Look-in facts for kids
1977 cover of Look-in featuring The Bionic Woman, painted by Arnaldo Putzu
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| Categories | Children, teenagers |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Weekly |
| First issue | 9 January 1971 |
| Final issue | 12 March 1994 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
Look-in was a super popular magazine for kids and teenagers in the United Kingdom. It was all about the TV shows on ITV, a big TV network there. The magazine was even called "The Junior TVTimes" because it was like a TV guide just for young people!
Look-in started on January 9, 1971, and kept going strong until March 12, 1994. For a short time in 1985, a magazine called BEEB tried to be its rival, focusing on BBC shows. Later, in 1989, another magazine called Fast Forward came out and actually sold more copies than Look-in!
Contents
What Was Inside Look-in?
Look-in was packed with cool stuff. It had interviews with famous people and fun puzzles like crosswords. You could also enter competitions to win prizes! The magazine often included big pictures and posters of TV stars and pop music idols of the time.
But the most exciting part for many readers was the comic strips. These comics were based on popular children's TV shows that were playing on ITV. Imagine reading new adventures of your favorite characters every week!
Meet the Creative Team
When Look-in first started, Alan Fennell was the editor. The stories for the comic strips were written by Angus Allan. Alan Fennell later left in 1975. Then, Colin Shelborn, who was in charge of the art, became the new editor.
At first, the magazine covers were just photos. But from issue 40 onwards, they started featuring amazing paintings. These were done by Arnaldo Putzu, an Italian artist living in London. He was famous for creating many movie posters in the 1960s. His Look-in covers were usually painted with bright acrylic paints.
More Than Just TV Shows
Look-in was mainly a way for kids to find out what was on ITV. It even had special listings for each ITV region, showing programs that kids would love. But it also featured articles about popular hobbies and trends of the day. For example, it covered exciting topics like Skateboarding, BMX biking, and YoYoing.
Even though it focused on TV, the magazine often had articles about sports, like the show On The Ball with Brian Moore. There were also cool science articles written by Peter Fairley. A famous DJ named Ed Stewart was a regular face in Look-in. He appeared in the very first issue, showing what a day in his life was like. Later, he even got his own section called 'Stewpot's Newsdesk', which ran until 1980.
Pop Music and Famous Stars
After TV, pop music was the next biggest topic in Look-in. The magazine often had interviews with top music acts. It also included pull-out posters of bands like ABBA and the Bay City Rollers in the 1970s. In the 1980s, you could find stars like Adam and the Ants and Bros.
The comic strips sometimes told the life stories of pop groups, such as ABBA and The Beatles. Later, they even created original adventure stories for bands like Madness and Bucks Fizz.
Changes Over Time
In September 1981, Look-in got a fresh new look. It changed its logo, and photo covers replaced the painted ones. By the late 1980s, the magazine found it hard to compete with newer, shinier teen magazines. Sales started to drop.
In the early 1990s, Look-in began to focus on even younger kids. It featured comic strips based on cartoons and short, quick fact-file articles. The very last issue of Look-in was published in 1994.
Special Editions and Collections
Throughout its time, Look-in released special annuals and Summer Special issues every year. These were like extra-thick versions of the magazine. In 2007, a company called Carlton Books published a collection of old issues called Best of the Seventies. The next year, they released Best of the Eighties. These books let new generations enjoy the classic Look-in content!
Awesome Comic Strips
The comic strips were a huge part of what made "Look-In" so popular. Here are some of the many cool strips that appeared in the magazine:
TV Show Comics
- Timeslip (1971–1972)
- Freewheelers (1971–1972)
- Please Sir! (1971–1973)
- Follyfoot (1971–1974)
- On the Buses (1971–1974)
- The Fenn Street Gang (1971–1973)
- Catweazle (1972)
- Doctor at Large / at Sea / On the Go (1972–1978)
- The Tomorrow People (1973–1978)
- Kung Fu (1974–1975)
- The Adventures of Black Beauty (1974–1975)
- The Six Million Dollar Man (1975–1979)
- Space: 1999 (1975–1977)
- The Bionic Woman (1976–1979)
- Just William (1977)
- Man from Atlantis (1978)
- The Famous Five (1978–1980)
- Dick Turpin (1979)
- Worzel Gummidge (1979–1982)
- CHiPs (1979, 1981–1983)
- Sapphire & Steel (1979–1981)
- Battlestar Galactica (1979–1980)
- Charlie's Angels (1979–1981)
- Mork & Mindy (1980–1981)
- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1980–1982)
- Danger Mouse (1982–1985)
- The Fall Guy (1982–1984)
- Knight Rider (1983–1986)
- Terrahawks (1983–1984)
- Robin of Sherwood (1984–1986)
- The A-Team (1984–1987)
- Super Gran (1985, 1989)
- Street Hawk (1985)
- Airwolf (1986–1987)
- Inspector Gadget (1986–1988)
- Alf (1988)
- Galaxy High School (1989–1990)
- Count Duckula (1989)
- Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds (1989)
- Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures (1991–1992)
- Garfield (1988–1994)
- Scooby-Doo (1987–1994)
Music Star Comics
- David Cassidy – 'The Adventures of David Cassidy' (1972–1973)
- ABBA – 'ABBA Exclusive Official' (1977–1978)
- Elvis Presley – 'Elvis the Story' (1981)
- The Beatles – 'The Story of the Beatles' (1981–1982)
- Madness – 'It's Madness' (1981–1983)
- Bucks Fizz (1983–1985)
- Five Star – 'The 5 Star Life' (1987–1989)
- Bros
- Kylie Minogue
- Jason Donovan
- Michael Jackson
Other Fun Comics
- Mark Strong (1972–1973) – Based on a toy!
- The Smurfs – 'Meet the Smurfs!' – These were about the cartoon characters before their TV show.
- When They Were Young (1983–1984) – Stories about celebrities when they were kids.
- The Story So Far (1985–1986) – Life stories of different pop stars.
