"Small Time" was Rediffusion's 15-minute slot for the under fives, broadcast from 1955 to 1966. As well as airing in London, it was picked up by Anglia and Southern Television and possibly some other regions. The story of Small Time is documented here by Malcolm Batchelor, with thanks to the TV Times and the British Newspaper Library at Colindale. Times given are for the London transmissions.
Milestones and Notable Dates
Small Time began the day after Independent Television’s Opening Night in London
on Thursday, 22nd September, 1955. At 12.15pm on Friday, 23rd September, 1955 the very first Small Time programme was broadcast: Johnny and Flonny, a glove puppet series, with Paul Hansard. The following week, Monday saw The Big Black Crayon with Rolf Harris and Jean Ford, and on the Wednesday was Toybox with Susan Spear.
There were no Small Time programmes on Tuesdays or Thursdays until Tuesday, 8th November, when The Little House That Stood On The Hill joined the 12.15-12.30pm line-up and on Thursday Snoozy The Sea-Lion made the complete original Monday to Friday set.
Full details of these and all the other Small Time programmes are given here.
From Monday, 28th November, 1955 the slot was moved back a little to 12.08pm and ran to 12.20pm, according to the TV Times. But this initial lunchtime transmission was short-lived because from Monday, 9th January, 1956 Small Time was moved to a 4.05-4.15pm slot.
But soon we were to lose our five slots a week, because from the week commencing 20th February, 1956 Small Time was down to a Tuesday and Thursday 4.30-4.45pm slot only. A few months later, in May 1956, Small Time disappeared completely and the only remnants that were left could be seen on Tuesdays when Rolf Harris appeared in the Children’s Hour from 5.00-6.00pm, and on Thursdays when Snoozy The Sea Lion had a fortnightly run at 5.27pm in the same programme. Only Snoozy remained from June 1956 however, and lasted as the programme became Jolly Good Time with Jimmy Hanley in September 1956 right the way through to September 1957.
On Monday, 16th September, 1957 at 4.30pm the Small Time 15-minute slot was back. The programmes were hosted by Mr. Happy, the controller of birthdays; the script was written by John Myers; and Mr. Happy read out birthday greetings before presenting a different Small Time programme each day, Monday to Friday. This format lasted until Christmas.
Wednesday, 13th November, 1957 saw the very first episode of The Adventures Of Twizzle.
No Small Time programmes were broadcast between January and April 1958, but The Adventures Of Twizzle were shown on Tuesdays in the Jolly Good Time show with Jimmy Hanley between 5.00 and 5.30pm.
In April 1958 Oliver Postgate joined the team with Mr Happy, and from Monday, 14th April Small Time was running in the 4.45-5.00pm slot with a different programme each day.
Monday, 8th December, 1958 saw the debut of Muriel Young reading the tale of Little Rocky, while Thursday, 11th December, 1958 saw the very first edition of the long running series The Musical Box, though without Wally Whyton until 12th August, 1959. This first edition was compered by Jill Adamson. Rolf Harris hosted the programme from 21st April, 1959.
Small Time didn’t settle into its 4.45-5.00pm slot until Monday, 14th September, 1959. Although the programme continued to run five days a week from Monday, 14th April, 1958, after Christmas on Monday, 29th December, 1958 it was moved back to the lunchtime slot of 12.47-1.00pm - and if that’s not enough musical chairs, on Monday, 5th July, 1959 it was moved forward again to a 5.05-5.15pm slot! Throughout the rest of its life it did settle at 4.45-5.00pm, apart from a very short period between Monday, 28th December, 1964 and Monday, 1st February, 1965 when for the first month in the life of Crossroads, the new ATV soap serial, Small Time was designated a 4.20-4.35pm slot.
On Friday, 16th October, 1959 Patrick Boyle told the very first Tum story which was followed by Muriel Young talking to Pussy Cat Willum, a glove puppet devised and animated by Janet Nicholls. This started regular birthday chats following the Small Time programme, and over the years Pussy Cat Willum appeared with Liz Shingler, Bert Weedon and Wally Whyton as well as Muriel Young. The other “soon to become famous” puppets who started life here before making it big in the Five O’Clock Club were Ollie Beak, voiced by Wally Whyton; and Fred Barker, voiced by Ivan Owen.
Monday, 28th December, 1959 heralded the introduction of that little engine from the Welsh valleys, Ivor The Engine, while a couple of months later, Tuesday, 23rd February, 1960 saw the launch of Torchy The Battery Boy.
Tuesday, 27th February, 1962 gave us the first adventure with Sara and Hoppity. Who can remember that theme song?
“Sara Brown has a toy as naughty as can be,
He’ll start to sing if you wind up his key.
He’ll sing and he’ll dance all over the floor
And when he stands still you wind him some more.
Dear old Hoppity, naughty Hoppity, there is no toy more naughty than he.
Dear old Hoppity, clever Hoppity, he sings diddle-lee-dum and he sings diddle-lee-dee!”
In September 1962 one of Children’s TV’s greatest glove puppets, Basil Brush, was born on ITV in Small Time. He appeared with his friends Bert Scampi and Spikey in The Three Scampis. His voice was created by Ivan Owen.
From Monday, 27th September, 1965 Pippy The Telephant made regular appearances.
The final week of Small Time began on Monday 19th September, 1966 and the line-up of programmes looked like this:
Mon: Kuff.
Tues: Twizzle.
Weds: Musical Box.
Thurs: Pippy’s Party.
Fri: All At Sea.
Then from Monday, 26th September, 1966 away went the Small Time header along with all the regular programmes, and into the 4.45-5.00pm slot came Playtime, where Gwyneth Surdivall and Jennifer Naden invited the younger viewers to join in the singing, dancing and painting in their magic park. This programme ran from Mondays to Thursdays leaving Friday free for The Adventures Of Twizzle into 1967. By 1968 Playtime had gone and was replaced with Hullaballoo. Various other programmes filled this slot, including Ivor The Engine, until Rediffusion became part of Thames Television in July, 1968.
The Small Time Directors
Jim Pople, Tig Roe, Marjory Ruse, William Freshman, Roger Jenkins, Prudence Nesbitt, Bill Perry, Bimbi Harris, Peter Moffatt, Sheila Gregg, John Rhodes, David Boisseau, Eric Croall, David Gardner, Don Gale, Richard Sidwell, Ronald Marriott, Richard Gilbert, Raymond Menmuir, Michael Currer-Briggs, Peter Yolland, Harry Sloan, J. Murray Ashford, Marc Miller, Glenn Lord, Adrian Brown, Richard West, Angela Holder, Bob Gray, Tania Lieven, David Conyers, Bill Turner, Adrian Cooper, Grahame Turner, Mary Beales, Hugh Munro, Fred Sadoff, Peter Croft.
