, which ran from 1964 to 1987, made an indelible mark on the shape of children’s television in the UK. It was shown five mornings a week on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Two, and eventually at the start of the afternoon's Ö÷²¥´óÐã One children's schedule. Here are 10 reasons why it was so memorable, influential and fun - and not just for the under-fives...

Innovative – There had been nothing quite like Play School on British television before. New educational theories had been developing for years and were coming to fruition in the early 1960s. Many of the new generation of Ö÷²¥´óÐã executives emerging at the time had young families and appreciated that television could help with their education. It was already apparent that even quite young children loved watching television, so it made sense to give them something specifically directed at them. The resources allocated to Play School were naturally not huge, but imagination played a big part in it, both in front of and behind the cameras.

Though the Ö÷²¥´óÐã had made children’s programmes from the on radio, and there had been a regular children’s television service since , programmes for the pre-school age group were confined to daily animated series under the banner (Andy Pandy, The Flowerpot Men, The Woodentops, Rag, Tag and Bobtail and Picture Book). These were popular, but there were a limited number of episodes, endlessly repeated, and there were no in-vision presenters (except in ).

The early 1960s was a time of change, not least for the Ö÷²¥´óÐã. The Children’s Programmes department was merged with the Women’s Programmes department (yes, there was such a thing, making shows that went out on weekday afternoons) to become Family Programmes, while production of children's drama and light entertainment was handed to the relevant adult departments. With a clean sheet to begin with it was time for new thinking, and one way this manifested itself was in a programme for pre-school children, for the new and experimental channel Ö÷²¥´óÐã Two. It would be called Play School, and it would change the face of children’s television.

Theme Tune – Composed, like the Jackanory theme, by musicologist and broadcaster , the original Play School theme is a television classic. With the easy-to-follow lyrics “Here’s a house… here’s a door…” and the simple graphics of a child’s idea of a house, there was never any doubt of what the programme to follow would be like. Music was an important element in Play School, with live musicians featured in every episode. Many of them were serious jazzmen in the evenings, but Play School helped keep them from starvation…

Educational – Play School taught children essential skills, such as being able to tell what day it was, and how to tell the time. The show was devised by the original producer Joy Whitby to help cope with the shortage of nursery school places in the early 60s, although since you couldn’t see it at first unless you lived in the London area (where Ö÷²¥´óÐã Two was initially confined) and had a dual standard (405/625 line) TV set, which was needed to receive Ö÷²¥´óÐã Two, its immediate impact was limited. But it went on to have nationwide coverage by the end of the 1960s and its influence grew as a result. The programme was also a great proponent of storytelling, and gave an outlet for younger children’s authors and illustrators, as later did with books for older children.

Windows – Before Microsoft was even thought of, Play School’s windows opened up a whole world of film sequences – factory visits, the countryside, and other stuff. There were famously three of them, square, round and arched, and children would sit entranced, wondering which one would be chosen. There was apparently a clue to the kind of film that followed, depending on which shape of window, but that level of subtlety was probably lost on the average four-year-old.

Presenters – Some people say actors are people who have never grown up, but what better way to use those vital drama school mime skills than pretending you are a tree, a bunny rabbit, or trapped in a box, on national television? Many presenters became household names, either just from Play School or from things that followed – such as , Fred Harris,  (now in the House of Lords), Julie Stevens, , Carol Chell, (later the narrator of The Magic Roundabout) – and of course the great , who cemented his reputation with voice-overs on Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Chigley, and by fronting the Play School spin-off Play Away.

Toys – Humpty, Jemima, Big and Little Ted and Hamble – like the line-up of a manufactured pop group, there was something for everyone in this unforgettable combo. Even if Hamble was seriously scary. The Play School toys were not aspirational, they were proper toys that anyone could own a version of. Humpty and Jemima particularly had a home-made look about them, while the Teds were so ubiquitous that there would be few children who needed to feel envious.

Pets – Never work with animals and children, they say – but as with , both were occasional hazards on Play School. The most notable pet was Cocky the Cockatoo, who would cheerily take a lump out of presenters’ fingers. He was usually kept in a cage to minimise the digital damage.

