Hank Zipzer (TV series)

Hank Zipzer
Based on	Hank Zipzer: The World's Greatest Underachiever
Starring	Nick James Jayden Jean Paul-Denis Chloe Wong Felicity Montagu Nick Mohammed Jude Foley Juliet Cowan Neil Fitzmaurice Vincenzo Nicoli Madeline Holliday Henry Winkler Alicia Lai Javone Prince
Country of origin	UK
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	26
Release
Original network	CBBC
Original release	28 January 2014 – present

Hank Zipzer is a children's television series which stars Nick James in the titular role as a 12-year-old dyslexic schoolboy. The show is based on the series of books by Henry Winkler, who plays the character of Mr. Rock, Hank's music teacher. The first series premiered in January 2014 on CBBC and a second and third series have been commissioned.^[1] Unlike the books that take place in America, the series takes place in Britain. The second series began airing on 13 August 2015. Javone Prince made his first appearance as Mr Joy in series 2, episode 5, "Hank's Hero".

Plot

The series focuses on the misadventures of Hank Zipzer, a 12-year-old schoolboy who suffers from dyslexia. Hanks friends are called Franky and Ashley, and Nick McKelty is his nemesis. The show is based on Henry Winkler's Hank Zipzer children's books, which are based on his own experiences as a dyslexic child. In the show, he plays Hank's favourite teacher, Mr. Rock, who is based on Winkler's own music teacher. Javone Prince joined the cast in series 2.

Production

CBBC commissioned the series in 2013 to be produced by Kindle Entertainment, and filming commenced in October 2013.^[2][3] The show is filmed in St Catherine's Catholic High School in Halifax, Yorkshire.^[4] The first series premiered on 28 January 2014 and concluded on 22 April 2014.

On 9 June 2014, Cheryl Taylor, the CBBC controller, announced that the show had been renewed for a second series of thirteen episodes.^[1] Nick James, Henry Winkler, Felicity Montagu and Nick Mohammed will all return, as Hank, Mr Rock, Miss Adolf and Mr Love respectively.^[5][6] Javone Prince joined the main cast.^[7]

Jon Macqueen replaced script editors Lucy Guy and Danny Springs.^[8] Jim Poyser joined as a producer.^[9] Returning writers include Mark Oswin and Madeleine Brettingham, who each wrote one episode and Lucy Guy, who wrote two.^[10][11][12] Several new writers worked on the second series, including Jon Macqueen (two episodes),^[8] Mark Evans (one episode), and Adam Goodwin & Jonathan Parkyn (one episode).^[13]

A third series is currently in production, with George Poles serving as script editor.^[14] Lucy Guy will write two episodes.^[15]

Matt Bloom is Lead Director on all three series.

Cast

Main cast

• Nick James as Hank Zipzer
• Jayden Jean Paul-Denis as Frankie Townsend
• Alicia Lai as Ashley Chen (series 2-)
• Felicity Montagu as Ms. Adolf
• Jude Foley as Nick McKelty
• Juliet Cowan as Rosa Zipzer
• Neil Fitzmaurice as Stan Zipzer
• Vincenzo Nicoli as Papa Pete
• Madeline Holliday as Emily Zipzer
• Henry Winkler as Mr. Rock
• Javone Prince as Mr Joy^[16] (series 2-)

Past cast

• Chloe Wong as Ashley Chen (series 1)
• Nick Mohammed as Mr Love (series 1-2)

Series overview

Series		Episodes	Originally aired
			Series premiere	Series finale
	1	13	28 January 2014	22 April 2014
	2	13	13 August 2015	5 November 2015
	3	13	June 2016	2016

Episodes

Series 1 (2014)

