Play School has come back onto my viewing radar after a delay of, ooh, about 35 years. It plays a pivotal role in the bedtime (and disciplining) routine of the 4-year-old in our house. We tape it every morning and it is watched every night between bathtime and books. Naughty behaviour is punished with its withdrawal, with devastatingly effective results. As I've sat watching toilet rolls tubes become a happy family, hummed along to Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star or listened to a story being acted out with the help of the toys, I have considered that this is not work at all, but grown ups having a laugh and getting paid for it. I mean, how hard could it really be? Having mentioned this to the Tv editor, this morning I found myself at the ABC studios taking part in rehearsals for an episode of the show. It was brilliant fun, amazingly tightly scripted and a really good laugh. After the reharsal I was taken downstairs by the set designer to the magical, props-stuffed workroom she calls her office. Though cramped and windowless, it is a craft lovers dream, housing every conceivable kind of cardboard, cotton reel, box, pipe cleaner, paint, glitter, glue, cupcake case, feather, ribbon and loo roll. Heaven. Here I am cuddling the toys, with actor/presenters Georgie Parker and Rhys Muldoon (who were hilarious) and in my costume apron playing Old Mother Hubbard.
I blame a cold for my appallingly tuneless rendition of I'm A Little Teapot. Nonetheless I have been invited to go to the taping of the episode next week to see how the rehearsal compares to the real thing. As a sweetner there is the promise of the chance to sing the song again on the proper Play School set (OH MY GOD!) so I can have a tape to show Scarlett. It's too fabulous to resist. In my research I have discovered that Jemima totally lives up to her reputation for being difficult and that Humpty isn't as big in real-life. Who knew?
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