CBBC Memories – Out Of Tune.

Out Of Tune (CBBC, 1996-1998)

This is yet another sitcom that was on CBBC throughout the late-90s. Out Of Tune was set in a small village called Little Wickton. But there isn’t that much to do in this quiet part of the country. So all of the local youngsters usually gather together at the village hall to perform songs as a choir, meaning that things soon get rather noisy. These include such trendy dudes as Street, Ice-D, and Mickey. And no, they aren’t rappers.

But because they want to spend time with other people of their age, singing in the choir isn’t really their priority, meaning that when it is time to perform, they make the most horrible tuneless racket. The vicar and his colleague Tony often despair, realising that they probably won’t get any better, however much they try to help them. As the episodes progress friendships are formed (and rivalries!), and lots of crazy things happen.

I don’t usually want to be negative about shows that I review, but if there was one thing that I remember not liking about Out Of Tune, it’s that there was a studio audience. But they consisted of children, so every scene was greeted by some high-pitched giggling (presumably not canned) that soon became rather irritating. I don’t recall any other CBBC or CITV sitcoms having an audience around this time, which is probably just as well.

Some of the cast members, who were in their teens at the time, soon went on to further success. Among those who appeared in the first series in 1996 were Jane Danson, who went on to play Leanne in Coronation Street (and indeed still does), Charlene Brooks, now best known for playing Janine in EastEnders, and there was some guy called James Corden as well. I wonder whatever happened to him.

There were 40 episodes of Out Of Tune in three series, so they definitely made the most of the idea. And these were repeated for a few years after, I think some even turned up in the early days of the CBBC Channel in 2002. I don’t think that there was ever a DVD release though, although barely any CBBC shows from this era were, I think this was a market that was never really tapped into, although it’s probably too late to do it now.