You and Me (1974 British TV series)

Last updated

You and Me
Youandmetitle.JPG
Genre Educational
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time15 minutes
Original release
Network BBC1 (1974–83)
BBC2 (1983–92)
Release14 January 1974 (1974-01-14) –
26 March 1992 (1992-03-26)

You and Me is a British educational television programme as part of the BBC Schools strand from 14 January 1974 to 26 March 1992. The programmes consisted of various segments intended to educate and entertain young children and included elements for early literacy and numeracy. It is aimed at children aged between 3 and 5. The programme was broadcast during the periods when schools programmes were being shown although, during its time on BBC1, it was seen as a programme in its own right, rather than being part of the wider "For Schools and Colleges" sequence, and was introduced by the BBC1 logo rather than via the BBC Schools presentation sequence.

Contents

Background

The first programme, called "A New House", was broadcast at 10:45am 14 January 1974 on BBC1. [1] [2] The series was influenced by the American series Sesame Street and the research done by the Children's Television Workshop, and was also influenced by the forerunners of other British children's education television series like Play School and Blue Peter . It also took guidance from the analysis of children's needs in The Warnock Report, 1978. [3] [4] It aimed therefore, in the jargon of the time, to be very much a "child-centred series" with an emphasis on a child's independence, enjoyment, and understanding. Emotional and social education were held to be as important as more traditional school skills. Relationships with the presenters, who were surrogate parents and carers, were seen as central. There was an assumption that most children watching would be in the company of an adult.

Format

The series' original intention was to teach children safety, reading and emotional well-being. [5] The show featured a mixture of human actors and puppets. In 1979, new characters were introduced which included the actor Tony Hughes as Herbert The Handyman, along with puppet characters that included Mr Bits and Pieces, a marionette made from Household objects, and Purrfecta the Cat. Herbert was portrayed as a well-meaning but inept handyman, who invariably made a hopeless mess of any odd job he was called upon to do. Although only 5 episodes of Herbert the Handyman were made, they were repeated until 1983. Episodes were also introduced by either:

Cosmo and Dibs era

In January 1983, [6] two new puppets were introduced. They were a pair of friends of an uncategorisable animal species; Cosmo, a female, from the North East of England, and Dibs, male, a Londoner, both of whom lived in a street market.

The set was based on a street market in London’s Shepherd's Bush. Each programme featured a four-minute sketch with Cosmo and Dibs on an area of child interest: sharing, eating, arguing, bullying, sleeping, bereavement, dressing up, being silly, having a row, make-believe, making poetry – there were no limits, as long as the sketch was considered relevant and useful to the target audience.

The scripts aimed to inform, educate and entertain and see the world from a child’s point of view. Explicitly the aim was not to patronise. A successful group of sketches dealing with ‘Safety’ included the subject of child abuse, unusual in a series for this age group. It was welcomed by the charity Kidscape, and featured on the national news. Songs and stories were always included, with an emphasis on cultural diversity – You and Me was one of the few programmes at the time to do this. Short documentary films covered a wealth of subjects from farming to the Notting Hill Carnival. Through their experiences in short dramas, viewers were invited to share the lives of contemporary 4- to 5-year-olds; whenever possible, the two puppets would be left without adult intervention to make their discoveries and act out every human emotion - anger, love, jealousy, greed, and fear, amongst others. For the last two series in the early 90s, the street market disappeared and was replaced by a less adventurous, more adult-controlled domestic setting, and two additional characters (Baxter and Spike) were added. Simon Buckley and Richard Coombs puppeteered and voiced the newcomers. [7] The running time was also reduced by 5 minutes.

Production team

The first producer in the format with Cosmo and Dibs was Richard Callanan who remained with the show for three series, leaving to join schools' television at Thames TV. His place was taken by Nicci Crowther, who later developed a career as an independent producer and film maker, until her early death in 2008. Sue Aron, Adrian Mills, Diane Morgan, Pat Farrington, Julie Callanan and Cas Lester were among the regular producers and directors. Jill Wilson, Noreen Hunter and Hilary Hardaker were the regular production assistants. Robert Checksfield was the studio Floor Manager who most frequently worked on the show. Assistant Floor Managers included Wendy Pedley, Garry Boon, Simone Dawson, Terry Pettigrew, Sally Bates, Christine Crow and Donna Rolfe.

The first series of twenty programmes was begun at the BBC's Lime Grove Studios, part of which overlooked Shepherd's Bush Market. It was completed at BBC Television Centre in Wood Lane, which became the show's regular home for all but the last series. Additional puppet characters joined Cosmo and Dibs for the final two seasons, and the street market disappeared in favour of a brightly coloured domestic setting. in 1992, an independent production company, SFTV (the Production of BBC's Words and Pictures as well as the creators of CITV's The Funbox) took over and the final series of You and Me was produced by Sheila Fraser.

