Move Along, Nothing Special

It is an absolute OUTRAGE! CBBC, CBeebies and Channel 4 are at least trying to play their part in Autism Awareness Day, but with the rise of the streaming era, why? Why can't they even do something special for Autism Awareness Day?

First, let's start with CBeebies. They premiered Pablo only a few years ago, back in 2017, so there's nothing wrong with that. And CBBC has done - you guessed it - nothing special, focusing only on loud, overstimulating imports rather than a special kind of lineup. Listen here, you guys, if you want to do something special, then try and take those tips from me, right?

For Autism Awareness Day, you guys could all abandon your loud, noisy programmes and instead show classic programmes, like some of the ones up above - except Bluey and Hey Duggee, because the characters act too wild and crazy. You could air shows like the above mentioned original Teletubbies, Little Bear, Bob The Builder, Pingu, Postman Pat, even Series 1 and 2 of Brum. But no, you have to keep up with the times. The BBC hates retro programming.

And what about you, CBBC, hmm? How far have you come with such an abomination of shows so far?! I mean, doing only one autism-related show in the form of My Life isn't fair, what about your entire lineup? Don't you even care about anyone else other than yourselves and your tummy-tum-tums?! There's loads of lazy people at the controls pigging out on crisps due to all the money the BBC lost, and because of that, you're not focusing on British kids with autism!

To make things better, you could've at least aired some calm classic kids' shows like Byker Grove or Narnia or Grange Hill or even Strange Hill High and Scream Street for that matter, but noooo, you don't care about the needs and preferences of every child with autism. You are disrespectful and rude, which is why CBBC might've yanked you off the air for good and always, so stop telling the autistic children of the UK to shut up and do something else, do something useful, just for once, PLEASE?!

And Channel 4 isn't proving useful either. I mean, they have made a police drama made by a crew of autistic people, which is good. But why? Why haven't they made their channel and all their programmes autism friendly too, just for this day? I mean they could've aired their old kids' shows, for instance: The Hoobs, Cubeez, Angela Anaconda, the Clangers, The Magic Roundabout - but:

*WRONG Panel Buzzer Noise*

They just couldn't. They don't have the money to do it. Neither does CBBC, CBeebies or ITV. All they do is spend their money and time on miserable programmes and imports from America rather than something special for the day.

Now listen here, Ofcom, if you're going to let autism-friendly British kids' TV die down, I suggest we all strike back and do what's right for autistic people and what they watch all across the UK!

WHO'S WITH ME?!

"Me me me!"

"I do, I DO!"

Dear Children Everywhere

Dear children everywhere,

I’m so glad you found my letter there

On your doorstep, wet in the rain

I thought it’d never come down again

I call all of you to answer my plea

To help us save British kids’ TV

The ‘50s started things quite simply

With Muffin The Mule and Andy Pandy

The ‘60s wasn’t that obscene

With shows like Clangers and Camberwick Green

It’s also an era of puppet sci fi

As Thunderbirds took to the sky

The ‘70s made us count on our fingers

How many times we’ve seen the Phantom Flan Flinger

Blue Peter and Magpie were popular back then

So was Morph and Tony Hart’s pens

Consumerism ruled in every ‘80s house

But at least we still had Danger Mouse

And Postman Pat and Pigeon Street

While Transformers and He Man stirred up heat

The ‘90s were full of colour and fun

With Noddy, Fireman Sam, Pingu and Brum

We boogied with the Teletubbies as they got up to dance

And we even gave Farthing Wood a chance!

In 2002 CBeebies and CBBC

Launched to all our excited glee

But little did we know it’ll get weaker

While we were cheering on Tracy Beaker

All kinds of shows, so much to choose,

But Peppa Pig made our parents lose

Their children’s tantrums and screaming and fights

For a Peppa Pig playset or nightlight

Then CBBC aired some shows

As worse as Dick & Dom’s bungalow

Gimme A Break and Undercover Dad

And from there, it just got bad

You started switching to Youtube from TV

You just like nursery rhymes, you see

Singing the same songs like Baby Shark

To keep parents awake in the dark

In ‘13, Nick Jr had a goal

To make a show named Paw Patrol

It and Peppa aired non stop for days

And other preschool channels forced consumerism ways

They made each show entirely CGI

That’s fast and loud as a sugar high

Now, let’s go back to CBBC

From ‘19, things weren’t as they seemed

At the start, Almost Never was set

To test out iPlayer’s new boxsets

They had drama marathons all year long

Was it British still? Well, we were wrong!

