#Childrens magic window serial
#Childrens magic window series
#Childrens magic window tv

#Childrens magic window tv

Our journey through the best spooky and magical kids TV dramas of the 80s begins just before Christmas 1980: The Bells Of Astercote (BBC 1980) With the anthology series’ success assured, Home returned to the corporation and became head of BBC TV Children’s department in 1986.

#Childrens magic window serial

Home had several major dramas to her name – most notably Grange Hill and the powerful science fiction serial The Changes (1975). It was joined by Tyne Tees, Yorkshire and Southern which produced Worzel Gummidge (1979-81) before losing its franchise to TVS the latter recruited Anne Home from the BBC to improve its drama output. HTV continued to be a major player in children’s programming.

#Childrens magic window series

Over at ITV, a number of people held the purse strings: Lewis Rudd at Thames had developed Magpie and Freetime and commissioned several drama series in the late 70s and early 80s. The children’s drama department had been reformed in the early 70s under the auspicious of Anna Home, who became an instrumental figure in 80s and 90s Children’s TV. He created Newsround (1972) with John Craven and instigated Multi-Coloured Swap Shop (1976-81) with Rosemary Gill.

Hitherto, BBC1 afternoons were anchored by a continuity announcer, often the avuncular tones of the late Andy Cartledge, linking programmes with series of slides to advertise forthcoming shows.īehind the scenes, the BBC Children’s department in the early part of the decade was headed by Edward Barnes, a steady hand who had produced Blue Peter in the 60s and 70s acting as mentor to the formidable Editor, Biddy Baxter. The Broom Cupboard allowed better interaction with the child audience and further promotion opportunities. In September 1985 the BBC countered with a return to in-vision continuity and gave a debut to an unknown presenter who, heavily influenced by Swap Shop, had plied his trade in New Zealand before the call came to be the face of Children’s BBC – Philip Schofield. ITV slowly began to win the pre-5pm ratings war. however, Fast Forward itself succumbed to falling circulation just eighteen months later in 1995.ġ983 saw Watch it! become Children’s ITV with various star presenters (eventually Tommy Boyd became the regular host) acting as a kind of inter-programme VJ. So successful was the magazine, it outsold and eventually spelt the death knell for Look-In. By contrast, BBC Magazines launched Fast Forward in 1989, utilising the 5.35pm junction between Children’s BBC and Neighbours to advertise it. The BBC, by way of a belated response, licenced Polystyle to produce BEEB magazine. Throughout the 70s and 80s, ITV promoted its shows in the magazine Look-In (1971-94). The BBC used Blue Peter along with Swap Shop and later Saturday Superstore and Going Live to promote their new drama series. The long-running magazine Blue Peter (1958 – ) was transmitted on Mondays and Thursdays – a slot it had occupied since going twice weekly in1964. On Tuesdays and Fridays this generally meant contemporary school drama Grange Hill (1978-2008) with Wednesdays reserved for the classic adaptations. Drama was screened at 5.10pm after John Craven’s Newsround. To put things in context, children’s television in general was buoyant in this period thanks in part to the very successful BBC ‘mini schedule’ which steered the child audience through the afternoon. The BBC, building upon an impressive body of work from the early 70s onwards, produced some of its very best family drama in this era, embracing cutting edge technology to bring treats like The Box Of Delights (1984) and The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (1988) to the screen. The decade saw a new approach to both traditional and contemporary drama by both UK broadcasters: ITV committed itself to regular seasons of children’s plays with Dramarama (1983-89), a kind of youth version of the venerable BBC Play For Today (1970-84), which saw the 1988 television debut of one David Tennant. For me, the pinnacle of this sort of programme was reached in the 1980s. Spooky, always magical and occasionally downright scary dramas are the bedrock of kids’ television.