5 min cartoon fillers

scorpionatthepcscorpionatthepc Posts: 5,371
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Remember when these used to be on the BBC mainly on a Sunday? You would have Looney tunes,tom and jerry and others just to kill 5 or 10 mins before the news was on. When did this stop and why does it not happen anymore?

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  • 2shy20072shy2007 Posts: 52,577
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    They were on weekdays in the 70s before the news and after the kids programmes on bbc1, rhubarb and custard, Noah and Nelly, Crystal tips and Alistar,magic roundabout.

    Usually about 5.40pm, highlight of my day,lol
  • Zeppelyn56Zeppelyn56 Posts: 455
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    2shy2007 wrote: »
    They were on weekdays in the 70s before the news and after the kids programmes on bbc1, rhubarb and custard, Noah and Nelly, Crystal tips and Alistar,magic roundabout.

    Usually about 5.40pm, highlight of my day,lol

    Not forgetting TinTin of course.
  • swillsswills Posts: 4,004
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    I suppose it's a lot cheaper just to show 4 or 5 mins of 'forthcoming programmes' and
    trails for various radio shows
  • BluejuBlueju Posts: 773
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    I know Granada used to fill in sometimes with Popeye shorts in the 60s. The likes of Tin Tin was a scheduled pre newsprogramme and on the BBC I think. Granada also had Time For A Laugh A 10/15 min cartoon show introduced by Wally Whyton on the guitar.
  • coldcomfortcoldcomfort Posts: 778
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    Oh, I used to love those cartoons but I guess that's all folks.
    Sorry.
  • Prince MonaluluPrince Monalulu Posts: 35,900
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    swills wrote: »
    I suppose it's a lot cheaper just to show 4 or 5 mins of 'forthcoming programmes' and
    trails for various radio shows

    We've had this question before.
    Those who own the library MGM, etc now own channels.
    MGM pre 86 is Time Warner (now Sony??) IIRC, Disney's got a channel, I don't know who owns Hanna Barbara's library.

    It probably is cheaper to trail their own product rather than pay for someone else's, it's probably not a cheap as it was 20+ years ago either.
    That said the old BBC stuff might suffer a re-airing on BBC1, Rhubarb and Custard, Perishers, Wilo the wisp, Ivor the Engine, Magic Roundabout, etc, the old fogeys would like it.
    The kids probably wouldn't think much of it and hearing all the 'kids today...' stuff when they refused to watch it.
    Could you imagine the kids today with Bod and Heads n Tails?

    Did ITV produce any 5 minute cartoons 'back in the day'?
  • eye3eye3 Posts: 2,551
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    My first memories of TV were Twizzle and Torchy (I never realised they were produced by Gerry Anderson until recently)
    My favourite cartoons were Huckleberry Hound, Yogi, Popeye and Looney Tunes (but hated Woody Woodpepper)
    Loved Tom & Jerry as beautifully drawn and scripted (the Fred Quimby ones)
  • finluxfinlux Posts: 3,240
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    I don't know who owns Hanna Barbara's library.

    Warner now owns Hanna Barbera.
  • snafu65snafu65 Posts: 18,187
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    I used to love the Looney Toons cartoons back in the day, Tex Avery's output especially were genius. They've gone forever on terrestrial TV though it seems. :(
  • victor melvictor mel Posts: 4,963
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    It was great when the announcer said we have a technical vault so in the meantime here is Tom & Jerry. It felt that watching TV back in the 70's was more live and spontaneous. Yes things went wrong occasionally with the mechanics but that was exciting anticipating what would happen.
  • JEFF62JEFF62 Posts: 5,093
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    2shy2007 wrote: »
    They were on weekdays in the 70s before the news and after the kids programmes on bbc1, rhubarb and custard, Noah and Nelly, Crystal tips and Alistar,magic roundabout.

    Usually about 5.40pm, highlight of my day,lol

    Not forgetting Hectors House of course!
  • kitchenpersonkitchenperson Posts: 478
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    Remember when these used to be on the BBC mainly on a Sunday? You would have Looney tunes,tom and jerry and others just to kill 5 or 10 mins before the news was on. When did this stop and why does it not happen anymore?
    A search on the Radio Times genome suggests that "Tom & Jerry" was last shown on BBC1 on 14 August 1999, after dwindling appearances. It looks like 1996/97 was when it was last on on a more regular basis.

    In reply to another post, as well as showing "Popeye" to fill a hole in the schedule, ITV used to show "Woody Woodpecker" as well. Great days!
  • Andy23Andy23 Posts: 15,921
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    When there were only a few channels, it didn't matter if there were all these fillers as the viewers weren't going away and millions were watching.

    These days the schedules need to be tight and every minute counts or else the viewers will channel surf somewhere else.

    ITV used to run random fillers as well, often when regions were going back to the network schedule, Gardening fillers, star interviews etc.
  • omnidirectionalomnidirectional Posts: 18,795
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    ITV still had short 5-10minute cartoons in 2002, usually on Saturday afternoons. They seemed to stop from 2003 onwards.
  • davelovesleedsdavelovesleeds Posts: 22,354
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    I still remember the joy of an unexpected Tom and Jerry or Merry Melodies being shown. Even better if it was a double bill.
    Serendipity.
  • bluesdiamondbluesdiamond Posts: 11,360
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    I wonder in 20 years time will children know a Foghorn Leghorn, Pepe le Pew, Droopy, Hucklebury Hound?
  • davelovesleedsdavelovesleeds Posts: 22,354
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    I wonder in 20 years time will children know a Foghorn Leghorn, Pepe le Pew, Droopy, Hucklebury Hound?

    Touché Turtle and Dum Dum, Wally Gator, , Captain Caveman, The Hair Bear Bunch(although that wasn't a five minute one) Yogi Bear.
  • ftvftv Posts: 31,668
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    BBC Look North Leeds used to have several Tom and Jerry shorts on VT in case of a breakdown; they also had a few performances by the Black Dyke Mills Band.
  • draig gochdraig goch Posts: 1,195
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    HTV used to show this regularly as filler in the mid 70s.
    I hadn't seen it in over 30 years until I came across it on YouTube.

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sn1UqbbbqQ
  • finluxfinlux Posts: 3,240
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    draig goch wrote: »
    HTV used to show this regularly as filler in the mid 70s.
    I hadn't seen it in over 30 years until I came across it on YouTube.

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sn1UqbbbqQ

    Wow!

    That's a blast from the past!! - I feel old now!
  • ATNottsATNotts Posts: 1,238
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    The animated fillers seem to have been superseded by excerpts from "Coast".

    Whilst I appreciate that the US shorts (Tom & Jerry et al) may be unavailable to the BBC for rights reasons, surely they could still rustle up some Magic Roundabout, Hectors House, or the Adventures of Parsley.

    All three were packed with dry humour, which today's generation seldom sees, and from my experience fails to understand / appreciate - preferring the "in your face" American humour genre.

    They could even therefore be considered educational!!!
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