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.