Vision On - Pat Keysell - Tony Hart

Tony Hart designed the world famous Blue Peter ship logo and was paid a flat-rate £100 fee for it. He said afterwards that he wished he'd been able to persuade the BBC to pay him a penny every time it was shown instead. -

Vision On - Pat Keysell & Tony Hart

'Vision On' was one of the most innovative programmes ever seen on children's television and ran for over ten years. Made at BBC Bristol, it was the first programme to successfully bridge the gap between children with hearing and those with limited hearing. It broke new ground in entertainment programmes and used very little dialogue which meant it sold well overseas. It also saw the emergence of 'The Gallery' that was to continue in all of Hart's subsequent series.

'Vision On' won prestigious awards as well as making Tony Hart and Pat Keysell international stars. The series is not available on DVD although much of the series is said to preserved in the BBC archives and there are a handful of episodes (around 7) that surface from time to time amongst fans. You can however still buy the hilarious 'Prof'' DVDs direct from the Prof himself (limited stock so we're told) and Wilf Lunn has his own shop.

A combination of film inserts, quirky surreal animation, art and performance, 'Vision On' still lingers in the minds of all those who watched it and it has its own web site.

The programme included appearances by Ben Benison (mime), Sylvester McCoy (Dr Who), the Prof (pictured below), and Sheffield's national treasure, wacky Wilf Lunn.

Next - Tony goes it alone in 'Take Hart'