PROGRAMMES: 1970s
Scene1971 1971 it may be, but colour still hadn't arrived at BBC Schools.This programme compares apprentice footballers with trainee ballet dancers.
Music Time1971 Might even be earlier than 1971, but one thing we are sure of is it was still being used in 1977. Mari Griffith and Ian Humphris musically ponder "What Shall I Do?" in this edition, which also featured a guest appearance by The Spinners.
Look And Read: Joe & the Sheep Rustlers1973
Look And Read was a cult classic for 7-9 year-olds, combining a compelling adventure serial with grammatical teaching.
It's fairly obvious what Joe and the Sheep Rustlers is about - young shepherd Joe Norland does battle with the beastly Beasley brothers who are stealing sheep from the farm where he works. Struan Rodger was Joe, with Ken Jones as the youth hostel warden. The characters presented the teaching sections and this was the first Look And Read to be shown in colour.
Scene1974 The famous Scene cows chewed their first cud in 1974. You might have been forgiven for thinking Scene was a farming programme!
Look And Read: Cloud Burst1974 The most fondly remembered period of Look And Read was the Wordy era, the brainchild of producer Sue Weeks who took over the programme in 1974.
Cloud Burst tells the story of Tim and Jenny Barber. When they lose their model aeroplane, they meet Ram Pandit, a kindly scientist working on a rainmaking machine to help the people of his native India. Unfortunately, Ram's evil twin Ravi (played by the same actor - Renu Setna) wants it himself and steals it.
Tim and Jenny save the day, but Ram discovers a spy in his camp. Richard Carpenter presented the studio bits, with Wordy (Mr Watchword, to give you his full name) appearing for the first time. Tina Heath (Blue Peter) was Jenny and Michael Sheard, Grange Hill's Mr Bronson, was Ravi's henchman. Cloud Burst had not been seen on British TV since 1977, but in 2003 resurfaced on the CBBC channel.
Going To Work1974 Amazingly, some BBC Schools programmes were still being made in black and white, as this edition of Going To Work shows. Unless of course it was a B/W copy, but the variation on the "cogs" theme suggests otherwise.
Biology1975 Biology, apart from it using Pink Floyd's Time as the theme tune, was narrated by Michael Rodd.
Scene: Violence in Entertainment1976 Our next offering from Scene looks at the growing problem of violence on television. Viewers are warned about the opening fight scene, in which Oscar James (later of EastEnders) meets a watery end. But it's laughable by today's standards - there's less ham in the local Sainsbury's!
Look And Read: The King's Dragon1977
The golden era of Look And Read continues with an adventure set in the offices of the fictitious Hastings Times. This time the villains were chasing after an ancient treasure, the King's Dragon armring, and it was up to young Billy West and a young journalist, Ann Mills, to foil the crooks.
Kenneth Watson presented the teaching sections as Jack Dunbar, editor of the Hastings Times. Each week Jack would be called out of the office, enabling Wordy to appear! The King's Dragon resurfaced on the CBBC Channel in 2003, its first screening since 1981.
Location Britain1977 Geography for O-level/CSE pupils. This episode visits Merthyr Tydfil and looks at urban growth and industrial development.
Merry-Go-Round1977 How's this for short-and-sweet? The documentary series for junior children was opened by what's more like a sting than a title sequence.
Going To Work1977 A late Seventies/early Eighties edition of the long-running vocational series for teenagers.
Hyn O Fyd1970s The familiar Welsh language current affairs series, broadcast throughout the UK. Initially the BBC Wales globe and standby music were shown prior to each programme, but by 1981 the dots had taken over.
On The Rocks1978
Not a programme about the downfall of marriage in Britain, as the title might suggest, but a geology series repeated well into the 1980s. An early TV appearance for Ian Mercer, of Coronation Street fame.
Scene: Consequences1978 A mini-series "Consequences" tells the story of Liza, a pregnant schoolgirl determined to keep the baby. Her parents have other ideas and conflict erupts. Sylvestra Le Touzel (The Boy From Space, Beast) played Liza but does not appear in this clip.
Twentieth Century History1978 Classic history resource with an equally memorable opening sequence. Brief flashes of famous C20 icons give way to newsreel footage, accompanied by oppressive, suspended strings. Any re-runs today would have to carry the obligatory warning about "strobing effects"!
Look And Read: Sky Hunter1978 Fondly remembered by Look And Read Fans, Sky Hunter told the story of three children on a barge holiday in London, who discover peregrine falcon thieves at work. They enlist the help of kindly Mr Trim (Geoffrey Bayldon), from the antiques shop, only to discover he's in on it too!
Michael Maynard, as Dave, co-presented with Wordy in his Word Workshop. In 1992, "Sky Hunter II" saw the story inserts repackaged with the three young stars returning as adults working for the RSPB.
Resource Units: English 11-13c. 1979 These days all Schools programmes are designed for recording, but the BBC were keen to encourage recording even in the age of the N1700 (pictured). Resource Units were a range of stand-alone programmes for a wide range of subjects - in this case English. This programme follows a local newspaper journalist as he covers a wall-building competition.
Encounter France1979 French language and lifestyle series narrated by Gary Watson (oh how we miss his voice!) The sig tune, "House Of The King", was also used for Yorkshire TV's "Don't Ask Me" and "Don't Just Sit There" series, both featuring Magnus Pyke.
Merry-Go-Round1979 French language and lifestyle series narrated by Gary Watson (oh how we miss his voice!) The sig tune, "House Of The King", was also used for Yorkshire TV's "Don't Ask Me" and "Don't Just Sit There" series, both featuring Magnus Pyke.
Music Time1979 The more familiar Music Time line-up of Peter Combe and Kathryn Harries in 1979. This edition bypasses the usual sig tune and instead goes straight into song. However, our clip features a bonus pre-programme backup announcement from Peter Brook.
A Good Read1979 Making literature fun with Gordon Astley, Gordon Griffin and Gillian Hawser. Griffin would later resurface as Inky in Channel 4's pre-school series "Chips Comic" with Elsa O'Toole.