The Golden Age of Children's TV

by Tim Worthington

A complete overview of an extraordinary and hugely varied creative era in the history of television combined with deep-dives behind the scenes of key programmes. All examined in the context of the social and political times that both influenced the programmes and which they sought to give children protection from.

Divided into twelve chapters covering such areas Saturday and Sunday Morning TV, Pre-School, Dramas, Factual Shows, Game shows and cult shows from Europe as well as chapters on key creators such as Oliver Postage and Gerry Anderson.

Chapters will provide an overview over their subject as well as a detailed look into the history and behind-the scenes stories of key programmes, such Thunderbirds, The Clangers, Blue Peter and Magpie, Camberwick Green, The Singing Ringing Tree and The Magic Roundabout.

Written with affection but also with a wry appreciation of the shortcomings this is a lively and complete history of a hugely influential part of pop culture; a culture of shared watching before video, streaming and the internet diffused the audience.

Genres: Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

Published October 24, 2024

About the author

Writer and occasional broadcaster. Somewhere between Jennifer Eccles and King Midas In Reverse.

"The Dominic Sandbrook of things that don't matter" according to one reader.

Lots more to read at http://timworthington.blogspot.co.uk/

Reviews

[Kev Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★ ★★
LOVED THIS!
Brilliant read. The Golden Age of Children's TV is a detailed, affectionate and endlessly entertaining dive into the history of British children's television, from the early days of the medium onwards.

It triggered so many memories for me. Some I hadn’t thought about in years, others pulled from the deepest corners of my mind. A proper nostalgia trip, but also a great piece of broadcasting history. Loved the background on how these shows came to be, the BBC vs ITV battles, the presenters, the politics behind the scenes — all told with warmth and plenty of good anecdotes.

I especially appreciated the long section on The Box of Delights, one of my childhood favourites, and it was great to see it given the attention it deserves.

As others have said, what Tim Worthington doesn’t know about this subject isn’t worth knowing. If you grew up in the UK or were exposed to British TV during those years, this is essential reading.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, lots of memories of programmes I loved, plus I got to find out a bit about ITV things I missed as we weren’t allowed to watch it! Would have been fire stars if it had had a few more case studies about specific programmes (a lot of it reads like a list) and a photo section. Happy days though!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing. Tim Worthington opts for quantity rather than quality so much of the book reads like a list of programmes with explanatory notes. The early chapters on Tiswas v Swap Shop and the Gerry Anderson puppet series have a narrower focus and are better for it.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

An exhaustive run-through of children's TV in the UK from the 50s through the 90s. It was too big a topic for one book and as a result, it often becomes just a straightforward list of programme titles.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone can provoke a reaction with a list of "d'ya remember, eh?" pop culture references; where Tim Worthington's book differs is in its combination of knowledgable but entertaining factual content and the relatable off-screen detail peppered throughout, evoking his (and I suspect in many cases, our) experiences with the programmes described. A comprehensive coverage, with even the shorter but sweeter descriptions getting the message across, this is a go-to text on an increasingly popular topic.

[James Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tim Worthington knows more about esoteric and well documented British TV than anyone else so is highly qualified to write this. An exhaustive compendium of children’s or children adjacent tv screened in the UK. Definitely have made a note of exploring the ones I’ve never heard of in the pre late 70s on YouTube. I’m hoping some generous publisher gets the rights to reprint this book so it can have some glossy photos for each of these programmes mentioned although I suspect it means this book will be twice as big. You’ll find yourself going ‘oh yeah, I remember that one!’

His podcast ‘Looks Unfamiliar’ is also essential. Check it out!