What do you watch on TV with your 8-11 year old boys?

[poolnoodle]

Because I'm struggling to find something that they enjoy which is still interesting to me.

They're staying up later so I want to be able to flump on the sofa occasionally and watch something as a family.

But there's only so many nature docs I can stand!

IS there anything young-boy-friendly and enjoyable for adults on freeview / netflix / amazon?

Lost in space (Netflix)
Stranger things (might be a bit scary for your younger one)
Good omens
Documentaries with James may/ guy Martin or any bloke that's been on top gear etc
Murder mysteries, they love death in paradise/ midsomer murders etc
Anything based on marvel comics (although a lot of the series are 15 so you have to check).

This is really useful so I'm commenting g so I can find this thread again later!

Carmen Santiago - it's like The Go-Jetters but way cooler
Once upon a time
Greenhouse Academy
Some episodes of Glee and Friends (some are too old)
Nailed it
Junior Bake-off

Robot Wars is usually being re-run on BBC2 at various points during the weekend. I have girls - but they regularly are caught trying to build a Matilda-esque death robot out of Lego (badly).

Mine loved father ted! The Simpson’s, dr who, dark materials, futurama, outnumbered

My nearly-11 year old DS likes GBBO, Would I Lie to You, various quiz shows like Pointless. We're currently enjoying the Goes Wrong Show.

He's also liked old series that we have on DVD, especially The Good Life, and we've just watched Blackadder on Netflix. At the moment we're watching Yes Minister (because Jerry is in it). We watched Fawlty Towers last year.

We also like stuff with dogs because we have a dog. Only happy things, obviously, like the recent channel 4 show where dogs are rehomed.

Yes forgot about GOOD LIFE and yes minister/prime minister - we also have those on DVD

The Oooh aarh bird is so called because ............................

This is going to sound v weird but we got some vintage DVDs which my son loved at that age:

Fawlty Towers
The Flashing Blades

Also Match of the Day Sunday morning. Also Sarah Jane Adventures (they liked it more than Dr Who itself) Horrible Histories and unfortunately Tracey Beaker and much cheekiness was imitated from that so beware. Some of the dramas on CBC Sparticle Mystery, and also on CiTV Worst Witch and My Parents are Aliens, Scooby Doo, and they also liked to watch things for much younger children esp Fifi and the Flower Tops!

Think we didnt do Harry Potter DVDs until a little later. They never liked Blue Peter

Red Bull Soapbox
His Dark Materials
Any engineering or space documentaries
The Crystal Maze
Old game show repeats on Challenge. Family Fortunes, Wheel of Fortune etc.

He's usually very into Doctor Who but isn't really enjoying this current series as much.

Outnumbered is a massive hit here. Bit risqué in some parts (but a lot of it goes over their heads) & some swearing, so maybe need to be a bit older than 8.

Top Gear/Grand Tour. He's currently enjoying the Red Arrows documentary that's on Channel 5 on Wednesdays.

Thanks everyone, such good ideas. Crackerjack, ski sunday, futurama - love it.

PS it's not a gender thing, just an age gap thing! I only said boys because that's what I have..

I loved watching murder she wrote with my great nan when I was young so there's always that

Loads of these - Goes Wrong Show, IT Crowd, Outnumbered, Wipeout, Horrible Histories, WILTY, Only Connect. He loved the new Blockbusters with Dara O'Briain, and the Brian Cox Planets series. He's watched Brooklyn 99 and Once Upon a Time but with older siblings. The Simpsons too.

Supervet

we've just finished all the futurama's

Dr who is a good shout. My lad loved lost in space. Anything sci-fi is a hit in our house.

Match of the Day
Taskmaster (bit sweary but so funny and we now have the board game which is brilliant fun)
BBC Attenborough documentaries
His Dark Materials
Sherlock
Marvel films
Horrible Histories
Strictly

At his age I was watching TOTP, Dallas and The Young Ones with my parents

Me too, Sanitygirl! And Eastenders...

@footchewer I was just thinking the same thing about my TV choices (save for top gear and sports quizzes!)

Couldn't agree more @ShivD. Also goes for anything with Ninjas or Lego in it.

DP and the kids are glued to Strictly so I use it as an excuse for pottering in the kitchen cooking nice food. I don't mind Strictly in small doses, but the damn programme takes out the whole of Saturday evening and some of Sunday for about half the year!!

Thanks to all for your contributions; I for one have culled off a list of lovely things to watch when the kids are a bit older. Looking forward to it! (Though of course by then I will be missing them being little and cute.)

Oh, just remembered: in December (though see comments about Strictly above) we all love watching the old BBC Narnia and Box of Delights series together as a family. The 3yo is a bit scared by some bits of it but that just means I get a nice big cuddle!

ps. It's not that I'm prudish (I watched fleabag and that's got slightly naughty bits in it, and I swear like a sailor), but I don't want to watch anything for recreation which has any of the following in it:

• guns
• criminal gangs
• relationship breakdowns
• team sports
• constant medical emergencies
• massive pauses before someone gets voted off
• Piers Morgan

so that rules out most stuff.

Following - I have two boys these ages and we struggle!

9yo DD (quite young for her age) likes

Lego masters
Pottery throwdown
Bake off
Back in Time for the weekend
Tipping point
The Simpsons
Crystal Maze
Red Bull soapbox derby

Films-

ET
Flight of the Navigator
Matilda
Hook
Honey I Shrunk the kid
Lemony Snicket's series of unfortunate events

Horrible histories game show with Rattus Rattus is popular too.

Demon headmaster on iplayer

Funhouse on YouTube!