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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to say its time childrens TV was presented by children

51 replies

Magdelanian · 05/01/2008 22:10

Lived in a country that did this very successfully. Its often grated on me that these presenters try to act like the kids and in view of the recent scandal i.e Mark Speight, and many other of these childrens TV presenters I think its time to give it over to, well the kids who they are presenting to.

OP posts:
bigmouthstrikesagain · 05/01/2008 22:43

hooray for Worley!

Washersaurus · 05/01/2008 22:43

Ummm I think I can remember them from when I was around 9/10ish. I just thought it was soooo dull; watching a bunch of 'square' kids do boring stuff....

wannaBe · 05/01/2008 22:46

I would imagine that being just out of drama school and desperate for work which, tbh isn't always that easy to come by, children's tv is ideal. After all, why not start with children's tv as kids are far less critical than adults.

I don't actually agree with children being famous, so in principle disagree anyway.

Shitemum · 05/01/2008 22:48

'square'???!!! i thought they were quite zany. They wore dungarees and stripey socks didn't they?

Washersaurus · 05/01/2008 22:51

Yeah, weirdy kids!

I think my judgement on things like 'Why don't you' was affected by having older brothers and sisters TBH.

bigmouthstrikesagain · 05/01/2008 22:53

the wdy 'gang' were probably very square indeed - so was i ... square and geeky.

oh well

Original poster
Magdelanian · 05/01/2008 22:58

Good point wannaBe, been thinking about the kids being famous, but there are kids in lots of TV programmes anyway. Rather them for appealing to their peers than the adults.

OP posts:
Washersaurus · 05/01/2008 23:03

You don't really want a return of crap like this do you?

Washersaurus · 05/01/2008 23:06

I've just found this description posted on another site about WDY?

"The Show was fully titled "Why Don't You Just Switch Off Your Television Set And Go Out And Do Something Less Boring Instead?", which is rather appropriate. Doing the dishes or doing your homework may have been less boring.

Various groups of kids eg. The Belfast Gang, The Birmingham Gang etc would arrive every school holidays to suggest things which might be less boring than watching TV. If the programme had actually succeeded of course then it wouldn't have had an audience."

Original poster
Magdelanian · 05/01/2008 23:16

Exactly it was a non starter just look at the full title. But it wasnt the kids fault.

OP posts:
Countingthegreyhairs · 05/01/2008 23:18

Oh I adore PC Plum

Eeeeewww re Mr Tumble

Think CBeebies should be presented by very, very old people with who shun crop tops and belly piercings ....

madamez · 05/01/2008 23:24

I think good kids TV presenters (Poi, Chris, dear old Justin) are the sort of people who would be good at/would have liked to be playgroup leaders or nursery staff ie people who like kids and understand them; bad ones are a bit too obviously doing it till something more interesting comes up. Mind you, I fail to see why working in kids' TV means that, when you're not at work, you have to behave as though you have no genitals and your bedtime is 8pm. That aspect of it is more about the crap celeb culture that makes people think that anyone vaguely in the public eye owes the public the whole of their lives: if kids' TV presenters want to shag each other or the glove puppets when the cameras are not rolling, so f* what?

SueBaroo · 05/01/2008 23:33

Oh, you're so right. I was extremely cheesed off to hear that the BBC had pulled Smart/Smarteenies because of Mark Speight. My children have absolutely no concept of what has happened with him, and would just know that a favourite programme isn't on.

They did something similar with someone years ago - Ricky Diamond? - who had previously appeared in a porn film, and they dropped him like a hot stone. Seems utterly ridiculous to me.

islandofsodor · 05/01/2008 23:41

Whilst it is a nice idea in principal the realities of getting children to work in TV (getting a doctors letter, school letter, permission from the LEA, limits on how many hours per day,days per week they can film and the annual filming limits, breaks and rest periods and paying licensed chaperones to supervise them) makes it very expensive and complicated.

Original poster
Magdelanian · 06/01/2008 00:10

They do it in soaps etc otherwise it wouldnt be realistic, so why not childrens tv presenting. Anyway food for thought for CBBC. As I said I've seen it done very well in other countries.

OP posts:
jezzemx · 06/01/2008 00:23

Whoa Whoa Whoa Gigglewitch are you "dissin'" (trying to sound young and cool) Justin. The man is GOD in this house.
I also really like Mark Speight. We love smarteenies here. The man is a genius with a bit of chalk and a crayola crayon

Tinker · 06/01/2008 00:26

Oh, no. Hate anything (well, most things) presented by kids. Oh god, especially if they all had Charlie and Lola voices.

Ozymandius · 06/01/2008 00:29

God no. Can't imagine a single thing more ghastly. I'd have to throw the television out of the window. Stage school brats everywhere. Ugh.

islandofsodor · 06/01/2008 00:35

The children who appear in soaps though only appear in a certain number of scenes/episodes and filming is carefully scheduled around that.

If a child is the main presenter of a show then filming a whole series is going to take a lot longer than using adult presenters.

It is possible of course, but TV production companies are not going to want to do that for every single progermamme they come up with.

In soaps tpp whenever possible for older chracters they will use 17 year olds who don't have to be licensed, to play 14-16 year olds.

Scramble · 06/01/2008 00:43

OH NO WDY is so annoying, mind you as a kid I liked it.

madamez · 06/01/2008 10:32

I also think it's a bit much for them to pull Smarteenies - the kids who like that show won;t have a clue about what has happened to Mark Speight (who, let's not forget, is innocent until proven guilty).

And Ihave always loathed the idea that stuff one did in the past (whether not illegal but a bit naughty, or illegal but which has been paid for in terms of time served) can/should blight the rest of your life for no reason.

LIZS · 06/01/2008 10:36

but they've only pulled repeats of SMart / SMartteenies, it's not like it is a live scheduled show. tbh even my kids don't know the schedules that well to know what they might be missing out on anyway.

ITV used to use kids to present thing like Disney Club at weekends , it is where Fearne Cotton came from , enough said.

lucyellensmum · 06/01/2008 10:44

I think it a bit off the way the presenters are presenting in what i find a more teen friendly way. My DD doesnt respond to it at all. Something a bit more parental maybe?? Dont get me wrong, i doooooo like Andy, i mean, who wouldnt, but my thoughts are not on peter rabbit when im wathing him!

tigermoth · 06/01/2008 11:07

I like the idea of having more kids TV presenters straight out of drama school. But in some ways presenting a kids TV show is like teaching, and teachers come in all ages. Feel sorry about Mark Speight.

gigglewitch · 06/01/2008 21:14

jezzemx you are clearly too young and cool for me. all individuals under the age of five like justin. i am impressed with your typing as you are obviously too young to be able to write

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