Presenters

The presenters who appeared were cast from a diverse range of age-groups and social and ethnic backgrounds;

Puppet characters

Cosmo and Dibs were played by Frances Kay and Francis Wright who puppeteered and voiced the characters throughout the series. The puppets were made by Muppet-maker and performer Tim Rose, and the scripts were written by members of the production team and cast.

Henry the Kangaroo

From 1981 until 1992 the show also included a regular item featuring Henry the Kangaroo, an animated cartoon incorporating live action. The item introduced 'social sight words' such as STOP and EXIT. Henry would say each time: 'I'm looking for the words in my book again...' His farewell line was: "Toodle-oo from the kangaroo, toodle-oo from me to you". Henry was voiced by Nigel Lambert. [7]

Theme tune

The theme was written by Charlie Dore, Julian Littman and Karl Johnson, [10] and was originally an acoustic version. In 1983, it was replaced with a reggae version performed by UB40 [11] which lasted until the series finished in 1992:

You and me, me and you,
Lots and lots for us to do,
Lots and lots for us to see,
Me and you, you and me …

The lyrics were referenced in the Oasis song "She's Electric", "Cos I'll be you and you'll be me, there's lots and lots for us to see, lots and lots for us to do".

Related Research Articles

<i>Flower Pot Men</i> British childrens television series

Flower Pot Men is a British programme for young children produced by BBC Television. It was first transmitted in 1952, and repeated regularly for more than twenty years. A remake of the programme called Bill and Ben was aired in 2001.

<i>Clangers</i> British childrens TV series (1969–1974)

Clangers is a British stop-motion animated children's television series, consisting of short films about a family of mouse-like creatures who live on, and inside, a small moon-like planet. They speak only in a whistled language, and eat green soup and blue string pudding. The programmes were originally broadcast on BBC1 between 1969 and 1972, followed by a special episode which was broadcast in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basil Brush</span> Fox puppet from British childrens TV (since 1962)

Basil Brush is a fictional fox best known for his appearances on daytime British children's television. He is primarily portrayed by a glove puppet, but has also been depicted in animated cartoon shorts, books, annuals and comic strips. The character has featured on children's television from the 1960s to the present day. He has also appeared in pantomimes across the UK.

<i>The Sooty Show</i> British childrens television series (1955–1992)

The Sooty Show is a British children's television series, created by Harry Corbett, and produced for the BBC from 1955 to 1967, and then for ITV from 1968 until 1992. The show, part of the Sooty franchise, focuses on the mischievous adventures of the glove puppet character of the same name, alongside his friends Sweep and Soo, and their handler. Between 1955 and 1975, Corbett presented the programme until his retirement, before it was taken over by his son Matthew Corbett. It also co-starred Marjorie Corbett as the voice of Soo from the character's debut in 1964, until her retirement in 1981, whereupon Brenda Longman replaced her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Cant</span> English actor, television presenter and writer (1933–2017)

Brian Cant was an English actor of stage, television and film, television presenter, voice artist and writer. He was known for his work in BBC television programmes for children from 1964 onward, most notably Play School, and in later years, Dappledown Farm.

<i>Andy Pandy</i> British childrens TV series (1950–1970, 2002)

Andy Pandy is a British children's television series that aired on BBC Television in 1950. Originally live, a series of 26 filmed programmes was shown until 1970, when a new series of 13 episodes was made. This series was based upon a comic strip of the same name.

Bodger & Badger is a BBC children's comedy programme written by Andy Cunningham, first broadcast in 1989. It starred Cunningham as handyman Simon Bodger and his talking badger companion. The programme was spawned from some appearances the double act made in 1988 as part of the Saturday morning BBC1 children's programme On the Waterfront.

Tikkabilla is a British children's television programme, shown on CBeebies. The programme aims to educate preschool children in an entertaining manner. The title "Tikkabilla" comes from the Hindi word meaning "Hopscotch", a popular children's game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Rose (actor)</span> American actor and puppeteer (born 1956)

Timothy D. Rose is an American actor and puppeteer, best known for playing Admiral Ackbar in the Star Wars series. In addition, he puppeteered for Salacious B. Crumb, the court jester of Jabba the Hutt, in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.

Smile was a British Sunday morning children's programme created by production company Darrall Macqueen for CBBC. It first aired in 2002 on BBC Two. The final programme was broadcast on 26 August 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otis the Aardvark</span> British television puppet

Otis the Aardvark is a puppet of an aardvark that was a presenter on Children's BBC on British television. Otis mainly presented the afternoon links on BBC One alongside the main CBBC presenters. Otis was thought to be inspired by the 1992 Children's BBC idents which ended with a voice proclaiming "Tell that aardvark it's a wrap". These idents led to much speculation as to what the phrase meant. However, these idents were dropped just before the character of Otis appeared in late 1994.

