Children's TV: the weird and the wonderful

[Sundae]

Itsy and Bitsy were just Itsy and Bitsy as far as I remember.
Fingerbobs was just Fingerbobs!

I always saw the one with the crow, who had to add pebbles to his glass before he could drink. Or was it the seagull? That and the scampi, that looked nothing like the scampi on my plate - and scared me slightly.

And of course, I forgot my ultimate - BAGPUSS.
Bless his name forever. What a gentle, instructive, wordy programme it was.
Again, I credit another children's programme with a life-long love, although this one is a bit more realistic. Oliver Postgate's sonorous tones set me up for a love of poetry and an appreciation of the spoken word. Bagpuss, the Clangers and Ivor the Engine (yes, the Welsh again!)



Any wonder my quarter-generation rejected the American imports? It took about another five years until programmes like Sesame Street took root here. We grew up on subtlety and RP. And I loved it.