The Crunch! (partially found Nickelodeon UK interactive show; 2005)

The show's logo.

Status: Partially Found

The Crunch! was a morning TV block on Nickelodeon UK, presented by Ed Petrie, Beth Palmer, Mark Felgate, and later Sy Thomas. The show was broadcast daily "as live,"^[1] and took place in the basement of Nick Towers.^[2] It featured studio games and skits that aired between Nicktoons and live action shows. The program also featured celebrity guest performances and interviews. At the time, The Crunch! was the only breakfast show aimed at kids.^[3]

The Kid Crew and Interactive Programming

The Crunch! was envisioned as an interactive show that gave kids an active role in the production.^[3] In addition to features that allowed viewers to engage online,^[4]^[5] each episode featured a Kid Crew of four kids who helped with various production tasks, such as sound technician or camera operator.^[3] The Kid Crew also participated in studio games and skits, and were described as being quite vocal.^[2]

Notable Skits

The Crunch! featured many memorable skits, including the comedic skits involving the show’s signature substance S.C.U.M.M. (an acronym for Sticky, Clammy, Unpleasantly Messy Materials). Noteworthy skits included the SCUMM Gameshow, SCUMM National (a mock horse race), Going, Going... SCUMM (an auction-style skit), and SCUMM-Ba-Yah (a musical scout camp skit, complete with hippie commune members). The presenters often played recurring characters for these skits, showcasing their comedic versatility.

Schedule, Programming, and Popularity

The Crunch! aired weekday mornings from 7-9am from 2005-2006. It also aired briefly as an afternoon block. There was also a summer edition known as The Crunch!: Summer Sizzle. Nickelodeon shows that aired during the block included Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, My Parents Are Aliens, SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly Odd Parents.^[4]^[6] At one point, The Crunch! was the highest rated programme on Nickelodeon UK.^[7] The Nick Towers illustration produced for the show by The Boy Fitz Hammond was an iconic part of Nickelodeon UK branding in the mid-2000s.^[8]^[5]

Availability Status

The show survives mainly in a few brief fragments or clips, such as those found as part of presenter demo reels or Nickelodeon fan edits. Very few of such clips have surfaced. Further, Nickelodeon representatives have confirmed that no archive was kept of their live shows, and the master tapes were likely thrown out or lost over the course of several UK headquarters location changes. Due to Nickelodeon parent company Viacom's lack of archiving,^[9] it is likely that the only surviving archive of the show comes from home recordings made by viewers. Of the approximately 400 episodes made, very little footage is known to exist.

Update Log

July 22nd, 2023 – YouTube user Nostalgia Lover found a complete episode from April 19th, 2005.. Although that channel was lost, the episode was subsequently re-uploaded.