The world is an open book, if you open your eyes and look
June 17, 2021 1:59 AM Subscribe
On The Move was a BBC series from the 1970s that set out to address adult illiteracy - sample episode. It was a sort of "Sesame Street for grown ups". With a notably catchy theme tune. Bob Hoskins, played, Alf - the removal man who was struggling to learn to read and write. The show attracted 17 million viewers a week - (way beyond the size of its target audience) and helped make Hoskins famous. It was also responsible for persuading 70,000 people to sign up for adult literacy programmes.
I couldn't find any footage of Bob Hoskins talking about this show - but did find this interview from 1991, where he appears alongside somebody else known for doing reasonable American accents - and where he tells the story of how he got into acting. Hoskins, who was the son of a lorry driver and who did very poorly at school on account of his dyslexia seems to have been largely playing himself in the show. Guardian article as part of Bob Hoskins obituary.
I couldn't find any footage of Bob Hoskins talking about this show - but did find this interview from 1991, where he appears alongside somebody else known for doing reasonable American accents - and where he tells the story of how he got into acting. Hoskins, who was the son of a lorry driver and who did very poorly at school on account of his dyslexia seems to have been largely playing himself in the show. Guardian article as part of Bob Hoskins obituary.
I do remember it, and I did watch it, though not as keenly as I followed Blake's Seven. I think it's worth remembering that at that time there were only three UK TV channels, and at that time on a Sunday night it would probably have been up against something like Stars On Sunday and Crown Green Bowling. Given that it was, at its heart, a gentle series about nice people achieving things, it wasn't unwatchable, and it was quietly inspiring in a non-judgey way. That said, the really big viewing figures were for the 7:30 drama slot, which tended to be about mean people being absolute bastards to each other. Or a man with his arm up a cow's arse.
posted by Grangousier at 3:33 AM on June 17, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by Grangousier at 3:33 AM on June 17, 2021 [7 favorites]
The 1970s was the great age of BBC educational drama. Another series I remember fondly was Wainwrights' Law, designed to educate people about legal matters. It featured a family called the Wainwrights whose life was a never-ending series of disasters. When they bought a house, they were ripped off by a dodgy builder and had to sue him in the small claims court. When Mr Wainwright drove to the office, he was involved in a car accident and charged with dangerous driving. When Mrs Wainwright went shopping, she was caught shoplifting and sentenced to probation. Each episode began with a doom-laden piece to camera by the Wainwrights' solicitor. 'With the successful conclusion of the court case, it looked as though the Wainwrights' problems were finally over. Little did I know that their legal troubles were only just beginning ..'
I remember the series as a sort of surreal comedy, as one disaster followed another. I now see the reason for this: it was written by the playwright N.F. Simpson, one of the leading figures in the Theatre of the Absurd.
posted by verstegan at 3:39 AM on June 17, 2021 [19 favorites]
I remember the series as a sort of surreal comedy, as one disaster followed another. I now see the reason for this: it was written by the playwright N.F. Simpson, one of the leading figures in the Theatre of the Absurd.
posted by verstegan at 3:39 AM on June 17, 2021 [19 favorites]
A youtube commentator on the episode wrote:
"Bob helped me to read by watching this show.
As I use to work on a van like Bob and couldn't read.
Through the show and working on a van with a driver
I started to noticed street names and how they were spelt.
Education was a massive let down for me as it wasn't my fault
that I could not read or spell Teachers could not be bothered not like it
is today.
And now I can read and write thanks to this show.
R.I.P. Bob."
The rest of the comments mostly quite sweet for YouTube.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 3:53 AM on June 17, 2021 [31 favorites]
"Bob helped me to read by watching this show.
As I use to work on a van like Bob and couldn't read.
Through the show and working on a van with a driver
I started to noticed street names and how they were spelt.
Education was a massive let down for me as it wasn't my fault
that I could not read or spell Teachers could not be bothered not like it
is today.
And now I can read and write thanks to this show.
R.I.P. Bob."
The rest of the comments mostly quite sweet for YouTube.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 3:53 AM on June 17, 2021 [31 favorites]
As an American living here in the UK, this is not just wonderfully touching but a reminder of the large-hearted side of British society that I love, something that is refreshing when there is so much of the small-hearted and Brexity side in the news over here today. Editorials sputtering with rage about racist children's authors being canceled, etc.
posted by johngoren at 3:56 AM on June 17, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by johngoren at 3:56 AM on June 17, 2021 [5 favorites]
I've been saying for a long time that adult literacy classes are important and have even mentioned the idea of Sesame Street for adults. I've gotten very little traction, since people (Americans) seem to believe that if someone didn't learn to read in school they can't learn to read. Okay, just the rather large sample of people I've mentioned this to.
What good does it do to tell people to read to their children if the parents can't read?
I was going to say something about what conventional schooling does to a lot of people, but I see it's covered in the sample show. Not as much fury as I feel, but showing that would be counterproductive.
