The 8:15 from Manchester facts for kids

The 8:15 from Manchester was a British children's television series that aired on BBC1 from 21 April 1990 to 14 September 1991. The programme broadcast on Saturday mornings and filmed from Manchester. The show took its name from the train departing from Manchester Piccadilly station for London Euston, which was, and still is at 08:15. It was presented by Ross King and Charlotte Hindle. BBC Radio 1 and subsequently BBC North West weather presenter Dianne Oxberry joined for the second series.

The format was very similar to Going Live!, with imported cartoons (Rude Dog and the Dweebs, The Jetsons and Defenders of the Earth) punctuating items, such as games, music performances and interviews. A regular segment was The Wetter The Better, a game show based in a swimming pool (filmed in Blackpool) and hosted by Ross King. A weekly drama was shown, in which the short episode ended in a dilemma of some sort (e.g. should x tell her sister that y has been cheating on her). Two endings had been filmed and viewers telephoned to vote which ending would be shown.

The first series came out of studio C in BBC Manchester (on Oxford Road), which was really the scene dock between the main network studio (A), and the regional studio (B). On Thursday evening all the scenery and sets were wheeled out into studio B and everyone moved into the space left to rehearse on Friday mornings. Studio A was eventually used for the second series.

Transmissions