The Secret Show

The Secret Show is a British animated show produced by Collingwood O'Hare and commissioned by BBC Worldwide in partnership with BBC Children's. It debuted on 16 September 2006 during TMi on BBC Two. It debuted in North America on Nicktoons Network on 20 January 2007, and ended on 29 November 2010. It also used to air on CBBC, BBC One, Jetix Latin America, Disney Channel Germany, ABC11, Nickelodeon, BBC Kids, Teletoon+, MBC3, 2x2, Disney Channel Latin America, N1, TVB Pearl, RTÉ2 (as part of the network's children's programming lineup "The Den"), BFBS (being shown on the children's wrapper programme "Room 785"), Kids Central, CCN TV6 (with the series airing on the channel's cartoon lineup "TV6 Cartoon Express") and TSR 2. A total of 52 episodes were produced.
Details.
The show stars two secret agents, Anita Knight and Victor Volt as they try to save the world from the latest threats to civilization. They work for the secret organization, U.Z.Z, run by their commanding agent, whose codename is "changed daily" for reasons of security, always to an unusual or ridiculous phrase. U.Z.Z also comprises Professor Professor, whose inventions and scientific background frequently save the day; Special Agent Ray who often runs missions behind the scenes; and a large team of standard agents.
They frequently counter threats from their main enemy, T.H.E.M. - The Horrible Evil Menace. T.H.E.M is headed up by the evil antagonist in the series, Doctor Doctor, who is intent on taking over the world, and has her own crack team of agents called "Expendables" who wear billiard ball-style helmets. However, some episodes do feature a different set of enemies, such as the underground species of Imposters or Reptogators, the space alien Floaty Heads or Changed Daily's nanny as a child, who has world domination plans of her own. Many episodes feature a sealed orange cylinder, known only as "The Secret Thing". It is not known what the Secret Thing actually is, although in one episode Doctor Doctor steals it, however it is a fake, filled with confetti. Even when it is not central to the episode, the Secret Thing is always featured, half poking out from somewhere. Each episode also features a robotic spider walking up the wall and a four digit code which can be entered on the Secret Show website to unlock extras.
The show never starts as "The Secret Show", but rather as "The Fluffy Bunny Show" for young children, which features Sweet Little Granny in a rocking chair, with a banjo and six fluffy, pink bunnies. As she begins to sing the intro for her show, interrupted by agents for U.Z.Z. appear, headed by "Agent Ray", and commandeer the show, always using a different method of dispatch. The Secret Show then begins, much to Sweet Little Granny's dismay. The bunnies, however, frequently appear throughout the show in unexpected places. And in "A Purrfect Villain", Sweet Old Grandpa appears instead of Granny because she was getting a hip replacement operation. When the show gets interrupted by Ray, Grandpa picks up the bunnies and runs from the agents who appears many times in that episode. The US version sometimes edits this opening out of the broadcast.
Vehicles and equipment.
Skybike.
The Skybike is the standard-issue flying vehicle for U.Z.Z. Agents, similar in appearance to a jet ski, with a single jet or rocket motor at the back for propulsion, and two smaller retro-boosters on the front. Although, in the episode "Monument Racers", Professor Professor invented giant high-speed engines installed on the back of the Skybike, used to catch up with flying monuments. Skybikes are capable of vertical take off and landing, as well as being able to hover and fly backwards and have retractable tripod-style undercarriage. Most U.Z.Z. skybikes are blue, but Anita Knight's is green, and Victor Volt's is purple. Skybikes are equipped with many gadgets and equipment suitable for a large number of situations, including a Bike Cannon laser, retractable glass dome for use in outer space or underwater, claw-grips and magnets for grabbing, and even an 'Anti-Meteorite Force Field Deflector' to provide protection against space debris. The skybike was once stolen by Doctor Doctor. T.H.E.M. had also copied the vehicle but shares the shape of an arachnid, sometimes Doctor Doctor will ride on these sitting in the back of the spinneret (like a throne) while it's driven by an Expendable, similar to that of a Chariot.
Production and awards.
In 2007, "The Secret Show" won two Children's BAFTA Awards, one for the show itself (as Best Animated Show) and one for its web site (in the Best Interactive category).
"The Secret Show" has had several notable guest stars, including Tom Baker as Robert Baron, Stephen Fry as Lucky Leo, Penelope Keith as Nana Poo-Poo, Mike Reid as Mr Atom, and Felicity Kendal as Lucy Woo.