The 10 best educational TV programmes ever

As Blue Peter celebrates its 50th birthday, School Gate finds itself inspired to collate a list of the ten best educational TV programmes ever. There is no place, I'm afraid, for Magpie (a blatant, albeit hippy, Blue Peter spin off which tried, but failed, to be more appealing than its BBC rival) or Jackanory (far too boring). Nor is there one for Jennifer Howze of Alpha Mummy's suggestion The Electric Company (solely because I've never seen it). But Blue Peter does make it in there (even though it's not at number one....)

1) Play School
Brilliant pre-school fun, which made it from the 60s right through to the 80s, with its blend of songs, games and excellent presenters (including Brian Cant, Floella Benjamin, Derek Griffiths and Johnny Ball). You learned to tell the time, discussed the day of the week ("Ready to play? What's the day?") and waited with bated breath to see which window the film would be coming from. Wonderful - I'm sure even the CBeebies generation would enjoy it.
Watch Derek Griffiths singing jelly on a plate above.

2) Play Away
This is only just beaten in second place, mainly because Play School was probably more educational, but it was a fantastic programme. It also had similarly fantastic presenters, especially Brian Cant (again), Toni Arthur and Julie Stevens. Many a famous face appeared on this show, including Tony Robinson and Jeremy Irons, and it also boasted the most terrific theme tune.
Watch Brian Cant and others singing.

3) Numberjacks
The first modern offering in our list. This animated CBeebies series is hugely popular with pre-schoolers and gives them a gentle, fun, introduction to numbers.
Visit the Numberjacks website.

4) Blue Peter
Well, it has to get in there somewhere and 50 years, plus millions of children can't be wrong. I watched it in the heyday of John Noakes, Lesley Judd and Peter Purves, and obviously don't think they can be bettered. Others may disagree.
Watch a tribute to John Noakes.

5) Newsround
Originally, of course, John Craven's Newsround, this introduced children to the main news stories of the day, not to mention the lighter story at the end. John Craven had just the right gravitas for the job, and the show is one of the few around from my childhood which is still on - a real tribute to it (yes, I'm that old).
Watch a classic episode.

6) Sesame Street
Probably the most successful educational children's TV programme of all time, this long-running series is also said to be the most watched children's programme in the world. Featuring a host of characters, including Elmo and the Cookie Monster, it also has its fair share of celebrity guests. I'm sure some would have liked to see it higher up....
Watch Patrick Stewart help the Count with his numbers.....

7) Come Outside
Another BBC educational series that is still running (in repeated form). It stars Lynda Baron (who plays Auntie Mabel) and her dog Pippin, who tell children how things are made or how they happen, from visiting a sewage plant to travelling to a farm to find out all about wool. It's charming and well worth a look.
Watch the trip on the buses.

8) Take Hart
The brilliant Tony Hart moved from Vision On to presenting this art programme which must have inspired a generation of school children to become artists. I just craved appearing in the gallery (a desire which has sadly never been fulfilled).
Watch a clip and visit Tony Hart's official site.

9) What's happening?
Ah, the wonderful Tommy Boyd. He first appeared in Magpie, before writing and presenting "What's Happening?", a news quiz in the early 80s. He then moved on to Saturday morning kids' TV and later radio, where he still appears.

10) Why Don't You?
A group of quite annoying children exhorted us to switch off our televisions and "go out and do something else instead". Naturally we didn't - we watched the rest of the show, but it did give us a variety of good ideas and suggestions for other activities.....
Find out more about Why Don't You?

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Comments

[Andrew]

Years after ditching Play School, many of the main bits have reappeared in Tikkabilla on Cbeebies

Not quite upto my (rose-tinted nostalgic) standards, but my Little 'Un loves it

[j]

you are all way too young.. the heyday of blue peter was Valerie Singleton, that lesley girl was just not the same at all ;)

I think that something special is a real development in childrens TV; somewhere where a disabled child can see people with the same looks and where they can actually keep up with the story and/or learn to sign.

[Whimsey]

Pierre, I saw Brian Cant in panto a few years ago, so I think he's still around.

[Tom]

Where is Vision On? That was brilliant, original and influential.

I've got something else here that wobbles.

