FAX

Fax!
Made by: ?
Shown on: BBC
Years shown: 1984-5

When my teacher decided to teach us the use of tally charts by asking us to name our favourite children’s TV shows from a list, Fax! came at the very bottom. Okay, so maybe we were a bit young for it (it was shown in the post-5.30pm wilderness spot, before Neighbours arrived on British screens and saved the day), but it did seem to have the dullest format ever. A panel of ‘experts’ made up of Bill Oddie, Billy Butler, Wendy Livesy and Debbie Rix would perch on aluminium stools in a black, featureless studio, and answer questions sent in by viewers, such as ‘What is the world’s fastest land mammal?”, “How can you put a ship in a bottle?” and “When will the first episode of Neighbours be broadcast, please?”

The panel always seemed a bit smug and teacher-ish, which is the last thing you want after a full day of smug teachers, but the BBC would insist on trying to sneak education into children’s lives after the bell at 3.30pm. Although I can’t remember this personally, the show apparently reduced John Noakes to tears when he came to talk about departed Blue Peter dog, Shep.

SQUARE EYES RATING: 1/10

(Fax! is obviously too mediocre for anyone to still have photographic evidence of it - instead, the pic above is of presenter Debbie Rix in her BBC News mode.)