New generations always see everything as new and fresh so I felt a bit robbed to find that some of my favourite programmes like Camberwick Green, Chigley, Trumpton and Hector’s House had already been seen by older children in the sixties. But these are my favourite kids shows from the 70s and early 80s:

Mary, Mungo & Midge - Cartoon about a girl who lived in a tower block with her pet dog and mouse. They used to spend a lot of time going up and down in the lift. I get this a bit confused with Crystal Tips & Alistair from the same era. Crystal Tips had a pet dog too. She also had big hair and something about her now reminds me of the awful Marmalde Atkins and Eddie from Absolutely Fabulous. But Crystal Tips was quite pleasant and pets always went down quite well apart from the creepy Fingermouse. Actually, Fingermouse was okay but I wouldn’t want to meet his owner on a dark night.

The Ghosts of Motley Hall - A series about ghosts from different eras who shared a stately mansion. Details are a bit vague but I loved watching this on Sunday afternoons. Far superior to Rentaghost which was an insult to the intelligence of any 8-year-old. I also watched the Clifton House Mystery but it was a bit too spooky.

The Phoenix and the Carpet - I remember well sitting down to have tea on dark winter nights and escaping into the realms of fantasy travel. It was about a group of a children who find a magic carpet and an egg which hatches into a phoenix. E. Nesbit’s story had something of the spirit of the Arabian Nights about it. Note how popular Victorian dramas were for children at this time. I also recall the Secret Garden, The Railway Children and even the Canal Children.

Mr Benn - More fantasy travel into different worlds. Mr Benn visits a fancy dress shop where he tries on a costume and is transformed into a knight or a big game hunter or whatever. But one of the great things about Mr Benn was that after an adventure we knew he would return to his everyday existence on Festive Road feeling all the better for his experience and he always had a momento to show for it. Unbelievable that only 13 episodes of the original series were ever made. I must have seen them all numerous times but I never tired of watching it.

Record Breakers - There were quite a few educational shows around. The most memorable thing about “How” was the theme tune. “How”was for boffins. I quite liked cinema related stuff like Clapperboard and Screen Test. Animal Magic was good, especially when Johnnny Morris did his impersonations and speculated on what the animals might be saying to each other. But what kids really wanted to know in those days were things like, “Who is the fastest over 100 m on a spacehopper?” or “What’s the most blue bags ever found in a packet of Salt n’ Shake?” Only Noris McWhirter could answer these sort of questions.

Grange Hill – I don’t recall anyone my age who didn’t watch this. Parents sometimes complained that it was a bad influence and that schools weren’t really like that. Actually, in many ways, I think mine was a lot worse.

Stookie - There weren’t that many children's dramas set in Scotland. Stookie was good for that reason. It was made by STV and the characters spoke in a natural Glaswegian way. I recall another one set in Glasgow called Maggie which I liked. Supergran was rubbish. It wasn’t even made in Scotland and it shows. Stookie Doyle was played by David Mckay. He is quite a successful actor having appeared in Braveheart, My Name is Joe, Les Miserables and Once Upon a Time in the Midlands among other films. But for me he will always be Stookie.

Murphy’s Mob
murphys
Everywhere you go, everything you see,
Someone's saying no, it's a tragedy,
Find another place, cos you can't play here,
Don't want any lip, so there!

Y'know it's gonna be alright if we stick together
We're gonna have a fine, fine time if we stick together
No more mindless empty days...

There were many football comics but why so few tv dramas for kids about football? Murphy’s Mob tried to put that right. Not brilliant but young fans needed more football in the days when they couldn’t watch a match on telly every night of the week. Murphy’s Mob involved the trials and tribulations of the fictional Third Division side Dunmore United and their young supporters. But in those days Watford were one of England’s best teams and anyone could see the setting was Vicarage Road. Was this series really directed by Micky Dolenz of The Monkees?

Stig of the Dump - Barney becomes friends with a prehistoric boy who he discovers living a chalk pit. What a great idea for a story. Couldn’t fail really. Sadly it led to some unfortunate children at my school being branded with the stigma of the nickname Stig.

Hong Kong Phooey - For many years I have lived under the illusion that this was a series about “Henry the mild-mannered janitor”. In fact it was “Penry”. Whoever heard of anyone called “Penry”? Anyway, nothing made any sense. Penry solves crimes by jumping into a filing cabinet and transforming into a Kung Fu superhero.
hongkon2
Not only is he no longer a janitor but he is now a dog. His assistant is a striped cat called Spot. The Phooey-mobile can change into a boat, helicopter or whatever is convenient. Just goes to show there is no limit to how far-fetched successful cartoons can be.

Inch High Private Eye - Merits inclusion for the title alone. Just what it says on the packet. A series about a detective who was a bit on the short side.

The Littlest Hobo – I probably watched the remake of the original sixties series but what the hell, I’m including it anyway. A kind of introduction to road movies for kids. The Hobo wandered from town to town, taking care of himself while helping out those in trouble. Not as sentimental as Lassie or Greyfriars Bobby but a real canine superhero nonetheless.

Thanks to http://www.memorabletv.com