10.12.08 | Thank you thank you thank you, Mr Postgate!
Childrens TV used to be a beautiful thing in England, back in the 70's. In fact, probably from the 50's onwards until the mid 90's.
Everything was innocent, though... really until the 80's, when commercialism and the need for ratings began strangling the creativity out of much of the telly media for kids. Holidays were bestest!
I don't know about before i was born, but every summer i spent as a child, mornings on television belonged to children. And every weekday from just before 4pm until around 6pm was a childrens tv time. And it continued on BBC2 a further hour until 7! Woo!
Nowadays, children are fed a diet of "zany, wacky" quiz shows presided over by presenters who obviously are trying too hard to "get in with the kids" and are obviously a few pennies short of a pound. Or something vaguely comical and dramatic with the kind of overacting that would embarrass Christmas Panto! And the rest is cheap and badly made cartoons (with a very few notable exceptions... dammit, ok, i rather like Spongebob Squarepants, ok?)
And they get fuck all in summer, and no dinner time tv. And morningsthrough to afternoons is devoted to doddery old pensioners plus fuckwit dole dossers and hungover students.
But in the 70's there was so MUCH! It's impossible to even list the huge variety of amazing and original programmes available.
So i'm not gonna... instead i'm just going to dedicate this post to one of the most influential creators in my life. A person who probably helped to make my voice what it is today... which apparently is something for the ladies to swoon at, hah!
Oliver Postgate who passed away this week.
Here's some of his very charming and whimsical work.
Bagpuss, the most important! The most Beautiful! The most magical!!
Over at the guardian.com, Zoe williams made me smile with her "obituary"
Thank-You, Mr Postgate
I bow
S.x
1 comments :.
I'd forgotten how much I loved Ivor the Engine...
A very gentle soul, that was that passed
xx
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