Nice to see proof of concept. On the Move was played for a while, then there were a couple of sequels, and then what? It was just dropped?
Same language sub-titling in India
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 4:26 AM on June 17, 2021 [6 favorites]
What good does it do to tell people to read to their children if the parents can't read?
I was going to say something about what conventional schooling does to a lot of people, but I see it's covered in the sample show. Not as much fury as I feel, but showing that would be counterproductive.
Nice to see proof of concept. On the Move was played for a while, then there were a couple of sequels, and then what? It was just dropped?
Same language sub-titling in India
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 4:26 AM on June 17, 2021 [6 favorites]
(Couple of asides - 1. N.F. Simpson was a genius that hardly anyone's heard of these days, and probably deserves his own post, if he hasn't received one already; 2. The comments on YouTube are a lot more positive these days, possibly going to far the other way into obsequious. I don't know what they did.)
posted by Grangousier at 4:26 AM on June 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Grangousier at 4:26 AM on June 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
Another series I remember fondly was Wainwrights' Law, designed to educate people about legal matters.
ITV had Crown Court, which I used to be glued to while home from school having lunch. It's even got a blog; this is what the internet is for.
It was generally serious, though they knew how to have fun as well; N.F. Simpson did in fact write one episode for it, about a cliff-view care home whose toilets were located at the bottom of the cliff.
One particular episode always stuck in my mind, though. The defendant - who played the entire episode with a disturbing sneer on her face - was a woman accused of killing a neighbour's dog out of spite. The court found her guilty, and the judge declared that there would be no punishment - as she was already being ostracised and excluded by the whole neighbourhood, which was the punishment she deserved.
These days, of course, she'd be getting interviewed by Darren Grimes on GB News about "cancel culture".
posted by Cardinal Fang at 4:39 AM on June 17, 2021 [5 favorites]
ITV had Crown Court, which I used to be glued to while home from school having lunch. It's even got a blog; this is what the internet is for.
It was generally serious, though they knew how to have fun as well; N.F. Simpson did in fact write one episode for it, about a cliff-view care home whose toilets were located at the bottom of the cliff.
One particular episode always stuck in my mind, though. The defendant - who played the entire episode with a disturbing sneer on her face - was a woman accused of killing a neighbour's dog out of spite. The court found her guilty, and the judge declared that there would be no punishment - as she was already being ostracised and excluded by the whole neighbourhood, which was the punishment she deserved.
These days, of course, she'd be getting interviewed by Darren Grimes on GB News about "cancel culture".
posted by Cardinal Fang at 4:39 AM on June 17, 2021 [5 favorites]
I think it's worth remembering that at that time there were only three UK TV channels, and at that time on a Sunday night it would probably have been up against something like Stars On Sunday and Crown Green Bowling.
Interesting that, in an era when broadcast television had so few channels and so few hours, that somebody managed to convince the BBC it was worth not just making a programme for such a niche audience - but also getting suitably talented people involved in making a good job of it. Producing programming for such a group, is exactly what good public service television should be about. In the modern of era of plentiful channels, I would not be confident the BBC would go anywhere near the idea.
The lack of choice that would compel audiences to try out content that was expressly not made for them, as indeed part of the dynamic at the time though. Another great example of cross-over from niche BBC programme to a wide audience was Vision On - which was created for hearing impaired children and which had a massive cultural impact with the wider audience of kids (ironically: most especially for its music). Sample episode.
posted by rongorongo at 5:07 AM on June 17, 2021 [11 favorites]
Interesting that, in an era when broadcast television had so few channels and so few hours, that somebody managed to convince the BBC it was worth not just making a programme for such a niche audience - but also getting suitably talented people involved in making a good job of it. Producing programming for such a group, is exactly what good public service television should be about. In the modern of era of plentiful channels, I would not be confident the BBC would go anywhere near the idea.
The lack of choice that would compel audiences to try out content that was expressly not made for them, as indeed part of the dynamic at the time though. Another great example of cross-over from niche BBC programme to a wide audience was Vision On - which was created for hearing impaired children and which had a massive cultural impact with the wider audience of kids (ironically: most especially for its music). Sample episode.
posted by rongorongo at 5:07 AM on June 17, 2021 [11 favorites]
This is great and there should be more of this too. My Dad was illiterate. He was unable to read or write. It was my Mom that started to teach him after they were married. Our house was littered with comic books when I was a child but they were not mine. That was obvious as they were these bizarre, sometimes racy, Mexican comics like Hermelinda Linda.
In college, I used to volunteer in an adult literacy program. At the end of each class, the students would see all these posters in the hallways as we walked out of the school. They would reach out their fingers and start mouthing out the words, then turn to you with a look of surprise and joy. I loved that.
posted by vacapinta at 5:25 AM on June 17, 2021 [27 favorites]
In college, I used to volunteer in an adult literacy program. At the end of each class, the students would see all these posters in the hallways as we walked out of the school. They would reach out their fingers and start mouthing out the words, then turn to you with a look of surprise and joy. I loved that.
posted by vacapinta at 5:25 AM on June 17, 2021 [27 favorites]
I have only the vaguest memories of this show, but the theme song clearly wormed its way very deep into my head. As soon as I saw this post's headline, I found myself mentally singing it.
