Listography – 5 kids TV programmes that I hate er… love

I really, really wanted to take part in Kate’s this week, your 5 most annoying kids TV programmes, but DD doesn’t really watch much UK television (long story) so I hope Kate doesn’t mind too much if I list 5 little-kids TV programmes from my childhood that I love rather than despise. I know, it’s completely different, but I’m a joiner. So there.

Bod – well it had to be number one didn’t it? Bod has adventures with his Aunt Flo, PC Copper, Frank the Postman and Farmer Barleymow. Each had their own theme tune performed by Derek Griffiths and Aunt Flo had a signature spin (eat your heart out Strictly!) Alberto Frog and his amazing animal band were also in some of the episodes and he’d always choose a different milkshake flavour as his reward for solving a problem. Maggie Henderson’s voice soothes me even now. (Which is just as well as DD watches it EVERY day.)

Roobarb and Custard – the zanny misadventures of a green dog and the pink cat that lived next door to it. The original series, rather than the new one, was drawn so sketchily that the animals were always jumping around and it had a theme tune that sounded like a strangled hyena. None of your polished 3D animations for me. No siree!

 Jackanory – a TV series to encourage children to read. Brilliant. A famous actor sitting in an armchair reading a book to you, in your own living room. Even more brilliant. Illustrations from the masterful Quentin Blake. More brilliant than a brilliant thing on a brilliantly bright day. (Err.. think I’m getting a bit carried away here.)

Playschool – Brian Cant, Johnny Ball, Floella Benjamin, Big Ted, Little Ted, Jemima and Humpty. Cast and characters that I grew up with and loved. What you can’t do with sticky-back plastic doesn’t need to be done. They’re still running the Australian version now, and it’s just as wonderful as it ever was. DD loves it and will sit still for almost the whole thing.

Take Hart – as soon as I’d had my tea (boiled egg and toasted soldiers with lashings of butter, yum yum) I’d get out my crayons and some paper and settle in for Take Hart. Tony Hart was my first experience of art and I revelled in it. That he could wheel some paint around a car park in a bucket with a hole in the bottom and end up with a picture of a dinosaur blew my mind.

There are so many more! Camberwick Green, Paddington Bear, The Flumps, Bagpuss… I could go on and on. But I sense you want to put the kettle on so I won’t. Now of course, you’ll be wanting to do the right thing and pick your top 5 most annoying kids TV programmes as I should have. Got them? Good, well done. Now head over to and see if anyone else shares your pain. And this week she has a fab giveaway too!!!