"Do you think you could do this? – I am sure you could if you tried" ……. Patricia Driscoll and Picture Book

 You will have to be of a certain age to remember Picture Book.

Shapes, Manchester Arndale, 2003

It was one of five children’s programs which collectively were known as Watch With Mother and ran from 1952 through to 1975.

Even now many will have their favourite, and will need little prompting to come out with a snatch of the most popular catchphrase.

Shadows, Menai, 2021

The cycle began with Picture Book on Monday, followed the rest of the week by Andy Pandy, The Flower Plot Men, Rag, Tag and Bobtail and finally The Woodentops.

Strictly speaking their start dates were different.

So, while Andy Pandy dated from 1950, The Flower Pot Men, was first broadcast two years later and Rag, Tag and Bobtail, from the following year, while Picture Book and The Woodentops , arriving on the screen in 1953.

Habitat Man, 2002

I never took to Andy Pandy, mainly I suspect because of its connection to my name, while Rag, Tag and Bobtail and The Woodentops were just plain wet, as well as irritating. 

By comparison the Flower Pot Men had it all, with that element of mischievousness, always cut short by the appearance of the Gardener.

All of which just leaves Picture Book, with that invitation to “make something”, which was always  preceded by the opening of the book.

It closed its final page in 1965,and while it ran for a decade, there were ever only 50, 15 minutes episodes made.

And for many of us will be remembered for its first presenter who was Patricia Driscoll who left in 1957 to play the part of Maid Marian in the ITV series The Adventures of Robin Hood. Patricia Driscoll's episodes were repeated until 1963 and was replaced by a new series of episodes with Vera McKechnie

The five complimented Listen With Mother, which first went out on the  Light Programme, lasted till 1982, before Woman's Hour.

Location; Watch With Mother

Pictures; Shapes, Manchester Arndale, 2003, Shadows, Menai, 2021, and Habitat Man, 2002, from the collection of Andrew Simpson