Pob's Programme

Pob's Programme was a children's television, which aired in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 between 1985 and 1988. The show was presented by a puppet, named Pob, who spoke a primitive version of English. The opening titles of the show would consist of the character breathing on the camera lens, and tracing his name in the condensation. Each week on the show, a celebrity guest visits Pob's garden, and entertains him - though Pob and the guest never appeared on screen together.

Pob's Programme was created by Anne Wood of Ragdoll Productions, which went on to create Rosie and Jim and the Teletubbies.

In a typical episode, the celebrity visitor to the show finds a label attached to a piece of string on the gates of Pob's garden;

If in my programme you would be,

Wind the wool and follow me.

The celebrity guest then follows the woollen string, winding it as they go, and encountering a second label;

Wind it slowly, wind it fast,

A secret you will find at last.

Ultimately the wool is found to be Pob's unravelled jumper, and is awoken to trace his name on the screen. Over the course of the show, the celebrity guest reads a story, and solves a word puzzle with Pob.

Before the end of the show, the celebrity guest gives Pob a gift, usually related to their story, which they attach to the woollen thread of Pob's jumper. Pob retrieves the gift, and plays with it, stopping periodically to wipe the show's end credits from the camera lens. The episode always ended with Pob blowing out a candle held by a ragdoll. The next celebrity visitor is seen arriving at Pob's garden, realises they are a week too early, and leaves.

Celebrity guests on the show included; Madhur Jaffrey, Brian Blessed, Hannah Gordon, Kathy Staff and Spike Milligan.

Pob was often accompanied by a small teddy bear called Teddy, who was silent and inanimate.

In 2005, Pob's Programme was number 60 on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Kids' TV Shows.