I've just finished watching a programme which was originally shown just over 10 years ago on New Year's Day 1999, that being "Are You Sitting Comfortably" looking back at the many children's programmes from the BBC from over 50 years, made as a follow up to the "Small People" promotional campaign which can be seen at the beginning.
5 year old Scott can also be seen as the presenter of what was to become one of the first of many talking head programmes with celebrities remembering television, and some of the shows included are The Magic Roundabout, Trumpton, Vision On, Blue Peter, Swap Shop, Grange Hill and Byker Grove.
Amongst the celebrities taking part are Andi Peters who by then had just started T4, Gaby Roslin, Zoe Ball and her superior dad Johnny, Angela Rippon, Phillip Schofield who was inspired by Swap Shop but did a show on Saturday mornings that was a lot better, Tony Blackburn who ended up on anti biotics after being bitten by Basil Brush, Vanessa Feltz who at the time really was massive, Sarah Greene and a rare appearance by her husband Mike Smith, Caroline Patterson AKA Ruth Fowler from Eastenders, her on screen husband Todd Carty, and Hale and Pace who's comedy careers would be over by the end of 1999.
Standout points include Jeremy Spake from Airport showing his enthusiasm for some of the more contemporary series of the time such as Aquila, and Micro Soap which was very popular and well written, and Vanessa Feltz talking about how she was upset by the vandalising of the Blue Peter garden in 1983.
I seem to remember Jasper Carrott joking about in a sketch saying "they're going to mend the garden with some toilet rolls and some sticky back plastic".
On the subject of the West Midlands comedian, I've heard quite a few stories from radio fans and jingle buddies about how he used to make jokes about outspoken radio sports presenter Tony Butler who at the time was on BRMB and would cut off callers with a delay by playing a jingle over their obscenities.
One example being, "Hello Tony, I think you oughta shove that microphone right up your, #BRMB Radio!".
Back to the reminiscing and Jamie Theakston mentioned that one of his favourite programmes was Johnny Morris's "Animal Magic" which despite being before my time was a brilliant concept and one that no one has dared try to do since. I can remember Jamie referring to the programme on another similar show for Channel 4 by saying;
"He talked to the animals and they talked back. And not one of them said
'Get me out of this f*****g zoo Johnny!".
The programme also contained the results of a viewers poll of the best Children's programme on the BBC where the winner was Bagpuss. I thought the Clangers were better but in all honesty I couldn't really pinpoint one programme that I really liked out of so many.
Well, possibly Going Live! but that's more a contender for one of the most influential television programmes overall.
Nowadays the BBC are still making good programmes for younger viewers although they only really come now and again, with such examples including "The Sarah Jane Adventures", the fantasy game show "Trapped", and almost anything produced by Steve Ryde such as "The Slammer" and "Chute".
The latter helped me quite a bit whilst recovering in late 2007.
Steve's also brought back his old mates Dick And Dom as he's currently producing a series involving the pair acting in a historical drama spoof with fellow cast members Ian Kirkby AKA DCI Harry Batt, and Dave Chapman AKA Otis.
I saw one of the episodes earlier today and it definitely proves that after their uneventful stint at Radio 1, Dick and Dom are best suited to children's television programmes and it doesn't look like they'll ever grow up.
It's a far cry from when they were more avuncular presenters on CBBC 10 years ago such as in this clip involving a phone call from Andi Peters.
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