The Curiosity Show
| The Curiosity Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Factual |
| Written by |
Deane Hutton Rob Morrison |
| Presented by |
Deane Hutton Rob Morrison |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English and some German |
| No. of seasons | 19 |
| No. of episodes | 500 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Running time | 60 minutes (1972-1980) 30 minutes (1981-1990) |
| Production company(s) | Banksia Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | Nine Network |
| Picture format | 4.3 PAL |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 1972 – 1990 |
The Curiosity Show is an Australian educational children's television show produced from 1972 to 1990, and hosted by zoologist Dr Rob Morrison and Dr Deane Hutton. The show was produced by Banksia Productions in South Australia for the Nine Network. 500 episodes were produced.
Banksia Productions produced the popular children's series Here's Humphrey from 1965. The company planned to add some science segments in 1971 and sought assistance from the then South Australian Institute of Technology. Rob Morrison and Deane Hutton were selected as presenters and the segments were introduced as Humphrey B Bear's Curiosity Show. After positive reception from the audience, Banksia Productions and the Nine Network agreed to produce a spin-off series. Planning commenced with the working title The F Show.
From 1972 to 1980 the format was a 60-minute show presented by Morrison, Hutton, Fairweather, Alister Smart, Belinda Davey, Gabrielle Kelly, Dr Mark Dwyer and Lynn Weston. The emphasis was on science but also included general craft and music. Producers were Neil Smith, Kate Kennedy White (1978–79), James Lingwood (1980) and Ian Smyth.
From 1980 the show was reduced to 30 minutes, presented by Morrison and Hutton, with emphasis on science, nature and the environment.
The Curiosity Show won many national and international awards, including the coveted Prix Jeunesse in 1984, voted by peers from around the world as the best factual program for children.
The program placed a strong emphasis on practical demonstrations of various science topics, and included activities such as floating a ping-pong ball on a stream of air, recreating historical devices, setting off a room full of mouse traps, the science of musical instruments and freezing objects with liquid nitrogen. Commonly, segments presented scientific concepts in the form of tricks and puzzles.
Many segments described a sequence of steps to build something out of common household materials with longer builds invariably ending with the phrase "here's one I prepared earlier" so as to keep the segment moving. Hutton's catchphrase, after presenting a hypothesis he postulates the audience may be curious about, was to declare "well, I'm glad you asked," before responding to the hypothesis. The use of household materials was deliberate, in order to demystify science and ensure that children, wherever they lived, could make what they needed rather than rely on buying it, and this proved popular with the young audience who could easily replicate the demonstrations at home. Morrison suggested that they should always show what they had made working so that children would know that their own constructions would work if made properly and also to show the limitations of the constructions to dispel any overambitious expectations. Both Morrison and Hutton always told viewers to get their parents' permission before building things or conducting experiments, especially if it involved the use of sharp objects such as knives or scissors or the use of flames or hot or dangerous liquids.
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