Top 20 Childrens Shows That Caused Major Backlash

#20: Tweenies

Here’s why you should never air a rerun without checking if it still holds up to modern standards. Incredibly, Cbeebies didn’t think to do this when they ran an episode that was originally made in 2001. Said episode included a parody of Jimmy Saville. As we all know, after Saville’s death investigations were made that led to the public learning of the depraved acts he would get up to behind the scenes. To many, he’s considered British television’s most disgusting mistake - so, unsurprisingly, some 216 complaints were made to OFCOM for CBeebies profoundly stupid decision to rerun this episode.

#19: Horrid Henry

More of a tame one, but Horrid Henry, a beloved classic tv and books series, has surprisingly earned the ire of parents over the years. Apparently, Henry’s crude behaviour caused panic amongst some, with them fearing that their children might replicate his naughtiness.

Many parents have outright banned their children from watching it, most notably television presenter and actor, Adam Thomas, who aired his distaste for the show on Twitter.

#18: Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown

This show, also known as Ministry of Mayhem, was where Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern got their starts. Though it was pretty popular during its run, it also managed to raise some concerns from the parents of the children who were watching. Notably, people spoke out about how sexual it seemed to be. Holly Willoughby was often wearing revealing outfits and there were a few moments that certainly raised eyebrows. Some stories even indicate that Holly was told not to wear a bra when appearing on the show and also that the presenters would turn up to the set plastered.

#17: ChuckleVision

Ahh, Chucklevision, an undeniable classic. Even looking back on the clips today, you’ll find something that’ll give you a… well chuckle. That’s because they actually slipped in the occasional adult joke. Take for example, when the duo take in an astronomer to their b&b, who is hilariously looking for the seventh planet in the Solar System. Or the one where Barry can see a leprechaun that Paul can’t, and the latter attempts to scratch him on the chin.

However, some parents weren’t too happy with these cheeky innuendos believing them to be inappropriate for children.

#16: Crush

Talk about inappropriate…

In this game show, children would reveal to their class their crush and then compete in challenges to attain their dream date with said crush. Very creepy stuff, right? Well the viewing public thought so too.

Hindsight is 20:20, and so the BBC, fearing more backlash, made the right decision and scrubbed this show’s existence from the internet.

#15: Boohbah

While this show was eventually embraced by the viewing public, its initial release was faced with nothing but negativity. For starters, there were those claiming it was a massive ripoff of Teletubbies because of its bright colorful, alien-looking characters and unintelligible manner of speaking. But most of the pushback from audiences came from the fact that it was just plain disturbing. To the uninitiated, their creepy designs and the show’s almost hypnotic atmosphere, came across more as some sort of piece of surrealist cinema and less like an innocent children’s show. We can kind of see where they were coming from.

#14: The Sooty Show

Here’s a bizarre one. This time, we’re looking at a show that caused backlash not from the viewing public… but actually from the company behind it.

Creator Harry Corbett was pushing for the idea of introducing a new character; Sooty’s girlfriend, Soo. This caused an absolute meltdown behind the scenes, with the BBC higher ups panicking that it would ‘sex up the show’. Remember everyone, these are cute, little puppets we’re talking about here. Eventually, they conceded, but there had to be some boundaries set in place. They even went as far as to implement a new “no touch” rule to the show’s creators

#13: The Slammer

The Slammer was a rather bizarre show with a premise that didn’t exactly make sense. Basically, contestants were brought in under the pretense that they had been ‘arrested for showbiz crimes’ and would have to perform their skills to an audience who would then decide whether or not they walked free. Yeah… Anyway, one act got them in trouble with ofcom. A contestant, dressed as a mime, performed a stunt in which they would place a plastic glove over their head and inflate it. Viewers were outraged, believing that children at home might attempt it and suffocate in the process.

#12: Postman Pat

Other than being sacked by the Royal Mail - yes, that’s true you can look it up - Postman Pat has been relatively smooth sailing in terms of public outcry. That is until the release of the film ‘Postman Pat: The Movie’ in 2014.

What was the big issue surrounding it you ask? It was rubbish.

The film garnered mostly negative reviews from both the general public and critics alike.

C’mon, Pat.

#11: Thomas The Tank Engine

If there’s one episode that still haunts viewers to this day, it’s The Sad Story of Henry.

In this story, a green engine refuses to come out of a tunnel due to the rain. After many attempts to pull or persuade Henry to desert the tunnel, the conductor and crew decide to just leave him there. Not only that, but they take away his rails and construct a brick wall to seal him in!

Viewers found this episode so disturbing that there was an outcry.

So much so that in the U.S. series, they even went as far as to change the narration so that the fat controller came across as less sadistic.

#10: Noddy's Toyland Adventures

Yes, even the little man in the red and yellow car has faced backlash - but not for the reasons you’d expect. As you may know, Noddy's Toyland Adventures, the stop-motion series, did not follow the source material 1-to-1. So, years later, many adults had their childhood ruined when discussions about the original stories by Enid Blyton flooded the internet. People realized the depictions of the “Goliwog” characters, who in one story stripped Noddy and stole his car, were quite undeniably racist.

