Just in case it's passed you by I feel it my moral duty to inform you of an amazing event that's going on this weekend. It's 30 years since those people at ITV started doing kids programmes – Children's ITV as it was known, CITV in modern speak – and to celebrate they're turning the CITV channel (that one you watch sometimes when you overshoot CBeebies on the remote) over to some of the best shows from the last 30 years.
A quick look at the schedules (in this Radio Times article) shows some great memories from my childhood as well as plenty of others I'd forgotten. There have been several online discussions since about what greats are missing from the list and many people trying to recall what was on ITV and what on CBBC. As I sat up in the middle of the night (feeding Master C again!) I found myself creating my own list of TV greats from my childhood. What's the point of these lists though if you don't share them, so here goes!
Blue Peter
It's impossible to talk about children's TV without mentioning Blue Peter. It was the programme that you were always allowed to watch as it was deemed "educational", but then that did mean that there were always some segments that as a child you found rather boring.
For many of us our childhood is defined by which Blue Peter presenters you remembered. I think Simon Groom, Sarah Green and Peter Duncan were the ones on when I started watching, but during my time I also remember Mark Curry, Caron Keeting, Yvette Fielding and Janet Ellis. Strangely I struggled to find my clips on You Tube (maybe due to BBC copyright issues?) but this one moment that I remember seeing. As a child comprehending that someone had vandalised the Blue Peter garden was a hard one to get my head around.
Gran
Strangely I can even remember when Gran used to be on – lunchtimes on BBC2, just before Stop Go. This was very much in the same vein as Postman Pat, but as a child who had a "Gran" in their lives I completely loved this. Listening to it again the theme tune isn't as catchy as I recall, but the whole concept of having adventures with your Gran was some that I totally bought into.
Bertha
I've been reliving Bertha recently thanks to my parents buying Little Miss C a DVD of it for Christmas last year. My sister was obsessed with this as a child and once again I think it was part of the BBC2 lunchtime slot, possibly being on just before Gran.
Pigeon Street
Another BBC great with some catchy music. Who could fail to love Pigeon Street and all the people you could meet there. I can even remember singing along to Long Distance Clara in the school playground.
SuperGran
When it comes to SuperGran I think I remember the titles far better than the programme itself. I do recall that it was on ITV, possibly made by TyneTees television, and featured a typical Scottish Gran who went about daily life with plenty of adventures and super powers thrown in too.
I also think that a friend down my street used to have a Spectrum computer game version of this and that we'd sit for ages watching it load from cassette just so we could sing along to the theme tune. So different to today's children looking things up instantly on You Tube.
Rainbow
Who doesn't remember Rainbow fondly? Even though we're now told that it was full of innuendo and questions over why Rod, Jane and Freddy all lived together, but as a child it was just great fun. Up above the streets and houses, rainbow climbing high.
Button Moon
I remember my mum and I watching this (strangely never with my sister though – was she asleep at the time, or before she was born maybe?) but even then I seem to recall finding it a little strange. Strange yet I still enjoyed watching it.
Degrassi Junior High
Bought in from Canada, Degrassi Junior High was shown on the BBC and opened my eyes to what life was like at schools outside the UK. It was probably classed as being a bit cutting edge for UK children's TV back then, but I was obsessed. I can even remember my sister and I pretending to deliver newspapers whilst wandering around our back garden with a trolley full of papers my mum had put out for the bin men. Very much a teenage drama of the day, but with the added interest of it not being set in the UK.
CBBC Broom Cupboard
Holding together the afternoon's post school TV session were the men (and one woman IIRC) of the CBBC Broom Cupboard. For many women of my age though Phillip Schofield was the first and the one who took our hearts. Funny to think as I see him on the Cube that this man's picture was pulled out of the poster section of Smash Hits Magazine and plastered on girl's bedroom walls all over the country.
Without the internet or email the only way to contact your idols in those days was via snail mail and I'll never forget the excitement of once having a letter read out by him. Other presenters followed (Andy Crane, Simon Parkin and Debbie Flint are the names that spring to mind) but as far as I know they've only been seen on shopping channels of late. And Edd the Duck was no comparison to Gordon the Gopher.
I'm sure this list isn't exhaustive, but what else have I forgotten? Maybe Grange Hill should be in there. And we all watched Newsround – even if we did find it a bit dull and grown up at the time – just to laugh at John Craven's jumpers. Hours and hours can be lost though looking up old TV shows, and we didn't even have dedicated children's channels!
I’d definitely add Bagpuss to the list; like other great British classics few shows were made and the story line simple but I could watch them over and over again; the chocolate biscuit mill episode
a particular favourite.
I recently bought Bagpuss on DVD for Little Miss C and have been rediscovering them as I didnt really remember them well from first time round. Im amazed though at how long each episode was – although as you say, only 13 in total.
I remember watching thunderbirds as a child, although that would have been the second time around for that show. Also there was inspector gadget and biker grove (although I grew to dislike that one). But the show I miss the most is Fraggle Rock!
Not specifically children’s TV, but I was also pretty much enthralled by Airwolf for a significant part of my childhood.
Wow, that collection took me back a year or 20ish, good sleuthing! I do remember dashing back from school in time for the Broom Cupboard, but it wasn’t the live action shows that stuck in my memory the most, it’s the cartoons of Inspector Gadget, Dangermouse (“Please wait whilst I adjust the adjustment adjuster”)
I think the originals were a bit before our time, but I did like the stop motion animations of Trumpton, Chigley and Camberwick Green with just enough repeated catchphrases (Hugh, Pugh, Barney, McGrew..) to keep us coming back. I’ve no idea how a modern screenwriter would be able to stretch out the idea of some Firemen trying to put up some posters for a 10 minute episode though!
Now for an afternoon of mindlessly humming the Supergran theme tune, mixed in with Bertha, lovely Bertha..
Mysterious Cities of Gold, Ulysses 2031, the original series of Dogtanian and the 3 Muskerhounds- I liked my cartoons 🙂
I also liked Why Don’t You and Huckleberry Finn and his Friends (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huckleberry_Finn_and_His_Friends)
Id forgotten all about Dogtanian and the 3 Muskerhounds. I now need to go and remind myself what the theme tune was like though as I do recall my sister and I singing along to it lots!