RollerCoaster is a children's television show on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia. Hosted by Elliot Spencer, it is aimed at an older audience than ABC Kids, and is time-shifted between ABC TV and the digital-only ABC2. It is a wrapper show incorporating generally three or four animated or live action shows aimed at old children and young teenage audiences. The host, Elliot Spencer is usually the only person on camera, dressing up as characters for short sketches sometimes, though on occasion the Rollercoaster filming crew appear in gags. Elliot generally tells a few did you know? style facts about the shows or random events linked to the show or current affairs. There are also several recurring segments. In 2008, there are reports that Rosie Beaton, of Triple J and jtv Saturday, may be joining Elliot Spencer with hosting of the show. However this is yet to be confirmed.
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Schedule
History
The series began in February 2005, replacing a similar show called Couch Potato (TV show). It breaks during the Australian summer school holidays and is replaced by a special Christmas line-up. During the holidays there are generally two or three popular shows repeated every day, rather than interchanging every day. In 2006/2007 summer these were: Angela Anaconda, Bernard, Parallax, Corneil and Bernie and Avatar: The Last Airbender. (Time Cracks was shown in Tasmania in place of Bernard, which is a short program created by the Tasmanian Government featuring cartoon characters Emily the echidna, Milo the dog, and 58 the sheep who are time travellers working for a magazine.) Sometimes instead of the usual three or four shows a 'special' will be shown. These have included 'double episodes' of Degrassi: The Next Generation and the Edgar and Ellen Specials. Wallace and Grommit stop motion animation movies are shown as well. From Monday June 19 2006, Rollercoaster Rewind began on ABC TV, which is a repeat of the programming from 4 months earlier in reverse order. (As of 9 July 2007, this was changed so that the programmes were in the correct order, but currently this has only been applied to the new Monday line-up) Friday December 21 2007, was the last show of RollerCoaster TV on ABC-TV for 2007, and will return on Monday February 25 2008.
Segments and Features
Regular segments include:
- 'Feed Me', a cooking segment where Elliot attempts to cook and then try a recipe sent in by an audience member
- 'Feedback', for feedback on general related issues concerning the show
- 'Talk To Me', a more detailed feedback segment
- 'Where in the World Am I?', where Elliot gives clues and then reveals a location on a digital globe
- 'Briefing', done in classic spy genre style before airing The Secret Show and
- 'Youchoos', a poll style segment used to decide whether to keep or replace shows.
- Rosie Beaton, a Triple J radio host regularly talks to Elliot on Fridays about her JTV Saturday television show on the ABC.
Other segments are used only once or rarely, as in the 'Rollocracy Polls'. In these the viewers vote on a viewers question, like what name there pet or musical band should be. Also, on occasion Elliot travels to a school to do a segment with the students. Rollercoaster is filmed in the Perth ABC studios, and so the schools have so far all been in Western Australia. In the 2005 and 2006 the Chatter segment featured Elliot reading out chat board discussions from the website of the show. When a new show is scheduled to begin, a news style segment is generally featured a week earlier, with Elliot using a microphone prop and news set graphic. He will show a short clip of the new show and generally after this make a comment or joke about it. Elliot often makes references to other ABC shows in humour or information and before his Friday segment with Rosie Beaton began, he informed viewers about jtv. He has referenced such shows as Arthur, Doctor Who and Play School. Graphics for the show are made using Chromakey, or a green screen. This means many gags, information segments, and backgrounds, can be used and changed quickly. Props are kept to a minimum, like in the Feed Me segment where a preparation table and mixing bowl are used, or in Chatter and other segments where a retro style yellow table appears. The theme tune was fully played in 2005 along with a video clip featuring Nick Hardcastle and a man dressed as a rabbit. The opening graphics are computer generated and feature an interdimensional trip through a fantastic world of images and 3D graphics, culminating by racing through a portal into a white universe with a complex 3D image of a space station style city with roads, skyscrapers, cars, butterflies and robots before the Rollercoaster logo appears from outside the screen to form itself in front of the base of the floating city. This theme has remained unchanged since 2005.
Website
Rollercoaster is also the name of the show's website, which was created a few years previous to the show itself and features the phrase 'Rhymes with toaster'. The website itself was advertised as 'Rollercoaster' on the current timeslot taken by the show for a couple of years before the show began. The website features articles on shows and games and other entertainment related to shows or the general youth genre. This site is also where polls, voting and feedback is submitted and together the show and site form the overall Rollercoaster.
Current Shows
As of December 31, 2007, RollerCoaster's schedule is as follows:
RollerCoaster Rewind (ABC-TV) Monday
6.00am: Carl Squared Season 3 (repeats)
6.25am: A Town Called Panic (repeats)
6.30am: Erky Perky (repeats)
6.45am: Skunk Fu (repeats)
Tuesday
6.00am: The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers (repeats)
6.10am: Dinosapien (Specials) (repeats)
6.35am: Iggy Arbuckle (repeats)
Wednesday
6.00am: Freaky (repeats)
6.10am: Daria Season 4 (repeats)
6.30am: Edgar and Ellen (Shorts) (repeats)
6.35am: Naturally, Sadie Season 2 (repeats)
Thursday
6.00am: Naughty Naughty Pets (repeats)
6.05am: Avatar: The Last Airbender (repeats)
6.25am: Princess Natasha (repeats)
6.35am: Time Warp Trio (repeats)
Friday
6.00am: I Dream (repeats)
6.25am: Growing Up Creepie (repeats)
6.45am: The Secret Show (repeats)
Rollercoaster TV (ABC-TV) Currently off air, until Monday February 25 2008. Rollercoaster TV (ABC2) Monday
6.00pm: Living It (repeats)
6.25pm: Yam Roll (repeats)
6.35pm: The New Captain Scarlet (repeats)
Tuesday
6.00pm: 6Teen
6.20pm: Dust Echoes (repeats)
6.30pm: Radio Free Roscoe Season 2 (repeats)
Wednesday
6.00pm: Fraggle Rock
6.25pm: Grizzly Tales For Gruesome Kids (repeats)
6.35pm: Delilah and Julius
Thursday
6.00pm: 2030CE Season 1 (repeats)
6.25pm: Girl Stuff, Boy Stuff (repeats)
6.35pm: Class Of The Titans (repeats)
Friday
6.00pm: Carl Squared Season 2
6.24pm: A Town Called Panic (repeats)
6.30pm: Being Ian Season 1 (repeats)
6.50pm: Princess Natasha (repeats)
See also
External links
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| Divisions | Television · News and Current Affairs · Radio and Regional Content · Innovation · Commercial · International, Corporate Strategy, and Governance |
| History | History of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation · Australian Broadcasting Company · Timeline of Australian television |
| Governance | ABC Board · Mark Scott (Managing Director) · Maurice Newman (Chairperson) |
| See also | Programs · ABC News · ABC Kids · ABC Rural · Natural History Unit · Rollercoaster · Symphony Australia · Television in Australia |
