Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/02/12/what-british-childrens-tv-us.html
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Nightmare fuel.
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Even waiting for the shows was freaky.
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Wow. I’m glad I was sober viewing that.
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It’s like a creepy Slenderman-esque character photshopped into the background of old screengrabs for a SCP or viral creepypasta meme. But it was real!
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The very last shot in the video is of two wolf puppets, looking aghast.
These are Bro and Bro, who hosted Wolf It!, a show which ran various cartoons. (Note: Not British, learned this from YouTube notes.) In their sketches, they grabbed and (presumably) ate kids.
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Nonsense - real nightmare fuel comes in the form of the undead Hartley Hare:
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I was just looking for Zig and Zag but found three puppets 
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What? No Noseybonk? I thought he was the goto for creepy British childrens’ TV.
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Now I know where Pete Serafinowicz comes from.
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Saw this 1970’s on Toronto PBS station, was freaky then and now.
Based on Mark Twains novel Mysterious Stranger, trippy story in itsself.
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I am reminded of when Jack Whitehall was introduced to Mr Blobby on The Big Fat Quiz of the 90’s.
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So it was all Jimmy Savile and ritualized child abuse?
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Luxury!
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You could watch this for hours if you were drunk
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I’m making a very high-pitched wheezy laugh of pure astonishment right now. I think my expression matches the wolves’.
My favorite tragedy:
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Not familiar with lots of UK Kids stuff, but I do know this:
From this:
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These mostly involved cartoon or cartoons-like characters, but there were serious drama programmes aimed at children that were pretty creepy and scary. Doctor Who was in the beginning, with William Hartnell, which introduced the Daleks.
Hartnell was a pretty grumpy, irascible man who always seemed like he’d stab you in the back if given half a chance!
There were two other series that were pretty dark - Children Of The Stones, set in Avebury, Wiltshire. The village is set in the centre of a Neolithic stone circle, and the stones can weigh up to 90 tons; in misty conditions it’s got a real air of mystery which lends itself to wierd goings-on.
The other was The Owl Service, based on the book by Alan Garner, and set in Wales. The book is pretty dark, the TV series the same, neither is at home to Mr Chirpy!
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The weirdest thing my town had was a cartoon show hosted by a chain-smoking (IRL) astronaut (just an actor) who was reaching retirement age even in his 20s, Major Astro.
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