Andy Pandy To Zebedee 

1 December 2015 tbs.pm/8166

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BBCtv

BBC Four have decided to treat us to some archives snippets on 21 December 2015, with an evening of children’s programmes of the past leading up to a talking heads documentary on the genre.

Taking the shape of a classic Children’s TV schedule (beginning with pre-school programming and ending with the once-coveted five minute slot just before the 6 O’Clock News) From Andy Pandy to Zebedee relates the story of the struggle to survive and reveals the passion and determination it took to deliver great programmes for this often overlooked audience.

It was a time of great innovation and experiment, featuring such brilliant figures as Tony Hart whose shows opened the door to Aardman and Morph. Phyllida Law recounts the endless (and invariably wrong) theories about the hidden messages in The Magic Roundabout, written and performed by her husband, Eric Thompson.

Over on Twitter, Cameron Yarde Jnr has the provisional schedule for that night, including:

7.30pm Play School
7.55pm John Craven’s Newsround
8.05pm Blue Peter
8.35pm Grange Hill
9.00pm From Andy Pandy To Zebedee: The Golden Age of Children’s TV

Christmas 2015 on BBC TV: BBC Four [BBC Media Centre] via Cameron Yarde Jnr

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