''Magic Grandad'' is an educational programme which originally aired on the BBC Two Schools section Watch during 1995. The show saw Magic Grandad, played by

Geoffrey Bayldon Albert Geoffrey Bayldon (7 January 1924 – 10 May 2017) was an English actor. After playing roles in many stage productions, including the works of William Shakespeare, he became known for portraying the title role of the children's series '' ...

, take his young grandchildren, played by Kristy Bruce and James Moreno, back in time to see historical events and people such as the Great Fire of London or

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, i ...

Cheryl Hall Cheryl Hall (born 23 July 1950 in London) is a British actress. She is best known for playing Shirley Johnson in the British sitcom ''Citizen Smith'' (1977–1979) and had a recurring role as Sadie in ''The Bill'' (1984–1988). Biography One ...

also starred in the show as the children's mother. The programme was said to make learning about history "fun for youngsters" and was aimed at children aged 4–7 years. During its peak, many schools in England used the show to teach young children about history. It was very popular and influential among primary school children. The programme ran for two series in 1993 and 1994, one themed around historical items and another themed around historical people, though it was repeated on TV for a number of years after it ended. In 2003, a new version featuring a new cast was remade for BBC Two. In the years following the programme, a number of educational items were released in the UK including a CD-ROM entitled ''Magic Grandad's Seaside Holidays'' designed for Key Stage 1 pupils to learns about history in the same way the TV show taught them. Written by Susan Bolton, the disc is designed for Infant school teachers to teach pupils during history lessons. In 2003, a new interactive version of the show was released on CD-ROM. In keeping with the original concept of the TV show before it, it allowed users to travel back in time whilst featuring the interactive elements described as extras. The main difference was that the cast now appeared in digital form.BBC Magic Grandad`s Seaside Holidays : History : Past Events,People & Changes
/ref> The episodes that were shown in 2001 were the following of 1. "The Promenade" or billed "The Promenade And Souvenirs" on 19 January 2001, 2."The Beach" or billed "On The Beach" on 24 January 2001 and 3. "Entertainment" or billed "The Pier" on 31 January 2001 which starred

Miriam Margolyes Miriam ( he, מִרְיָם ''Mīryām'', lit. 'Rebellion') is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The ...

as Grandmama.

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External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0805417, title=Magic Grandad BBC children's television shows 1993 British television series debuts 2009 British television series endings 1990s British children's television series 2000s British children's television series English-language television shows