Ridgey Didge | |
---|---|
Genre | Children's television series |
Presented by |
Jared Robinsen Rebecca Hetherington Simon Watt Danny Carretti Chris Harriott Ashley Paske |
Theme music composer | Chris Harriott |
Country of origin | Australia |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 39 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Ian Fairweather |
Producer(s) | Penni-Anne Smith |
Location(s) | TEN Studios, North Ryde, New South Wales |
Running time | 52 minutes (excluding commercials) |
Release | |
Original network | Network Ten |
Picture format | 4:3 (PAL) |
Audio format | Stereo |
Original release | 7 September 1987 – 24 February 1989 |
Chronology | |
Preceded by | Off the Dish |
Followed by | Double Dare Australia |
Ridgey Didge was a popular Network Ten magazine television programme for children in Australia. The name is an Australian slang term meaning honest, true or the real thing.
A long-running series of 52-minute programmes, each studio-based episode was intended to be an entertaining voyage of adventure and discovery for the viewers, constantly covering new topics reflecting Australian life and culture. Location segments added to the mix. One episode recorded sealing a time capsule to commemorate Australia's bicentennial in 1988; the capsule was opened in 2001.
A team of presenters hosted each programme:
They were joined by puppet characters:
Other presenters of regular segments:
The lyrics in the signature tune repeated the words ridgey didge several times which became a catchphrase amongst the target audience. This was accompanied with a hand gesture. The three middle fingers of the right hand were closed, leaving the thumb and little finger extended; the hand was then twisted from side to side in time with the rhythm of the music.
The show aired between 1987 and 1989, Monday to Friday at 4 p.m. on Network TEN!
Produced by the in-house production department based at the TEN studios in North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia: