Austin Macauley

Does children’s television have a future in the UK? It’s probably not the most pressing of social issues, but one the Social Market Foundation deems important enough to stage a debate on later this month.

Apparently, tighter restrictions on advertising to children are expected to put an end to programming for kids on ITV and lead to cutbacks on satellite channels – all on top of an already reduced output.

The real reason for the event seems to be to look at the cultural implications of less home grown kids’ telly and more programmes from overseas.

While the latter ‘might lead to a diversity and appreciation of different cultures, it also arguably results in a diminution of the cultural experience and development of a sense of identity that might ensue from consumption of UK produced programming’, says one think tank. It sounds like something that feeds into the Britishness debate.

But the announcement got me thinking about how television shaped my own development as a child – and how attitudes to TV have changed. After all, wasn’t the debate back then about kids watching too much telly?

Badly dubbed versions of The Flashing Blade and Heidi aside, there was precious little in the way of international cultural nourishment on the box. Except if you count Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds. And The Waltons.

What did I gain from growing up on a diet of Blue Peter, Grange Hill and Why Don’t You? How did it shape my sense of identity? The former and latter ought to have taught me Britain is a country where we make the most of what’s around us and that we’re a nation of fundraisers.

Other than reminding me how dull my own school was, Grange Hill did a half decent job at showing how young people could get involved in campaigning against injustice.

Of course, all of these programmes were on BBC – an institution still immune to the uncertainties of living off advertising revenue.

Perhaps it’s not just a question of budgetary pressures but also about getting programmers to realise the role television can play in children’s development.

The Social Market Foundation is staging the debate in association with Pact in London on 25 July, contact Myrian Ben Ammar on 020 7227 4412 or mbenammer@smf.co.uk for details.