Pob's Programme

Pob's Programme
Format	Children's television series
Created by	Anne Wood
Developed by	Ragdoll Productions
Starring	Robin Stevens
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of episodes	52
Production
Running time	25
Broadcast
Original channel	Channel 4
Original run	October 1986 – November 1987

Pob's Programme was a children's television programme, which was broadcast in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 between October 1986 and November 1987. The programme is presented by a puppet named Pob (played by puppeteer Robin Stevens), who speaks a primitive version of English and who supposedly lives inside the viewer's TV (the casing and red, green and blue electron guns visible behind him). The opening titles of the show consist of the character breathing on the camera lens (this breathing was often mistaken for spitting, given the loud noise accompanying it and the thick condensation appearing on screen), and tracing his name in the condensation. Each week on the programme, a celebrity guest visits Pob's garden, and entertains him — though Pob and the guest never appear on screen together.

Pob's Programme was created by Doug Wilcox and Anne Wood of Ragdoll Productions, which also created Rosie and Jim. Wood went on to create the Teletubbies.

Content

In a typical episode, the celebrity visitor to the show finds a label attached to a piece of string on the gates of Pob's garden;

If in my programme you would be,

Wind the wool and follow me.

The celebrity guest then follows the woollen string, winding it as they go, and encountering a second label;

Wind it slowly, wind it fast,

A secret you will find at last.

Ultimately the wool is found to be Pob's unravelled jumper, and he is awoken to trace his name on the screen. Over the course of the programme, the celebrity guest reads a story, and solves a word puzzle with Pob.

Before the end of the programme, the celebrity guest gives Pob a gift, usually related to their story, which they attach to the woollen thread of Pob's jumper. Pob retrieves the gift, and plays with it, stopping periodically to wipe the programme's end credits from the camera lens. The Ragdoll logo follows at the end of every episode, another ragdoll appears, but as a toy and Pob blows out the candle held by the toy ragdoll. the cartoon ragdoll stays on screen. The next celebrity visitor is seen arriving at Pob's garden, realises they are a week too early, and leaves.

Celebrity guests on the show included Roy Castle, Nigel Kennedy, Madhur Jaffrey, Brian Blessed, Hannah Gordon, Kathy Staff and Spike Milligan.

Pob is often accompanied in his mischief by a silent teddy bear called Teddy.

Recognition

In 2001, Pob's Programme was number 60 on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Kids' TV shows.

External links

• Pob's Programme at the Internet Movie Database