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.

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)

VHS TitleRelease DateEpisodes
Fun Song Factory: Colours, Collywobbles and Hide and Seek 14 September 1998Colours, Collywobbles, Hide and Seek
Fun Song Factory: Please and Thank You, Picnic Time and Helping 26 October 1998Please and Thank You, Picnic Time, Helping
Double the Fun at the Fun Song Factory 22 March 1999Birthdays, People Who Help, Sounds, Big and Small, Farm Animals, Numbers
Making Friends with the Fun Song Factory 12 July 1999Making Friends, Water, Senses
Fun Song Factory: Music 11 October 1999Music, Creepy Crawlies, Wild Animals
Fun Song Factory Double Pack: Out and About 20 March 2000Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Times of the Day, Letters and Words, Transport

Fun Song Factory (1998 TV series) episodes