Mary, Mungo And Midge

Mary, Mungo and Midge make some jelly. I love the attention to detail - the 1960s kitchen, complete with kettle, flex and plug, the 'Crabtree's' jelly, the rabbit jelly mould and formica-topped table.

In 1969 the BBC took us out tiny tots of the Magic Garden and the cosy rural idyll of Trumptonshire and into town.

A real town. Well, at least realistic.

Mary was a pre-school girl who lived in a block of flats. A very modern block of flats. Quite posh, and only eight flats high, but still modern reality.

Mary was a very advanced pre-schooler, who knew lots and lots of things, could write letters to her grandmother, and spent a lot of her time in her large, sunny playroom with her pet companions, Mungo the dog and Midge the mouse.

And here we got a blast of whimsy.

Mungo and Midge could talk. Well, at least they could talk to Mary and each other.

This, of course, added endless appeal for pre-schoolers, and provided the basis for a series of episodes in which the modern world was explored and explained. What happens when you post a letter? Midge found out. What happens when you go into hospital? Mary and Midge found out. What should you do if you get lost? Mungo found out. How are greetings cards printed? Midge found out.

A wooden Mungo - he lives on our bookcase.

Mungo was the wise, sometimes grumpy and slightly pompous, grandfatherly figure of the group. Midge was the impetuous, endlessly curious child. Mary, although a pre-schooler, was a sort of mother figure, sorting out disputes between 'the boys' and being a bit of a bossy boots on occasion.

Mungo and Midge had their own special way of using the lift at the block of flats - with Midge standing on Mungo's nose to press the buttons.

John Ryan, the man behind the show, was a creative genius. He'd already brought us Captain Pugwash, and his visualisation of the world of Mary, Mungo and Midge was beautiful - rich with detail. His daughter Isabel provided the lovely voice of Mary, with Richard Baker being the narrator and providing the characters of Mungo and Midge. Newsreaders were rather like royalty to some of us working class viewers in those days, we deemed them terribly wise and posh, and I would love to see footage of Mr Baker 'doing' Midge's voice on camera. This gentleman had great talent outside of the newsroom.

'A town is full of buildings...' The town in which Mary and her pets lived was very realistic - quite ground-breaking in tots' telly.

Mary, Mungo and Midge is a time capsule from 1969, complete with 'old' money! It was repeated for years afterwards and has, deservedly, gained something of a legendary status, but its adventures in 1969 are incredibly 1969. After all, we were being encouraged to believe that living in high rise blocks was good back in the 1960s!

Mary, Mungo and Midge certainly had a very jolly time, and there was no distressing graffiti in the lobby or on the stairways.

Midge was a highly talented mouse - he could play the flute. But his repeated renditions of 'Three Blind Mice' were not usually appreciated by his friends.

My little life was turning upside down in 1969, I won't go into details, but it was not good and the state of affairs only got worse as the 1970s moved in and progressed. But, although I was suddenly not a happy pre-schooler, sitting in front of Watch With Mother, I was aware of the characters and found them a comfort.

It's a delight to watch, and I heartily recommend it.