Rainbow (TV series)
British preschool series featuring Zippy, George, and Bungle.
Rainbow is a British children's television series created by Pamela Lonsdale, originally produced by Thames Television from 16 October 1972 to 6 March 1992. It was conceived as a British equivalent of Sesame Street and aimed to develop language and social skills for pre-school children, winning the Society of Film and Television Arts Award for Best Children's Programme in 1975. The series was revived by Tetra Films from 10 January 1994 to 24 March 1997 in two different formats.
- created_by
- Pamela Lonsdale
- original_run
- 16 October 1972 – 6 March 1992
- network
- ITV
- country
- United Kingdom
- genre
- Children's television
- award
- Society of Film and Television Arts Award for Best Children's Programme (1975)
Lore & Background
Each episode of Rainbow revolved around a situation in the Rainbow House, where the main characters lived. The puppet characters Zippy, George, and Bungle acted as inquisitive children, with the presenter (initially David Cook, then Geoffrey Hayes from 1974) serving as a teacher figure. From the 1980s, episodes became more story-driven, often involving disputes among the puppets and Geoffrey's efforts to keep the peace. The show included songs, animations by Cosgrove Hall Productions, and stories read from the Rainbow storybook.
Reader's Guide
Rainbow holds significance as a long-running British preschool programme that shaped early childhood television in the UK. Its original Thames series gained cult status and continues to receive frequent mentions on radio and television. The show's format evolved from purely educational sketches to character-driven storylines, and its puppet characters—Zippy, George, and Bungle—became iconic. The series' legacy includes a few DVD releases, including one celebrating 30 Years of Rainbow, and its theme song, written by the band Telltale, remained in use throughout the original run.
Did You Know?
- The series was originally conceived as a British equivalent of Sesame Street.
- The theme song was written by Hugh Portnow, Lady Hornsbrie, Hugh Fraser, and Tim Thomas of the band Telltale.
- Zippy's mouth had a zipper, and he was often punished by having his mouth 'zipped'.
- The show aired five times weekly, originally on Mondays and Wednesdays, then Tuesdays and Fridays, and finally once weekly on Fridays.
More in part-1
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record