Clock – Though an occasional cause of demarcation disputes over whose job it was to work it, the Play School clock, which had the dual function of teaching you how to tell the time (“The big hand is pointing to the 12…”) and introducing the day’s story with the rotating diorama of a related object or scene below it, was one of the most iconic segments of the show. The original complex design was replaced by a simplified clock in the 70s – and telling the time was never quite the same again. The programme also taught children about the date, using a wooden frame with the day, day number and month on rotating blocks, at the start of each show.

Colour – Although filmed series like , and the  family of shows had been made in colour earlier, Play School was the first colour videotaped children's series in the UK – by dint of it being the only children's series on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Two for many years. When colour started on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Two in 1967 it took a while before studio programmes could be made on videotape, but by 1968 Play School was one of them. Admittedly, when Ö÷²¥´óÐã One introduced colour in late 1969, Play School went back to black and white for a while, as not enough colour studios were available, and popular adult programmes took priority ( didn’t get to go into colour until autumn 1970).

Legacy – As well as being sold to various countries as a format package so they could make their own versions, Play School spawned one direct domestic spin-off, (its memorable theme tune beginning “Never mind the weather…”), giving Play School graduates a chance to work with a slightly older audience. The show, which lasted from 1971 to 1984, introduced new generations to some seriously old jokes, and featured and one or two other actors who would later think twice before romping around in primary-coloured dungarees.

Although it ended in , Play School’s influence lives on. As well as the careers it launched, it was succeeded by the likes of Playdays, , Tweenies and , the latter even featuring a set of windows to introduce location-based items. These shows, not to mention the presentation style of the CBeebies channel, all owe something to the pioneering work of the team behind Play School. And generations of children have thoroughly enjoyed them...

Guest blogger Heather Lewis grew up with a love of television, with a particular fascination for continuity and idents from the 1980s. In-between looking after her two young children she celebrates Children's Ö÷²¥´óÐã in her blog and contributes guest posts for the website. She writes about the launch of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã's full daytime television schedule 30 years ago.

There are a great number of us waxing lyrical in blogs and websites about television shows and schedules of the past. The 1970s and 1980s are now a fondly remembered age when the majority of us had a maximum of four channels to enjoy and the Ö÷²¥´óÐã1 nightly channel sequence is worthy of a nostalgic discussion among enthusiasts on social media.

Less talked about though, is the Ö÷²¥´óÐã1 daytime schedule in the early and mid- 1980s. There is a reason for that of course and the words 'daytime schedule' are perhaps a little misleading due to a huge gap in the morning hours of programming until October 1986, now 30 years ago.

A delve into the pages of Ö÷²¥´óÐã Genome for paints an interesting, if baffling picture of daytime viewing options, or rather lack of options. With Ö÷²¥´óÐã Breakfast finishing just after 9am and a repeat showing of Will to Win (a documentary previously shown on Ö÷²¥´óÐã2 in 1985) we were treated to a selection of pages from the Ö÷²¥´óÐã’s Ceefax text service for a whole 55 minutes before that cornerstone of children’s programming Play School was aired. Pages from Ceefax appeared again afterwards for a lengthy 2 hours and 10 minutes until the lunchtime news bulletin at 1pm. So… where were all the programmes? Was that really it?

We need to travel back to 1983 first of all. The Ö÷²¥´óÐã took a significant step forward in launching early in that year, at that time it was followed by the familiar countdown dots of the schools and colleges strand just after 9am. More change was to come, however, from late in June 1983 as the schools programmes slowly ambled their way over to Ö÷²¥´óÐã2, leaving a few holes during the morning hours. the game of 'scheduling musical chairs' meant that Play School was now moved across to Ö÷²¥´óÐã1 and the schools and colleges programming occupied Ö÷²¥´óÐã2 for much of the day.

Until 1986 to interrupt the weekday Ceefax and Play School dominance on Ö÷²¥´óÐã1. Repeats of Sunday teatime staples included Antiques Roadshow and Songs of Praise; the filled up the Autumn months with Play School solidly standing its ground every mid-morning throughout (presumably to give the keen politics viewer a chance to take a tea break). The summer of 1984 brought us showing highlights from the Los Angeles Olympics.

