Bitz & Bob is a children's animated television series that originally aired on CBeebies.[2] The series focuses on the adventures of a sister and brother, who explore various concepts related to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) through imaginative play and problem-solving.

Bitz & Bob
Created byDaniel Bays
Directed byKitty Taylor
Theme music composerSanj Sen
Opening themeWork it Out
ComposerMick Cooke
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Canada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes44
Production
Executive producers
  • Vanessa Amberleigh
  • Bob Higgins
ProducerBarry Quinn
Running time10 minutes
Production companiesBBC Children's Productions[1]
FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment (series 1)
Jellyfish Pictures
Boat Rocker Media (series 2)
Original release
NetworkCBeebies
ReleaseMarch 12, 2018 (2018-03-12) –
March 8, 2020 (2020-03-08)

Premise

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The series centers on Bitz, an inventive and resourceful girl, and her younger brother Bob. Together, they embark on adventures in Craft City, a technologically advanced city where they utilize their STEAM skills to solve problems and overcome challenges. [3]

Characters

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Bitz (voiced by Dolly Heavey) is Bob’s older sister who solves problems, builds, and fixes. She has a younger brother, Bob. Her catchphrase is: "Time for a Bitz brain blitz!"

Bob (voiced by Duke Davis) is Bitz's younger brother. He is dressed as a robot/dinosaur made out of cardboard. He helps out Bitz to solve problems. His catchphrase is: "Bitz blitzed it!" and "Awesome!"

Purl (voiced by Maria Darling) is a soft ragdoll (she wears rollerskates on some episode) and Bitz's bestie. She is a perfectionist, and loves adding a touch of glitter on every project. Her catchphrase is "Oh my shiny sequins!"

Bevel (voiced by Rob Delaney[4]) is a cool monster-like action figure and power tool and is Bob's favorite toy. He is an ultimate action guy with a sensitive side, but not truly clever or brave. He speaks with an American accent, his catchphrase is "BOO-YAH!" which he says in every occasion.

Zip and Pop (voiced by Marc Silk and Maria Darling respectively) are two slapstick-loving, practical joking brother and sister zip up cloth dolls. They can carry tools and mechanical stuff. In a clumsy, curious and comical double act, they find pretty much everything hilarious. Impulsive and impetuous, they do not like being alone, sitting still or being unzipped.[5]

Production

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BBC and FremantleMedia produced the series along with Jellyfish Pictures.[2]

After Boat Rocker Media acquired FremantleMedia's Kids and Family Division, they started producing it.[6]

Broadcast

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The series aired on TVOKids and Knowledge Kids in Canada, EBS in South Korea, SVT in Sweden, NRK in Norway, YLE in Finland, Hop! Channel in Israel, KiKa in Germany, Nat Geo Kids in Latin America and Brazil, Kiwi TV in Hungary, Minimax in Czech, TVP ABC in Poland, BNT 2 in Bulgaria, France 5 in France, and GOOD TV in Taiwan. In some territories, it was offered to show it on Nick Jr. or Disney Junior. In Scotland, it was shown in BBC Alba and translated in Scot Gaelic as Bitz agus Bob (similar to predecessor back in 2001).[7]

You Can Do it Too!

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A complementary short-form live-action companion show, Bitz & Bob: You Can Do It Too!, offers viewers the opportunity to experiment with a related STEAM project at home. [8]

References

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  1. ^ Known as CBeebies Production for the first season.
  2. ^ a b Milligan, Mercedes (17 June 2016). "CBeebies and FME Kids Engineer 'Bitz & Bob'". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  3. ^ "BBC - Bitz & Bob - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Rob Delaney interview - Bitz & Bob". British Comedy Guide. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  5. ^ "BBC - The Characters - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  6. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (7 February 2019). "Bob Higgins Named EVP Kids & Family Content at Boat Rocker Studios". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Boat Rocker takes Bitz & Bob worldwide". Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Bitz & Bob: You Can Do It Too Archives". Animation Magazine. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2019.