Viewing Thread:
"Childrens TV in the 80's"

Like me most of you can remember the TV programs that you used to watch as a child, but have you actually seen any of them since about the age of 8? The answer is probably not and that you've just reminisced with friends or family. If you have managed to catch a glimpse of TV programs of years past, you like me, are probably horrified! What you once remembered as cute and cuddley characters are now the things of Knightmares (leads me on nicely to my first example).

I caught about 15 minutes of Knightmare on a digital TV channel this week and for the first time I thought to myself...what a load of rubbish! Up until this stage I used to love Knightmare with it's Giant Haystacks look-a-like presenter, but know I wonder what the hell all the fuss was about. The kids on the show, the'contestants' if you like, look like they've fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down before being hit in the face with a spade and rolled into a big vat of brilliant white gloss paint. Now I'm not saying they look abnormal, but it seems you could only apply to be on the show if you lived in Chernobyl. If we then look at the show itself the acting was about as good as a primary school nativity play, and the outfit of just a helmet a satchel was probably thought up by a university graduate who thought it was the ultimate in disguises and blindfoldery (If theres such a word...if not there is now)! What I noticed about this program however was that the 'wanderer' with the helmet and satchel, when ever they fell to where there was just a black hole, didn't seem to fling their arms up and scream to give it more realism, they just seem to fall whilst thinking to themselves....umm bangers and mash tonight!

There are many shows like this that I've caught glimpses of and wonder what it is that TV producers were trying to do to us as kids! Were they trying to make us so scared that every time somebody said You and Me we wet ourselves...were they trying to make it so that every time there was a knock at the door we'd all chant "theres somebody at the door, theres somebody at the door" before you get a clout around the ear from your mum for not answering it...just in case it was a big fat green witch.

Looking back on it now what shows were actually good that wouldn't be dull, boring or make you freaked out now-a-days....Puddle Lane possibly, Pigeon Street maybe, Dungeons and Dragons certainly not, Will Quack Quack are you kidding me, Terrorhawks arrrggghhhhh **runs around the room as if just eaten ice cream too quickly and got brainfreeze**. Who in their right mind would make the Ezmalreda some greenish, wrinkly, big nosed, grey haired demon woman....was she scary or was she scary. I think whoever thought of the idea of the silver ball things....great well done, genius....Ezmalreda - You need shooting or a course of therapy...as do I now!

Another show that I'm seen recently that is in the same category as Childs Play 3 is Sting-Ray. Theres something not quite right with those puppets on string and the female puppet that everyone fancies....Aqua Marie or something...gives me the shivers down my spine like weeing into a bush in the cold winter air....brrrr. What is most astonishing is that our parents thought these programs were suitable for us? Well they should do time for making us witness some truly terrible TV that has mentally scared a lot of us for life.

If I had to leave you with one final thought it would be Timmy Mallet....no "Itsy Witsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Poka Dot Bikkini"....but "It's Wacaday your wide a wake so watcha gonna do..." Now that program rocked harder than Big Daddy on a rocking horse!

i've found the original opening thunderacts epiosode
It's on kazaa
Fairly good quality
Worth getting

pb wrote:
> You're all sooooooo young!

Did they have tv when you were a lad??

*runs

:-)

I'm not that young

You're all sooooooo young!

BEARDS. wrote:
> Pigeon Street is the single greatest work of genius yet created by
> mankind.

A classic
along with the likes of
Transformers
He-man
Thundercats
A-Team
Henrys cat
Jimbo
banana man
M.A.S.K

to name but a few of my childhood greats

lalakersrule wrote:
> Mystique wrote:
> Transformers!
> Wooooo yeah!
>
>
> Oh that was great as well. Back on sky one mix i think isn't it? My
> favourite had to be Optimus Prime. Now why can't we have great shows
> like that being made anymore?
******
Thats the Takera series.

Thundercats! Woooo yeah!

Knightmare is on Challenge every weekend at 5pm. I think it's on earlier as well.

Mr Lover Man wrote:
> I caught about 15 minutes of Knightmare on a digital TV channel this
> week

Which station would this be, perchance?

Pigeon Street is the single greatest work of genius yet created by mankind.

lalakersrule wrote:
> Back on sky one mix i think isn't it? My
> favourite had to be Optimus Prime. Now why can't we have great shows
> like that being made anymore?

That's Transformers Armada, it's what's known as a Sidestory, or different origin based around the same characters. Megatron is no longer a gun and in my opinion the robots aren't as good, they just can't cut it like they used to. Transformers Takara is the same, they should have stuck to the original formula.

pb wrote:

> Other things I've seen recently have been as good as I remember.
> Bagpuss is still excellent and strange, Willo the Wisp (which was on
> when I was at secondary school) is great too. Most of the stuff I
> liked then I still like now.

I only just remember Willo the Wisp, but haven't ever seen Bagpuss. Anyone remember Johnny Briggs?

As for a program that used to scare the rabbit poo out of me(!) - Moondial...there was something seriously wrong with that program and it's makers