The school holidays usually saw Ö÷²¥´óÐã1 with a slightly particularly in 1986, when with the new Children's Ö÷²¥´óÐã branding in its infancy, in-vision presenters (Debbie Flint and Andy Crane) appeared on screen during the morning introducing cartoons, the holiday staple Why Don’t You…? and special editions of Newsround. By the kids were back at school and pages from Ceefax reappeared, much to the delight of some enthusiasts and the frustration of others.

At last, on the 27th October 1986 It didn't exactly explode onto our screens, but lightly skipped on, complete with pastel hued promos that included an animated peachy coloured curtain and window for added scenery. Featured in the new daytime line up were the 'filler repeats' of classic comedy and films, but more importantly there was a significant number of brand new shows introduced on to our screens for the very first time.

Children's Ö÷²¥´óÐã presentation, now just over a year old, was rewarded with a small mid-morning slot either side of Play School where Phillip Schofield sat with his mid-morning coffee in one of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã’s small presentation studios, for his under-5 year old audience. It started off as a relatively simple, humble affair, as in addition to the hand-drawn cards, there were birthday messages hastily scribbled onto scraps of paper and shop bought cards! Nonetheless this is a format which was hugely popular and is still going strong every day, now on the CBeebies channel.

 

bore a striking resemblance to the Ö÷²¥´óÐã’s long running show Points of View, but expanding the concept into a live broadcast magazine. Originally presented by Pattie Coldwell, Bob Wellings and Eamonn Holmes each daily edition covered all aspects of television programming in an interactive (for the 1980s) way where viewers could telephone in and be given the opportunity to praise recent shows, or grumble about them. Various show creators, producers and presenters were put in the firing line to answer their questions. Enjoyably, we saw fascinating behind-the-scenes features of the workings of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã, for example in 1987 when Richard Straker talked the Open Air audience through his duties as a Ö÷²¥´óÐã continuity announcer. Some of Open Air was even dedicated to the new Ö÷²¥´óÐã1 Daytime schedule itself, and one of the programmes given notable attention was the lunchtime soap opera called Neighbours, which in terms of peak viewing figures became one of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Daytime schedule’s most successful shows.

The story of coming to the Ö÷²¥´óÐã who had the task of finding a drama suitable for a lunchtime audience. His choice was made simple when faced with a selection of numerous identikit American soaps, or a lone Australian drama centred round a small street of houses and a handful of families. Neighbours had an immediate appeal to many people, sitting down at lunchtime for 25 minutes of daily television escapism to a friendly world of warm sunshine and backyard swimming pools. Its popularity wasn't restricted to just frazzled mums of young toddlers and the retired, in school and college common rooms all over the country it became essential viewing for teenagers and students, too.

Throughout the latter half of the 1980s the daytime schedule evolved to bring us more new and long-running shows including the , and Going for Gold, a quiz with an international flavour hosted by Henry Kelly.

There was even a Daytime magazine and a Daytime Club, complete with a flashy membership card. The phenomenal success of Neighbours continued to grow and the combined lunchtime and teatime repeat each day (from 1988 onwards) had audiences of 18 million upwards glued to Ramsay Street's unfolding dramas. The long, enduring stretches of selected 'pages from Ceefax' became a distant memory, much to the wistful sadness of some; but also to the joyous relief of many!

Steve Williams is an Editorial Curator for and writes about television for

For many years, millions of kids celebrated their freedom after a week of school by staying in their pyjamas, closing the curtains so there’d be no light on the screen and watching telly until lunchtime. Forty years ago, Noel Edmonds and Multi-Coloured Swap Shop changed Saturday mornings forever.

There had been childrens’ programmes on Saturday mornings before – occasional series , which promised "Noise! Adventure! Glitter!" and was linked by a talking pinball machine had run around lunchtime since 1968.

On the other side, too, LWT’s Saturday Scene transformed from brief links around cartoons into a fully-fledged show in its own right, while on ATV, Tiswas began in 1974 and broadcast a hundred episodes before anyone outside the Midlands had seen it.

Swap Shop, however, was still a major step forward – it was shown across the UK, it was completely live and ran for three hours.

was billed in Radio Times as the first of 12 programmes, and promised, alongside the Radio 1 breakfast DJ as host, an appearance from Tom Baker (or Dr Who, as he was billed), music from Harpo and Flintlock, a junior light bulb collector, the cartoon Valley of the Dinosaurs and Keith Chegwin, “the Roving Swapman”, out and about somewhere in the UK. It was a mix that proved the cornerstone of Saturday morning TV for 25 years. Apart from the light bulb collecting.

