Should the demand for everything being new become a thing of the past?

'Once upon a time a very long time ago, there was a little girl and her name was Emily and she had a shop' … does anyone remember this intro to a children’s’ TV show? If you do, you are probably in the 30 - 45 age bracket and will also remember the time when there was no 24 hour television. Consequently you plugged your computer into your TV (as it acted as a monitor) and you were unable to fast forward through the ads - as a result making up senseless origami objects entertained us between television programming and amongst other things you were actively encouraged by your parents to ‘ get lost on your bike', mobiles were things that hung from your bedroom ceiling and flicky haired pin - up girl Farrah Fawcett - Majors and her hubby the bionic Lee were featured as a more sophis ti cated version of Katie and Peter.

Anyway I digress , so back to back to the aforementioned intro which is from the wonderfu l BBC children’s programme "Bagpus" which was produced in the 80’s. This week I read with interest that Bagpuss in a newly re vamped form is unlikely to return to Television as the creator’s (the wonderful Oliver Postgate) son does not want a heartless new version that could be “tarnished” by ”lurid CGI animation”.

I have to say I agree with Daniel as I would hate to see a ‘ lurid CGI ’ Bagpuss when the original version was so lovely, cuddly and sweet. However interest ing ly enough, Daniel is quite happy for the Marvellous Mechanical Mice to have their own spin-off from the show, and well deserved I say, they’ve waited long enough to release their ‘We will wash it, we will mend it’ song on the unsuspecting public.

However, I really think that the original Bagpuss series actually holds its own very well. If you recall the main character was a little girl called Emily , and she ran a shop that didn’t sell anything . Emily just found things that people had lost and the mice did a quick makeover on them and then she put them in her shop window. She then waited for people to come along and claim them. I am sure that Chris Anderson of Wired Magazine and Author of ‘Free’ could have helped her to develop her sales strategy . Though maybe she actually was his original inspiration - who knows!

Why would they even consider updating it, no I am serious, why? Why did they remake Frank Sinatra’s "Oceans 11" - Who could possibly re-capture the charm of the original Rat Pack ? Why did James Cameron spend millions re-making “Titanic” when the original b/w "A Night to Remember" was more realistic and atmospheric and made for a fraction of Mr Cameron's lunch budget. Why do we need to update things and change them so much that we lose their original beauty, and inherent 'of the moment' charm .


To encourage today's mum ’s & dads & children to watch Television together (I know a couple of brands are trying to do this right now) I cannot think of a better way than showing programming that ran when the parents were young.


However, don’t worry I would draw a line at the re-run of ‘The Singing Ringing Tree, which featured - a wicked dwarf, a beautiful girl, a giant fish and a Prince that of course changed into a bear ! This must have been East Germany 's revenge on the West for not helping them out when the wall was built. I think the "Singing Ringing Tree" series scared us kids so much, it was probably responsible for a breakout of long and persistent bed - wetting across the whole of UK .

I would also take the precaution of using subtitles for “The Flower Pot” men and I would make sure that Andy Pandy didn't lock Looby Lou into the cupboard quite so much. But shows like "Hectors House", "The Magic Roundabout", "Joe 90" and "The Clangers" could be aired totally unedited. We should embrace the old if only to show the next generation how we ended up as we have , be it good or bad. Check out the intro to “The Clangers” which is just as relevant now and which also appears to be have been somewhat prophetic.

But seriously, now we have access to so many digital and On Demand services, TV is more or less a hop and skipping rope away from taking over traditional television viewing. We should embrace our heritage and make more of these amazing childrens’ shows.

There is no doubt that with all the incredible technology around there has never been a better time to embrace nostalgia which we can access at the touch of button. I vote for an evening of childhood nostalgia bought to you by Marmite or English Heritage or Heinz Tomato Ketchup or Bisto or Omo or even ITV. An evening where parents can revisit a long cherished childhood with their children. It’s good to enjoy your heritage when you are young. When you are old it just becomes a thing of the past - how profound!

Bring back Bag puss and all his friends and let’s complement the experience with the trusty brands of yore, before we get to old to enjoy it again.