Good old BBC. We'll look back in the treasure we had there in a year or two and kick ourselves for not defending it more zealously.
posted by Paul Slade at 5:34 AM on June 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
Good old BBC. We'll look back in the treasure we had there in a year or two and kick ourselves for not defending it more zealously.
posted by Paul Slade at 5:34 AM on June 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
This is great stuff - would not have known about this if not for MF. Thanks.
posted by whatevernot at 5:42 AM on June 17, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by whatevernot at 5:42 AM on June 17, 2021 [3 favorites]
Good old BBC. We'll look back in the treasure we had there in a year or two and kick ourselves for not defending it more zealously.
Well, we already seem to have lost the adult education system that this programme was promoting, so.
(Vision On totally shaped my musical tastes. It was also hugely entertaining. )
posted by Grangousier at 6:09 AM on June 17, 2021 [3 favorites]
Well, we already seem to have lost the adult education system that this programme was promoting, so.
(Vision On totally shaped my musical tastes. It was also hugely entertaining. )
posted by Grangousier at 6:09 AM on June 17, 2021 [3 favorites]
This is lovely. Designing something like this so that it neither insults nor alienates the audience sounds like a real challenge. Sounds like they got it right.
posted by eotvos at 6:19 AM on June 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by eotvos at 6:19 AM on June 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
I've gotten very little traction, since people (Americans) seem to believe that if someone didn't learn to read in school they can't learn to read.
That attitude is a real shame. I enjoyed this recent NYT article (archive.is version; archive.org kept throwing an error with this one) about schools in rural South Korea who are educating the local population of grandmas as traditional-age-of-instruction class sizes shrink due to people migrating away from rural areas. It's never too late, and I also suspect that the barriers to literacy during school age are more often structural than personal.
posted by terretu at 7:24 AM on June 17, 2021 [5 favorites]
That attitude is a real shame. I enjoyed this recent NYT article (archive.is version; archive.org kept throwing an error with this one) about schools in rural South Korea who are educating the local population of grandmas as traditional-age-of-instruction class sizes shrink due to people migrating away from rural areas. It's never too late, and I also suspect that the barriers to literacy during school age are more often structural than personal.
posted by terretu at 7:24 AM on June 17, 2021 [5 favorites]
My Grandma got her GED in her seventies. We all busted with pride.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:53 AM on June 17, 2021 [10 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:53 AM on June 17, 2021 [10 favorites]
This is lovely.
Adult illiteracy is one of those things that just immediately makes me weepy. It's this very visceral reaction.
posted by dismas at 8:43 AM on June 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
Adult illiteracy is one of those things that just immediately makes me weepy. It's this very visceral reaction.
posted by dismas at 8:43 AM on June 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
There's another great Bob Hoskins chat show appearance here, this time with Ian Dury. Don't miss the rhyming slang story.
posted by Paul Slade at 9:29 AM on June 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Paul Slade at 9:29 AM on June 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
Gosh, I'd forgotten that. What resonates most isn't the theme song but that 'adult literacy' symbol. It was displayed on the aisles of my local library, signifying the bookshelves I couldn't access until I got my adult borrower's card, aged 11. That was quite literally life-changing. Seeing the symbol evokes quite a rush even now.
posted by MinPin at 9:41 AM on June 17, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by MinPin at 9:41 AM on June 17, 2021 [4 favorites]
I didn't know about this show! Thanks so much for the post, my brain has expanded. Also, oh my, Martin Shaw at the end, very handsome indeed.
posted by theatro at 2:49 PM on June 17, 2021
posted by theatro at 2:49 PM on June 17, 2021
I was 5 or 6 and watched this avidly. From the first second seeing the road arrows in the titles, I was singing along. I remember seeing the literacy signs, and sometimes being surprised to see them years later in forgotten corners of council buildings.
Good to see Patricia Hayes there too.
posted by scruss at 7:48 PM on June 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
Good to see Patricia Hayes there too.
posted by scruss at 7:48 PM on June 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
The whole episode (and its opening credits sequence) was packed with familiar faces from 1970s British TV. Patrica Hayes and Martin Shaw (who played Bodie in The Professionals) have already been mentioned, but I also spotted The Liver Birds' Polly James and a host of other faces I recognised but couldn't put a name to. How lovely to see them all again.
posted by Paul Slade at 11:23 PM on June 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Paul Slade at 11:23 PM on June 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
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I do remember the adult literacy symbol (a person with a newspaper) though. I wonder how long they used it.
posted by antiwiggle at 2:30 AM on June 17, 2021 [1 favorite]