Swap Shop’s success was almost instant – the series was extended to run right through until the following February. In August, as part of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã’s which broadcast a programme from each of the previous 25 years, Swap Shop was selected as 1976’s most significant show and a “condensed” episode was screened on primetime Ö÷²¥´óÐã Two. And when the series returned in October, it received the honour of a Radio Times cover.

As Tiswas began to spread its wings across Britain, the battle to attract the attention of the nation’s kids began in earnest, although many happily watched both and flicked between the two whenever one went into a boring bit. Tiswas was certainly considered the more anarchic, but Swap Shop was pretty daring in its own way – members of the production team actually appeared on camera (unheard of at the time) and a regular highlight came when Noel casually strolled out of the studio to see what else was happening at Television Centre.

One thing that fast became clear was that Swap Shop wasn’t just popular with the kids it was aimed at – it quickly gained a huge adult audience as well. Partly this was thanks to the other options – Ö÷²¥´óÐã Two would be screening the Open University, or even nothing at all, so Noel and the team were the only option if you didn’t fancy Calculus over the Corn Flakes. Swap Shop dominated the Saturday schedules (except ). 

Indeed, in 1980, actor Peter Barkworth wrote in Radio Times’ Preview column about its appeal to the wider audience – and paid tribute to its host. "He is the presenter (both on television and radio) sans pareil: funny yet sincere, fast yet relaxed, professional yet friendly, discreet yet naughty, bland yet astringent, articulate yet unpretentious; a thoroughly nice, likeable fellow who can talk and laugh and smile without in any way playing down. There cannot be a single viewer who does not feel present at the programme."

This adult appeal meant that Swap Shop could attract huge celebrity guests –  and many more all made an appearance, with eager viewers getting the once in a lifetime opportunity to speak to a star.

When Noel moved on in 1982, and the Swap Shop closed, opened in its place.

Yet despite the arrival of Mike Read as “General Manager”, things seemed pretty similar – John Craven, Keith Chegwin and Maggie Philbin were all still taking part, and the same mix of pop, cartoons and star guests remained intact. If anything, things got even starrier – David Steel, Neil Kinnock and Margaret Thatcher all appeared in quick succession, the Prime Minister famously confronted with some tough questions from the audience, while Prince Edward also popped in.

This illustrates how Saturday morning TV’s influence spread far and wide – and how they became far more than just another kid’s show. It certainly seemed the place to be on Saturday mornings – hence in 1984, alongside appearances from Spandau Ballet and Simon Groom, Saturday SuperStore and coverage of the return of the space shuttle. 

In 1986, the Store opened early to take in pictures from the Queen’s Visit to China. If it was happening on Saturday morning, it was on Saturday morning TV.

1987 saw Going Live! take over Saturday mornings. The show had two main presenters rather than one, in the shape of Sarah Greene and Phillip Schofield, and there were other changes – out went the outside broadcasts from windswept playing fields, in came comedy sketches from Trevor and Simon. But the classic Saturday morning mix remained intact, including some fabulous combinations of guests – like and If the guest lists looked odd on paper, they always worked on screen. Talking to Radio Times in 1993, Sarah Greene said the guests appeared "because their children tell them to - that it's cool... and it's quite funny seeing someone like Sting getting all nervous because he's going to be on with Trevor and Simon."

replaced Going Live! in 1993 and was on air when Saturday morning telly celebrated its twentieth anniversary – and not much had changed. Twenty years to the week of the first Swap Shop, Live & Kicking offered up virtually the same mix of pop, cartoons, star guests and games.

The where young viewers could vote for their favourite stars, were still taking place under the banner of the the programme was still for The Lord Mayor’s Show and, from 1997, the show was being presented by the current Radio 1 breakfast DJ in the shape of Zoe Ball.

But an era ended in 2001 when Saturday morning kids TV lives on to this day, but with a host of other options for grown-up viewers, it can never have the impact and influence it used to. But for generations of kids (and adults), Saturday mornings were extra special.

Blue Peter is the Ö÷²¥´óÐã’s flagship children’s programme which has formed an important part of its output since its launch in 1958. 

