Anyone who grew up, as I did, during the glory days of children's telly, will smile wryly at this video, part of a campaign to save British kids' TV. Clips from The Wombles are overdubbed with canned laughter and inane American slang, before the reassuring voice of Bernard Cribbins (a knighthood beckons, surely?) points out that only 1% of modern children's programming is new British product.Shocked, I signed the petition, understanding only too well the moral imperative that future generations should have their own manifestations of Vision On, Jackanory and Roobarb. But then I thought back a little more coolly and dispassionately about my own childhood viewing...
Further soppy wallowing for the Brian Cant generation here.
12 comments:
Yo! Way to Go Tim! He's in my Top Ten Cribs!
Thanks for that. I've also imposed a youtube ban on myself, but am still happy to follow the links others wisely give. Especially when they were such good ones as these.
Bit off topic - don't know how old your niece and nephew are, but did you know of the brilliant George and Lily children's books? (Sometimes they're called Gaspard and Lisa in the American/French editions) Very dry, very funny, beautiful handpainted illustrations... the kids at school love them.
Some of my earliest blog posts were reminiscences about classic children's TV: The Herbs, Mr Benn, Trumpton, Chigley, Camberwick Green ..... those were the days (before all the presenter drug scandals and when Val Singleton was thought to be lesbian because her taste in toyboys was all hush-hush)
I had a set of Wombles figurines from my Nan. Madame Cholet didn't warrant a figurine. If they make a comeback, we need some Womblesses for political correctness.
My nieces obviously watch a lot of children's TV. I quite like Peppa Pig and the strange import I have a soft spot for is Lazytown.
hugh, pugh, barney mcgrew, cuthbert, dibble, grub!
I feel your pain, Murph.
YouTube is dangerous, Pleite. I'm particularly fond of the commercials.
I know, Annie, they're fab, and beautifully painted. As far as I know, George and Lily's nomenclature was coincidental.
I think there are some more Womblesses, Llewtrah. Alderney rings a bell.
Lazytown sounds right up my street, Billy. Do you remember Hattytown, with Michael Bentine?
RG: there's no answer to that.
RG: there's no answer to that.
Except, perhaps, to anally point out that it was actually PUGH, Pugh etc. There were two Pughs. They were twins. Brian Cant said so, so it must be true.
Oh, and what about "white Horses"? That theme tune. "Where the clouds are made about candyfloss..."
two pughs? no way! i'll have to get my videos out and listen more carefully. (any excuse!)
Twin firemen? It's like something from one of those erotic fiction books for ladeez.
I had decided to stop embedding Youtube on my blog just before your own mutinous readers turned on you.
Incidentally, I've written a response to last weeks CiF piece on Blake's Jerusalem. It's on my church's blog:
http://www.sanctus1.co.uk/blog/2008/04/bring-me-my-bow-of-burning-watsit.html
It's all a complete lie. I still think Jerusalem is appalling.
Oooh, Roland, didn't someone say something about bearing false witness?
A reader mutiny sounds fun, though. At least they care.
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