Rollercoaster (TV series)
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Children's television |
| Founded | January 2005 |
| Defunct | January 2010 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Key people | Elliot Spencer (host) |
| Products | Children's TV programming |
RollerCoaster was a children's TV program aired by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between January 2005 and January 2010. The show, hosted by Elliot Spencer, was aimed at an older demographic compared to ABC For Kids.
Functioning as a "wrapper" format, RollerCoaster integrated three to five externally sourced animated series (previously including some live-action content) alongside studio or on-location segments produced locally and presented by Spencer. The program catered to older children and early teenagers, with Spencer primarily hosting solo but sometimes joined by production team members in comedic sketches. Regular segments featured collaborations with Ruben Meerman, known as "The Surfing Scientist".
To comply with Australian content quotas, broadcasters often employ local hosts to "wrap" pre-made segments, providing an economical solution for children's programming. These wrapper portions are generally low-cost and pre-recorded, while the main content—mostly short animated series—is purchased inexpensively via package deals from producers in countries like the US, UK, Canada, and New Zealand.
The lineup on RollerCoaster included a variety of brief animated shows such as Shaun the Sheep and The Mr. Men Show, alongside longer animated or live-action titles including Roman Mysteries, Wolverine and the X-Men, Pokémon, 6Teen, Atomic Betty, Bakugan Battle Brawlers , Lizzie Mcguire, Zoey 101, The Fairly OddParents, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Although these programs were originally created for commercial networks with advertising breaks, they were broadcast without commercials on ABC, leading to slightly reduced running times.
Locally created segments hosted by Spencer included recurring features such as "Fetch", "Feed Me", "Now Poll", "MEE News", "The Surfing Scientist", and "Professor Slo and Doctor Mo". Many of these incorporated audience participation through email and moderated online forums.
On 30 January 2010, Elliot Spencer announced his resignation after five years as presenter. The ABC decided not to appoint a new host, resulting in the show's conclusion. It was subsequently replaced by Studio 3.
Launch
Premiering in January 2005, the series took over from The Afternoon Show. During Australia's summer school break, it typically aired three or four popular programs repeatedly each day instead of cycling through different shows. Occasionally, special episodes were broadcast, including double features of Degrassi: The Next Generation, specials from Edgar and Ellen, and stop-motion films featuring Wallace and Gromit. Each year’s final week showcased Christmas or holiday-themed episodes from previously aired series.
Broadcasting
The studio segments utilized Chroma key (green screen) technology to allow rapid background changes and visual effects. The set was sparsely furnished with props such as a preparation table and mixing bowl used in the Feed Me segment or a vintage yellow table branded with the RollerCoaster logo for Chatter and other features.
Rewind
Beginning on 19 June 2006, RollerCoaster Rewind was broadcast on ABC1 during early weekday mornings. Initially, it presented programs from four months earlier in reverse chronological order. From 9 July 2007 onward, it switched to chronological order before reverting back again. Since Rewind aired during the non-ratings period while the main show did not, by early 2008 it had caught up with current episodes. ABC then replaced early morning shows until Rewind resumed from its paused point.
The final episode of 2007 aired on 21 December; broadcasting resumed on 25 February 2008.
Revamp
On 2 March 2009, the broadcast time shifted from 5:00–6:00 p.m. to an earlier slot of 4:00–5:00 p.m. AEST. The presentation style transitioned from a green screen setup to filming on a physical set, while maintaining the wrapper format and segment structure. Instead of rotating programs, each weekday featured a consistent lineup dedicated exclusively to animation, with live-action content scheduled in the subsequent hour.
ABC3
Starting 7 December 2009, RollerCoaster expanded its reach by airing on the newly introduced children's channel ABC3, in addition to its original 4–5 p.m. timeslot on ABC1. During the 2009–10 school holidays, ABC3 broadcast a special version called RollerCoaster on Vacation, similar to the earlier RollerCoaster Rewind.
