Children’s programmes on ITV during weekday afternoons before Watch It!

[Arran]

Before Watch It! Was launched in January 1981 the children’s programmes on ITV during weekday afternoons were part of the main daytime schedule of the regional ITV companies.

In the schedule for Thames in 1977 the time slot for children’s programmes begins at either 16:15 or 16:20 and ends at 17:15 four days a week. Two programmes are broadcast each day, the shorter programme before the longer programme.

Children’s programmes are not broadcast on Thursdays. On some days Emmerdale Farm is broadcast at 15:50 before children’s programmes!

Programmes include:

Monday
Clapperboard (Appears to be on every Monday)

Children of the Stones
The Tomorrow People
The Flockton Flyer
Adventures in Rainbow Country
Lord Tramp
Raven
The Feathered Serpent

Tuesday
Michael Bentine’s Potty Time
Runaround
Magic Circle
The Sooty Show
Get it Together

Magpie
Extraordinary

Wednesday
How
Get it Together
Shang-a-Lang
Marc
Magic Circle
Runaround

Pop Quest
Horse in the House
On your Marks
A Bunch of Fives
You Must be Joking!
The Paper Lads
Midnight is a Place

Friday
Dominic
The Ghosts of Motley Hall
The Georgian House
Operation Patch
The Swiss Family Robinson

Magpie
The Gene Machine
Fanfare

Programmes on Thursday include The Little House on the Prairie and The Time Tunnel.

It’s likely that there were regional differences but I don’t have the schedules for other ITV companies. I’m unsure if most programmes in this time slot were networked or played out locally by regional ITV companies.

Magpie was a Thames production so it was probably networked and all regions carried it in their schedule. How was produced by Southern and Children of the Stones was produced by HTV. Were they networked? If so, then did every region carry them or only some regions?

Are there any cartoons in the list of programmes?

[sixtyten]

Proper TV

[Arran]

I'm not familiar with most of these programmes because they were before my time.

It's interesting how an ITV schools brand and on screen ident has existed as far back as 1957 but there was no brand and ident for children's programmes in the afternoon until 1981.

Kids in 1977 would have seen the ITV Programmes for Schools & Colleges with the clock ident (many would also have previously seen the older ITV for Schools and Colleges, with 3 overlapping circles, ident) before watching educational programmes at school, but only seen the ident of their regional ITV company when watching children's programmes after school.

Did any regional ITV companies create (but not necessarily use) their own brand and on screen ident for children's programmes in the afternoon - such as Anglia Kids?

[George 1978]

Up until 1982, Thursday afternoons were made up of regional choices - Little House on the Prairie; Jason of Star Command; Sierra; etc. It wasn't until 1983 when Children's ITV came along that Thursdays was networked as well.

[Arran]

Thames didn't show any children's programmes on Thursday apart from the Tomorrow People at 17:15 in August. Not sure about other ITV regions.

There is a question as to how much stuff on the other four days is networked and how much is Thames region only. Were any ITV regions better than others for children's programmes in the afternoon? Much has been written about Saturday mornings (TISWAS wasn't networked in 1977) but less about weekday afternoons.

TVS made some proposal for an hour in the afternoon on every weekday to be safeguarded for children's programmes in their franchise application.

[culnara]

can't remember how to delete LOL

[culnara]

A few favorites in that line up but one jumped out.

Clapperboard

Now thats a name I've not heard for a long time, quick google and instantly recognise Chris Kelly

[George 1978]

Chris Kelly used to be everywhere on ITV in the 1980s, and of course he did Food and Drink on BBC 2. Since the end of the 1990s I believe that he has been a writer, mostly working behind the scenes on TV programmes.

[Arran]

In 1972 the IBA began a two-year research study into children's viewing, then in February 1973 held a Consultation in Children's Television, at which the regional franchises discussed how best to serve young viewers. ITV schedules were arranged by a Children's Sub-Committee of the ITV Network Planning Committee, meaning regions could plan in advance the best possible complimentary output.

[Arran]

Can anybody confirm the last day when Watch It! was broadcast? Was it Wednesday 22 December 1982 with the On Safari Christmas Show? The previous day appeared to have a conventional children's programme schedule but no children's programmes were broadcast on ITV in the afternoon of the next day as Christmas programmes commenced.

[Arran]

Any ideas which programme series started out in the regional ITV idents in the afternoon era; passed through the Watch It! era; then ended in the Children's ITV era?

Animals in Action was one programme. The first episode was broadcast on 26 September 1980 when there were still regional ITV idents and the final episode was on 1 July 1983 as a Children's ITV programme.

[George 1978]

Animals in Action, I believe, was made by the same department as where Survival was administrated at Anglia TV. Looking back, John Shackleton's drawings of animals and birds onto a canvas board in the studio does remind me a bit too much of that Australian fellow who died a couple of years ago - TV Ark made that comparison as well.

[Arran]

Animals in Action was a spin-off from Survival for younger viewers, and contained much footage from Survival.

It was repeated a number of times in the late 1980s on a regional basis outside of the Children's ITV timeslot, including Sunday mornings on TVS.

[Arran]

Regional variations in 1977. The first programme starts at 16:20 and the second programme starts at 16:45 except on Thursdays when ITV companies have the timeslot to themselves. Only Anglia appears committed to showing children’s programmes on Thursdays. Some other ITV companies show at least one children’s programme on certain Thursdays. Thames doesn’t show any children’s programmes on Thursdays.

