Play School (Australia)
| Play School | |
|---|---|
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Play School logo (since 2011)
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| Genre | Children's television |
| Written by | Henrietta Clark |
| Presented by | see Presenters |
| Theme music composer | Richard Connolly (lyrics by Rosemary Milne) |
| Opening theme | "There's a Bear in There" |
| Ending theme | "There's a Bear in There" (instrumental) |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 49 |
| No. of episodes | 2,250 (approx.) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Claire Henderson Henrietta Clark John Fox Virginia Lumsden Jan Stradling |
| Producer(s) | Allan Kendall Henrietta Clark Ros Lawson John Fox Tracey Ellison Wendy Gray Sophie Emtage |
| Location(s) | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1966–present) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
ABC (Mornings: 18 July 1966 – 2 May 2011) (Afternoons: 18 July 1966 – 31 January 2014) ABC2 (Mornings: 2005–2011) (Afternoons: 2005–2011) ABC Kids (Early Mornings: 5 May 2014–present) (Mornings: 2 May 2011–present) (Afternoons: 2 May 2011–present) |
| Picture format |
4:3 (1966–2003) 16:9 (2003–present) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 18 July 1966 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
| Production website | |
Play School is an Australian educational television show for children produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It is the longest-running children's show in Australia, and the second-longest-running children's show worldwide, after Blue Peter.
An estimated 80% of pre-school children under six watch the programme at least once a week. It is screened four times each weekday on ABC Kids, at 6.00 am, 9.30 am, 12.30 pm and 3.30 pm (from 7 July 2014) and twice daily each weekend at 9.30 am and 3.30 pm.
In 2006, Play School was admitted to the Logies' Hall of Fame. The program celebrated 50 years of broadcasting in 2016. Many of the presenters remained with the series for lengthy periods, including Don Spencer (31 years), Benita Collings (30 years), John Hamblin (29 years), Alister Smart, (27 years), Noni Hazlehurst (23 years), John Waters (19 years) and Jan Kingsbury (15 years). While the show is written by preschool education experts, the presenters are all trained actors or musicians who can connect well with the target audience.
Play School began production on 18 July 1966 (three years before Sesame Street), and was based on a British programme of the same name. The first episode began transmitting that day, as the programme went out live. It has been produced continuously from this time. It has also launched the careers of several Australian actors and television presenters. Diane Dorgan and Don Spencer are the only regular presenters to appear on both the British and Australian versions, although Lorraine Bayly appeared in September 1972 as a guest storyteller on BBC's Play School. It was admitted to the Logies' Hall of Fame on its 40th anniversary in 2006, in recognition of the strong influence the show has had on at least three generations of Australian children. Play School was the third show to enter the Hall of Fame in its own right, after Four Corners (1992) and Neighbours (2005). It was also the first children's show inducted into the Hall of Fame.
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