A new documentary show celebrating the greatest toys of all time and featuring celebrities given exclusive after-hours access to play in Hamleys iconic Regent Street store will air on prime-time Channel 4 this Christmas.
ITN Productions was commissioned to produce the 90-minute programme – Top Toys of All Time (w/t) featuring Jonathan Ross and daughter Honey, Alison Hammond and son Aidan and best friends and comedians Lou Sanders and Harriet Kemsley.
The programme concept is loosely based upon the high-profile campaign launched by Hamleys this summer when its senior buying team created a definitive toy list to mark the acclaimed retailer’s 265th birthday. It looked back to toys and games that had their origins centuries ago with eternal classics we still see around today including the hula hoop, spinning tops and marbles. It also plotted the impact of tech, motorisation and the emergence of the early electronic and digital eras with classics like Etch A Sketch, Simon, Scalextric, LeapPad, Speak & Spell.
The celebrities were given exclusive after-hours access to run wild in the iconic Regent Street toy store, reliving the excitement of playing with beloved toys from their childhoods. The programme also dips into a rich archive, which will bring back fond memories of these classics, including ads and TV commercials from the 70s and 80s, as well as commentary from experts and historians.
Victoria Kay, Head of Buying and Merchandising at Hamleys said: “We had an incredible response when we launched our Top Toys of All Time list back in the summer – people loved the fun and nostalgia of it all – from media to countless customers and commentators all over the world. They debated their favourites, shared their memories – the topic has a wonderful universality about it. For this Channel 4 documentary, the ITN Productions team has tapped into the love of toys, childhood and play and sought to bring out the intense excitement and warmth to life that we witness every day in our Regent Store and across our stores worldwide. We love the Show and are as excited as a child in a toy shop to share it with the world!”
Jeremy Daldry, ITN Productions’ deputy head of UK factual, said: “Running amok in Hamleys is every big kids’ dream and it’s just as exciting to have that access as a producer. This is an unashamed feelgood documentary, celebrating the classic toys, games and crazes from the last 200 years. Our celebrities get to relive their favourite toys through the magic of Hamleys after hours and we all get to indulge in some nostalgia for Christmases past through the heart-warming archive.”
