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First TV programme memory

(114 Posts)
Marydoll Sat 20-Jan-18 09:00:47

The "First Memory" thread prompted me to think about the first time I ever watched television, when I was three.
My first memory is of watching "Lassie on a neighbour's television, as we couldn't afford one.
What is the first television programme you ever watched?

Wally Thu 25-Jan-18 19:08:12

lemongrove Z cars was of it's time and we all enjoyed it but, I don't think it would be a goer for young people nowadays. Same as though we didn't have a TV until I was eighteen.

lemongrove Thu 25-Jan-18 12:16:30

Z cars!
We didn’t have a tv until I was a young teenager.Did I miss much?

Tweedle24 Thu 25-Jan-18 10:30:42

Muffin the Mule with Annette Mills. There was also a penguin called Peregrine.
Dad was in the army and about to be posted to Cyprus, then Egypt, so bought the TV to keep Mum company. It was only broadcast for about an hour early evening for the children’s programmes and then back on later for the adults.
Neighbours’ children used to come round to watch,
Never saw the coronation televised as, by then, we had gone out to Egypt to join Dad. We had the colour film flown out to watch the next day.

travelsafar Thu 25-Jan-18 08:37:57

Andy Pandy, Woodentops and Bill and Ben the Flowerpot men.
Also vaguely remember one called I think, Tales of the Riverbank.??

WilmaKnickersfit Thu 25-Jan-18 02:55:01

I think it would be Andy Pandy and the Wooden Tops for me too. I'm not sure tbh.

Tegan2 Thu 25-Jan-18 02:32:54

Not actually my first memory, but I loved Pathfinders in Space/Pathfinders to Mars/Pathfinders to Venus. It was the forerunner of Doctor Who and all the other sci fi programmes. After years of talking about it and only finding one other person who'd heard of it, it came out on dvd and my son bought it for me.

galleyman Wed 24-Jan-18 23:08:01

A Primary school friend invited me to his house after school to watch his favourite programme, "Casey Jones" about an American steam train driver. All this watched in black and white on a 12" screen TV. I was open mouthed amazed.
It was another 11 years before my parents got a TV at home, still black and white.

Menopaws Mon 22-Jan-18 19:35:04

Children's tv at five to six until six, magic roundabout. Andy panda , the herbs, belle and Sebastian , champion the wonder horse. Can't remember which was the earliest but fond memories.

Wally Mon 22-Jan-18 19:29:30

My dad got hold of a engineering drawing for a ITV aerial he then set about making it. He put it on a pole that went halfway to the moon with huge steel guy ropes all round. It worked and we were one of the first people in our area to have ITV

Pagzy Mon 22-Jan-18 18:31:38

My nan who lived next also got a TV for the Coronation and on Sunday teetimes I went next door to watch Sooty with nan.

NannyTee Mon 22-Jan-18 18:20:02

Oh the memories. It's a cracker Jack pencil !!! Whoop whoop

Mamissimo Mon 22-Jan-18 14:35:45

It’s Friday, it’s five to five and it’s.....Crackerjack!

JoyBloggs Mon 22-Jan-18 13:17:48

JackyB Yes, that's right, I still remember the days the different programmes were on too! I was a bit older and used to enjoy it but felt it was rather beneath me, but I had the excuse of only watching because my little brother had it on! Definitely liked the Woodentops best. Wasn't too keen on Rag, Tag and Bobtail.
I remember the kittens too!

JackyB Mon 22-Jan-18 12:25:37

We had a TV very early because my parents were crazy about tennis and wouldn't miss a stroke of any Wimbledon match. I was plonked in front of the TV to watch "Watch with Mother" presumably whilst my mother cooked dinner or did something with my (then) baby sister. This must have been 1957-1958 as I remember sitting in the front room watching it in a house we moved away from in summer 1959.

Mondays was Andy Pandy
Tuesdays was Picture Book
Wednesdays was Bill and Ben
Thursdays was Rag, tag and Bobtail
Fridays was the Woodentops.

Sometimes if I started watching a bit early there were kittens playing with a ball of wool before the programme started.

At least, I think that's right - I was only three at the time!

trisher Mon 22-Jan-18 12:13:40

Oh I remember watching that.
We got a TV in 1953, my mum always said it was for the coronation, but really it was because my dad wanted to watch Stanley Matthews in the cup final. Both events meant our house was stuffed to the rafters with relatives. I was given a ball and some toffees with the coronation date etc on them. I went to play with the ball in our back porch because it was raining and I was so bored.

yggdrasil Mon 22-Jan-18 10:59:38

I remember watching it. And a bit of Googling found this page, referring to one episode in September 1955

genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/cc0e5bf1a6a2431e9f77e8d0315e464b

I don't recognise any of the names, but they seem to have used a pair of twins for the boys

Greyduster Sun 21-Jan-18 19:09:56

Does anyone remember a serial called “The Prince and the Pauper” that was on in the mid fifties? I was absolutely hooked on it and even now I can remember the theme music to it. I don’t think there was anyone in it that we would remember now, but there was a remake of it in the seventies that had a young Nicholas Lyndhurst in it. I think it was based on a Mark Twain novel.

NonnaW Sun 21-Jan-18 18:00:35

I loved most of the Watch with Mother programmes but I remember thinking Picture Book was boring. I remember watching something with my mother (just got the tv and all the others were at school, so just me & mum), there were lots of women doing physical exercises, very strange.

NannyTee Sun 21-Jan-18 17:41:50

What was the one with Bernard Cribbing ??

whitewave Sun 21-Jan-18 17:40:42

I remember “The Black Tulip” it was a children’s play/series

whitewave Sun 21-Jan-18 17:38:15

Jennifer and the flower fairies. I also had the book by Annette Mills, the same Muffin the Mule and Prudence kitten author.

MrsEggy Sun 21-Jan-18 17:21:38

I was about 10 in the 1940s and went to visit my uncle near London. He took us to see a neighbour who had a TV and we saw a play, I was fascinated but can't remember what it was about. Neither I nor my father had seen TV as it hadn't reached the Midlands at that time.

MissAdventure Sun 21-Jan-18 16:12:18

That was one of my favourites. I found it hilarious. I still really enjoy programmes like 'Monkey Life'.

Greyduster Sun 21-Jan-18 16:08:54

Another favourite was Animal Magic with Johnny Morris as a zoo keeper. He had a wonderful range of voices for each animal!

TwiceAsNice Sun 21-Jan-18 13:19:39

Watch with Mother. Picture book on a Monday, Andy Pandy on a Tuesday, Bill and Ben on a Wednesday, Rag Tag and Bobtail on a Thursday, and The Woodentops on a Friday. This was my favourite with "the very biggest spotty dog you ever did see". Later Champion the Wonder Horse, Lassie, and Bonanza. As a teenager Dixon of Dock Green and Emergency Ward 10.