GAZETTE & HERALD: FOUR Heddington boys competed in CBBC's Bamzooki programme last week beating off two teams to qualify for the weekly final.

The boys, called the Heddington Thrashers, unfortunately lost the final in the programme which is based on creatures called zooks that are designed by youngsters using a downloadable computer software from the CBBC website.

In April, Dominic Fletcher, 8, from Hillside Close, designed a zook and submitted it to the BBC, which then asked him to choose a team.

After meeting the production crew when they came to Heddington, the boys were finally chosen out of 4,000 initial applicants to be on the programme.

At the studios Dominic and his friends Ephraim Luwemba, 10, Michael Brode, 10, and Daniel Minion, 10, had to design four new Zooks which would cover the range of skills required for the challenges that might be set in the contest, testing the zooks for strength and speed as they went along.

Dominic, from Hillside Close, whose zook was called the two-headed beast, said he loved the day at the BBC's Elstree Studios in Boreham Wood on Sunday, October 17.

"It was absolutely amazing. We had one whole day of filming and a quarter of a day getting there.

"The zooks that have been on the show before inspired me.

"My zook was literally every colour there is in the rainbow. Blue eyes, flat nose, flat mouth, flat head and six legs altogether."

The Heddington Thrashers won their first two contests before losing in the weekly final.

Mum Claire Fletcher said the boys, who all attend Heddington Church of England Primary School, had a fantastic day out.

She said: "It was a long day of filming but they were very good and enjoyed the whole experience. It's quite a technological programme.

"They met Jake Humphries, the presenter, and they won a big picture of all the zooks in the series, which he signed.

"It's only the people that win their programme which get this and they kept their bamzooki t-shirts and kitbags, hooded jumper and CD holders.

"They started at eight o'clock but didn't leave until six o'clock."

The two programmes featuring the Heddington Thrashers will be shown in the new year with a film of the boys shot at Oliver's Castle near Heddington.