Watch with Mother facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Watch with Mother
The opening titles from 1952. The film was reversed so the title appeared to flower.
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
Production
Running time	15 minutes
Release
Original network	BBC1
Original release	1952 (1952) – 1975 (1975), 23 years

Watch with Mother was a famous group of children's TV shows. It was made by Freda Lingstrom and Maria Bird. The BBC Television showed it from 1952 to 1975. This was the first BBC TV series just for very young children. It was like a TV version of a radio show called Listen with Mother. The show was meant for pre-school kids to watch with their mothers. It usually aired in the afternoon, after naps.

The name "Watch with Mother" was chosen for a reason. It helped calm fears that TV might just become a "babysitter" for kids. It encouraged parents to watch with their children.

What Was Watch with Mother?

Watch with Mother was a special collection of TV programmes. It was created for very young children, before they started school. Each show was short, usually about 15 minutes long. These shows became very popular and were loved by many generations of kids.

The Classic Shows

Before Watch with Mother got its name, some shows were already on air. Andy Pandy started in 1950. Flower Pot Men joined in 1952. The name Watch with Mother was officially used from January 1953. More shows were added, making a full week of programmes.

By 1955, the most famous group of shows was complete. They were shown every weekday at 1:30 pm.

• Picture Book – Shown on Mondays.
• Andy Pandy – Shown on Tuesdays.
• Flower Pot Men – Shown on Wednesdays.
• Rag, Tag and Bobtail – Shown on Thursdays.
• The Woodentops – Shown on Fridays.

Why Were Shows Repeated?

Each of these classic shows had only a few episodes. They were all filmed in black-and-white. Usually, fewer than 26 episodes were made for each show. This was enough for about six months of broadcasts. The BBC Children's department had a very small budget. They needed films that could be shown over and over again. This worked well for young children who enjoyed seeing the same stories.

From April 1963, Watch with Mother moved to a morning time slot. Later, it also had an afternoon slot. Other shows like Tales of the Riverbank joined the lineup.

New Shows and Changes

Over time, new programmes were added to Watch with Mother. People sometimes worried that their favourite old shows would be replaced. For example, in 1965, there was a rumour that Camberwick Green would replace Andy Pandy. But Camberwick Green eventually got its own slot.

Many new and exciting shows joined the Watch with Mother family. These included:

• Tales of the Riverbank
• Pogles' Wood
• The Herbs
• Joe
• The Trumptonshire trilogy (which includes Camberwick Green)
• Barnaby
• Mary, Mungo and Midge
• Fingerbobs
• Bod
• Bizzy Lizzy

In 1975, the name Watch with Mother was no longer used. It was thought to be a bit old-fashioned. The group of shows was then called See-Saw from 1980 to 1990.

Watch with Mother Today

Even after the TV show ended, Watch with Mother remained popular. In 1987, a Watch with Mother video became a huge seller. More videos followed in 1989 and 1993.

Because the shows were so well-loved, modern versions have been made. In the early 2000s, Andy Pandy and Bill and Ben were remade. These new versions used stop-motion animation. They were shown on CBeebies, a BBC channel for young children.

Videos of Watch with Mother

Many people loved to watch these classic shows on video. Here are some of the VHS releases: