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Relocating a piece of the Jigsaw: RT tracks down Cid Sleuth creator David Cleveland
On the anniversary of fondly remembered 1980s children's series Jigsaw, we celebrate a classic component of its success.
Photo: David Cleveland.
- Mark Braxton
Published: Thursday, 16 July 2026 at 8:00 am
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One of the very best examples of creative programming from BBC Children's Television, Vision On had set high standards between 1964 and 1976 with its mix of art, comedy, education and fun. Among its winning ingredients were Tony Hart's lightning art demos, Wilf Lunn's crazy contraptions, Pat Keysell's signing and mime, the quirky cottage-industry animations, weekly chill-out zone The Gallery... and The Prof.
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The Prof was the lab-coated hero of high-speed comedy films lasting anywhere between 30 seconds and a minute and a half, which required lots of trick photography and pixilation (or the stop-motion animation of live actors).
When Vision On ended, producer/director Clive Doig wanted to create a new show for youngsters, one that combined puzzle-solving elements with plenty of entertainment. The latter included mime from Adrian Hedley, a co-presenter with Janet Ellis; Biggum the giant, usually only identifiable by his sandals-and-socks-clad feet; inept superheroes the O-Men; and the slightly terrifying Noseybonk!
Jigsaw ran for nearly 50 episodes between 1979 and 1984.
Jigsaw, hosted by Adrian Hedley and Janet Ellis along with a floating puzzle piece called Jigg, first aired on 16 July, 1979, at 4.45pm. Jigg was initially voiced by John Leeson, who found fame as K.9.
The show also featured a brand-new character played by David Cleveland. Radio Times got in touch with David, now 84, to take up the story...
"In 1979 Clive Doig asked if I could make some films like the Prof ones, but with a different character, and said there must be a clue in the film which lined up with other clues in the programme so the viewers could find a word that was hidden in that week's programme.
"I went to Bermans the costumier and chose a Sherlock Holmes-type coat, which incidentally had been worn by Harry H Corbett in Carry On Screaming – it has a label inside with his name. And so The Prof became Cid Sleuth!
David Cleveland as Cid Sleuth with, from left, Paul Amos as the policeman; David's wife Christine, production assistant and prop maker; and cameraman David Wyatt. Photo: David Cleveland.
"Acting, if you can call it that – was just the same as The Prof. Clive came up with the name Cid Sleuth. David Wyatt and I set about making the films in which Cid Sleuth was trying to catch a burglar – at first played by me and sometimes by David Wyatt. David and I wrote the stories and, as film-makers, we took turns at working the 16mm film camera."
Among the crew of his films was Christine Smith, an employee from the BBC Film Library in Ealing, whom David Cleveland married in 1969. She made many of the props for The Prof on Vision On and Cid Sleuth on Jigsaw – and they still live close to where the films were shot, on a farm in Lawford, Essex. The police station pictured above is "actually a cleaning shop just down the road".
The good news for fans of David's mini-masterpieces is that many are now viewable on a bespoke YouTube channel, set up by film-maker Thomas Laurance. It contains many Prof sketches, but on Jigsaw's anniversary, some Cid Sleuth has been added, too!
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The films typically took a whole day to shoot, from 9.30 to about 5pm, but if they were really complicated, two days were required. Cleveland has previously told Radio Times he was inspired when he was young by watching silent-film comedians like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, and by Hollywood cartoons. "Our films were really cartoons but with a real person in real surroundings."
David Cleveland as Cid Sleuth – his cape was worn by Harry H Corbett in Carry On Screaming.
"There was one film in each Jigsaw programme. Clive Doig was very generous and allowed us to just go away and make the films, which the BBC bought. David Wyatt and I concentrated more on the sort of comedy I wanted to do."
Talking about his Jigsaw days in 2024, David told RT: "I like those films, they worked well, but are now forgotten. They still make me laugh."
Following on from the inspired humour and gag set-ups from his days as The Prof, David Cleveland's Cid Sleuth resembled a live comic-strip, powered by cartoon physics and making a virtue of impossible events. But David is wrong to say they are forgotten – many people remember and love them.
David Cleveland working on a Prof sketch for Vision On in 1971 with Tony Amies, left, and David Wyatt. Photo: David Cleveland.
"We were in the first three series of Jigsaw only, then I think Clive had had enough – as we never really included the clue he set each week that we were supposed to! We just went out and tried to make an amusing film. So we made the last films in 1981. Jigsaw was a clever programme, which worked with the audience."
Indeed, Jigsaw deservedly won a Bafta in 1981 in the Harlequin category for drama/light entertainment.
David seems genuinely glad that Radio Times got in touch. "I am very pleased that Jigsaw is being recognised, as it is often forgotten. Clive did a good job. We had a lot of fun also doing gags we really liked... Thank you for remembering us."
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Authors
Mark Braxton
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