15 much-loved 90s children's TV shows you'll remember if you grew up then - as Blue Peter makes big change

• Blue Peter has today announced a major shake-up
• The long-running children’s show has been running since 1958 but arguably enjoyed its golden era in the 1990s
• We’ve taken a trip down memory lane to look at some of the most popular children’s shows of the 90s - how many do you remember?

The makers of the long-running children’s programme Blue Peter have announced shows will no longer be broadcast live - a decision which has caused great consternation among the generations who grew up watching the show.

Blue Peter has been running since 1958 but for many viewers its golden era came during the 1990s, when the presenters included John Leslie, Diane-Louise Jordan, Anthea Turner, Katy Hill and Konnie Huq.

Anthea Turner’s 1993 ‘make’ of Thunderbirds’ Tracy Island, one of the biggest children’s toys of the time, has gone down in legend.

Below are some other popular shows you may remember if you grew up in the 1990s, some of which spawned huge stars while others were so bizarre that looking back they feel like a fever dream.

ChuckleVision

ChuckleVision actually began life in 1987 but was a mainstay of children’s TV throughout the 1990s, running for nearly 300 episodes until bowing out in 2009.

The daft comedy show starred real life brothers Barry and Paul Elliott, better known as the Chuckle Brothers, who got into all manner of scrapes.

The pair were masters of slapstick silliness, especially involving ladders, and memorably gave us the catchphrase ‘to me, to you’. It is regularly voted as one of the greatest ever children’s TV shows.

Barry Elliott sadly died in 2018, aged 73.

Grotbags

Grotbags ran from 1991 to 1993 and chronicled the misadventures of the witch Grotbags and her friends at Gloomy Fortress, including her cauldron Grumble and Colin the Bat.

Grotbags originally appeared in earlier Rod Hull and Emu shows before earning her own spin-off.

Fun House

Another show with a wildly catchy theme tune, Fun House aired on ITV between 1989 and 1999.

The popular children’s game show was hosted by Pat Sharp, with the assistance of twin cheerleaders Melanie and Martine Grant.

Two teams went head-to-head each episode, taking on challenges which usually involved gunge and slippery foam obstacles and go karts in an attempt to secure top prizes.

Knightmare

This children’s adventure game show challenged participants to complete their quest while wearing a helmet which blocked their vision, with their team mates attempting to guide them through the medieval world as they took on challenges and encountered various characters. It ran from 1987 to 1994.

Round The Twist

This was surely the strangest children’s TV show of the 90s. The Australian comedy drama series followed the Twist family, who lived in a lighthouse, and had all manner of crazy supernatural adventures. From ghosts in the toilet to a cabbage baby and a memorable peeing competition, you really had to see it to believe it. The theme tune was ridiculously catchy too.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch

Long before Sabrina Carpenter dominated the charts, the biggest Sabrina in most children’s lives was the loveable teenage witch Sabrina Spellman, memorably played by Melissa Joan Hart.

Based on a 1971 comic book series, the comedy series followed Sabrina as she tried to cope with the challenges of teenage life while working on her less-than-perfect spell-making abilities - all while tasked with caring from Salem, a witch who was turned into a cat as punishment for his attempt at world domination.

It ran from 1996 to 2003 and is not to be confused with the more recent Netflix drama Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which although based on the same comic is an altogether darker affair.

Rugrats

Those of a certain age will remember keenly following the adventures of toddlers Tommy, Chuckie, Phil and Liz, whose playtime antics took on much grander significance in their overactive imaginations.

The American show ran for nine series from 1991. Depressingly for those who remember watching it as children, Tommy and co would now be in their mid-30s.

Boy Meets World

This coming-of-age sitcom centred around the growing pains of Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), his best friend, Shawn, and the object of his affections, Topanga.

The show, which ran for seven series between 1993 and 2000, also featured George Feeny as Cory’s neighbour and teacher, who was always on hand to deliver life lessons at key moments.

After making their way through school and college, the show ended with Cory, Topanga, Shawn and Cory’s older brother Eric all moving to New York, where Topanga had secured an internship at a law firm.

Grange Hill

Grange Hill first aired in 1978 and its heyday was probably during the 80s, but it remained essential viewing throughout the 1990s.

The hard-hitting school drama tackled issues including bullying, drugs and teenage pregnancy.

Created by Phil Redmond, the man behind Brookside and Hollyoaks, it ran for 31 series until 2008.

One of the script editors was Anthony Minghella, who went on to become an award-winning director, winning an Oscar in 1997 for The English Patient.

Byker Grove

Set in a fictional youth club in the Newcastle district of Byker, this teen drama, which aired between 1989 and 2006 on BBC One, most famously introduced us to PJ and Duncan, better known today as TV hosts Ant and Dec. No one who watched will ever forget the moment was blinded while playing paintball.

Like Grange Hill, it did not shy away from controversial storylines and memorably featured the first gay kiss on children’s television.

Live & Kicking

This popular series replaced Going Live! and ran on BBC One between 1993 and 2001.

It featured phone-ins, games, and comedy sketches by Trevor and Simon, whose catchphrases included ‘swing your pants’.

The presenters included Andi Peters and Zoe Ball.

Children’s Ward

This teen drama set in Ward B1 in the fictional South Park Hospital aired from 1989 until 2000.

Longstanding characters included the nurses Mags and Sandra, while several patients went on to appear in Coronation Street, including Chloe Newsome (as Vicky McDonald), Chris Bisson (as Vikram Desai), and Tina O’Brien (as Sarah Platt).

Art Attack

Art Attack was CITV’s answer to Hartbeat and ran from 1990 to 2007.

It was hosted by Neil Buchanan and was most famous for the huge artworks created using random objects which only revealed their true form at the end when viewed from above.

Dinosaurs

This American family sitcom from the brain of Muppets creator Jim Henson aired in the US between 1991 and 1994, also making it over to the UK.

It’s akin to what The Flintstones might have been if Fred, Barney and co were puppet dinosaurs rather than animated cave people.

Set in 60,000,000 BC in Pangaea it follows Earl Sinclair, who works for the Wesayso Corporation, pushing over trees; his wife Fran Sinclair; and their three children.

Tots TV

This CITV staple aimed at younger viewers aired from 1993 to 1998 and followed the adventures of rag doll puppets Tilly, Tom and Tiny.

It was filmed in a small cottage near Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, which was purpose-built for the show, but Tilly, Tom and Tiny would frequently go out and help young children they met along the way - often with the aid of their magic bag.

How many of these shows do you remember, and what do you think was the best children’s TV programme of the 1990s?