Fingerbobs is a British children's television programme made by Q3 for the BBC. The first episode was broadcast on 14 February 1972 on BBC1 as part of Watch with Mother. The show was created by Joanne and Michael Cole, who also created Bod. Only thirteen episodes were ever made and were regularly repeated until December 1984.

Doodle Do is a British 2006 arts and crafts television programme, specially designed for pre-school children. It aired on the CBeebies channel between 2006 and 2010. The programme features three "Doodle Doers" — puppets called "Dib-Dab", "Scribble" and "Stick" — who interact with a human presenter, Chris Corcoran, a Welsh stand-up comedian. The programme first aired on 30 January 2006 on the CBeebies channel at 9 am and again at 1 pm and 5 pm Local Time.

Hector's House is a French children's television series using glove puppets. It was first broadcast in France on 1ère chaine on 27 October 1966 and ran over seven series and 78 episodes. It was re-voiced in English and broadcast on BBC1 on 9 September 1968 and repeated throughout the 1970s. Each episode lasted 5 minutes and it was regularly given the pre-six o'clock time slot that brought children's programmes to a close.

Roger James Limb is a British composer, specialising in electronic music. He was born in 1941 in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, UK. He is best known for his work on the television series Doctor Who whilst at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. He joined the BBC as a studio manager, before going on to become a television announcer. In 1972 he left this position to join the Radiophonic Workshop, where he remained until 1995. Although he had received formal music training, he also spent much time in pop and jazz bands, the influence of which can be heard in much of his music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Austen</span> English puppeteer

Don Austen is an English puppeteer. Austen joined the Jim Henson Creature Shop in 1986 for the movie Labyrinth. He was a puppeteer for other blockbuster movies including Santa Claus: The Movie (1985), The Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), The Bear (L'ours) (1988), The Witches (1990), and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999).

<i>Sooty</i> British puppet media franchise

Sooty is a British children's television media franchise created by Harry Corbett incorporating primarily television and stage shows. The franchise originated with his fictional glove puppet character introduced to television in The Sooty Show in 1955. The main character, Sooty, is a mute yellow bear with black ears and nose, who is kind-hearted but also cheeky. Sooty performs magic tricks and practical jokes, and squirts his handler and other people with his water pistol. The franchise itself also includes several other puppet characters who were created for television, as well as an animated series, two spin-off series for the direct-to-video market, and a selection of toy merchandising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Hogarth</span> English puppet-master (1910–1993)

Margaret Ann Gildart Jackson better known as Ann Hogarth was a British puppeteer. She, her husband and "Hogarth Puppets" toured the world. She is best known for her puppet Muffin the Mule, which was one of the first stars of early BBC television in the 1940s and 1950s. She and her husband created a large collection of puppets

Francis Wright is an English voice actor, puppeteer, and television presenter. He also teaches public speaking and communication skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Fletcher</span> British puppeteer

Phil Fletcher is a British puppeteer. He established his puppet manufacturing and performance company, Gluvets, at the age of 11. After briefly working in manufacturing he found summer work performing in holiday camps and became a full-time puppeteer in 2002. In 2009 he was cast by the BBC as the puppeteer for Hacker T Dog for continuity segments on the CBBC Channel. Fletcher gave Hacker a voice for the first time and the character proved popular, receiving his own 63-episode TV series, Hacker Time, which was nominated for eight BAFTAs. From 2017 Fletcher voiced Sweep in Sooty and from 2021 has appeared as Larry the Lizard on Buffering.

References

  1. ↑ "You and Me - BBC One London - 14 January 1974 - BBC Genome". The Radio Times (2618): 12. 10 January 1974. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Google News Archive Search" . Retrieved 26 June 2015.[ dead link ]
  3. ↑ "Warnock Report 1978 - Recommendations". Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  4. ↑ Derek Gillard. "Warnock Report 1978 - notes on the text". Educationengland.org.uk. Archived from the original on 6 April 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "10 Nostalgic British Children's TV Classics - Page 8". Whatculture.com. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "You and Me". The Radio Times (3087): 48. 6 January 1983.
  7. 1 2 "YOU AND ME | Francis Wright's Weblog". Franciswright.wordpress.com. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "TV Cream Crow". Tvcream.co.uk. 27 March 2007. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "TV Cream Duncan the Dragon". Tvcream.co.uk. 27 March 2007. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "Charlie Dore | Ralph, Albert & Sydney". Ralph-mctell.co.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  11. ↑ "You & Me Lyrics - UB40". Lyricsfreak.com. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.