Monday 10 January 1977
1. Clapperboard
1. Romper Room (Anglia)
2. Children of the Stones
2. The Georgian House (HTV)

Tuesday 11 January 1977
1. Michael Bentine’s Potty Time
1. Am Gymru & Anturiaethau’r Marchog Glas (HTV Wales)
2. Magpie

Wednesday 12 January 1977
1. How
1. Am Hwyl & Dwyn ‘Falau (HTV Wales)
2. Pop Quest

Thursday 13 January 1977
Little House on the Prairie (Thames, Border, Granada, HTV West)
Film: Bugles in the Afternoon (ATV)
Romper Room & Anita in Jumbleland (Anglia)
Wild Wild West (Grampian)
Am Gymru & Y Cl, Y Gath A’r Radio & The Siege of Golden Hill (HTV Wales)
Space 1999 (Southern)
Land of the Giants (STV)
Film: The Rangers (Tyne Tees, Yorkshire)
Woobinda & Castaway (Ulster)
The Count of Monte Cristo & Thunderbirds (Westward, Channel)

Friday 14 January 1977
1. The Siege of Golden Hill
1. Taro’Miaen (HTV Wales)
2. Magpie

Monday 20 June 1977
1. Clapperboard
2. Shadows
2. Adventures in Rainbow Country (Thames)

Tuesday 21 June 1977
1. Runaround
1. Miri Mawr & Wstibethna? (HTV Wales)
2. Extraordinary

Wednesday 22 June 1977
1. Get it Together
1. Miri Mawr & Un Tro (HTV Wales)
2. Bunch of Fives

Thursday 23 June 1977
The Time Tunnel (Thames)
The Lost Islands & Batman (Anglia)
Little House on the Prairie (ATV, HTV West, Southern)
Film: The Purple Mask (Border)
Fantastic Voyage & Space 1999 (Grampian)
Tarzan (Granada)
Miri Mawr & Seren Wib & The Ghosts of Motley Hall (HTV Wales)
The Lost Islands & The Woody Woodpecker Show (STV)
The Lost Islands & Tarzan (Tyne Tees)
Beachcombers & Little House on the Prairie (Ulster)
Wildlife Theatre & Thunderbirds (Westward, Channel)
The Lost Islands & Little House on the Prairie (Yorkshire)

Friday 24 June 1977
1. The Georgian House
1. The Adventures of Black Beauty (HTV West)
1. Taro’ Mlaen (HTV Wales)
2. The Gene Machine

Monday 14 November 1977
1. Clapperboard
2. The Feathered Serpent

Tuesday 15 November 1977
1. The Sooty Show
1. Miri Mawr & Seren Wib (HTV Wales)
1. Lassie (Yorkshire)
2. Magpie

Wednesday 16 November 1977
1. The Magic Circle
1. Miri Mawr & Un Tro (HTV Wales)
2. Midnight is a Place

Thursday 17 November 1977
Little House on the Prairie (Thames, Grampian, Granada, STV)
The White Stone & Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty (Anglia)
The Lost Islands & Solo One (ATV)
The Lost Islands & Little House on the Prairie (Border)
Miri Mawr & Wstibethna? & The Lost Islands (HTV Wales)
Dynomutt – The Dog Wonder & The Lost Islands (HTV West)
The Cagey Canary & Little House on the Prairie (Southern)
Solo One & Lookout (Tyne Tees)
Big Blue Marble & Little House on the Prairie (Ulster)
Survival Special (Westward, Channel)
The Sooty Show & Little House on the Prairie (Yorkshire)

Friday 18 November 1977
1. The Swiss Family Robinson
1. The Magic Circle (HTV Wales)
2. Magpie

HTV has the most opt-outs with HTV Wales showing programmes in Welsh instead of the first programme on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, along with more Welsh programmes and a time shifted networked children’s programme on Thursday.

There were no opt-outs in Scotland or Northern Ireland during these weeks.

On Monday 20 June there was a (rare?) opt-out by Thames.

[Arran]

September 1980 schedule:

Monday 22 September 1980
1. Kidnapped
2. Clapperboard
2. Ser (HTV Wales)

Tuesday 23 September 1980
1. Get it Together
1. Sbardun (HTV Wales)
2. Smith and Goody

Wednesday 24 September 1980
1. The Whisper of Glocken
2. How
3. The Best of Marc
3. Ni a Nhw (HTV Wales)

Thursday 25 September 1980
Spiderman & Lilia White Gymnastics Championships (Thames)
Lilia White Gymnastics Championships & Mumbly (Anglia)
Tarzan (ATV)
Salvage 1 (Border, HTV West)
Lilia White Gymnastics Championships & Survival Special (Grampian)
The Flintstones & Lilia White Gymnastics Championships (Granada)
Follow Me & Ser (HTV Wales)
Beachcombers & Lilia White Gymnastics Championships (Southern)
Lilia White Gymnastics Championships & Fangface & Popeye (STV)
Lilia White Gymnastics Championships & Salvage 1 (Tyne Tees)
Stars on Ice & Lilia White Gymnastics Championships (Ulster)
The Beatles & Lilia White Gymnastics Championships (Westward, Channel)
Lilia White Gymnastics Championships & Little House on the Prairie (Yorkshire)

Friday 26 September 1980
1. The Danedyke Mystery
1. Yn Rhewgell Y Gogledd (HTV Wales)
2. Animals in Action
2. Clapperboard (HTV Wales)

Animals in Action was first broadcast in Wales on Wednesday 26 August 1981.