Play School - Childrens TV | Jedi's Paradise

Play School Play School is a 60’s Children’s TV show that was created by Joy Whitby and was the first programme to open the new BBC2 channel at 11am on 21 April 1964. This was not planned. The grand opening of the channel should have been on the previous night, but there was a massive power failure and BBC2 did not start until the following day. In 1988 Play School was replaced by Playbus, which was later called Playdays. Story Play School was very different in style to the programmes that had preceeded it. Each week a different man and woman would present the programme and many of the presenters came from the theatre, Brian Cant, Chloe Ashcroft, Carol Chell, Johnny Ball and Derek Griffiths, to name but a few. Music and songs played an important part in the programme and there was always live music in the studio. Two important elements in Play School were 'getting out and about' and encouraging an international outlook. During each programme viewers were invited to look through one of the windows and watch a short piece of film that was shot 'on location'. As well as the Play School Toys, the programme featured live animals. The original animals were two budgerigars, two mice called Henry and Henrietta, one rabbit and two goldfish. Katoo the cockatoo was a later addition. Humpty, Jemima, Big Ted and Little Ted were all part of the original set-up and lasted for the duration of the programme. Hamble and Dapple were later additions to the programme as were Bingo, Cuckoo (and the cuckoo clock). Unfortunately Hamble fell to pieces, and was replaced by Poppy. Play School - Cool Humpty