New Book: 172 Forgotten British Children's TV Shows From The 1980s

After a few weeks of fiddling with margins and tabs in Word documents, wrestling with anxiety over font sizes and being driven up the wall by Amazon, the paperback version of 172 Forgotten British Children's TV Shows From The 1980s is now available at Amazon.

As you can probably guess from the title, it's an almost-encyclopaedic look at forgotten British children's television from the 1980s. We all remember Pigeon Street, Saturday Superstore, Danger Mouse, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and they're still discussed today whenever someone of that generation gets a little nostalgic. But there was so much else being broadcast. Some of it was amazing, some completely baffling and some of it was truly abysmal. Most importantly, however, it was broadcast. This means it's part of our televisual history and should be preserved.

It's my third print book - following The Curiosities of British Children's TV and More Curiosities of British Children's TV - and it may well be my favourite. Am I biased? Yes. Is it simply self-promotion to say it's my favourite? Probably, but I genuinely find it fascinating. It's the type of book I wish I could have got hold of 14 years ago when I started Curious British Telly. Sitting here, flicking through the proof copy, it's forgotten programme after forgotten programme. Heaven.

I'm also very happy with how the cover came out. Previously, I've always employed a graphic designer to create my covers. And I've never been disappointed. But it's an additional expense in an age where everything is costing more and more. So, this time, I decided to create the cover myself from the ground up. Using the free design program Inkscape, and with the help of various step-by-step guides, I crafted a cover which is minimalist yet eye-catching. I was a little worried how the brushed-metal texture would look in print, but it looks great.

Anyway, as I say, it's now available on Amazon in both printed and e-book forms, so please take a look. If you happen to purchase a copy: thank you and enjoy.