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Today most of us have access to a vast number of TV channels, whether that be through satellite TV, cable of even Freeview. This means that most kids are already accustomed to having entire channels devoted to kids television running all day, every day. Things were different in the Eighties.
For part of the decade we only had three channels to choose from, and as kids we had to share these channels with all the other programmes intended for every other possible age group and interest. During term time this meant a couple of programmes for the very young around lunch time, and then a block of a couple of hours in the mid to late afternoon.
In the school holidays however, we considered ourselves lucky as both BBC1 and ITV would devote the entire morning to kids TV from around 9am onwards. This was a time when we would be treated to reruns of old cartoons, long running serials and the odd new show if we were really lucky.
Today then, I present to you my memories of watching TV in the mornings during the school holidays. Think of it as a very out of date page of the Radio Times or TV Times from the late Seventies and early Eighties.
9:00 TV-am: Roland Rat would start my day. Yeeeaaahhh!
9:30 BBC: An old black and white serial – I’m thinking of something like the old Buster Crabbe Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers serials, or the equally cool King of the Rocketmen! If it was Champion the Wonder Horse though I would perhaps watch whatever ITV might have on instead though.
10:00 ITV: Normally a cartoon show of some sort, maybe the Smurfs or Wacky Races or something of that ilk.
10:30 BBC: Back to the Beeb for Why Don’t You. A great little show with kids as the presenters. Something for everyone – jokes, recipes, things to make and those reports on other kids hobbies.
11:00 BBC or ITV: Really depended what was on. Normally this would be around the time that the BBC would air one of those long running live action serials. The classic example here would be Heidi, but there was also Silas and Robinson Crusoe. If I didn’t fancy that then ITV might have something good on, but if ITV failed to intrigue then the TV would probably go off now.
11:30 Sorry, couldn’t tell you. The TV had usually gone off in the previous half hour so I really can’t remember what sort of shows would have been on here. There might have been a cartoon but I have a feeling things started to revert back to normal lunchtime/early afternoon TV fodder.
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The old Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers serials were superb.
I can remember ITV rerunning Battlestar Galactica and Streethawk in the holidays in the mid 80s.
I did spot the Pink Panther cartoon in the holiday schedules the other month…. A quick peak at BBC2’s schedule for this week reveals they’re running cbeebies shows as they usually do during the day and not switching to a schedule for older children.
Ah, the old sparkler for a rocket thruster effect used on the Flash Gordon serials. Brilliant.
I don’t think the schedules change that much on BBC and ITV any more, not since they added dedicated CBBC/CBeebies and CITV channels.
BBC2 has done in recent years: during term time they run CBeebies programs but in the holidays it’s been CBBC.
Huckleberry Finn and the Littlest Hobo are the two that come to my mind, but I suspect that’s because I can still sing the theme tunes for both word for word!
Oh yeah, I had forgotten about The Littlest Hobo being a holiday TV regularly. I’d also forgotten about the Hucklebury Finn series completely until reading that. That’s going on the list of things to write about – thanks GingerDoll!
Does anyone remember the name of the program about a group of kids that used to hang around a youth club and get into trouble quite a bit? It was almost like summer holidays grange hill.
Benji the dog was one of my memories. There was a series where he had an alien robot friend that floated around with him. Canada seemed to be pretty good for producing bad kids tv programs for the summer holiday but you ended up watching anyway.
Oh god, memories. The Red Hand Gang regularly annoyed me, as did The Flashing Blade. Bank holidays always gave us Disney Time, a selection of their best cartoons and a boring documentary style film. My all time favourites were Baba Papa and Goober and the ghost chasers. I’m 41 now but feel 11 again.
does anybody remember a T.V show that would have been on ITV during the summer holidays that had a Spanish/South American character that would travel round the world and back in time giving history and geography lessons. Can’t remember the name of it but it is driving me nuts!
here are some I can remember.
There was a westworld one where lifelike robots had infiltrated positions of power throughout the world. it was around 11.00 am 1981-1982 central/anglia region.
whattoo whattoo(spelling?) japanese animated bird cartoon. stingray, earlier stuff I remember, belle and sebastian (real life not cartoon) big white dog in mountains. some animated puppet show with a rabbit called oscar and a dragon called gnashers, this was 70s im afraid though.
help! im trying to find out what was the name of a summer holiday series on itv or the beeb that was a moto cross trials competition!
I would imagine you are referring to Kick Start. I was never all that interested in motor bikes but I LOVED Kick Start.
http://www.childofthe1980s.com/2009/11/20/kick-start/
Can anyone help me remember a program i’m pretty sure used to be on itv in the school hols, that I’ve been trying (unsuccessfully) to find out for ages. it was a record breakers style program (AFAIR) and the show logo was done in a neon graffitti style writing on the wall besides the presenters. i think there was a guy presenter, or a girl, and I think they were Australian? I can’t remember whether it was a show itself, or just introducing the programs. I can remember ‘Ox Tales’, and The Littlest Hobo’ being on in the daily schedule.
Hmm, not really ringing any bells I’m afraid, though how could anyone forget Littlest Hobo. Ox Tales sounds oddly familiar but I don’t really remember it.
The only show I can think of that *might* be a fit was called 3-2-1 Contact (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3-2-1_Contact) which was an American series exploring sciencey subjects. It definitely formed part of the ITV school holiday line ups at one point, though I don’t remember Littlest Hobo ever being on ITV (might well be wrong about that though).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsqTA1KvmBk
I’m sure the great intro will jog your memory
Very interesting thread. Can anyone help with a cartoon shown on itv circa mid 80s about a marine biology unit with a rather sad, downbeat theme tune. This wasn’t marine boy. Thanks
I don’t know if it was a film or children’s TV show but it was shown in the 1990s on Anglia TV of a little girl and a man being put in a jail and handcuffed by arms and legs and cameras were faced to watch them and TV screens around the centre so they could be watched. Any ideas
Sorry, no idea. Doesn’t sound much like a children’s programme though!