Play School

Play School was an educational programme for preschoolers that screened for over 15 years from 1975. Based on a BBC format that is still produced in many countries around the world, Play School had a distinctive title sequence, "Here's a house. Here's a door.  Windows 1 - 2 - 3 - 4..." Many years later this opening sequence is still recognised by several generations of New Zealanders.

The Play School format included songs, a story, craft, a calendar, a clock and a look outside Play School via the shaped windows. But the toys Big Ted, Little Ted, Jemima, Humpty and Manu were the real stars of the show. The actual toys used in filming have been given to Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand) for safe-keeping. That is except for Jemima, who could not be found at the time. Little Ted is a little the worse for wear after his head was blown off in an explosion on the last day of filming.

The series was produced in Christchurch and later moved to Dunedin, which was a centre for children's programme-making in the 1970s. Spot On, X Marks the Spot and Wild Track were also made in Dunedin around this time. Play School was recorded in the Garrison Hall on Dowling Street, which was to become the home of The Go Show many years later.

Play School launched the performance careers of some well known New Zealand actors including Rawiri Paratene and Russell Smith. Other presenters such as Kristen Gillespie and Jayashree Panjabi went on to careers in television production. And one former presenter, Jacqui Dean (nee Hay) went on to become a Member of Parliament for the National Party.

The presenters were almost all professional actors as they were required to memorise and perform 2.5 hours of script per week (these were the days before auto-cues were employed).

Presenters were put in male-female pairs as the producers thought it was important for children to see adults working together as a team. Presenters were cast, according to former Producer Lorraine Isaacs, with the view that "they could be everybody's Mum and everybody's Dad". One of the key skills presenters were required to learn was not to condescend to the camera.

Play School screened twice each weekday (in the morning and again in the early afternoon) at first on the NZBC. Then when South Pacific Television (later renamed TV2) launched in 1977, Play School migrated across to the new channel.

The Play School format is still produced in Australia, with New Zealand actor Jay Laga'aia as one of its presenters. Māori Television also commissioned a Māori language version of Play School in the early 2000s.