And from the pandemic, things got worse

There wasn’t a penny in a businessman’s purse

The word I say will make you revolt and retort,

For today’s fun word is: IMPORT.

American cartoons took over CBBC

Marking the end of CITV

And it got worse for CBeebies,

It focused on Bluey and parenting duties

And the problem with kids’ TV these days

Is there’s no quiet songs or stories or games

Everything is loud and way too fast

But with your help, this won’t last

We must stand with our hands joined together

To prove handmade, quiet shows are better

It takes a lot to make wrongs right,

For new kids’ TV is an awful sight

So ditch the brainrot and the loud fast pace

By signing this form like tying a shoelace

And together, we can make kids’ TV

Gentle and slow like it used to be.

Thanks for reading,

Daria Anton

Head of POAIBP

X

Golden Age Of Kids' TV

Honey Monster Buddies Plush Toys

'Honey Monster Buddies' plush toys featuring the Clangers, the Smash Martians, the Peperami Animal and the PG Tips monkey, plus Honey Monster himself.

ASMR: The Children's TV On Trial '60s Gathering

Lady Penelope and Parker take you along to a chilled out lounge club, where you and your two new friends hang out with characters from Stingray, Fireball XL5, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, Clangers and Camberwick Green and stars from the '60s Blue Peter and Play School series, as you chat with them about the good times spent...before iPlayer came along, that is.

Children's TV On Trial - '60s

View on Threads

Penelope's Inbox

I search through Penelope's email inbox for any fan mail and find an email with a video attachment.

arranco de varsovia - forca da imaginaco

I've been meaning to post this Brazilian song on my blog since January 2023. I almost forgot about it until it showed up on my Youtube recommendation feed. I was like, "Woah woah woah, what do we have here?" And guess what? The tune sounded familiar, and it was to me! It was...a Putumayo song!

When I first heard this tune during the time I was trying out the new Sky Kids channel (and taking a liking to the serene, quiet Australian puppet show Beep & Mort), I was into Norman Picklestripes, a show which just premiered. The one thing I like about Norman Picklestripes is the songs, which are all set on a stage. I could just hear people cheering and clapping and throwing flowers for Norm, yelling "We love you, Norm!" and "You're the best Sky Kids character since Beep & Mort!" Even the Earth Day 2 part special is one to watch to take in an environmentally friendly message. Guess what else makes this series appealing? It's made by the people who created Scream Street, Clangers, Strange Hill High and The Tiny Chef Show...

...but due to lack of money, they shut down. I am so sad to hear of the parting of the irresistible characters we all know and love.

RIP

Factory Create

2010 - 2023.

In order to remember them, listen to this song in Brazilian. You'll know the words in a flash.

Children's TV On Trial 1960s

At last!

Lady Penelope and friends - EXPOSED!

In this video, you can find out about kids' TV in the '60s, and see all the groovy psychedelica that leads us from one show segment to the next.

Be warned that this video contains footage from the most upsetting Thunderbirds episode ever made, The Perils Of Penelope, which sees my best Thunderbirds friend in a dangerous situation which will leave many fans of her in tears. In fact when I saw the first half of it after writing Missing Sisterhood the day before, I immediately gave up on watching it because of how emotional the story is - the young man punching me in the face, the bad dream of Penelope being consumed by demons, and Parker's story of his childhood friend Johnny and how he can see the moon to remind himself he is always there for him.

Luckily, other shows covered during the programme include:

Play School

Blue Peter

Trumptonshire

Tom & Jerry

The Magic Roundabout

Clangers.

Enjoy the show!