[Wahroongaa]

The Australian version of Playschool continues to this day on ABC Television with Big Ted, Little Ted, Jemima, Humpty and the gang. I am so glad that it is still going strong for my kids to enjoy.

[CBLON]

OMG - Dark Towers and the Boy from Space!! I'd totally forgotten about those, but of course now realise that I can sing the entire theme songs to both! Ah, memories...

[Pierre]

Brian Cant is an awesome presenter. What ever became of him?

[Benzo]

Helen ... you've called it . It was Look and Read , not Words and Pictures . Primary school was so long ago ...

[Ashley Pomeroy]

Hang on - you've missed out Pipkins! I'm not sure if it was shown widely (the seres was made by ATV) but it made a stab at being educational, and the writing was wry.

[Helen]

I used to like Look and Read - does anyone remember the one with Jackie, Trevor and Butch and the peregrine falcon?

[Benzo]

I have to be honest , looking down the list , none come close to Words and Pictures either on an educational front or entertainment . The mini series included in W&P ; Dark Towers , The boy From Space etc , were simply brilliant !

[Benzo]

The highlight of my primary school days was Words and Pictures . Bring back Wordy !

[LM]

Play School, Blue Peter, Newsround & Jackanory - all brilliant. I liked Rainbow, too.

What does anyone recommend these days for pre-schoolers, in terms of educational programmes? Other than Sesame Street. Is there anything like Play School these days? (On either side of the Atlantic).

[Whimsey]

There was a history one which had a 'Magic Granddad' who used to take the children back to olden days, like Florence Nightingale. Worked pretty well, I thought.

[frillinix]

What about Yorkshire Television's "How we used to live"? It was an excellent drama/history series back in the '70's.

[Tim Footman]

Julie Stevens, not Stevenson. She was in very early episodes of The Avengers as well.

I second the call for Vision On. And what about Johnny Ball's Think Of A Number? Also How! (Jack Hargreaves, Fred Dinenage) and Don't Ask Me (Magnus Pike).

[Gipsy]

oops just saw Take Hart in there but still stand by what I said - Vision On was *the* program for me :)

[MARTIN]

What about Vision On that spawned Take Hart?

[Gipsy]

If we can hearken back to Play School and Play Away, then Vision On absolutely should be right up there at the top. It is Number One for me.

Was Romper Room here in the UK? Does Rainbow count as educational? Surely it must if you're putting NumberJacks in there. But before Number Jacks I'd have to say you should include the absolutely wonderful BBC 'watch' series - Autumn Watch, Spring Watch, etc.

I'd like to put in a mention for a NZ show from my childhood - Spot On.

[Arthur Van Der Lae]

Does anybody remember "You and Me" ?

I think it was on BBC2

It had a great theme tune and made mid mornings complete (when off sick from school)

I am sure it taught me eveything I know.

[Whimsey]

Got to put in a good word for Art Attack and Smart. Brilliant, both of them. And I'm rubbish at art myself, but it was realy inspiring, all the same. And the 'big art' where they made a pic in a field out of old trousers (etc) was just great. ("Can you tell what it is yet?")

I'd also put in a very good word for Scrapheap Challenge. It's a great combination of mayhem, with a lot of boys-own-bashing going on, and 'daft competitons', BUT the science and engineering underneath is spot on, and the programme always shows the diagrams of how the machines in question are being designed, and what their flaws and advantages are. It's excellent.

[Whimsey]

There was a very good science one for early years, can't remember the name, it had Alf in it, and some great sociopathic cats in it, who lived in Moggy Mews.

[newjerseygirl]

Personally I liked Jackanory, and the revamped version is pretty entertaining (plus, hopefully, it encourages kids to read). Great list, though - although I'd put Sesame Street at number one, as it's been helping kids to recognise letters and numbers for nearly 40 years, which is pretty impressive, and the Sesame Workshop does tons of charity work for kids, too.

[Whimsey]

BTW - I see the unutterably awful Teletubbies isn't there. Grateful for small mercies!

[Whimsey]

What about Rosie and Jim. It was a bit like Come Outside, but without the annoying dog.

Mind you, it did leave a hideous legacy of a theme tune that has never left me, and which can be sun to any and all mealtime combos: ("Bangers and mash, bangers and mash, bangers and mash and of ketchup a dash...")(etc.)