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Geoffrey Hayes, the iconic (if not ironic) presenter of the children's television series Rainbow has died at the age of 76 - a man who delighted nearly 20 years of children at lunchtimes.
I am certain that many DYR members have such great memories of watching ITV at 12.10 pm on a weekday lunchtime (usually Tuesday and Friday in the 1980s when I remembered it) and watching my namesake George, along with Zippy and Bungle in one of those most successful children's television series, helped along by some music with Rod, Jane and Freddy. It was so successful that the 1,000th episode was seen on Friday 10th October 1986.
In many ways, Geoffrey Hayes was a vital part of ITV's daytime schedules - when the ITV network invited applications from ITV companies to make children's television programmes for the under 5s at midday, Thames' contribution was Rainbow - a programme with puppets, songs, stories, and animations - and they succeeded for the next 20 years. For the benefit of the show, I was "under 5" for at least 12 years.
Hayes was not the original presenter of Rainbow for he joined the programme when the late David Cook left in order to do acting and writing elsewhere. When Rainbow began on Monday 16th October 1972 (about an hour and a half before Emmerdale Farm made its very first appearance in most ITV regions) and was still on air in October 1992 - ironically, he was also seen in that evening's episode of Z Cars in a semi-regular role. He was originally an actor who became a presenter. In 1981 Hayes appeared as a panelist on Give us a Clue along with Beryl Reid from Get Up & Go! and Peter Davison from Once Upon a Time, the two counterparts from Yorkshire Television and Granada respectively which also shared Rainbow's slot in the early 1980s - most of the episode is on YouTube.
I spotted him as a barman in a 1970s Guinness advert on a compilation DVD of adverts that I received a few years ago, but he would be remembered for the children's side of things because of Rainbow. And looking just a little bit like David Icke as well did help a little bit methinks...
When Rainbow ended in 1992 because of Thames Television losing its franchise, Hayes found it difficult to get more work, and in August 1994 the News of the World discovered that he was making ends meet by stacking shelves for Sainsbury's and driving a taxi, although he did make a return onto television in guest roles and also as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations in 2002. Because of his experience in Z Cars and working with Thames, he thought that he would even get a part in The Bill, but sadly, because of his associations with Rainbow he was stereotyped in later years as a children's television presenter - a pity about that but one could understand why as it is easy to make the move forwards but not back again.
Confession time: I was such a huge fan of Rainbow that I actually "opted out" of an afternoon of school (it was only Art where I always kept forgetting to do the homework, and PE where I hated the changing room, and of course I wasn't fond of either subject, anyway), in order to see Geoffrey and the Rainbow gang at the Nottingham Theatre Royal for a 2.00 pm matinee performance on Tuesday 21st November 1989 (their Monday afternoon performance was cancelled for some reason). Seeing them on stage than on the small screen was such a great but surreal experience. I was only 11 at the time for my sins but I didn't care, and I still don't now. I just wish that I had booked tickets to see their next show when it came to that theatre a couple of years later which I think was in around 1991.
I personally feel that Geoffrey's passing means that a huge chunk of my childhood has gone now - Roy Skelton left us in 2011 and David Cook left us a few years ago. Geoffrey was Rainbow from the human side of things.
RIP Geoffrey Hayes - 1942-2018 - I hope that up above the streets and houses, the Rainbow will be flying high as a mark of respect to this great man who became the unlikely children's television presenter of our generation.
I am certain that many DYR members have such great memories of watching ITV at 12.10 pm on a weekday lunchtime (usually Tuesday and Friday in the 1980s when I remembered it) and watching my namesake George, along with Zippy and Bungle in one of those most successful children's television series, helped along by some music with Rod, Jane and Freddy. It was so successful that the 1,000th episode was seen on Friday 10th October 1986.
In many ways, Geoffrey Hayes was a vital part of ITV's daytime schedules - when the ITV network invited applications from ITV companies to make children's television programmes for the under 5s at midday, Thames' contribution was Rainbow - a programme with puppets, songs, stories, and animations - and they succeeded for the next 20 years. For the benefit of the show, I was "under 5" for at least 12 years.
Hayes was not the original presenter of Rainbow for he joined the programme when the late David Cook left in order to do acting and writing elsewhere. When Rainbow began on Monday 16th October 1972 (about an hour and a half before Emmerdale Farm made its very first appearance in most ITV regions) and was still on air in October 1992 - ironically, he was also seen in that evening's episode of Z Cars in a semi-regular role. He was originally an actor who became a presenter. In 1981 Hayes appeared as a panelist on Give us a Clue along with Beryl Reid from Get Up & Go! and Peter Davison from Once Upon a Time, the two counterparts from Yorkshire Television and Granada respectively which also shared Rainbow's slot in the early 1980s - most of the episode is on YouTube.
I spotted him as a barman in a 1970s Guinness advert on a compilation DVD of adverts that I received a few years ago, but he would be remembered for the children's side of things because of Rainbow. And looking just a little bit like David Icke as well did help a little bit methinks...
When Rainbow ended in 1992 because of Thames Television losing its franchise, Hayes found it difficult to get more work, and in August 1994 the News of the World discovered that he was making ends meet by stacking shelves for Sainsbury's and driving a taxi, although he did make a return onto television in guest roles and also as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations in 2002. Because of his experience in Z Cars and working with Thames, he thought that he would even get a part in The Bill, but sadly, because of his associations with Rainbow he was stereotyped in later years as a children's television presenter - a pity about that but one could understand why as it is easy to make the move forwards but not back again.
Confession time: I was such a huge fan of Rainbow that I actually "opted out" of an afternoon of school (it was only Art where I always kept forgetting to do the homework, and PE where I hated the changing room, and of course I wasn't fond of either subject, anyway), in order to see Geoffrey and the Rainbow gang at the Nottingham Theatre Royal for a 2.00 pm matinee performance on Tuesday 21st November 1989 (their Monday afternoon performance was cancelled for some reason). Seeing them on stage than on the small screen was such a great but surreal experience. I was only 11 at the time for my sins but I didn't care, and I still don't now. I just wish that I had booked tickets to see their next show when it came to that theatre a couple of years later which I think was in around 1991.
I personally feel that Geoffrey's passing means that a huge chunk of my childhood has gone now - Roy Skelton left us in 2011 and David Cook left us a few years ago. Geoffrey was Rainbow from the human side of things.
RIP Geoffrey Hayes - 1942-2018 - I hope that up above the streets and houses, the Rainbow will be flying high as a mark of respect to this great man who became the unlikely children's television presenter of our generation.
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