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.

[quote PaulaTrilloe]@Floogal ooh I will have to do a bit of digging. My mum lives in Eastbourne I always thought it was a bit of a dull place!

My mum went missing from Eastbourne once but that's another story[/quote]
Good luck with that @PaulaTrilloe. Tried myself can't find anything

I grew up without TV until I was 14 so never saw any of these programmes. Having read some of what people have said on here I think maybe that was a good thing (I am very susceptible to being scared, still cannot watch horror movies etc).

Nightmare used to scare me. Still watched it though. I look back at a lot of kids TV stuff and think the creators must have not been right/were a bit perverse. The programme where eight year old girls pretend to be 16 year olds give me the creeps.

My son get scared of the cartoon with the girl vampire, monster and another creature. Can't recall what it is.

Has anyone mentioned Monkey yet? He was ok, flying around on his magic cloud. But his friends! There was a scary pig one, and another who wore a necklace of skulls. Not suitable family viewing. The skull guy terrified me.

Or maybe I just hallucinated the whole thing?

Definitely The Singing Ringing Tree. Also the Sea Devils in Dr. Who with Jon Pertwee. They look hilarious now, but then they gave me nightmares!

Top of the list is that children's information film, Lonely Water:

It terrified me - I only needed to hear Donald Pleasance's voice and I used to hide!

There was one I was fascinated with - Moondial or something. A Victorian era girl with a birthmark on her face who was being abused and some kind on time travelling thing with a girl in our time. She had a Scottish Widows-type hood.

Found it! I watched this at about 5 years old!

Am wondering if anyone can help me remember one. It wasn't particularly scary apart from a couple of scenes. One off series, contemporary (well, to the late 80s early 90s) about two kids, brother and sister (redheads?), in Hong Kong (presumably with their parents) getting caught up in some sort of shenanigan with bad guys. Somewhat scary scene I remember was them being captured and shut in wicker pig baskets. Want to say it was the year of the something as a title but google is giving me no satisfaction...

Late to the thread but I remember being terrified as a young child by the series about a girl in bed drawing and the large stones outside her house moving ... based on the book Marianne Dreams,I subsequently learnt.
And Changes left me also scared of pylons,as described by a previous poster,and agree maybe strangely prophetic with the freak weather scenarios.
Carrie’s war was a favourite,it was on in that Sunday late afternoon slot reserved for children’s adaptations,like the brilliant Ballet Shoes a few years later.
And to the pp who mentioned ‘The Amazing Mr Blunden’.. I remember it vividly and actually sourced the DVD for my own children to watch !

@neonleopard

Not quite children's but I always watched 999 (Michael Burke) and developed a fear of javelins, petrol tankers, and swimming pool filters!

How strange. I was just thinking about 999 but thought I'd not mention it as it's not for kids and then I saw your post.

I was born in 1984 and I haven't heard of most of these programmes. Are they mainly from
the 70s?

I loved - and still love - many of these programmes. I tracked down a DVD of Tottie a few years ago. Dark stuff, but I love the whole creepy side of retro childhood stuff - evil porcelain dolls, etc. (Yes, I'm odd 😁)

Ace of Wands, Children of the Stones, Moondial, Chocky, etc. Anything from the long dead children's telefantasy genre with woo plotlines and OTT villains = probably in my collection.

Love a creepy Public Information Film too. Admittedly I never had a frisbee because of what happened to "Jimmy"!

Not RTFT so unsure if the opening of the Box of Delights has been mentioned? A pre-Christmas viewing tradition for us but as a young child the titles were a bit creepy.

On the other hand there are some things that are uncomfortable watching with adult eyes. The bullying in classic Grange Hill was pretty unflinching, especially the scenes of Roland being abused by Gripper. Some horrible racism too, again usually from Gripper. And how nasty some of the teachers were with their walloping and fat shaming. Different times and probably reality for some, unfortunately.

@SinisterBumFacedCat

Anyone remember the Boy who sold his laugh, it was incredibly dated, badly dubbed and filmed on a volcanic beach. Just depressing!

That sounds like Timm Thaler. Somebody mentioned it upthread. A German 70s kids' show about a boy who sells his laugh so his widowed mother can pay the mortgage. He ends up getting imprisoned on a volcanic island (Lanzarote!) by the guy who bought it - a meglomaniac who realises that he can close deals much better (and ultimately achieve world domination) if he can smile and laugh - neither of which he was capable of before. It was very long and convoluted!

All children's programs are disturbing to a degree, just look at nursery rhymes they're awful

Ghost hunters or something like that on CBBC

Sounds silly but Worzil Gummidge the show about the scarecrow used to absolutely terrify me when he used to take his head off. I used to hide behind the sofa when it was on

Terrahawks. I know they were puppets but how the hell was it deemed suitable for children ?

Tomorrow People scared the life out of me. I still remember a particularly terrifying one about Stonehenge.

I was absolutely terrified of a programme called Box Of Delights I think. Like I'd run off screaming.

There was a programme called something like The Secret World Of Polly Flint that was a bit weird too.

I'd forgot all about The secret world of Polly flint. Brings back memories.

Ten little Indians is the scariest PIF. Kuds fie in horrible ways in rural England. The child drowning in slurry was the worst! It's still on youtube.

Various creepy kids' TV intros from the 70s and 80s, many of which have already been mentioned such as The Changes, Children of the Stones and The Box of Delights.

Guess I know what I'm doing with my weekend now 😁

Talking of Public Information Films directed at children (agree with you on Apaches, @phlebasconsidered!), The Finishing Line from 1977 is chilling - sports day activities and train tracks. What could go wrong, eh? The last minute or so is particularly disturbing.

I love this thread!

I loved The Box of Delights, but the scene at the end where Abner Brown is about to fall into the flood and drown was pretty trippy. I think it was his manic cackling that concerned me

@TyrannysaurusXXrightshoarder

Hartley Hare from Pipkins. Terrifying.

He was awful 😂😂