As a favourite with succeeding generations, it has received a great deal of attention. Perhaps the greatest amount has been reserved for the from the late 1960s to early 70s, when Valerie Singleton, John Noakes and Peter Purves were at the helm. Successive replacements have in many ways tried to emulate that formula, although in the changed environment of the 21stcentury the programme is a very different animal from 45 years ago.

The prominent figure behind the scenes from 1962 to 1988 was , and her long service and strong personality have shaped the programme in no uncertain terms. 

Yet one figure who preceded her is the programme’s founder and first producer, John Hunter Blair, about whom little is known.

John Wauchope Hunter Blair was a slightly eccentric and obscure figure.  Born in 1903 to Major-General W. Hunter Blair and his wife Ethel, he went to school at the Royal Naval College in Osbourne and Dartmouth.  After studying at Edinburgh University, he did an MA in Modern History at Oriel College, Oxford, before becoming a schoolmaster.  

In 1933 he took the unusual step of going to work in Latvia, at the University of Riga.  He stayed there until 1940, when the independent republic was swallowed up by the Soviet Union.  In the course of his time there he became fluent in Latvian, began working in radio for the Latvian State Broadcasting Service, and married a local woman. 

Even less is known about Hunter Blair’s wife than about him:  she was called Helene Ezergailis, but by the time he was established in the UK as a television producer they had separated.  He obviously didn’t talk about her as it was only vaguely apparent to Ö÷²¥´óÐã officials and colleagues that he had been married. He lived alone, and some even referred to him as a bachelor.

When he left Latvia he moved to Australia, where he worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, initially as an announcer based in Brisbane.  In 1943 he became a script writer for ABC, and then in 1944 a Presentation Officer, which also involved writing.  He continued in this job until 1947, when for some reason he decided to return to Britain. 

He got leave of absence from ABC, and applied to join the Ö÷²¥´óÐã.  One of the great loves of his life was music, and he at first tried to enter the music department. But he was turned down, and gained a sick relief post in Far Eastern department of the Empire Service.  Following this he moved to Schools Broadcasting, where he obviously made a good enough impression. He is credited as script writer for the series in 1949, and for the Geography series, contributing a talk about Latvia, as a ‘former British resident'. In 1951 he was able to gain promotion to Producer in Children’s Television.

It’s not clear why Hunter Blair made the move to television, but by 1951 it was starting to expand around the country, with the opening of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã’s third transmitter, Holme Moss, bringing the medium to the North of England.  It had also been decided to start a regular children’s television service in 1950, to replace the patchy, occasional programmes shown before.  Although characters like  were already popular, the Ö÷²¥´óÐã decided to dedicate a slot to children’s programming, which came from the new Lime Grove studios.  

The expansion of television meant new people were taken on, though Hunter Blair seems to have replaced a producer called Alan Bromly whose contract had ended. Bromly nonetheless went on to have a successful TV career, producing thriller serials including those of Frances Durbridge. 

At this point Hunter Blair did not even have a television set, unable to obtain one of the few domestic sets owned by the Ö÷²¥´óÐã for staff use, although he was able to hire one from Radio Rentals and claim back the cost.

Hunter Blair began work at Lime Grove on 1 November 1951.  Although working as a producer his name did not necessarily appear in Radio Times, and when it did it was sometimes in another capacity.  He is credited for musical direction on children’s drama series  

After a year or two his credits start to appear as a producer, for , The Runaway Band and The House that Jack Built.  In 1954 he continued with Jack-in-the-Box but was also producer, writer and music composer for a play with music called The Smith Family which received several showings, latterly billed as a children’s opera.  It’s not always clear from listings what children’s output Hunter Blair was producing, but among the material shown were items on model railways, and appearances by young artist Tony Hart, both of which would figure in Hunter Blair’s later career.

By 1955 he was dividing his time between drama serial , which combined elements of language teaching with storytelling, and allowed Hunter Blair to exercise his good command of French and passion for travel. His flair for music was reflected in Television Puppet Theatre and two programmes with Eric Robinson and his Orchestra. He was also still in charge of Jack-in-the-Box, which featured Nat Temple and his Orchestra.

Birth of Blue Peter 

His credits mounted up in 1956, producing drama including more Bobby in France, Lucky Silver and The Adventures of Pierre.  His musical output also increased, with  marking 200 years since Mozart’s birth and The Fisk Jubilee Singers, a programme of Negro spirituals.

