What is it about children’s programmes like The Wombles that makes journalists so self-conscious? Talking heads on nostalgic clip shows suffer similarly – as if they feel the need to cover their embarrassment with innuendo, clichés and ‘ironic’ jokes.
On the 40th anniversary of the Wombles TV series, I saw three examples. First the Mirror published a piece by Angry Britain (that’s his name). It was fairly knowledgable and positive, but slipped in comments such as “in exchange for a ‘double helping’ from Madame Cholet – a double helping of dinner, that is”, “behaviour today that would most likely earn them an ASBO”, and “we were being subliminally fed the message by the BBC that we must not litter, we should recycle and that the Top of the Pops studio was a fun place to hang out”.
The Guardian’s article came across as a bit of a rush job, with an odd mixture of topics ranging from “Who would win a fight between a Womble and a Teletubby?” to “How do Wombles get it on?”, via “Why did their mission to teach a nation not to litter fail so abjectly?”. Most bizarre was a whole paragraph about whether the Wombles cleared up their own ‘mess’… “Otherwise, Wimbledon Common would have become a vast Womble latrine.” Some of it didn’t even make factual or logical sense, though readers were quick to point out these flaws in the comments section.
And then there was Newsnight, later that evening. For no apparent reason, presenter Kirsty Wark introduced a short clip as follows: “Well that’s all from Newsnight tonight, but before we go, The Wombles first hit TV screens 40 years ago today. Surprisingly, they weren’t strangled at birth. So we leave you with a brief visit to Wimbledon Common. Goodnight.”
Her deadpan, expressionless manner meant it was difficult to tell whether this was her personal opinion or just words she was reading from the autocue, perhaps without realising quite what she was saying. Was it really meant to be broadcast, or could it be a silly gag that someone had forgotten to remove before going live?
Several viewers tweeted their reactions at the time, and more Wombles fans came out in support when Mike Batt complained about the remark. See a collection of comments below. A few days later, Kirsty Wark responded: “It was meant to be a joke but to all Womble lovers, please accept an apology.”
There’s nothing wrong with a good joke, but is it really necessary to stoop to the lowest common denominator by sniggering about TV characters’ biological processes, or just plain insulting them? Millions of us remember our childhood television programmes fondly, so why can’t the media just be proud of our cultural heritage?
What's Kirsty Wark got against the Wombles?
— Billy (@billybixby) February 5, 2013
#newsnight strangle the Wombles at birth? what a horrible comment to make!
— George Bernard Shaw (@Melonhead999) February 5, 2013
Kirsty what are you saying?! #newsnight #wombles "surprisingly they weren't strangled at birth…"
— Dan (@jamgyal) February 5, 2013
Did I hear Kirsty Wark express surprise that the Wombles weren't "strangled at birth on Wimbledon Common"? Who'd want to strangle a Womble?
— Niamh Puirséil (@NiamhPuirseil) February 5, 2013
.@KirstyWark has just said the Wombles should have been strangled at birth. She's gone down in my estimation ;) #newsnight
— Shirl (@mollie5555) February 5, 2013
"Surprisingly the Wombles weren't strangled at birth." A tad harsh there Kirsty #newsnight
— Natalie Harris #FBPE #ABTV ???? (@NatalieHarris) February 5, 2013
Kirsty Wark has a dig at the Wombles; tomorrow she'll wake up in a recycling centre, capisce? #newsnight
— Christopher Pittard (@CAPittard) February 5, 2013
A bit of a harsh opinion of the Wombles there on #NewsNight, Kristy.
— Ewan (???) (@HippieDalek) February 5, 2013
Did Kirsty really just 'diss' the Wombles? Unforgivable if true, anybody but the Wombles. They're off limits. #newsnight #Legends
— Lou (@Purple_Sand) February 5, 2013
Why is Kirsty Wark slagging off the Wombles on newsnight!!! She can clear up her own rubbish now!!!
— Chrissy (@ChrissyKitty87) February 5, 2013
@BBCNewsnight. Didn't appreciate your presenter's snide/shitty comment "surprised the Wombled weren't strangled at birth" last night. (more)
— Mike Batt (@Mike_Batt) February 6, 2013
@BBCNewsnight and BTW did you clear that clip? We would have given permission but I fear you never asked.
— Mike Batt (@Mike_Batt) February 6, 2013
@KateRobbins @Mike_Batt Was shocked at comment. I wondered if I'd missed something previously that put it in context. Disappointed at BBC.
— Simon Drew (@squonk2000) February 6, 2013
@Mike_Batt @bbcnewsnight Shocked, wondered why that was said? We loved the Wombles, part of bedtime!!