Ending
In the final episode aired on Friday, 29 January 2010, Spencer announced his exit from the show, expressing gratitude to the audience for five years as both presenter and writer. By this time, the primary RollerCoaster website redirected visitors to the new ABC3 online platform; certain pages like "Elliot's Blah" remained accessible but included notices indicating they were no longer updated and provided links to the revamped RollerCoaster section on ABC3. The episode concluded with Elliot performing a song entitled "Bye for now, not forever!" reflecting on the program’s five-year journey.
Segments and features
RollerCoaster regularly hosted themed weeks aimed at promoting particular events or series, including Roma Week (2007) for Roman Mysteries, as well as Christmas Week, Magic Week, Feed Me Week, Sports Week, and character-themed weeks featuring Elliot in various costumes. In 2009, themed days were introduced to complement these weekly focuses.
The program also implemented themed days throughout its run: in 2007, 'All New Tuesday' (ANT) showcased entirely new episodes; Thursdays were designated 'Rollertoons Day.' By 2008, Tuesdays became 'Rollertoons Day,' Thursdays highlighted Australian productions, Fridays adopted a spooky theme, and Mondays were reserved for comedy under 'LOL Day.' This thematic scheduling was discontinued in 2009.
Consistent segments included:
- Feed Me: Elliot prepared recipes submitted by viewers (Wednesdays)
- Feedback: Viewer correspondence read aloud by Elliot (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
- Chatter: Viewer interactions including jokes and acronyms (Tuesdays)
- LOCIW: Viewer-submitted acronyms presented by Elliot (Mondays)
- Fetch: Invented words woven into stories (Fridays)
- What Career am I?: Clues about professions followed by guest challenges; similar formats included "Where in the world am I?" and "Which Olympian am I?"
- Elliot and The Surfing Scientist: Science demonstrations with Ruben Meerman (Tuesdays)
- El Lamo World Records: Viewer-record attempts performed live by Elliot (Tuesdays)
- Roller Tale: Audience stories featuring Elliot’s alter egos acted out on air (Fridays; now ended)
- Sponge Brain Quiz/Whizz Quiz: True/false quizzes related to shows or nature themes, later expanded (Wednesdays)
- MEE News: Elliot portraying Michael Eion Everyringtone delivering news updates (Fridays)
- NOW: Polls or questions posed to viewers with results revealed in subsequent episodes (Monday–Thursday)
- Replay Bits That We've Played Already: Re-airing viewer-requested segments (Thursdays)
- Professor Slo and Doctor Mo: Slow-motion scientific experiments featuring Ruben Meerman (Thursdays)
- Triple Triple Triplets/'The Kransky Sisters: Music critique segments (Mondays)
- Jaxon's 5: Food correspondent showcasing top five meal highlights (Wednesdays)
- Book reviews by Hugh Hutchison (day unspecified)
- Jade's Movies: Film reviews accompanied by ratings out of five stars (Mondays)
- T5: Tongue-twister challenges read by Elliot (Fridays)
- Talk to Me: Responses to viewer questions by Elliot
- Best of ABC3: Interactive viewer content via RollerCoaster on ABC3
- Zimmer Twins: Short films created by children nationwide, also broadcast on Teletoon Canada
Occasional or one-off features included segments such as Your Jokes and temporary fillers updating NOW technology content.
The studio employed Chroma Key technology for background changes and visual gags with ease. Prop use was minimal—for example, a preparation table during Feed Me or a vintage yellow table used in Chatter segments—both branded with RollerCoaster logos.
The theme song "(RollerCoaster)" was co-composed and performed by former ABC-TV presenter Nick Hardcastle. Since its introduction in 2005, the opening sequence has showcased computer-generated imagery depicting an interdimensional journey culminating in the RollerCoaster logo appearing over a futuristic cityscape. The theme’s duration slightly varied from approximately 23 seconds between 2005 and 2008 to about 28 seconds on some occasions in 2009 but remained largely consistent.
Website
Before the program aired, the "RollerCoaster" website was introduced and consistently advertised under the 'RollerCoaster' name during the show's scheduled broadcast time for multiple years. The site provides content focused on youth-targeted television programs, games, and entertainment, complemented by interactive elements like surveys, voting options, and opportunities for audience feedback.