Matthew Butler (Tiswas)
Encyclopedia
Matthew James Butler is a former child performer who appeared on cult Saturday morning children's show Tiswas
in 1980 and 1981. He debuted on the show aged five, having won over presenter and producer Chris Tarrant
in an audition of children's acts.
Matthew's act was to sing "Bright Eyes
" in an endearingly childlike way, prompting laughter and applause from the audience, although Matthew himself did not seem aware of the comedy value of his singing. All of his recitals of 'Bright Eyes' were performed with him dressed in a bunny rabbit costume, holding a large felt carrot.
After his debut in early 1980, he was invited back two weeks later to sing another song - Pink Floyd
's "Another Brick in the Wall
". After this he would be invited back occasionally throughout this series and the next, always performing "Bright Eyes" – when not foiled by Tarrant's cry of "Not now, Matthew!"
Matthew's act rose to a cult status – he even had his cover of the song issued as a commercial single, although it failed to reach the top 100 in the British music charts. The song was included on The Four Bucketeers
LP, a piece of Tiswas merchandise. Matthew took the opportunity to perform his song in front of a paying audience at the Belgrade Theatre
in Coventry
, on the Tiswas team's Four Bucketeers tour.
His rabbit costume and carrot were made by his mother. According to Tiswas presenter Sally James "Matthew turned up in his rabbit suit and then one week she just turned up with all these rabbit suits for all of us – and all these carrots. It was just so bizarre, and we all wore them. I’ve still got mine! The last time I put it on, my kids were very little, and we said to them ‘If you look out of the window in a moment you’ll see the Easter bunny in the garden, putting Easter eggs around’. And so I hopped outside about five minutes later. You know, obviously they knew it was me, but it was quite fun".
" (the maiden name of Matthew's mother). Therefore, these days Matthew is known as Matthew Lewis.
's regional news bulletin for the West Midlands
invited Matthew to walk around the disused ATV
studios in Broad Street, Birmingham
.
, performing "Bright Eyes" in rabbit costumes in a tribute to Matthew's time on Tiswas. The act was visually different from the Tiswas days, with Matthew now a thirty-year-old man, although he brought along his rabbit costume and struggled to put it on during the act for comic effect. The show itself has been compared to Tiswas, and allowed an opportunity for hosts Dominic Wood
and Richard McCourt
to dispel false tabloid rumours which alleged the two were going to revive Tiswas on ITV.
Tiswas
Tiswas was a Saturday morning children's British television series which ran from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982 and was produced for the ITV network by ATV Network Limited....
in 1980 and 1981. He debuted on the show aged five, having won over presenter and producer Chris Tarrant
Chris Tarrant
Christopher John "Chris" Tarrant, OBE is an English radio and television broadcaster, now best known for hosting the first version of the television game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in the United Kingdom and later Ireland, as the two national versions of the show merged in 2002.Chris...
in an audition of children's acts.
Matthew's act was to sing "Bright Eyes
Bright Eyes (Art Garfunkel song)
"Bright Eyes" is a song written by Mike Batt, and performed by Art Garfunkel. It was used in the soundtrack of the 1978 film Watership Down and as such is considered the theme song of the film and the later television series adaptations. The track also appears on Garfunkel's fourth studio album,...
" in an endearingly childlike way, prompting laughter and applause from the audience, although Matthew himself did not seem aware of the comedy value of his singing. All of his recitals of 'Bright Eyes' were performed with him dressed in a bunny rabbit costume, holding a large felt carrot.
After his debut in early 1980, he was invited back two weeks later to sing another song - Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's "Another Brick in the Wall
Another Brick in the Wall
"Another Brick in the Wall" is the title of three songs set to variations of the same basic theme, on Pink Floyd's 1979 rock opera, The Wall, subtitled Part 1 , Part 2 , and Part 3...
". After this he would be invited back occasionally throughout this series and the next, always performing "Bright Eyes" – when not foiled by Tarrant's cry of "Not now, Matthew!"
