The Children's Channel facts for kids
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| Broadcast area | United Kingdom Republic of Ireland Benelux Scandinavia (Nordic version) |
|---|---|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Flextech / sky UK |
| History | |
| Launched | 1 September 1984 |
| Closed | 3 April 1998 October 1998 (UK cable) October 2000 (Nordic) |
| Replaced by | Trouble |
The Children's Channel, often called TCC, was a TV channel from the United Kingdom. It broadcast shows for kids in the UK, Ireland, the Benelux countries (like Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), and Scandinavia. The channel started broadcasting on 1 September 1984. It was owned by a company called Flextech.
Contents
Tiny TCC: Shows for Younger Kids
In 1995, TCC started a special block of shows for very young children, like toddlers and preschoolers. This block was called Tiny TCC and aired every morning from 6 AM to 9 AM.
Later, on February 3, 1997, this block moved to another channel called UK Living. It was renamed Tiny Living. The times changed too, airing from 7 AM to 9 AM on weekdays, and 7 AM to 10 AM on weekends.
The Children's Channel stopped broadcasting in the UK and Ireland on April 3, 1998. Another channel called Trouble took its place. The Tiny Living block continued until 2006.
Meet Tiny the Wigasaurus
The main character for Tiny TCC was a big, friendly creature named Tiny. He was a Wigasaurus. Tiny had his own show called Tiny and Crew!. In the show, Tiny was always 5 years old and didn't speak English.
He had friends who helped him learn about life:
- Dog: Loved bones and playing hide-and-seek.
- Arabella: A frog who could be a bit bossy but enjoyed trying new things.
- The Buddets: Singing flowers.
Later, real presenters like Sarah Davison and Sophie Aldred joined Tiny. In 1999, a lifelike doll named Tammy (or Tam) also became part of the show. The last series of Tiny and Crew! was made two years after that.
Original Shows and Fun Quizzes
TCC created some of its own unique shows. Two popular quiz shows that aired in the afternoon were Connect 4 and The Super Mario Challenge.
The channel also had short segments between shows. One of these was Link Anchorman, which featured puppet characters like Chuck the Chimp and Hopper the Penguin. These puppets were made and performed by Hands Up Puppets. Many people who are now famous in TV, like Konnie Huq, got their start working on these shows.
In 1993-1994, TCC produced a live-action quiz show called Around the World in 80 Seconds.
- It was hosted by Timmy Mallett, who played Captain Everything.
- Schoolchildren answered questions about geography and different countries.
- The winning team received a four-day trip to Euro Disney.
During school holidays, a block of shows called Ratkan aired from 7 AM to 12 PM.
Popular Shows on TCC
TCC showed a wide variety of cartoons and live-action series. Here are just a few examples of the many shows they aired:
- Babar
- Barney & Friends
- Button Moon
- Care Bears
- Danger Mouse
- The Beano's Dennis the Menace and Gnasher Show
- Inspector Gadget
- M.A.S.K.
- Paddington Bear
- Pingu
- The Real Ghostbusters
- Saved by the Bell
- Sesame Street
- Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles
- Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
- The Transformers