— ?Millie (@millieweb) February 6, 2013
In answer to those who asked – here's the Newsnight piece that I think was offensivehttp://t.co/eOQY36pg
— Mike Batt (@Mike_Batt) February 7, 2013
@Mike_Batt The fact that you're so irked by this makes me feel warm inside… No-one should bash the wombles!
— John Rogers (@TopScoreMusic) February 7, 2013
@TopScoreMusic @Mike_Batt Who is that lady? Is she known for being a pratt or making comments like that, or isshe just failing at funny?
— Wonder Llama (@SirWonderLlama) February 7, 2013
@Mike_Batt @Lezmond She probably has a deep-seated fear of Muppets, too! How could anyone not smile at the Wombles?
— Ormand Jones (@OrmandJones) February 7, 2013
@Mike_Batt @BBCNewsnight Ow! The wombles are a loved part of many people's childhood. It's not cool to be rude just to try to look 'clever'.
— Catherine Britt (@DramatisPaws) February 7, 2013
@mike_batt Can't believe that was said. Never under-estimate a Womble and what they've done for this planet – sincerely.
— Huw Lewis (@HuwML) February 7, 2013
So regarding @BBCNewsnight and #Womblegate. Who's going to pick up the pieces? @Mike_Batt #YouSeeWhatIDidThere
— James McCann (@MovingScenes) February 7, 2013
@ChrissyHarman @Mike_Batt Newsreaders should read news not criticise genius! #Wombles #KirstyWark
— Doug P (@potterwigham) February 7, 2013
@Mike_Batt Totally uncalled for. Are news staff allowed to state personal opinions during broadcast? I think an apology is in order!
— Frederick Harrison (@HerissonWomble) February 7, 2013
Anyone who feels this is inappropriate please RT and/or address comments to @BBCNewsnight and @KirstyWark. http://t.co/eOQY36pg
— Mike Batt (@Mike_Batt) February 8, 2013
@Mike_Batt I don't understand why @KirstyWark would make such a tasteless comment. Poor show, @BBCNewsnight. Poor show. #Womblegate
— Gill Rockatansky (@GillRockatansky) February 8, 2013
@BBCNewsnight @KirstyWark i don't like the way you spoke about the wombles here: http://t.co/9PAiNVso
— Hans W. von Wirth (@hwvw) February 8, 2013
@Mike_Batt @paul_tinney @KirstyWark Strange choice of words, Kirsty. A goodly fraction of #Newsnight viewers loved the Wombles as kids…
— Jim Donegan (@JimFraeErskine) February 8, 2013
@Mike_Batt @BBCNewsnight @KirstyWark Really, Kirsty? Strangle the Wombles? Want to poison Mickey Mouse and shoot Donald Duck, too?
— Ormand Jones (@OrmandJones) February 8, 2013
@Mike_Batt @BBCNewsnight @KirstyWark Saw youTube of airing of personal opinion as part of Wombles tribute. Unprofessional and simply mean.
— Frederick Harrison (@HerissonWomble) February 8, 2013
@Mike_Batt @bbcnewsnight @kirstywark hey Bbc & Ms Wark that tasteless comment was offensive, apology in order.
— Ahorsewithnoname (@Murphys_Shadow) February 8, 2013
@Mike_Batt @bbcnewsnight @kirstywark @TidyBag What an appallingly snidey comment about the Wombles. @eddiemair wouldn't have done that.
— The Stainless Steel Cat (@SteelCat) February 8, 2013
@Mike_Batt @BBCNewsnight @KirstyWark We can't have children reading & recycling. Britain must be broken, so beeb can be smug & patronising.
— Vivi Rivi (@Vivstwits) February 8, 2013
@Mike_Batt @bbcnewsnight @kirstywark The Wombles were way ahead of their time, with recycling message. Don't knock them, bring them back!
— ?Millie (@millieweb) February 8, 2013
Re Womble remark . It was meant to be a joke but to all Womble lovers, please accept an apology.
— Kirsty Wark (@KirstyWark) February 9, 2013
@KirstyWark Aw, we knew that Kirsty but Mike Batt was upset and we love him! See, you just never know who is listening!!
— ?Millie (@millieweb) February 9, 2013
Many thanks for an excellent article that concisely covers something that I find to be a bugbear. (I can’t even watch those “Top 100…”-type nostalgia programmes on the likes of Channel 4 and such, because of this sort of thing, in fact.)
As for what makes them do it, I’ve come to believe that it is a lack of maturity on the part of those writing/saying such things – they feel insecure about admitting that they might like something that’s commonly regarded as being “for children”, and then feel a need to make crude and/or denigrating comments in order to try to “compensate” for this and appear grown-up (the irony being that they appear precisely the opposite).
As C.S. Lewis once wrote: “Critics who treat adult as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”