Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings

Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings
GenreChildren's television series
Created byEdward McLachlan
Written byGlyn Frewler
Directed byIvor Wood
Narrated byBernard Cribbins
Theme music composerMike Batt
ComposerMike Batt
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes24
Production
EditorHelen Kelsey
Running time5 minutes
Production companyFilmFair
Original release
NetworkITV
Release5 October 1974 (1974-10-05) –
1976 (1976)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings is a British-Canadian children's animated series about the adventures of a young boy named Simon, who has a magic blackboard.[1] Things that Simon draws on the chalkboard become real in the Land of Chalk Drawings, a parallel world which Simon can enter by climbing over a fence near his home with a ladder. The stories often revolve around the unintended effects that Simon's drawings have on the Land of Chalk Drawings, such as when an upset Simon draws a picture of his angry self, which goes on a rampage.

The programme is based upon a series of four children's books by Edward McLachlan. It was produced in the mid-1970s by FilmFair Productions in London for ITV and was originally a five-minute programme, broadcast around tea time in Britain. Despite that, it was first screened in Canada during CBC's Children's Cinema program on 5 October 1974 while selected ITV regions didn't start showing the program until 27 March 1976.[2][3] It also became familiar to North American audiences in the mid-1970s when it was featured on Captain Kangaroo (where it was narrated by Bob Keeshan instead of Bernard Cribbins), later on Pinwheel, and after that, on Romper Room. In Canada, it aired on TVOntario. The writer and performer of the theme song is Mike Batt, with his first wife Wendy on vocals. Mike Batt also wrote the theme for The Wombles, also produced by FilmFair and narrated by Bernard Cribbins.

In 2002 the series was remade in Canada, with Ernie Coombs as the narrator.

  1. ^ Sheridan, Simon (2004). The A-Z of Classic Children's Television: From Alberto Frog to Zebedee. Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. pp. 230–232. ISBN 1903111277.
  2. ^ "Children's Program: 5th October 1974".
  3. ^ "Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings: New series (27th March 1976)".