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Becky's T-Blog

Monday, May 28, 2007

Bring back nostalgia

A thought... now that Neighbours has been bought by Channel 5, what will replace it in the coveted BBC1 teatime-just-before-the-news slot?

I'm hoping they take the opportunity to bring back a classic... Willow the Wisp! Paddington! Ivor the Engine! The Clangers!

BBC4's current season on the history of children's television is pure unadulterated nostalgia. There was a fascinating programme on Peter Firmin tonight, which reminded me of his excellent autobiography Seeing Things, which I read a few years ago. Peter is one of my heroes, a true genius of television (and I'm not just limiting that to "children's television"). There's something about his whimsical imagination and endless invention coupled with a peculiarly British make-do-and-mend creative method. Even now when I hear his gentle voice I'm transported back to my childhood, prostrate on the rug in front of the goggle box.

I wonder if I did actually grow up in a golden age of British kids TV, or whether every generation thinks they do?

Labels:

Blogger Tiffy  I don't believe it! I stick something on my Blog about the super Firmin/Postgate thing on BBC4, then go and have a look at Becky's...

Well, it was good, wasn't it?

xx 
Blogger Becky  It was brill Tiffy, and spooky that you'd blogged about it too. :-) 
Blogger Lynn Jones  It's an interesting question. There was only 3 channels back then (eee, but we were proud!) so maybe we ended up watching a lot of the same stuff.

There seems to be a lot more innocence to the earlier kids programmes (Ivor the Engine, Blue Peter, etc) whereas now things seem to be more combat orientated (any action figure cartoon). Maybe I'm looking at the content from an adult point of view.

Nowadays with the sheer proliferation of choice (translation: there's f*** all worth watching) decent kids TV is spread so thinly there's less chance of you watching the same stuff as your mate.

Although, if my nephew is your average kid, they seem to be far more interested in texting, using MSN and YouTube. :) 
Blogger Freiya  i think there is an element of rose tintedness, but saying that i do think stuff was more inventive back then. I feel that the series creators maybe where given more freedom to do what they wanted and so we got stuff like The Clangers, or Jackanory.
I'm not sure if something like Jackanory, or Tony Hart's various programmes, would survive now, it would have to be all wizz, bang and flash with a touch of irony/innuendo thrown in for the adults...bah! 
Anonymous NH  Back in the 60s and 70s, children's television was created by people who had an idea and were allowed to run with it. Now, with the "Teletubbies" and "Balamory", these shows are created by "child behaviour specialists" and committees and are designed to appeal to a model of childhood worked out in a meeting room.

...and all the imported stuff is worked out by marketing executives. 
Blogger Steg  Couldn't agree more with what nh said. Kids TV seemed to be driven by ideas way back when, rather than now when the primary consideration seems to be kow-towing to the current perception of "politically correct" and ensure that no minority could possibly take offence.
Bring back "Noggin the Nog", that's what I say! 
Anonymous Alli' Cat'  Noggin the Nog - cool (I was keeping quiet as I thought I may be the only one who remembers).
What about "The Magic Roundabout"? I seem to recall questions being asked in parliament when the BBC announced they were considering moving it to an earlier time-slot! 
Blogger Mariana  My 70s memories of children's tv isn't too great: it was mostly Japanese and crummy Hanna-Barbera type of cartoons, that weren't even bad enough to reach the "so bad it's good" status. The one that got away with that prize was a Hulk animation that was basically just the panels of the comic strips and only the jaws of the characters would move, like creepy ventriloquist dummies!

My favorite cartoons were Warner Bros, like Bugs Bunny and such, but they were hardly ever on... *sniff!* A deprived childhood indeed. 
Blogger Penny M  Pogle's Wood anyone? 
Blogger Kat  Best pished conversation of the last few months was where a friend couldn't remember Bod's name and went through every variation imaginable until we pointed out his mishap.

Pob? Pod? Bop? 
Blogger Pandora Caitiff  Most of my friends remember Bod (Pob was a very different children's show!), but very few can remember that Bod shared a programme with: Alberto the Frog and His Amazing Animal Band.

Alberto was the only cartoon (or real) frog I know addicted to milkshakes.

"I think its going to be... chocolate!" 
Blogger Joanna  I think its going to be... chocolate!

no, it was strawberry... :)

I think what was so apparent from the show was how many of our Kids TV shows from the 70's were real labours of love by a small group of people (often just one or two) who produced this stuff in small runs like a cottage industry, often in their back room or garage.

The more 'worthy' modern stuff all seems to have been written by committee, with an educational psychologist on the team alongside an equal opportunities rep.

Stuff like the Clangers, Ivor the Engine and Bagpuss had a great sense of wonder about them and they entertained and opened the imagination without being explicitly *Educational*.

I haven't watched the 80's one yet, so I am looking forward to wallowing in some Cosgrove Hall nostalgia - hopfully some Jamie and the Magic Torch, Chorlton and the Wheelies and Dangermouse.

And no, they don't make em like that anymore, which is a shame. 

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