Cartoon Network (UK)

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For Cartoon Network worldwide, see Cartoon Network.

Cartoon Network is a digital television channel created by Turner Broadcasting and dedicated to showing animated programming. It premiered on 17 September 1993 in the United Kingdom and Ireland and on October 1, 1992 in the United States.

This version of the channel was twinned with movie channel TNT. Cartoon Network ran from 5 a.m. until 7 p.m., with TNT taking over from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.. Sunday afternoons saw "Super Chunk", which showed back to back episodes of one show for two hours between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.. Another feature was "The Longest Day", in which Cartoon Network ran for an extra four hours, until 11 p.m. on 21 June every year. This slot was dedicated to full length cartoon movies. In 1995, Cartoon Network began running for an extra two hours until 9 p.m., and on 16 December, 1996, it became a 24-hour channel, as did TNT. However, a version of the channel called TNT & Cartoon Network continued to appear on some providers.

In 1998, Vbirds launched all the cartoon characters called Wow, Boom, Bling & D:Lin.

February 1, 1999, saw the introduction of a strand called "aka Cartoon Network", which had a DJ theme and would run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., the 'host' being an afroed cartoon character called Jackie Potato. It would feature selected cartoons from the Cartoon Network library (including Space Ghost Coast to Coast) and a show called Cult Toons, which featured a heavily re-edited Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Aimed at adults, the strand was in some ways a precursor of Adult Swim in the United States.

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In May 27, 2000, the channel Boomerang was launched by Cartoon Network in the UK and Ireland, and most "classic" cartoons were moved from Cartoon Network to the new channel, which initially broadcast from 6 a.m.–12 a.m.. Before long, however, it became 24 hours, and the remaining classic shows also moved to Boomerang. In September 2000, Toonami began broadcasting weekdays for two hours between 4 p.m.–6 p.m., and 9 p.m.–11 p.m., as well as weekends from 10am–12 p.m. and 10pm–12 a.m.. Dragonball Z had already been airing on Cartoon Network since 1999, and had been attracting very good ratings, which may have contributed to the decision to launch Toonami in the UK. Its output consisted almost solely of Japanese anime such as the cult Dragonball Z, Tenchi Muyo, and Gundam Wing. The only non-Japanese shows for quite some time were the American-produced The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest and Batman Beyond (Batman of the Future in the UK). Around the same time, there was almost completely new programming on the channel, and so Boomerang began in a late night slot.

In June of 2002, Toonami disappeared from Cartoon Network UK, and in October, a new channel was created called CNX. It was hailed as a high-octane, "triple-A mix of Action, Adventure, and Anime." All American and Japanese animation shown on Toonami was broadcast on this 24 hour channel from 6 a.m.–12 a.m., and during the night, there were hard hitting American dramas such as The Shield, adventure shows such as Spawn, martial arts films and extreme sports programmes. In 2003, there was a slot between 9 p.m. and 10pm showing Cartoon Network produced comedy such as Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Space Ghost Coast to Coast. The extreme sports and films were moved to a small slot between 10pm and 2 a.m.. For the rest of the time, Toonami returned, on CNX, showing all of its previous output, plus a number of new shows. In September 2003, after 11 months on air, CNX was shut down, and Toonami became a 24-hour channel, in line with Cartoon Network and Boomerang.

On April 11, 2005, six months after the United States, the channel received a new logo. The idents also changed to the same ones used in the U.S., with a CGI layout of a town and various characters (usually related to the show that was coming up next) engaging in activities. These replaced the previous idents used since 2003, featuring characters from one TV show falling through something and coming out in another show. Actual show clips were used.

On April 24, 2006, a new channel called Cartoon Network TOO was launched, showing older Cartoon Cartoons and airing from 3:00am until 7:00pm.

Current programming

Former programming

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