By 1957 Hunter Blair was a safe pair of hands, and was commended – and given a bonus – for his innovative work in music for children’s TV.  Annual reports paint a picture of a man who was very happy in his work, though he could be uncommunicative in formal situations.  His appearance, as described by acquaintances and confirmed by the few photographs of him, was reminiscent of Billy Bunter, with his round face and spectacles.  There seems to have been something of the schoolboy about him too in his enthusiasm for model railways. He was said to possess a first class mind, though happy in his lot as a children’s TV producer.

His 1957 productions seem to have been mostly musical, until he was appointed editor and producer of the series .  Starting in January, Hunter Blair took over with what was described as a ‘scratch team of assistants’.  This magazine programme included comedy with the likes of Clive Dunn as well as a range of factual and music items. George Cansdale talked about animals, Percy Thrower about gardening, Shirley Abicair told stories and played her zither, Johnny Morris appeared as the Hot Chestnut Man.  It was presented by the redoubtable Vera McKechnie, later Elizabeth Lanchbury. 

Hunter Blair left “Studio E” in 1958 to be replaced by Ursula Eason, but continued to produce Jack-in-the-Box, until it finished in September.  He also co-wrote another musical drama, , for which he also composed and conducted the music.  He had the odd other credit, but something new was in the air.

Owen Reed, head of Children’s Television, saw there was a gap in the provision for children too old for Watch with Mother but too young for the sophistications of Studio E.  Sensing that Hunter Blair knew what appealed to children - despite having none of his own - Reed gave him the task of producing a weekly 15-minute magazine programme for primary-age children.  

Hunter Blair found a solid male presenter in actor Christopher Trace, and to partner him the 1957 winner of Miss Great Britain, Leila Williams. Needing a title for the show, Hunter Blair chose the name of the flag flown by ships preparing to set sail:  Blue Peter.

went out live on October 16 1958. Originally the series’ title sequence used film of a sailing ship at sea, and colleagues recalled Hunter Blair’s gleeful instruction in the gallery to add the sound of sea wash to the footage. The show quickly caught the imagination of children with its fresh and enthusiastic presentation.

Christopher Trace was an avuncular figure, a former army officer with an undistinguished acting career, but he took to presenting at once. He is cited as coming up with two of the best-known phrases associated with Blue Peter – “And now for something completely different” and “Here’s one I made earlier”.  Arriving for interview with Hunter Blair, staff remembered that he immediately bonded with the producer over a shared love of model trains, which soon became a regular feature of the series, even featuring in a regular story series.  Storytelling was also a feature, predating Jackanory.

Although Blue Peter aired every week, Hunter Blair continued to contribute to other shows, including (a one-off that included Jacqueline du Pré) and a series with Shirley Abicair.  But Blue Peter was his main job, and one which he was commended on numerous times.  He even went as far as taking trips abroad to try to source idea for items and unusual toys to feature in the series. 

Ill health

However, all was not well.  It’s unlikely that Hunter Blair took much exercise, and the stresses of live television production were starting to tell.  He began to suffer from heart problems, and was admitted to hospital in December 1960.  He returned to work the following January but had a heart attack in June.

with the Ö÷²¥´óÐã was the 12 June 1961 – a Blue Peter transmission day. Hunter Blair apparently collapsed in the production gallery, although not during transmission as far as records show.

He was signed off from work, and various others took charge temporarily, with greater or lesser degrees of success.  At first, this was thought to be until Hunter Blair would recover sufficiently to return to work, but eventually it was realised he would never be fit enough again.  He had angina, and struggled to climb stairs at times and was also suffering from Parkinson’s disease.  He had spells in hospital and nursing homes, and gave up his flat in Maida Vale to go and live in his sister’s house in Norfolk.  At last, the Ö÷²¥´óÐã agreed that he would have to retire prematurely on health grounds. 

A late starter with the Corporation, he was 43 when he joined and 57 when he made his last programme.  It was agreed his last day on the staff roll would be his 59th birthday, October 4 1962.  Hunter Blair’s health never improved, and he died just over two years later, on December 31 1964.

