… banish vegetables that don't look like Harry…. and if you've got a Nan, you too can have fifteen minutes of fame…".

Transmissions[]

References[]