Into the Box of Delights

This history of children's television describes its development since the earliest days when Muffin the Mule made his first appearance in 1946. It tells how many of the best-loved and most successful programmes originated, and writes about the people behind the scenes and in front - the producers, animators, presenters, actors and actresses. Among the many types of programmes discussed are puppets (from Sooty and Tingha and Tucker in the Fifties, to today's favourites), pre-school programmes such as "Playschool" and "Rainbow", storytelling (especially the long-running "Jackanory"), drama, information programmes such as "Blue Peter", and Saturday-morning programmes and entertainment.