The Curiosity Show
Encyclopedia
The Curiosity Show was an Australia
n educational children's television show produced from 1972 to 1990, hosted by Prof. Rob Morrison and Dr. Deane Hutton
. The show was produced by Banksia Productions in South Australia
for the Nine Network
. 149 episodes were produced.
from 1965. The company planned to add some science segments in 1971 and sought assistance from the then South Australian Institute of Technology. Rob Morrison and Deane Hutton were selected as presenters and the segments were introduced as Humphrey B Bear's Curiosity Show. After positive reception from the audience, Banksia Productions and the Nine Network agreed to produce a spin-off series. Planning commenced with the working title The F Show.
From 1980 the show was reduced to 30 minutes, presented by Morrison and Hutton, with emphasis on science, nature and the environment.
The Curiosity Show won the coveted Prix Jeunesse in 1982 voted by peers from around the world as the best factual program for children.
The programme placed a strong emphasis on practical demonstrations of various science topics, and included activities such as floating a ping-pong ball on a stream of air, setting off a room full of mouse trap
s, and freezing objects with liquid nitrogen
.
Many segments described a sequence of steps to build something out of common household materials, which invariably ended with the phrase "here's one I prepared earlier". Hutton's catchphrase, after presenting a hypothesis he postulates the audience may be curious about, was to declare "well I'm glad you asked," before responding to the hypothesis. The use of household materials was initially due to the very low budget allocated for production, but this proved popular with the young audience who could easily replicate the demonstrations at home.
s of earth, air, fire and water.
The Children's Television Workshop wanted to make a version of the Curiosity Show using American scientists as presenters. Rob Morrison and Deane Hutton were consultants in the early planning stages. PBS didn't think that middle aged scientists would engage a young audience (despite the popularity of the format in Australia) and insisted that any science show be hosted/presented by young people. CTW eventually reworked the concept into 3-2-1 Contact
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n educational children's television show produced from 1972 to 1990, hosted by Prof. Rob Morrison and Dr. Deane Hutton
Deane Hutton
Dr Deane Hutton is one of Australia's best-known science communicators and futurists. For more than 25 years, he has been sharing his enthusiasm for science and technology with others through nation-wide television programs. Also, he has used books, radio and the internet in science communication...
. The show was produced by Banksia Productions in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
for the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
. 149 episodes were produced.
History
Banksia Productions produced the popular children's series Here's HumphreyHere's Humphrey
Here's Humphrey is an Australian children's television series first aired on Monday 24 May 1965. It featured a character known as Humphrey B. Bear. In the early days Humphrey was known as Bear Bear and was named Humphrey B. Bear as the result of an on-air competition...
from 1965. The company planned to add some science segments in 1971 and sought assistance from the then South Australian Institute of Technology. Rob Morrison and Deane Hutton were selected as presenters and the segments were introduced as Humphrey B Bear's Curiosity Show. After positive reception from the audience, Banksia Productions and the Nine Network agreed to produce a spin-off series. Planning commenced with the working title The F Show.
Format
From 1972 to 1980 the format was a 60 minute show presented by Rob Morrison, Deane Hutton, Ian Fairweather. The emphasis was on science but also included general craft and music. Producers were Neil Smith, Kate Kennedy White (1978-79) and James Lingwood (1980).From 1980 the show was reduced to 30 minutes, presented by Morrison and Hutton, with emphasis on science, nature and the environment.
The Curiosity Show won the coveted Prix Jeunesse in 1982 voted by peers from around the world as the best factual program for children.
The programme placed a strong emphasis on practical demonstrations of various science topics, and included activities such as floating a ping-pong ball on a stream of air, setting off a room full of mouse trap
Mouse Trap
Mouse Trap is a 1981 arcade game released by Exidy, similar to Pac-Man. It was ported to three home systems by Coleco; Coleco's ColecoVision, Mattel's Intellivision, and the Atari 2600.-Comparison to Pac-Man:...
s, and freezing objects with liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen is nitrogen in a liquid state at a very low temperature. It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. Liquid nitrogen is a colourless clear liquid with density of 0.807 g/mL at its boiling point and a dielectric constant of 1.4...
.
Many segments described a sequence of steps to build something out of common household materials, which invariably ended with the phrase "here's one I prepared earlier". Hutton's catchphrase, after presenting a hypothesis he postulates the audience may be curious about, was to declare "well I'm glad you asked," before responding to the hypothesis. The use of household materials was initially due to the very low budget allocated for production, but this proved popular with the young audience who could easily replicate the demonstrations at home.
Spin offs
Four companion books were available in 1981 produced by Jacaranda Press containing scientific explanations and instructions for experiments for children to perform at home. Each of the books was themed upon one of the four Western classical elementClassical element
Many philosophies and worldviews have a set of classical elements believed to reflect the simplest essential parts and principles of which anything consists or upon which the constitution and fundamental powers of anything are based. Most frequently, classical elements refer to ancient beliefs...
s of earth, air, fire and water.
The Children's Television Workshop wanted to make a version of the Curiosity Show using American scientists as presenters. Rob Morrison and Deane Hutton were consultants in the early planning stages. PBS didn't think that middle aged scientists would engage a young audience (despite the popularity of the format in Australia) and insisted that any science show be hosted/presented by young people. CTW eventually reworked the concept into 3-2-1 Contact
3-2-1 Contact
3-2-1 Contact is an American science educational television show that aired on PBS from 1980 to 1988, and an adjoining children's magazine. The show, a production of the Children's Television Workshop, teaches scientific principles and their applications. Dr. Edward G...
.