CITV's Other Alien Show That You Forgot Existed

When you think CITV and alien shows you automatically think My Parents Are Aliens, right? For seven years its whacky world kept us entertained after school but what you may have forgotten about was the another extraterrestrial offering from ITV, in the form of Mike and Angelo.

You know the one. It featured Tyler Butterworth and later, Tim Whitnall, as the ceiling walking, juggling alien who lived with numerous Mikes and various mother figures. I could not believe my eyes when I read today that the show ran for 11 years!

If you still can't place it, maybe the wonderful theme tune will refresh your memory.

I don't why it's stuck with me so long but I always absolutely that tune.

The show began in 1989 when a little kid called Mike found an alien in the wardrobe of his new house, where he'd just moved with his mother Rita. The original actor who played Angelo left the show after a year or two and was replaced by Tim Whitnall. In 1993 Mike was also replaced with another Mike, when his cousin moved into the house.

Played by Michael Benz, himself, Whitnall and Katy Murphy became the most memorable trio in the show's history, when Murphy joined the show as Katy Andrews. When Benz later left the show he was replaced by a Michaela, before the third and final Mike (Katy's nephew) joined the show for its final series.

The show's budget rarely extended past the surrounds of the house so you'd have to give the writers credit for being able to somehow squeeze a whopping 124 episodes out of it! I think it's fair to say Mike and Angelo have changed a lot in the intervening years.

Angelo then:

Angelo now:

Mike then:

Mike now:

I've skipped through a few epsiodes on YouTube today and while the canned laughter is jarring, to say the least, it still is my favourite alien related kids' tv show of the 1990s!