Disturbing kid's TV programs

[Floogal]

I remember growing up and seeing unpleasant shows on CBBC and CITV during the 80s and 90s that looking back were pretty heavy going, especially for kids.

Ones I remember we're children's ward. Especially when the girl (who ended up playing Maria in coronation Street) died.
Also this one called Dramarama with one off stories. I remember this particular episode about a boy who steals a rabbit and his dad thrashes him with a belt.
And this drama called the secret set partly in Eastbourne where these kids mum goes missing.

@TheMarzipanDildo

Step inside was what I was thinking of

Honestly my ds's mention this often as being the most scary thing they can remember from their childhood.

@notacooldad

There's was a programme when I was a child there was a programme called Changes. It scared the shit out of me. Machinery turned against humans. I remember being terrified of pylons for ages after!

Yes, I remember this programme! It was scary

Marianne Dreams gave me nightmares!
And I can't remember the name but it was about a girl befriending a boy (maybe at school?) and going to see him and found him wearing a stag's head. Would have been in the 70s.

Chocky
Chocky's Children
The Tripods

I remember being really scared by an adaptation of the children of green knowe

Does anyone else remember Earthfasts? It was filmed near where my family is from so I recognised a lot of the settings but it terrified me and still features in nightmares (!) must've been on around 1994/5 when I was 7ish

The show with Cheebies is waybuloo didnt BBC pay thousands for it?

Dark towers was amazing and badger girl and the other look and read program as them were the days!

I can't think of any from my childhood but remember the Numberjacks being scary to my daughter, particularly the number taker

i remember Changes, vividly,
scary stuff, and Dr Who of course

my dd now 24 was very scared of the nursery rhyme Wee Willie Winkie, and also Lady and the Tramp

[quote foxgoosefinch]@Dilbertian - that was Waybuloo! It was reshowing on CBeebies when my DD was small - I rather liked it. The music had a trippy relaxing 90s hippy vibe with the windchime sound. Used to get in from work about 6 and collapse with a glass of wine in front of the Bedtime Hour and close my eyes as DD did “yogo” to Waybuloo. 👍😂[/quote]
Aw, yes. Loved Waybuloo. It was all very innocent.

Maybe not as disturbing but still stuck with me for years. A one off kid's drama called the Tide Race in late 80s early 90s. Boy with down syndrome who shares his big sister's interest in long distance running. Her running partner was pulling derogatory faces at him and he thought it was funny

@WibbleyWobble

I remember a programme called Tottie, I loved it but vaguely remembered it was quite disturbing. It was a doll in a doll house style show. A thread here years ago explained why I remembered it with unease

• she died in a fire 🔥 I'm not sure if remember seeing it or just think I did from seeing the clip on YouTube but either way, very very weird and disturbing for a kids show.

Bloody hell I remember that prog. It always creeed me out and reading the plot on Wikipedia I can see why! 😳

Chocky, Dramarama, dark towers, tripods, running scared were all my favourites. They set me up with my love of things a bit dark and spooky. I also remember the girl from tomorrow, and alien in the family. TV was better then.

Another vote for Singing Ringing Tree. Horrible.

It was a film rather than tv - but Return to Oz. I was given the tape and read along story book once xmas when I was about 6! Absolutely terrifying

Swingoutsistersledge2
The Boy from Space has to be the worst and it was a school programme!

Yes! We had to watch that at school too, and I remember the man alien used to terrify me, had nightmares for years about him!

Tottie is an animation of the book The Doll's House by Rummer Godden. It's about a mismatched family of dolls in I guess early 20th century. Birdie is made from celluloid and was very flammable. She catches light in an accident caused by Marchpane the mean doll. It's a family favourite in my family. I read the book to the dds recently they loved it. I guess it didn't creep me as I knew the story so well anyway. The dds thought it was a powerful book and they talk about it when they see dolls in museums.

There's was a programme when I was a child there was a programme called Changes. It scared the shit out of me. Machinery turned against humans. I remember being terrified of pylons for ages after!

Oops bad grammar.
Sorry!
The programme Changes was on around 4 o'clock from what I remember ( it was about 45 years ago) it was just terrifying! I remember being frightened of walking past tractors by myself which made life hard as I lived in the countryside at the time!!
🤣

The wind in the willows, the episode with the stoats and weasels...I still can't watch it now.

I was a spooky child (I'm a spooky grown up as well) so I loved anything a bit scary, I loved The Storyteller (my absolute favourite), the little vampire, are you afraid of the dark etc. I was particularly found of spooky cartoons like the real ghostbusters, little Dracula, gravedale high, tales from the crypt keeper, I couldn't get enough.

I was however thoroughly spooked by a programme called Through The Dragons Eye which we watched at school, Charn was absolute nightmare fuel. Far too scary for primary school aged kids.

The statues that came alive in The Enchanted Castle - ugly-wuglies, they were called, I think.

Absolutely terrifying.

That program with Paul Daniels and some weird giant triangle with a face. Wizabit or Wizbit or something? It really freaked me out as a kid.

I was also slightly terrified of Grotbags from Rod Hull and Emu (emu was also quite scary tbf)

I'm still wary of paintballing after the horror that was PJ getting shot in the eyes and going blind in Byker Grove

The Wombles scared the shit out of me as a child.