FROM THE UNFORGETTABLE to the pretty much forgotten; this was the golden age of kids TV - creative, warm, natural, intelligent, playful.  

   All hail to the lovely worlds of Oliver Postgate, Tony Hart, Derek Griffiths, Johnny Morris, Floella Benjamin, Brian Cant, Johnny Ball etc etc

  This list also includes older programs that were broadcast during the 1980s - plus a few 1990s shows that had 1980s spirit. I also include a selection of more adult-orientated programs that were memorable and/or beloved by us kids as well as plenty of USA TV programs that were popular in the UK at that time. 

Some notable UK shows not featured on IMDb: 

Let's Pretend (1982-89) Orm and Cheep (1983-85)  Mop and Smiff (1985)  Data Run (1983-84) Watch (1967-2009) = Legendary edu-tainment show; Louise Hall-Taylor, James Earl Adair and Raewyn Blade were its classic 80s-era presenters. They released an LP of songs which included the memorable 'Moses Suite'. 'Watch' later evolved into 'ZigZag' (author's trivia: the 'ancient Greece Olympic games' episode of ZigZag was filmed at my north London primary school in the mid-1980s). 

*p.s. The list may be better read chronologically. 

Regularly updated. Thanks for viewing. x

UK KIDS TV : What we watched in the 1980s

As a child growing up in the 80's in South Africa, TV was still fairly new. Monday, Wednesday and Friday were days for English programmes, while the alternating days were for Afrikaans. Sunday if I recall was divided between both languages. A lot of the great shows we got, were dubbed into Afrikaans and in order to watch the English version, you would need to tune into the radio - simulcast it was called. In July 1986, in order to accommodate English speakers, the SABC began to simulcast the original soundtrack of American series on an FM radio service called Radio 2000. These included Miami Vice (known as Misdaad in Miami), The Six Million Dollar Man, (Steve Austin: Die Man van Staal) and Beverly Hills, 90210.  You can only imagine what an exercise in patience this was, as often the radio signal wasn't clear and one would just contend with the Afrikaans version. Owing to South Africa's apartheid policies, the British Actors' Equity Association started a boycott of programme sales to South Africa, which, combined with a similar boycott by Australia, meant that South African TV was dominated by programming from the United States.

Shows I watched as a South African kid in the 80's

Joanna Lumley and David McCallum in Sapphire & Steel (1979)

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