In reprinted versions of the books, these characters would be replaced with teddy bears instead.

#9: Discover and Do and The Bedtime Hour

Sometimes viewer complaints really make you lose faith in humanity. Cerrie Burnell was a Cbeebies presenter who would appear on these two in-between segments on the channel around 2009. She was born with only one full length arm which, for some reason, led to many parents calling in to complain about her appearing on the show - saying that she was scaring the children watching at home. This is obviously a ludicrous claim and, if anything, it was a great way to teach children about conditions people might have - ultimately making them more accepting of those with visible disabilities.

#8: Peppa Pig

This show has become massively popular - and not just in the UK. Alas, with that fame also came some controversies such as the show’s decision to include a same sex couple, the two mothers of Penny the polar bear. Thankfully, this only faced backlash from a vocal minority and most viewers celebrated this inclusivity.

Hilariously though, probably the biggest controversy peppa pig generated is with American viewers. Apparently, their children had begun using British phrases and started to develop British accents - leading some to panic and even stop their children from watching.

#7: Horrible Histories

This show was hugely popular and critically acclaimed, providing historical education for thousands of children. It’s known for its dark humor and focus on the unpleasant aspects of history, like diseases, executions, and torture. Children loved this style, but some adults surprisingly believed it was too graphic or inappropriate. One of their biggest controversies was using spray tan to play Egyptians, which is some said was close to blackface. Another scandal was their song “British Things”, which highlights the negative aspects of colonialism, which some believed to be “anti-British”. Others praised it for the honest approach.

#6: Hedz

Political satire is a popular TV genre in the UK, so much so that CBBC tried to get children into it. The result was “Hedz”, a surreal comedy show parodying celebrities of the era. The thing is, most children don’t have any idea who a lot of them are. Not only this, but some parodies, like the one of Jackie Chan, are straight-up offensive. There are also many inappropriate jokes about Beyoncé’s bottom. Needless to say, a lot of parents weren’t having it.

#5: Dick & Dom in da Bungalow

This show was wildly popular among the youth, for its unconventional, chaotic, and gross sense of humor. Its most famous segment was the “Bogies” game, where presenters would go into public places, like a library, and then take turns screaming “Bogies” louder and louder. Kids loved this game, but adults hated it, for obvious reasons. There was also backlash from a sketch where presenter Dick McCourt pretended to give birth, while buckets of “creamy muck muck” were hurled at him. “Make Dick Sick” was another contentious segment, where viewers had to ring up and tell a gross story. If sufficiently gross, Dick would vomit, and they’d win the challenge. It was also filled with sexual innuendo, causing it to be canceled.

#4: Blue Peter

Who knew a cat could cause so much bother? In 2007, “Blue Peter” viewers were asked by the presenters to vote in an online poll for the name of the next “Blue Peter” cat. The top two options were Socks and Cookie; Socks was the frontrunner until there was a last-minute surge in votes for Cookie. Bosses suspected somebody may have rigged the poll, and went with Socks. However, this caused a massive scandal, with “Blue Peter” accused of violating the trust of its young viewers, not helped by another voting and competition scandal earlier that same year. Someone got sacked, presenters publicly apologised, and a new kitten was brought on and given the correct name.

#3: Bob The Builder

Ol Bobby has caused a stir multiple times over the years. While his building antics have been beloved across the nation for many years, the clean, family fun structure he’d put together nearly fell apart back in 2001 with this little segment. Here, Bob struggles to put up some wallpaper and can supposedly be heard swearing.

Bob also saw more controversy in 2014 with the show’s revival. Not for anything that was said, but rather because viewers absolutely HATED the new cgi designs they went with. Clearly, people much preferred the classic stop-motion style that made the show famous.

#2: Fireman Sam

Fireman Sam has been considered a British Children’s TV staple for decades, but it wasn’t until 2014 that the show found itself in hot water. This particular scene saw one of the crew tripping over a stack of papers. One of those papers happened to be a page from the Quran. This sparked outrage from members of the British Muslim community and Mattel was forced to apologize for their mistake. The page was supposed to have unreadable text, but this was apparently chosen instead. Mattel stated they didn’t think the decision was made for nefarious reasons, but they concluded that they would quote "no longer be working with the animation studio responsible".

#1: Teletubbies

Yes, despite being one of the most wholesome shows that the country has produced, there have been some spots of bother that caused headaches for the showrunners at Ragdoll Productions. That’s all par for the course when your show gets so big - people just find bizarre things to get caught up on. Take for example, the gay panic surrounding Tinky-winky. Apparently, some of the more bigoted parent viewers in America were aghast at the purple teletubbies supposedly less heterosexual traits, such as carrying a handbag. Ridiculous, we know. But it was enough to convince some that he was going to brainwash their children into being gay. Then of course there’s the infamous “Again, again” catchphrase scandal, where some of the plush toys soundboxes were so muffled, that when pressed the phrase would sound like “I’ve got a gun”.

Which Children’s show do you think is the best ever? Let us know in the comments below.