Episode No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Produced by	Original air date	Viewers
1	"Classroom Catastrophe"	Matt Bloom	Joe Williams	Siobhan Bachman	28 January 2014	363,000
Ms Adolf gives the pupils an assignment to write an essay about their summer holidays. Keen to avoid doing any writing, Hank decides to build a model of his holiday at Niagara Falls and demonstrate the experience to the class instead. First Appearances: Nick James as Hank, Chloe Wong as Ashley, Jayden Jean-Paul-Denis as Frankie, Felicity Montagu as Miss Adolf, Nick Mohammed as Mr Love, Henry Winkler as Mr Rock, Neil Fitzmaurice as Stan, Juliet Cowan as Rosa, Vincenzo Nicoli as Papa Pete, Madeline Holliday as Emily, and Jude Foley as McKelty.
2	"The Lucky Socks"	Matt Bloom	Joe Williams	Siobhan Bachman	4 February 2014	N/A
The school announces its annual House sport and quiz competition and Hank finds himself forced to try out for the Yellow House.
3	"The Curtain Went Up, My Trousers Went Down"	Matt Bloom	Joe Williams	Siobhan Bachman	11 February 2014	N/A
Getting the lead role in the school play should be a cause for celebration for Hank. But with school bully McKelty determined to get the role for himself and Hank struggling to learn his lines, it's not as easy as he thought it was going to be.
4	"Battle Of The Goblins"	Matt Bloom	Daniel Peak	Siobhan Bachman	18 February 2014	N/A
Hank accidentally breaks his and Frankie's latest science project and Frankie has to pick up the pieces rather than collect the latest voice-activated games console as soon as it hits the store.
5	"Haunted Hank"	Matt Bloom	Dan Berlinka	Siobhan Bachman	25 February 2014	N/A
Nick McKelty oversteps the mark when he picks on Hank's little sister Emily. To get revenge, Hank decides to make the world's scariest haunted house.
6	"The War of Words"	Rebecca Rycroft	Bede Blake	Ali Bryer Carron	4 March 2014	N/A
Stan and Emily struggle to cope with Hank and Rosa's more unorthodox approaches to study, and Hank starts to feel the pressure when Stan bets his coveted Topps Football Card against his mortal rival Mick McKelty - bully Nick McKelty's dad. Stan pushes Hank so far that he quits the team, but when his dad eats humble pie and Hank sees how important winning the bet is to him, Hank tries his best to meet his dad halfway.
7	"The Day I Flunked Chemistry"	Matt Bloom	Madeleine Brettingham	Siobhan Bachman	11 March 2014	N/A
Hank thinks new boy Ben is totally cool, and is amazed to discover that the feeling is mutual. But will Ben feel the same if he finds out about Hank's learning difficulties? Hank isn't willing to take the risk and so decides not to tell him. That plan has disastrous consequences when Hank misreads an experiment, leading to the gassing of Ms Adolf and the evacuation of the science block. Ashley has a crush on Ben and Frankie is jealous of Hank's new friend.
8	"The Mortadella Disaster"	Rebecca Rycroft	Joe Williams	Ali Bryer Carron	18 March 2014	290,000
Hank gets his new report and gets bad marks. Meanwhile, a man called Bob Bing likes Rosa's new recipe. To hide his report, Hank sticks it in Rosa's meat grinder in the Spicy Salami which ends up in Rosa's Mortadella.
9	"Who Ordered The Baby"	Rebecca Rycroft	Bede Blake	Ali Bryer Carron	25 March 2014	285,000
Hank is pleased when his mum says he can work in the deli to earn a new pair of the latest cool trainers. That is until he's given his latest school assignment, to look after a pretend baby for the weekend. Despite his best attempts, Hank can't juggle a crying baby and work. He decides to focus on getting the trainers, but disaster strikes when he accidentally ends up swapping his fake baby for a real one.
10	"I Think I Broke My Dad"	Rebecca Rycroft	Mark Oswin	Ali Bryer Carron	1 April 2014	207,000
Stan is dismayed to find that Hank is avoiding him because of his new Dyslexia Therapies, so he becomes a 'Cool Dad'. When he thinks he has the right to be in the band For the talent show Hank has to stop his dad performing in the band at the talent show!
11	"The Week I Became a Genius"	Rebecca Rycroft	Ali Bryer Carron	Ali Bryer Carron	8 April 2014	N/A
Hank's school has an American Themed week, and Hank is made to do a presentation about Einstein, and feels upset when he finds out that Frankie and Ashley have teamed up with McKeltey. He also makes friends with Year 6 boy, Mason Williams, who is at Westbrook Academy for Transition Week. Having met him, Hank and Mason bond and before long are good friends. Mason helps Hank with his Albert Einstein presentation when one of his cards gets stuck to his hand. Hank, Frankie and Ashley make up in the end.
12	"Anyone for Lizard"	Rebecca Rycroft	Lucy Guy	Ali Bryer Carron	15 April 2014	N/A
Hank can't believe his luck when he is chosen to host the Japanese exchange student. He even manages to remember to get his permission slip signed... only for McKelty to steal it. With no signed permission slip, Hank is in danger of not being allowed to take part. To show how committed Hank is to the exchange programme, Rosa organises a Japanese banquet for Ms Adolf and Mr Rock. The banquet ends in disaster: an escaped lizard, marauding crickets and a fainting Stan, who covers Ms Adolf with sushi. All looks lost, until Rosa uncovers Ms Adolf's secret passion: karaoke.
13	"The First Date Dilemma"	Rebecca Rycroft	Joe Williams	Ali Bryer Carron	22 April 2014	N/A
Hank meets a cool girl, Zoe, in Mr Rock's additional reading class and falls head over heels in love. Ashley and Frankie try to subtly find out whether Zoe has a boyfriend but Hank is horrified when he learns that their approach has given the game away to Zoe. Emotions going haywire, Hank can't eat, sleep, and gets into trouble at school. Papa Pete advises Hank to embrace his emotions and Hank decides to take Zoe on a date, but it ends in disaster. Final Appearance: Chloe Wong as Ashley

