From Tracy Island to Wonky Donkey: remembering '90s children's TV

What can Tracy Island, Wonky Donkey and a TARDIS tell us about growing up with television in the 1990s? Well, Christian Cawley is about to find out. He chats with author Thom Gray about 100 Objects of '90s Children's TV, his celebration of a decade of CBBC, CITV, Saturday morning shows and programmes that have since slipped from memory, which is out now from Candy Bar Books.Thom explains how the book came together, the challenges of researching children's television from the period, and his conversations with around 35 people who helped make it, including Pat Sharp, Anne Wood and Tony Robinson. We also delve into some of the 100 objects themselves, including Anthea Turner's famous Blue Peter Tracy Island, Wonky Donkey from SM:TV Live, the MicroSoap Rubik's Cube, and the TARDIS. Doctor Who might have been absent from television for most of the 1990s, but it wasn't entirely absent from children's TV. Thom explains how the TARDIS continued appearing elsewhere during the Wilderness Years, prompting a wider discussion about Doctor Who's curious place in the decade. Plus: forgotten programmes, VHS tapes, YouTube archaeology, and why '90s children's television is ripe for rediscovery. Links 100 Objects of '90s Children's TV on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4fMhmwi