To feel sad that our children don't have Saturday morning programmes

[DonaldStott]

Going Live was my fave. Trevor and Simon were my heroes. Swing ya pants. Pork Winchester. Ninja day off etc. Ahh. I used to wake up for these programmes. So sad there is no Saturday crazy progs anymore. I even used to watch smtv in my 20's.

I am the editor of the daily kids tv show in New Zealand. Every day (except weekends) there is a new show - some weeks have themes (space week, bug week, lego week etc) there are comps, games and three presenters plus a dog and a cat which the kids all love and look up to. I think its so important that kids have a unique show just for them - not something played on loop for hours on end. Something that they can look forward to after school and something that inspires them while celebrating the country/culture they see in their everyday lives.

I loved Going Live! on the BBC, and especially What's Up Doc? on ITV for its sheer WTFness (anyone else remember the horrific pumpkin - headed hairdresser that appeared with the Tubular Bells soundtrack?!)

I loved the cartoons too (although some were after school rather than Saturday morning) - Dungeons & Dragons, Ulysses 31, Batman, Muppet Babies, Gummi Bears, Mysterious Cities of Gold, Dogtanian, Transformers, Joyce and the Wheeled Warriors, Jem, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtle s (as they were in the UK). And puppet shows like Starfleet and Terrahawks.

Not the Raccoons though, that was shit.

I also fondly remember watching stuff on a weekday like Knightmare (wishing that I was old enough to go on the show) and Fun house (being annoyed at how shit the contestants were, especially at the go Karting bit), and waiting for the BBC drama that was on before Neighbours - stuff like Moondial, Alien in the Family, and that creepy one with cultists in gold masks that wanted to seize the heroes unborn sibling. Ooh, and Round the Twist. All followed by Neighbours then Home & Away!

Kids might have their own channels now, but they don't have the broom cupboard. BAH! BAH, I SAY!

YABU. Those Sat am magazine shows were rubbish.

I liked The Raccoons!!!

However I am evidently a 1,000 years older than you as I may possibly have watched it with a hangover

Not the Raccoons though, that was shit Cyril Sneer?
Trevor and Simon 'We don't do duvets!'

MetalMidget yes! ( except i lovvved the raccoons!)
I was well pissed off that dd ended and they never got home what was the point?
Feel really old now!
Had to watch liads of kids tv lately and it's just crap
Give me grange hill or heartbreak ( really popular at my school! )

Live and kicking was the best way to start the weekend! I even got to go on it once and sat right by the spice girls whilst they answered questions!

I remember ant and dec's last ever cduk where they did lets get ready to rumble.

There was beat the barber where there were complaints about girls getting all their hair cut off!

And the gunk tank!

Phone ins where kids asked awkward questions.

A arcade type game where they'd shout up/down whatever at the screen c. 9.15 then Clarissa explains it all.

Gordon the gopher and edd the duck.

The ozone on Sunday's at 11.45 for the older cooler kids.

There just isn't the routine of it now for kids.

Yanbu. Philip and Emma cooking on Going Live was always near chaos.

We had Fun Factory. I loved Jase and the Wheeled Warriors, Ulysses, He-Man, My Little Pony etc. etc.

Frankly, I'm much happier with our diet of Netflix and Stampy. I can veto the utter shit like Winx, watch Ever After High and My Little Pony (yay!) with them, and bask in homesick hours of Puffin Rock. I'm never homesick for Ireland except for when I hear Chris O'Dowd's voice.

So yeah, "curated" Netflix and Stampy all the way here!

0181 811 8181 was 100% the Live and Kicking number.

Actual LOL at the poster telling us all to basically fuck off for getting nostalgic about Saturday Morning telly. It wasn't about the quality or how may other ways we could watch TV it was a huge part of growing up. Many of the words and phrases are cultural currency "swing yer pants", "don't do duvets", basically anything Ant, Dec or Cat said during SM:TV. They were experiences watched en masse across the country, discussed in playgrounds on Monday mornings. I for one am sad my Children won't have the experience of traditional Saturday morning TV. That's not to say they are deprived by what they DO have but it's a certain type of programming which just doesn't exist anymore.

Does anyone else still remember the Postbag song from SM:TV?

Ah SMTV! I remember one April Fool's Day Cat, Ant and Dec were all singing the postman song and Dec started swaying and weaving about. He collapsed on the floor and it went to break with Ant and Cat bent over him saying 'Dec? Dec? Can we get someone over please?'

When it came back from the adverts all three stood there shamefaced and explained that it was an April Fool's joke, and they were sorry that they tricked all of the people who were frantically ringing in to see if Dec is OK

Oh God, Knightmare. I was so terrified of that programme I couldn't even watch the credits.

A few years ago I watched an episode that they had in a museum (!). It was so shit. Just a load of gawky teenage boys and some crap CGI.

Semi cross post doyouremember!

Yanbu. Always wanted to go on the Timmy Mallet word association game.

But they do have Saturday morning TV. There are two channels (at least) broadcasting right now.

They don't have a live TV magazine show.

Which is quite a specific thing to imagine they are missing out on.

I never cared for those TV programmes you mention as a child. I found them boring and stupid and patronising.

I only saw them because I had younger siblings who would watch any shite on telly and my parents were in bed.

I think chocvy is right. It was 081, as it was before the '01' prefix wasn't it?

I was thinking the same recently, but about after school programmes. I miss that my kids don't have them - I used to sit in front of the tv with my sisters and have a mix up of sweets while waiting for dinner :)

(Saturday mornings were always busy, so I rarely watched all of the Saturday morning shows)

Going live was 081...
Then L&K 0181...

it was a huge part of growing up.

Jesus, really?

Not for me. Or even my siblings who liked it.

It was just something to do.

There are after school.programmes. on two channels. Every day.

Is it just ITV children's TV you miss?

I think what this generation will miss out on is the shared popular culture. Media is so fragmented now.

DS is at the stage where he's seen 95% of the CBeebies content looping around hundreds of times. There's a few series that he watches over and over on Amazon, and he spends his computer time watching Lego reviews and demonstrations. His friends will be watching different things. It'll make nostalgia so much harder in the future.

There is a social bonding when people watch the same thing- look at the furore over Bake Off, or the excitement over finals of Strictly etc.

Lopping TV and on demand means nothing is special. I never watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang because it would always be on the following bank holiday.

Swing your pants!

Timmy Mallet word association game

Oh yes loved that; was it on ITV? I also wasn't supposed to watch that too.

I remember 01 Day. I think it was about 1994? That was about Live and Kicking's era. It sounded wrong with the extra 1 shoved in the jingle!

I get ya!

The excitement has gone because it's always there. I remember clock watching for the time my programme would come on. The anticipation of what would happen and who would be the guest that week.

Now they switch on tv, go to one of the constant Tv channels dedicated to children and watch constant repeats of cartoons they've (and I've!!) seen a a million times before.

I see my DS just zone out in front of tv rather than watch it with excitement.