Series 2 (2015)

Episode. in series	Episode. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Produced by	Original airdate	Viewers
14	1	"Camera Calamity"	Tom George	Joe Williams	Jim Poyser	13 August 2015	209,000
Every year Hank's school photo matches his school report perfectly - they're both terrible. But this year Hank's making sure his photo is picture perfect - until McKelty ruins it with a fountain of fizzy drink. Can Hank get clean and tidy and back in front of the camera before the photographer leaves? And will Emily get her place at the Institute of Scientific Excellence without her parents messing it up for her? First Appearance: Alicia Lai as Ashley
15	2	"No Room For Two"	Matt Bloom	Lucy Guy	Jim Poyser	20 August 2015	224,000
It's Friday afternoon and tomorrow Hank will be in charge of the coolest stall at the school fair - this weekend is going to be amazing! Except Emily's room is being redecorated and she'll be sleeping in with Hank until it's done. Oh, and she's bringing Katherine with her. Maybe this weekend won't be so amazing after all.
16	3	"Cow Poo Treasure Hunt"	Matt Bloom	Mark Oswin	Jim Poyser	27 August 2015	TBD
When he's not allowed to hang out at the shopping centre with Frankie and Ashley, Hank decides to show Stan and Rosa just how capable he is by being the first person ever to make it through Miss Adolf's weekend survival camp. Meanwhile, Papa Pete tries to make it through a single day of Emily helping out at the deli.
17	4	"Head Ache"	Tom George	Lucy Guy	Jim Poyser	3 September 2015	N/A
Mr Love is leaving and Hank is thrown into panic mode when Ms Adolf decides to use him as her pet project to show the governors that she is the best candidate to be the new head teacher. Meanwhile, Emily announces she is going to home-school herself, much to the horror of Stan and Rosa who decide that they will have to try and become her new teachers - if she'll let them! Final Appearance: Nick Mohammed as Mr Love
18	5	"Hank's Hero"	Tom George	Joe Williams	Jim Poyser	10 September 2015	TBD
Hank and Stan are whipped into a frenzy when they hear that new headmaster, Mr Joy - keen to make a splash - is bringing their favourite footballer, Alex Broman to Westbrook Academy for an official visit. A few lucky pupils will be chosen for a kickabout with their hero, but when Hank finds himself in another Adolf detention it looks like he's going to miss out - or is he First Appearance: Javone Prince as Mr Joy
19	6	"Open Day"	Matt Bloom	Joe Williams	Jim Poyser	17 September 2015	TBD
It's Open Day at Westbrook Academy and Hank has big plans to show potential newcomers that not everyone is as boring as McKelty or as mean as Miss Adolf. Mr Joy though, has other ideas... Keen to keep all troublemakers away from his grand assembly to the prospective parents, he excludes Hank and just to be sure, banishes Emily to Mr Rock's music room. Is it really going to be a Zipzer-free Open Day?
20	7	"Ballot Box Blunder"	Matt Bloom	Jon Macqueen	Jim Poyser	24 September 2015	TBD
When a seat on Westbrook's school council becomes available, Hank uses charm, personality and Rosa's pastries to try to stop it from going to McKelty. However Emily is trying to win the election another way - by convincing everybody that she's too cool for school.
21	8	"Valentine's Confusion"	Matt Bloom	Holly Phillips	Jim Poyser	1 October 2015	TBD
Hank has his heart set on asking Anya to the Valentine's dance, but soon discovers that this year Valentine's day is doing funny things to people and Hank ends up in a pickle when he tries to please more than one girl. Meanwhile, Rosa and Stan are proving that even as grown-ups, Valentine's Day can be a confusing time.
22	9	"Camouflage"	Matt Bloom	Adam G Goodwin & Jonathan Parkyn	Jim Poyser	8 October 2015	TBD
With Emily in hospital having her tonsils out and a history project due, Hank decides that the best possible course of action is to take Katherine - Emily's lizard and best friend - into school. Meanwhile at the hospital, Stan is trying to prove to Rosa that he's not squeamish - easier said than done when all you want to do is pass out.
23	10	"Hank's Birthday"	Tom George	Madeline Brettingham	Jim Poyser	15 October 2015	TBD
It's Hank's thirteenth birthday and he wants the greatest party of all time. Unfortunately Stan and Rosa have other ideas, so Hank decides to have a secret party of his own in the den.
24	11	"Hank's New School"	Tom George	Mark Evans	Jim Poyser	22 October 2015	TBD
After yet another bad parents' evening, Stan is determined to get Hank a good education - at another school. Desperate not to leave Frankie, Ashley and Mr Rock behind, Hank is forced to do the unthinkable and fight to stay at Westbrook Academy. Mr Rock, on the other hand, finds an old friend's offer for a life away from Westbrook extremely tempting.
25	12	"Papa Pete in Love"	Tom George	Danny Peak	Jim Poyser	29 October 2015	TBD
When Hank gets a good grade at school thanks to his grandad's support, Hank decides to find him a new girlfriend. What could go wrong? Back at home, Emily has a new boyfriend and a suspicious Stan grills him about his intentions... until that is, he realises his mistake
26	13	"Last Day"	Tom George	Jon Macqueen	Jim Poyser	5 November 2015	TBD
It is the last day of the summer term and Hank is determined to make it through without a detention. An incident with an egg in assembly changes all of that and Hank finds himself in danger of being excluded from school permanently.