Matthew's act rose to a cult status – he even had his cover of the song issued as a commercial single, although it failed to reach the top 100 in the British music charts. The song was included on The Four Bucketeers
Four Bucketeers
The Four Bucketeers were an ad-hoc music/water-throwing group from the ITV children's programme Tiswas.Officially, the Four were Chris Tarrant, Sally James, John Gorman and Bob Carolgees; sometimes Lenny Henry contributed as well. Gorman was the musical talent in the group, having been part of The...
LP, a piece of Tiswas merchandise. Matthew took the opportunity to perform his song in front of a paying audience at the Belgrade Theatre
Belgrade Theatre
The Belgrade Theatre is a live performance venue seating 858 and situated in Coventry, England. It was the first civic theatre to be built after the Second World War in Britain and as such was more than a place of entertainment...
in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, on the Tiswas team's Four Bucketeers tour.
His rabbit costume and carrot were made by his mother. According to Tiswas presenter Sally James "Matthew turned up in his rabbit suit and then one week she just turned up with all these rabbit suits for all of us – and all these carrots. It was just so bizarre, and we all wore them. I’ve still got mine! The last time I put it on, my kids were very little, and we said to them ‘If you look out of the window in a moment you’ll see the Easter bunny in the garden, putting Easter eggs around’. And so I hopped outside about five minutes later. You know, obviously they knew it was me, but it was quite fun".
Name change
After Tiswas, Matthew's parents split up, with some of the family, including Matthew, deciding to use the surname "LewisLewis (surname)
Lewis is a surname in the English language. It has several independent origins.One of origins of the surname, in England and Wales, is from the Norman personal name Lowis, Lodovicus. This name is composed of the Germanic elements hlod and wig, meaning "fame" and "war"...
" (the maiden name of Matthew's mother). Therefore, these days Matthew is known as Matthew Lewis.
Media interest
Despite having not made a performance since Tiswas, Matthew has remained a curious phenomenon with local press in the midlands area. He remains keen to talk about his time on the show, and joined up with Tiswas fansite TiswasOnline as a contributor and researcher in 2005. For the site launch, ITV1ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
's regional news bulletin for the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
invited Matthew to walk around the disused ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
studios in Broad Street, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
Radio show
Matthew featured as a guest on a Saturday morning programme on Wolverhampton Community Radio alongside former Tiswas presenter Sally James to talk about his time on the show. His interest in broadcasting and ease with the medium led him to gain his own weekly Saturday morning show on the station, playing a selection of indie music with sidekick "Savage" (aka Martin Southall), under the banner of The Matt and Savage Show. This programme moved to Sunday evenings in April 2007 at the same time that the station re-launched as WCR FMBright Eyes act in 2005
Matthew and three friends appeared on Saturday morning show Dick and Dom in Da BungalowDick and Dom in da Bungalow
Dick and Dom in da Bungalow was a CBBC children's entertainment television series presented by the duo Dick and Dom...
, performing "Bright Eyes" in rabbit costumes in a tribute to Matthew's time on Tiswas. The act was visually different from the Tiswas days, with Matthew now a thirty-year-old man, although he brought along his rabbit costume and struggled to put it on during the act for comic effect. The show itself has been compared to Tiswas, and allowed an opportunity for hosts Dominic Wood
Dominic Wood
Dominic Simon "Dom" Wood is an English entertainer, magician and presenter of radio and television, best known as one half of the double act Dick and Dom, with the other being Richard McCourt....
and Richard McCourt
Richard McCourt
Richard "Dick" McCourt is an English actor and presenter of radio and television, best known as one half of the comic duo Dick and Dom, with the other being Dominic Wood...
to dispel false tabloid rumours which alleged the two were going to revive Tiswas on ITV.
Tiswas Reunited – The 2007 Special
The programme Tiswas Reunited included 1 minute 20 seconds of Matthew's Tiswas performance, which Tarrant described as "one of my favourite items". Matthew was then "spotted" in the audience, wearing an adult-sized version of his rabbit suit, and was briefly interviewed by Sally James. No reference was made to Matthew's name change or subsequent career in the media.External links
- Chris Tarrant Fan Site Excellent Chris Tarrant website now featuring a special Matthew Butler page.