The BBC show was a favourite among pre-school children and ran from 1964 until 1988, and featured characters Poppy, Jemima, Humpty, Little Ted and Big Ted
Classic kids’ TV show Play School is making a comeback after 38 years.
The BBC show was a favourite among pre-school children and ran from 1964 until 1988, and featured characters Poppy, Jemima, Humpty, Little Ted and Big Ted.
Now, the broadcaster is looking to revive the show and has asked production companies to pitch their ideas for a revamp to fit with modern children.
The new episodes will be just 14 minutes long, a big cut from the original 25-minute length.
The pitch asks: “The toys remain some of the most cherished elements of Play School and are fondly remembered by generations of viewers.
“We would like the new version of the programme to bring to life a version of the toys in a contemporary capacity aligned to the expectations of today’s children.
“We are open to exploring different approaches, whether that involves bringing back the full original line-up or introducing new characters alongside them and representing them through different media including animation.”
Play School helped carve out the careers of a number of its stars, inlcuding presenter Baroness Floella Benjamin, who has now moved into politics.
While she appeared on Play School, she campaigned for stronger representation for ethnic minorities. “All the illustrations when I told the stories were of white children,” she told the BBC in 2024. “I said to the producer, ‘Why can’t we have some black and Asian and Chinese faces in the illustrations rather than all white faces?'”
She added: “When I did Play School, the number of people who said ‘You just being there opened doors for me, made me know, as I was growing up, four or five years old watching you, that anything is possible.'”
Floella received a damehood in 2020 and has also been made a member of the British Board of Film Classification’s (BBFC) advisory panel on children’s viewing.
Other iconic presenters from the show include the late Brian Cant, who appeared on the show for over 20 years and is one of the longest-serving host, and Zoe Ball’s dad Johnny Ball.
The original Play School toys are kept at the National Science and Media Museium in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The original ‘Teddy’ from the very first show in 1964 is not part of the collection as i8t was stolen in 1970. It was replaced by Big Ted and Little Ted.
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