In the television industry magazine Television Mail, dated January 22 1960, Head of Associated-Rediffusion's Children's Section John Rhodes was interviewed in a one-page feature. In the first of two parts, he explains the balance between quality and cost that the company had strived to attain.

John Rhodes, Head of Children’s Section of AR, looks at the problem of keeping up quality and keeping down costs.

Children’s Programmes - the Cinderellas of ITV

Commercial television's policy toward children is examined by Mr John Rhodes. head of the Children's Section of Associated-Rediffusion..

His conclusion is that ITV regards children's programmes as a necessary evil - and the budget an unnecessary extravagance.

Through the weekdays, AR at present transmits around six hours aimed at children. The company itself originates two-and-a-half hours live programming, plus an hour of film (Westerns, Popeye.) Other contractors contribute a total of one-and-a-half hours live, plus more film.

The children's section of AR has a staff of between fifteen and twenty, and there are six directors attached to it. Of these, three are trainees: all AR directors cut their teeth on children's programmes. Only three directors, at any one time, are therefore available as fully competent personnel.

However, this is not as serious a drawback as it sounds, since much children's programming is necessarily of simple format, although the programmes aimed at the upper age-group can be as demanding as any of the big-budget adult shows.

"You Can't Talk Down"

One of the most successful of the younger shows is ‘Small Time,’ basically a storytelling session, with which Muriel Young is particularly identified. Central character, Willum the Pussycat, has drawn up to 100 fan-letters daily.

For the range from seven to thirteen years, the magazine programmes such as ‘Lucky Dip’ have proved their popularity. These are somewhat of a mixed-bag, with emphasis on hobbies. Others, such as the 'Parade' series, have shown that dramatisation can be effectively applied to books and - in a new series starting soon - to the appreciation of music.

But the real ‘meat’ of children's work is the half-hour drama series, aimed at adolescents. These, in Mr Rhodes' phrase, "are cracking good stories" that also imperceptibly teach children something about the world around them, its history and customs

The surprising fact is that up to 50 per cent of viewers of these dramas are - adults. “The plays are good entertainment; you can't talk down to children; the l.Q. level of our serials is way above that of evening entertainment.

Need for Strong Plots

"In fact. not one evening drama would be acceptable on a children's show. They are packed with sex and violence to hold the viewer, as a substitute for good writing. We couldn't put that sort of material in a children's show - even if we wanted - and so our drama has to be well written, strongly characterised and convincingly acted."

This, of course, is where the budget starts to pinch. Most children's drama scripts come from professional writers, who do a children's play for their own personal satisfaction, rather than reward.

Most of these writers - Peter Elliott Hayes, Joy Thwaites, Hugh Pitt - have made their mark in adult programming, and continue to make their income from it. But for pleasure, they also create children's drama.

"We rely on their good nature," explains Rhodes. "There is no comparison with adult rates - we just can't afford to pay them. This is really the Cinderella of television.

"Children's programming is regarded as a service, by the contractors - but not one on which a great deal of money should be spent.

"The Children's Section of AR. for example, originates fifteen per cent of the company's total live production. But it doesn't get anything like 15 per-cent of the live budget."

It is fortunate, therefore, that most Children's staff are people with some dedication to their job. There are compensations, of course, notably the liberty of action and freedom to experiment. Also, - “freedom from political mumbo-jumbo, that surrounds the evening programming."

Artists also have to be largely recruited in the name of goodwill. Many of the actors in children's drama are seasoned television performers, who accept cut-rates simply because they appreciate the aim behind children's programmes. Artists are often brought in solely through personal friendship with producers and directors.

The same motivation is often behind the presence of guest-stars, who receive a minuscule fee. Pop stars of the recording world - Eddie Calvert, Russ Conway - turn up for varying reasons.

How Money Could Help

‘Sometimes it's a good advertisement.' Rhodes admits, "because. after all. young teenagers are the biggest buyers of records."

Would children's programmes markedly benefit from a more generous financial treatment? Rhodes believes the case is unanswerable. He, personally. would like to spend more money on writers; on greater use of film. so that children's programmes could get out more into the world; on artists, so that drama could be sure of good performers who were adequately paid.

“ We could increase our live content,"' he argues. "Children's programming could well dispense with some of the current films. There would be a scream if we cut out the Westerns, but we would certainly do without Popeye. I would welcome another hour a week - if we had the money to make use of it.”.


In the second part, John Rhodes defends his comments in the light of what he feels was some degree of misrepresentation in this feature.




With thanks to the Independent Television Commission Library.


Back to the Sara and Hoppity homepage


The Sara and Hoppity Website would welcome any information on the series for future updates.