What good kids' shows are on at the moment?

[scratchmonkey]

Sarah and Duck and Peg Plus Cat have very similar names and are quite good. I liked Octonauts a lot mainly because I could try and guess what regional accent they would foist onto a sea creature that episode.

[My Name Is Ian]

Yet another shout for Bluey, which has such a huge heart and is so beautifully written and paced. Every parent I know with kids the same age as mine (4 & 6) is obsessed with it.

If you're inclined towards lachrymosity, take a handkerchief. Bob Bilby and Camping are the episodes that get me, and my younger boy's favourite episode is Baby Race, 'because it makes mummy cry'.

And it's funny, too. The episode Teasing is the one that gets me the most, and I've started occasionally calling my kids Sharralanda and Dennis as a result. I particularly like the way that they blend the possibility that the games the kids play in it are all real rather than 'just' games, because that's how kids perceive it. It's extremely cleverly written.

I'm sure we've done Hey Duggee on here before. It was always going to take something special to dislodge that from the number one spot in my affections, but somehow or other they've done it.

Seriously, though, I recommend that even people without kids check out what's going on in kids TV every now and again. A lot of the very best, most original and thoughtful TV being produced anywhere in the world is right there.

[Kevin S]

Sarah and Duck and Peg Plus Cat have very similar names and are quite good. I liked Octonauts a lot mainly because I could try and guess what regional accent they would foist onto a sea creature that episode.

The angry French crabs being a real highlight for me there.

[pebblethefish]

It's long been one of my regrets that I never get to see children's TV any more. Now it's on specialist channels you don't just bump it to it like you used to back when there were only four channels, and on your days off you'd randomly watch Animaniacs, or headbanging to the theme tune to the Riddlers. I also got asked to leave a pub once for the volume of an argument about the lyrics to the Rosie and Jim theme.

[Femme Folle]

I enjoy Shark Dog on Netflix. I think young child me would have liked it too.

[Sporting]

It's long been one of my regrets that I never get to see children's TV any more. Now it's on specialist channels you don't just bump it to it like you used to back when there were only four channels, and on your days off you'd randomly watch Animaniacs, or headbanging to the theme tune to the Riddlers. I also got asked to leave a pub once for the volume of an argument about the lyrics to the Rosie and Jim theme.

I remember the days of only two channels...

[steveeeeeeeee]

We watched an episode of Bluey today that turned both my wife and I into crying emotional wrecks by the end of it. It was called "camping" and Bluey meets a new French friend. I won't give the end away, but I just didn't see it coming and even thinking about it now makes me emotional.

[steveeeeeeeee]

Oh, I've just noticed there's a page 2 to the thread and Ian has already noted how emotional "Camping" is.

[3 Colours Red]

Not that I've needed much of an excuse to watch any of these but I've been babysitting my nephew quite a lot recently and have to say that the takeaway episode of Bluey really was as brilliant as E10 Rifle says. Now I just want to take a shower under a tap. I really enjoyed the shadowlands one too.

And yes, another +1 for Hey Duggee. Utterly beguiling. Does anybody else have a favourite Squirrel? Mine's Tag.

[Posty Webber]

Tier 1:
Gravity Falls
The Marvellous Misadventures of Flapjack
Over the Garden Wall
Teen Titans Go!
Avatar: The Last Airbender

Tier 2:
Gumball
Regular Show
Uncle Grandpa
Star v The Forces of Evil
The Legend of Korra

Tier 3:
Steven Universe
Craig of the Creek
Apple and Onion
Samurai Jack
Drxter’s Laboratory

[Simon G]

Officially on the Bluey bandwagon now. The twins accidentally put an episode of it on yesterday and sat and watched it (which is rarer than rocking horse shit), and am now watching the Christmas one. It's fantastic.

[Patrick Thistle]

We've started watching Bluey on Disney Plus and it's quite possibly one of my favourite shows ever.

[My Name Is Ian]

I'm pleased to be able to confirm that, having seen the first few episodes of the third series of Bluey (which should be out this year on Cbeebies and Iplayer), that it's just as good as the first two. My ex-wife has already cried at three of the six we've seen, which has delighted my four year old no end, the weird little psycho.

[diggedy derek]

This is quite a nice list, celebrating 20 years of cBeebies. The greatest TV channel ever? It's in with a shout.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-r...eauty-of-bluey

[Simon G]

Just reading through that and I can't argue with it.

The point about Numberblocks is bang on as well. My one 4 year old got so hooked on it and his maths in school has been truly breathtaking at times and I lay it squarely at Numberblocks.

[matt j]

My daughter has probably watched every Gumball episode 20 times. Every episode I've watched with her is hilarious. "The Candidate" has some of the best lines of any show ever.

[steveeeeeeeee]

Given the amount of hate it received here and in that Guardian article, I feel somewhat ashamed that my daughter and I are both big fans of Bing. Life is about let downs, Bing has them so you don't have to. Hoppity Boosh to all the haters.

[Simon G]

I'm not one for violence against cartoon pre-school animals, but I'd willingly kick Bing in the nuts.

[Etienne]

I think Maddie Moate has no place on that list. I'd also question Hey Duggee at No.1. Don't get me wrong, I think it is great, but neither of my kids have been particularly gripped by it, which is surely more important than whether adults like it. I also think that Justin's House (which has moments of genuine inspiration) is far better than Gigglebiz.

[Simon G]

Gigglebiz lost it's lustre to me when they dropped Farmer Dung, who was by far the best character Justin has ever played.

[Etienne]

The child in the audience reaction at just after 20 minutes into this episode as Justin tries to carry the cake over is one of the funniest things I have ever seen on TV

. Obviously watched without context you probably won't appreciate it.

I have never managed to sit through an episode of Gigglebiz, though our 6 year old really likes it.

[E10 Rifle]

I feel somewhat ashamed that my daughter and I are both big fans of Bing

Me too. Ours have outgrown it now but it served great purpose. Also, in my more exasperated moments of parental short-temperedness I found Flop's unflappable-carer temperament a good standard to aim at. Mark Rylance plays a blinder there.

But Bluey should be No 1, obvs.

[diggedy derek]

I have a similar situation with Etienne in that I find I was sometimes more interested in Hey Duggee than my kid was. I think it's a super cool programme, but it never tugged at the heart strings like some shows do.

[steveeeeeeeee]

+1 on Hey Duggee appealing more to adults than kids. My daughter loves the characters, especially Happy, but most of the content goes over her head.

Does anybody watch Scratch Garden on YouTube. Now that strikes the balance between adult and child appeal perfectly. Some of the songs are amazing, such as this one about colours:

And sometimes it's just totally surreal, like this one about spelling numbers:

Loads of running jokes, such as salamander, keytars, puffin... man.

[steveeeeeeeee]

Finally, my daughter might have found a CBeebies niche, but she is obsessed with watching old episodes of Numberjacks, the production of which seems really old when she watches it on YouTube. The Puzzler is a great character.