Series 3 (2016)

A third series was confirmed in the summer of 2015 and episodes are expected to air in the summer of 2016. In March 2016, it was confirmed on the Hank Zipzer Twitter page that the show would be airing 'three months from now' suggesting it begins some time in June 2016.^[17]

Episode. in series	Episode. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Produced by	Original airdate	Viewers
27	1	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	June 2016	TBD

References

1. "BBC - CBBC announces second series of Hank Zipzer starring Henry Winkler - Media centre". www.bbc.co.uk. 2013-09-19. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
2. "BBC - CBBC announces new show, Hank Zipzer - Media centre". www.bbc.co.uk. 2014-06-09. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
3. "BBC - Filming starts on CBBC's Hank Zipzer - Media centre". www.bbc.co.uk. 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
4. "Cast announced for Fonz’s new children’s TV show". www.halifaxcourier.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
5. "Hank Zipzer ≪ Tom George Film". www.tomgeorgefilm.com. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
6. "Nick Mohammed | United Agents". www.unitedagents.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
7. "Javone Prince on Twitter: ""@felicitymontagu: @PENFOLD1P #HankZipzer working with the brilliant inspiring Javone Prince. Lucky girl!!!!" Hahaha your a joker"". www.twitter.com. 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
8. "Jon Macqueen | Rochelle Stevens & Co". www.rochellestevens.com. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
9. "Jim Poyser | United Agents". www.unitedagents.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
10. "DEBI ALLEN ASSOCIATES - CLIENTS - MADELEINE BRETTINGHAM". www.daamanagement.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
11. "Hank Zipzer, season 2 | Mark Oswin's Comedy Business". www.markoswin.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
12. "lucy guy | LinkedIn". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
13. "Adam G Goodwin | Rochelle Stevens & Co". www.rochellestevens.com. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
14. "George Poles". Blake Friedmann. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
15. "Lucy Guy | Rochelle Stevens & Co". www.rochellestevens.com. Retrieved 2015-04-12.
16. http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/hank_zipzer/details/
17. https://twitter.com/HankZipzerTV/status/706427740480802816