By that time, Blue Peter had celebrated over six years on air, and was now running twice a week, presented by .  Although the Children’s Television department no longer really existed, with most output farmed to other areas, Blue Peter survived, and under its eventual permanent replacement producer/editor Biddy Baxter, it would go on to fulfil and exceed all of John Hunter Blair’s hopes in the succeeding decades.

Actor Ivan Owen's main claim to renown was as the original voice of children's favourite Basil Brush. 

Born in 1927, he studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art briefly and then worked in repertory theatre. Owen is first credited in Children’s Television in June 1954, where he and Peter Hawkins provided the voices for puppet series .  During the 1955 series, Owen made an appearance in person playing “other parts” in children’s drama The Gordon Honour and some other small roles. 

In 1957 Owen joined the voice cast of Toytown, making his first appearance in  that year, hosted by Eamonn Andrews when he was also presenter of This is Your Life and What's My Line.  

Playbox included an item called The Playbox Detective Agency, in which viewers were presented with a dramatised puzzle, from the 1958 series Owen was receiving star billing in follow-up The Six Clue Challenge as Inspector Bruce. 

When he appeared in adult programmes he was still a minor player.  Owen was also working extensively for ITV at this time, collaborating again with Peter Hawkins on The Adventures of Booty Mole, and voicing a dog called Fred Barker on Dog-Watch, Tuesday Rendezvous and the Five O’Clock Club during the early to mid-60s. 

Birth of Basil

The final series of Playbox in 1963 did not feature Owen’s live-action character, and he returned to the world of the jobbing actor, making appearances in   and Mr Pastry’s Pet Shop for the Ö÷²¥´óÐã, and police drama Crime Sheet on ITV. But his future was to be in voice-work. 

In 1962 Owen was cast in ITV series The Three Scampis, providing the voice for a character designed by Peter Firmin, an artist and art lecturer.  The puppets in The Scampis were Basil Brush, a fox, and Spike McPike, a hedgehog, assisted by a human, Howard Williams.

The convention of Basil interacting with a person was to continue for the rest of his career.  He made an immediate impact, his plummy accent reminiscent of comedian Terry-Thomas, with whom he shared similar dentition – a gap in his front teeth.  The Three Scampis ran until 1965, after which Owen and Howard Williams made a single series of All at Sea, also for ITV.  Owen had meantime also contributed voices to the obscure ITV puppet series Muskit and Dido.

Owen’s next partner was to be popular magician and TV personality David Nixon, when an offer came to co-star in a new Ö÷²¥´óÐã series. In 1967, children’s show  was aired, and for the first time he co-starred with Basil Brush. By this time Basil was receiving his own billing, and Ivan Owen elected to receive no credit, preserving the ‘illusion’ that Basil was his own man (or fox). 

A few weeks after the end of that series came The Nixon Line, an early evening show that allowed . With Basil Brush now established as Nixon’s sidekick, the series ran until March 1968.  Both Nixon and Basil starred in a Show of the Week on Ö÷²¥´óÐã2 in July, but that was to be their last appearance together for some time. 

Basil Brush started his own show in the traditional Crackerjack slot at five to five on a Friday afternoon. The first series of debuted on 14th June 1968.  Again scripted by George Martin, it was produced by Johnny Downes, and Basil was partnered by actor Rodney Bewes, late of The Likely Lads. In Basil’s inimitable fashion he was addressed as ‘Mr Rodney’.  The first series also benefited from impressive musical acts, including Manfred Mann, The Alan Price Set and The Kinks. 

The series performed well enough, and a second series followed in March 1969, although Rodney Bewes had bowed out to concentrate on his ITV sitcom Dear Mother… Love Albert and was replaced by another young actor, Derek Fowlds, later famous for roles in Yes Minister and Heartbeat – but for now known by Basil as ‘Mr Derek’. 

Fowlds became perhaps the best remembered of Basil’s partners, interacting well with his furry friend through several series until he called it a day in 1973.  They made guest appearances on It’s Lulu, and landed a 'best of' show and a Christmas morning programme in 1970. 

Basil also appeared in his own right with Val Doonican, the guest on Ask Aspel, and in a Cilla special filmed in Scandinavia.  Special Christmas episodes also began to be featured from 1971 onwards, such as that year’s

'Boom Boom!' 

