80s Kids' TV Shows: 35 That Defined The Decade
Four channels from 1982, the arrival of Children's ITV and CBBC as proper branded blocks, and a decade where the tea-time slot was genuinely good.
These are the shows that ran it.
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The animation
- Danger Mouse - Cosgrove Hall, David Jason as the mouse, Terry Scott as Penfold, and jokes aimed squarely over children's heads.
- Count Duckula - the spin-off, a vegetarian vampire duck, and arguably better.
- The Wind in the Willows - Cosgrove Hall again, stop motion, and a theme sung by Ralph McTell.
- SuperTed - Welsh, with Spotty, Texas Pete and a bear who got his powers from cosmic dust.
- Bananaman, with the voices of The Goodies.
- Around the World with Willy Fog, Ulysses 31, The Mysterious Cities of Gold and Dogtanian - the imported shows with theme tunes burned into a generation.
- Postman Pat from 1981, Fireman Sam from 1987, Thomas the Tank Engine from 1984 with Ringo Starr narrating.
The game shows
- Knightmare - 1987, Treguard, the dungeoneer in a helmet, and 'sidestep to your left'. Almost nobody ever won.
- Fun House - 1989, Pat Sharp's mullet, the Twins, and the go-kart race.
- Blockbusters with Bob Holness, and 'can I have a P please Bob'.
- Interceptor, The Adventure Game, Now Get Out of That and The Krypton Factor.
- Jim'll Fix It ran through the decade. It hasn't aged into nostalgia and never will.
- Chock-A-Block, Bertha, Jigsaw, and the ITV Saturday morning shows.
The live and the strange
- Rentaghost - Mr Claypole, Hubert Davenport and the pantomime horse.
- The Sooty Show, Emu's World and Rod Hull.
- Grange Hill through its strongest years - Zammo, Gonch, Mr Bronson and the 'Just Say No' storyline in 1986.
- Byker Grove began in 1989 with two young lads called Ant and Dec, credited as PJ and Duncan.
- Press Gang - 1989, written by Steven Moffat, and far better than a children's drama had any right to be.
- Round the Twist arrived at the end of the decade from Australia, and traumatised everybody.
The blocks and the presenters
- Children's ITV launched in 1983 with in-vision links; CBBC's Broom Cupboard started in 1985 with Phillip Schofield and Gordon the Gopher.
- Andy Crane took over the Broom Cupboard, then defected to ITV, which felt like a national incident.
- Going Live! began in 1987, with Sarah Greene, Phillip Schofield and Trevor and Simon.
- Number 73 and Motormouth on ITV Saturdays.
- Blue Peter with Janet Ellis, Simon Groom, Peter Duncan, Yvette Fielding and Caron Keating.
- Newsround, Record Breakers, Think of a Number with Johnny Ball, and Art Attack arriving in 1990.
How to write it so it lands
- Knightmare was nearly unwinnable, and everyone loved it.
- Danger Mouse's jokes were written for the parents.
- Andy Crane's move to ITV genuinely upset children.
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Frequently asked questions
What were the best 80s kids' TV shows?
Danger Mouse, Knightmare, Rentaghost, SuperTed, Count Duckula, Grange Hill, Press Gang, Blockbusters, Fun House and Going Live! are the ones most people name first.
What was the Broom Cupboard?
The BBC's in-vision children's continuity slot from 1985, presented from a tiny studio - first by Phillip Schofield with Gordon the Gopher, then Andy Crane.
Did anyone ever win Knightmare?
Very rarely. Across eight series only a handful of teams completed the dungeon, which is exactly why it's remembered so fondly.
Were Ant and Dec in Byker Grove?
Yes - they joined Byker Grove from its early years as PJ and Duncan, which is where their pop career name came from.
Do you sell DVDs or TV merchandise?
No - we make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This is written for the pleasure of remembering it, and the only products on this page are our own cards.