Bill Flowerpot Man

This is the Bill string puppet used in the television programme The Flowerpot Men, part of the BBC's 'Watch With Mother' series. The brainchild of the BBC Head of Children's Programmes Freda Lingstrom and her colleague Maria Bird, 'Watch with Mother' was designed for the pre-school audience. The title echoed the BBC radio programme 'Listen With Mother' and was intended to allay fears that children were being corrupted by watching television alone.

The Flowerpot Men first aired at 3.45pm on Thursday 12th December 1952. When the 'Watch With Mother' banner was introduced in 1953 the programme moved to the Wednesday afternoon slot. The programme's main characters, Bill and Ben, lived in flowerpots at the end of a garden. Although identical in appearance, the two characters had their names on their backs so viewers could tell them apart. They spoke in their own fantasy language, officially called 'Oddle Poddle' which featured words like 'flobbadob'. Peter Hawkins provided the voices for the puppets. Some parents complained that 'Oddle Poddle' would encourage poor language skills among children. Other characters in The Flowerpot Men included Little Weed, Bill and Ben's best friend, who warned the duo when the gardener was coming.