Forgotten Children's Television Programmes

I'm surprised that people remember this show, it only ran for 6 weeks in 1991! It's only in the History books as it was comissioned for a 40 week run, but 6 weeks in it was axed as it was the same time (October 1991) when TV-am lost the franchise and the company started winding down.

Although Timmy Mallett was a prat and still is, I really loved Wacaday, it was fun and on the same level educational.

Considering the fact that TV-am's Kids programmes were a minority part of the schedule they did them well and many people remember them to this day.

What made Rub-A-Dub-Tub memorable for me was the "making" feature with the disembodied hands; the harp music played was none other than "Passing Time" by David Snell which, five years earlier, had been used as ITV Schools interval music.

Rub-A-Dub-Tub ran a lot longer than the first six months; it was still there in early 1984.

Anyone mentioned 'Baggypants and The Nitwits' yet?

It was a double headed cartoon (along the lines of Pink Panther with Crazy legs Crane and the like): Baggypants was a wisecracking cat, The Nitwits were an elderly couple.

I remember a kids show with a scottish lady presenter who also sang the opening theme:



can't remember what it was about though

I too remember the "Making" feature. I immediately remembered the said piece of music from ITV Schools intervals summer term 1980, it was the last piece over the picture slide before switchover to the clock for "Handelian Harp".

Back to the "Making" feature of Rub-A-Dub-Tub, I remember they made ghosts one week. As you've said, all you could see was the person's hands making the item, with the said piece of music playing in the background. I pointed out to my family at the time, the presenter didn't explain what to do. Surely he/she should have been explaining it. How could TV-am expect kids to make the item without explanation.

At least on "Take Hart", and its successor "Hartbeat" on BBC1 (B1), Tony Hart explained how to make/paint the model being made or picture being drawn or painted.


I know it did. After some time though TV-am ended up repeating previously shown ones rather than making new editions.