AIBU to think Blue Peter is NOT the best kids tv programme of all time?

[FairfaxAikman]

According to a panel of experts it is.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jan/09/blue-peter-named-best-childrens-tv-show-in-poll-of-experts

I always thought it was gentle, sentimental clap trap that your parents wanted you to watch to keep you a child forever.

Personally I think the top title should have gone to Maid Marian and her Merry Men or Thunderbirds.

What's your top tv show?

I’m of the Simon Groom, Peter Duncan era of BP and do have fond memories, but it did start getting a bit twee in the late 80s.

I adored Grange Hill (we had the Just say no! crew come to our local youth club...) but our secondary school tried to ban us all from watching, saying it was a bad influence and would corrupt us all

Grange Hill for sure. It was so radical when it first came out, no-one thought children spoke or acted like that (except all of us who went to the local comp). Loved it, flicked my fringe, what more is there to say?

Grange Hill and Dangermouse

I never got the appeal of Blue Peter... Although I quite liked it every year when they got a box and made it cosy for the tortoise going into hibernation
Tiswas all the way!! I loved Saturday mornings!! And school hols... Champion the wonder horse, White horses, Follyfoot, Banana Splits, Double Deckers, Bel and Sebastian...

And... cheggers plays pop - my school was on it 😂😂

I didn't really rate it when I was younger.

I preferred art attack, he man, super ted and Grange Hill.

Animals of Farthing Wood was horrifying. I remember the shrikes...

Maid Marion was absolutely the best ever. my brother and I still say, "P-p-p-p-pancake day!"

Grange Hill and Byker Grove were also excellent. Even I was about 6 I really liiiikkked Zammo from GH. Now he has a shop nearby and I see him every now and then.

Nowadays my favourite children's programme is Little Lunch!

It's either Camberwick Green or Grange Hill, of course. Blue Peter is the childhood equivalent to The One Show, just a complete bore.

I didn't mind BP (except when they had Percy Thrower in the garden - wtf) but it wasn't the best ever children's programme, God help us. I can't remember the name of the best ever but it was a one-off free form discussion programme about sexual health in the height of the AIDS panic hosted by possibly Simon Mayo, and they demonstrated how to put condoms on and busted a few AIDS and pregnancy myths. Cracking.

If it has to be British I'd choose Rod Hull and Emu. Loved that show. Scunge!

Blue Peter was shite. I hated Blue Peter days, it was the dullest.

I liked Grange Hill and Byker Grove but agree, Maid Marian was a work of genius. They should rerun it!

Children's Ward was my all time favourite.

Byker Grove and Mysterious Cities of Gold were good.

We never had all the right stuff in the house to make whatever it they'd 'made earlier' on Blue Peter. And I used to feel sorry for the pets - what pet wants to be owned by a TV programme?!!

I've never met anyone who got a Blue Peter badge. I reckon they're a myth!!

I can't believe no one has mentioned Press Gang.

That was the best.

Three things about Press Gang firstly was the quality of the cast, all of the main characters have gone on to have successful acting careers.

The second and probably the biggest reason was the budget of Children's TV at that time .This allowed Central TV to dedicate the same amount of time and money on Press Gang as many high budget adult dramas at the time.

Thirdly Press Gang never treated 'Children' as children when presenting serious issues . This is great credit to Stephen Moffat . The best Children's television shows actually become 'entertainment' for everybody and not determined by 10-16 year age demographics.

All in all probably the best children's television ever produced in the United Kingdom.

I do though want to mention Educating Marmalade and the brilliant and sadly missed Charlotte Coleman. An all round brilliant talent.

Blue Peter was ok, depending on the presenters - I did like the Sarah Greene era. But in the end, it was just a magazine programme, there were so many other better, more imaginative and fun programmes, eg the Box of Delights, Children of Green Knowe, Moonfleet etc - they were all brilliant. Not to mention Rentaghost! And Johnny Briggs!

I was heartily discouraged from watching Blue Peter. My mum thought it was boring, earnest and twee shite as a girl and decided it hadn't changed much in the yrs between her childhood and mine. She couldn't ban me but was not positive about the show and I didn't have any desire to watch it. We are also in no way crafty or inclined to dick about with empty yoghurt pots so BP makes were pointless. Yy to whoever said bp kids like veg, chores and the peak district!

I liked bits of blue peter. Preferred byker grove though.

My favourites were children's ward, chronicles of narnia, five children and it, the demon headmaster, the Queen's nose, get your own back, boot street, woof, aquila, microsoap and fun house. Quite a few of them are on YouTube and I've watched them with the dc's.

My favourite modern children's TV programmes are Tracy beaker, apple tree house and that one where they get a group of spoilt teenagers to work in a factory.

BP used to bother me as I never had any idea what sticky backed plastic was. Think it was just sellotape, but they weren't allowed to call it that! And that advent candle thing made out of wire coathangers... every fecking year.

YY to many suggestions above - Why don't you, Take Heart, Rentaghost and my favourites: The Singing Ringing Tree and the Clangers!

How can it be possible to judge what is the best 'of all time' unless one has watched every children's programme ever broadcast?

One can only judge on one's own experience. Most people on MN I suspect wouldn't even have heard of my own favourite. But then again my own experience is limited because I'm not au fait with recent years' children's TV.

That goes for any 'of all time' polls by the way.

I'm such a fun sponge aren't I?

@elliejjtiny Ha, The Demon Headmaster! One of my pals was in that - I met him as an adult and went back to rewatch some of it on YouTube when I realised. I'd forgotten how scary it was!

Sticky back plastic isn't sellotape I love that you still don't know what it is.

Whoever mentioned Get your own back... Good shout. And children's ward and chronicles of narnia.

Blue Peter was boring, Magpie all the way in our house.

I remember a scary programme about standing stones in a village, that was good. And also another about a child whose drawing of a house came alive, also very chilling.

@elliejjtiny I forgot about Aquilla.

That was really good.

Still not Maid Marian though.

Erghhh I HATED Maid Marian with a passion. Fun House, Rainbow when I was little, Finders Keepers I loved. Yabu though Blue Peter is a classic and everyone watched it for years before I did. Sad how it’s gone downhill now though.

I don't know what sticky back plastic is either or double sided sticky tape off to Google

Round the twist (have you ever, ever felt like this?)
The moomins
Sharky and george
Maid Marian
Sabrina the teenage witch

Blue peter was the show my mum always wanted me to watch but didn’t really interest me. I liked the idea of making the stuff they made (Tracey island anyone?) but we didn’t have the money for the stuff you needed so really the show was totally redundant to us. Lost interest completely after that.

Get your own back! How could I forget?! I wanted dave benson-Philips to be my dad he was so, so cool!