The Kid
Lest
we forget, in 1986 Fairnie starred in his very own TV series. The
Kid had successful runs on children's TV fitting in quite
nicely thank you very much to the traditional late afternoon schedules
and the prestigious Saturday morning slots. Scooby Doo, Jackanory,
Blue Peter, Steve Fairnie. Nice ring about it, eh? The show was written
and devised by Fairnie with David G. Rose and Mike Slee, and produced
by Kathy Rose. 
The
programmes gave Fairnie the chance to shine in a new environment,
drawing on his love of mime, slapstick and visual humour. The Kid
himself could be categorised somewhere between Jacques Tati and
Charles Chaplin, while the supporting cast were a timeless combination
of goodies and baddies. The setting was an eerily unreal row of
colourful terraced houses while a peculiar fluorescent pink three-wheeled
car was used to get around.
The theme from The Kid, written by Georg Kajanus and Henry Marsh (clip courtesy of David Rose).
The main aim of the series was to achieve a comic-strip
feel, with the viewer, or - if you will - reader, being whisked from
frame to frame as the stories unfolded. A real-life cartoon, no less.
This is how The Kid was described in the press package:
"THE
KID is an exciting new series of five minute programmes for children
- and adults. Each off-beat episode features three characters, in
various disguises, who share in THE KID's crazy live-action 'cartoon
style' adventures. Shot in a colourful and contemporary silent-movie
style, with all the latest video effects, the shows have a lively
modern soundtrack to complement the visual humour, bringing the pace
and excitement of a modern pop video to the topsy-turvy world of THE
KID.
The unique animated comic book feel, where the frames slide across screen, the bright and colourful images and the fast moving zany stories make these dynamic shows the silent movies of the eighties - great fun for KIDS... of all ages!"
The Kid is now available on DVD. For further information, send an e-mail to ElPresidente@LunaticRepublic.com!