Saturday Mornings Belonged to TISWAS

Three channels, one chunky wooden telly and Saturday mornings in my pyjamas. Remembering the custard pies, cartoons and glorious chaos that made Tiswas an unforgettable part of growing up.

One of my favourite childhood memories is Saturday morning telly. Back then, we only had three channels. Yes, three… but on Saturday mornings, it felt as though the television belonged to us kids.

I remember running downstairs in my pyjamas and plonking myself in front of the old box. None of your flat screens in those days. This was a proper wooden beast that dominated the living room and took a few seconds to warm up before a fuzzy picture appeared. There was even a faint hum as it stirred into life.

Changing channels meant pressing one of the chunky buttons on the side, each with a satisfying click. But on a Saturday morning, there was only one programme I wanted to watch: Tiswas.

It was absolute chaos. Custard pies, buckets of water and people getting covered in whatever happened to be flying around the studio—all mixed in with cartoons, pop music and comedy sketches. Everything a young boy could wish for.

Chris Tarrant and Sally James helped hold the madness together, joined by a young Lenny Henry, whose Trevor McDonald impressions were a particular highlight. Then there was Compost Corner, with its David Bellamy impersonation, and a stream of guests who probably should have known better than to turn up in anything they wanted to keep clean.

Looking back, it’s that sense of barely controlled mayhem I remember most. The grown-ups were being just as daft as the kids, and I was there in my pyjamas, taking it all in.

Were you a Tiswas kid too?