John Ryan’s pre-school children’s programme Mary, Mungo and Midge was originally transmitted on the BBC in 1969.  Animated by John Ryan and narrated by Richard Baker and Isabel Ryan, these classic colour episodes were released on VHS in 1998, then on DVD in 2001 by Contender Ltd.

Mary, Mungo & Midge was the first (almost) realist pre-school children’s programme. Far removed from the cosy villages of Trumpton and the dreamscape of the Magic Roundabout, it’s location and context was a modern and hyper trendy inner-city tower block and it’s environs…

Retro fans will forever be pleased that it retains some pretty groovy and surreal elements, maybe because of John Ryan’s smooth, rhythmic, flat cut animation style, and the excellent life-style theme and incidental muzak.

In each 15 minute episode Mary (bright young human), Mungo (long suffering dog) and Midge (troublesome flute playing mouse) leave their safe flat and get into bother in the big, wide, scary world, returning to safety only to have to negotiate the terrifying lift- mind those doors!