Chock-A-Block

Chock-A-Block
Chock-A-Block
Chockablock2-girlandtapereel.jpg
Genre Children's
Created by Michael Cole
Presented by Carol Leader
Fred Harris
Theme music composer Peter Gosling
Country of origin  United Kingdom
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13
Production
Executive producer(s) Cynthia Felgate
Producer(s) Michael Cole
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One
Original run 1981-05-21 – 1981-08-13
This article is about a children's television programme. "Chock-a-block" is also an English phrase meaning "packed" or "crowded".

Chock-A-Block was a BBC children's television programme, first shown in 1981 and repeated through to 1989 and shown as part of the children's programme cycle See-Saw (the "new" name for the cycle originally known as Watch with Mother). "Chock-A-Block" was an extremely large yellow computer, modelled to resemble a mainframe of the time; it filled the entire studio and provided the entire backdrop for the show. The presenter of the show supposedly played the part of a technician maintaining the computer; there were two presenters, Fred Harris ("Chock-A-Bloke") and Carol Leader ("Chock-A-Girl"), but only one appeared in each episode. At the start of the show, they would drive around the studio towards the machine in a small yellow electric car (with the catchphrase "Chock-A-Bloke (or Girl), checking in!").

The presenter would then use the machine to find out about a particular topic. The name "chock-a-block" was supposedly derived from the machine's ability to read data from "blocks" - which were just that, physical blocks painted different colours. A typical show would include dialogue from the presenter, a brief clip played on Chock-a-block's video screen, and the presenter recording a song on Chock-a-block's audio recorder (which resembled the reel-to-reel tape drives used on actual mainframes, but with a design below to cause the reels to resemble the eyes of a smiling face).

Episodes

# Title Presenter Airdate Catalogue#[1]
1 "UNKNOWN" Fred Harris May 21, 1981 (1981-05-21) LCHS566P
Featured the song "The Clock That Lost Its Tock". 
2 "Crow" Carol Leader. May 28, 1981 (1981-05-28) LCHS573Y
Featured the song "Ballad of Jo Crow". 
3 "The Sheep" Fred Harris May 28, 1981 (1981-05-28) LCHS567J
 
4 "The Train" Carol Leader June 11, 1981 (1981-06-11) LCHS574S
 
5 "The Sun and The Moon" Fred Harris June 18, 1981 (1981-06-18) LCHS568D
Featured the song "Out Shone a ray". 
6 "Magpie" Carol Leader June 25, 1981 (1981-06-25) LCHS575L
 
7 "UNKNOWN" Fred Harris July 2, 1981 (1981-07-02) LCHS569X
Featured the song "King Cole's Mole" 
8 "UNKNOWN" Carol Leader July 9, 1981 (1981-07-09) LCHS576F
 
9 "UNKNOWN" Fred Harris July 16, 1981 (1981-07-16) LCHS570R
Featured the song "The Dancing Pig" 
10 "Shoes" Carol Leader July 23, 1981 (1981-07-23) LCHS577A
 
11 "Words with "ake"?" Fred Harris July 30, 1981 (1981-07-30) LCHS571K
Featured the song "Drake on the Lake" 
12 "Bee At The Sea" Carol Leader August 6, 1981 (1981-08-06) LCHS578T
Featured the poem "If All The Seas Were One Sea". 
13 "UNKNOWN" Fred Harris August 13, 1981 (1981-08-13) LCHS572E
Featured the poem "Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, Where Have You Been?" 

The presenter Fred Harris went on to present the serious computing programme Micro Live and to become a personality strongly associated with computers in the public eye.

References

  1. ^ "BBC Catalogue: Chock-a-block". BBC. http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/series/CHOCK-A-BLOCK. Retrieved 2007-05-06. 

External links


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • chock-a-block — or chock·a·block (chŏkʹə blŏk ) adj. 1. Squeezed together; jammed: The cheering fans were chock a block in the stands. 2. Completely filled; stuffed: “I recommend the north shore chowder, chockablock with pieces of seasonal fish” (Charles… …   Universalium

  • chock-a-block — [ˌtʃɔk ə ˈblɔk US ˈtʃa:k ə ˌbla:k] adj [not before noun] BrE [Date: 1800 1900; Origin: chock a block with the wooden blocks of a tackle (= ropes for lifting) touching each other, so that no more can be lifted (1800 1900), from chock on block;… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • chock-a-block — adjective not usually before noun INFORMAL very full, so that there is not much room for anything or anyone else: chock a block with: It s an area that s chock a block with tourists …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • chock|a|block — chock a block or chock|a|block «CHOK uh BLOK», adjective. 1. (of tackle) with the blocks drawn close together. 2. Figurative. jammed together; crowded; packed: »The museum…keeps its members happy with a calendar chock a block with concerts,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • chock-a-block — ► ADJECTIVE informal ▪ crammed full. ORIGIN originally in nautical use, with reference to blocks in tackle running close together …   English terms dictionary

  • chock-a-block — adj. & adv. crammed close together; crammed full (a street chock a block with cars). Etymology: orig. Naut., with ref. to tackle with the two blocks run close together * * * adverb as completely as possible it was chock a block full • Syn: ↑chock …   Useful english dictionary

  • chock-a-block — [[t]tʃɒ̱k ə blɒ̱k[/t]] ADJ: v link ADJ, oft ADJ with n A place that is chock a block is very full of people, things, or vehicles. [INFORMAL] The small roads are chock a block with traffic. Syn: packed …   English dictionary

  • chock-a-block — UK / US adjective [not usually before noun] informal very full, so that there is not much room for anything or anyone else chock a block with: It s an area that s chock a block with tourists …   English dictionary

  • chock-a-block — adjective (not before noun) full of people or things that are very close to each other (+ with): Disneyland was chock a block with people that day …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • chock-a-block — /tʃɒk ə ˈblɒk/ (say chok uh blok) Colloquial –adjective Also, chocka, chocker, chokka. 1. full; overcrowded. –adverb 2. Nautical → two blocks (def. 1). 3. Also …  

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