The format of The Basil Brush Show was a variety show, with musical and comedy guests, sketches and musical items involving Basil and his co-host.  One of the best loved features of the show was the serial story at the end of every episode, with Basil’s interruptions and jokes, clashing with his partner’s attempts to get on with telling the story.  There were catchphrases like the trademark “Boom Boom!” when Basil made a joke, and recurring references including Basil’s dislike of puppets, though he got on well with clockwork puppy Ticker.

When Derek Fowlds left the series, he was replaced by Roy North.  Like Fowlds, North had a great rapport with the fox, though his style was a little less droll.  He also stayed with the programme for a number of years, making guest appearances alongside Basil on Seaside Special and an early edition of . 

The show returned year after year, and indeed so did many of the jokes. George Martin was still faithfully providing scripts for Basil, but as time went on the material was getting familiar (but then the humour was rarely ground-breaking).  While the music acts never quite lived up to the promise of the first series, there were some odd appearances by the likes of Charlie Drake plugging a single release, acts like Dennis Waterman, the New Seekers, the Electric Light Orchestra and  showed up.

Though chiefly a television performer, in May 1975 Basil co-starred with Lord Charles and Lenny the Lion in a Radio 2 quiz, hosted by Wally Whyton.  In 1977-78 Basil presented a Radio 3 series Holiday Special intended to get young people interested in serious music.  In September 1977 Ivan Owen made a rare appearance on Radio 3 as himself, with his own choice of records in Man of Action. 

Roy North called it a day as Basil’s stooge after four series, and Howard Williams, who had been his first straight man back in the early 60s, came back.  The resumed partnership lasted from 1977 to 1979, and as ever there was the usual Christmas special episode each year.  These tended to be a departure from the usual format, with more music integrated into the show and a running theme. 

Basil Brush’s Magical Christmas in 1978 was as it featured a visibly ill David Nixon, renewing his own acquaintance with the fox.  Nixon had died from lung cancer by the time the episode was transmitted on 23rd December.  The programme came close to not being shown, not for that reason, but because Ö÷²¥´óÐã television had been blacked out by a strike for several days in the run-up to Christmas, and programmes only resumed that day.

In 1979 Williams was replaced by the youthful Billy Boyle, an Irish actor in his mid-30s but with a very boyish personality on screen.  His nationality led to a few dubious jokes, while there was never a buoyant rapport between Basil and Boyle.  There had been a shake-up on the script front too, with George Martin leaving in 1977, and a team of writers under script editor Peter Robinson replaced him – not to any startling effect.  The series soldiered on until December 1980, when the Basil’s Christmas Cruise went out with guests Michael Hordern, Dilys Watling, the Pasadena Roof Orchestra and Legs & Co.

There were rumours at the time that Ivan Owen wanted Basil to be given a peak-time show using slightly more adult material, and that the Ö÷²¥´óÐã was not interested.  Basil’s next appearance was on ITV schools programme Let’s Read with Basil Brush, before he returned to the Ö÷²¥´óÐã in 1983 as part of the team on . On the air almost continuously since 1955, it had started to look really tired by the start of the 80s, and Basil was just one ploy to try to bolster viewing figures.

After that Basil’s appearances are more sporadic, and spread between Ö÷²¥´óÐã and ITV, including shows like Fast Forward, former Crackerjack host Stu Francis’s ITV series Crush a Grape and cookery show Hudson and Halls.  There was one more starring role in Basil’s Joke Machine for Border TV, where he was partnered by Doug Ridley. 

But by the end of the 80s Basil was not making many appearances, and he became a fixture of the rising tide of nostalgia compilation shows.  One late appearance was in Granada TV sketch series The Full Monty in 1993.  Ivan Owen died in 2000, never having become a star in his own right, though he was instantly recognisable as one particular character voice…

In 2002, the character of Basil Brush was reborn in a still called The Basil Brush Show.  The voice was similar to Owen’s characterisation, but it was now a very different era, and Basil no longer appealed to as wide a range of viewers as he had originally.  The last original episode was transmitted at Christmas 2007, but repeats were a staple of the CÖ÷²¥´óÐã channel until 2011.  In a hark-back to one of his 1970s guest appearances too, 2008 saw Basil presenting Basil’s Swap Shop, with Barney Harwood as the latest in the long line of co-hosts.

Additional research by Simon Coward

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