The Bigger Picture: Preschool Television in its Critical and Aesthetic contexts

Abstract

So far this book has concentrated on the production circumstances behind preschool television and the assumptions that those who produce, broadcast and market preschool content make about young audiences and the broader marketplace. However, beyond the focus on production practices and changes in institutional and economic circumstances, there are particular qualities and motivations underpinning preschool production, which allow an appreciation of the aesthetic achievements of those who inhabit the preschool production community. This aspect was highlighted at a symposium attended by members of the academic, regulatory and television production communities in January 2007,¹ when speaker Nick Wilson (Director of Children’s Programming, Five) voiced surprise and concern that, at an event focussing on children’s television, there had not been a single example of content shown or discussed. In an effort to correct this perceived omission, Wilson proceeded to screen an assortment of preschool programming from the past 30 years, prompting favourable nods and sighs of recogni-tion. This would turn out to be the only showing of television content that day. It may well be the case that Wilson improvised his words to fit with the already-prepared footage, but had he anticipated in advance that no other speaker would deem it necessary to talk about the programmes, his suspicions would perhaps represent a shrewd appreciation of a general attitude towards preschool television.