What's the first foreign TV programme you remember watching?

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Sad-Wrap6555@reddit

The Flashing Blade (though lord knows why - probably the joy of only having 2 channels and a part time one back then)

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There was a whole heap of foreign kids progs back then, Singing ringing tree, White horses, Heidi. These were all European dubs, never thought of American shows back then as being foreign as they spoke English!

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shortandscruffy@reddit

Love the theme song for that.

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Sad-Wrap6555@reddit

best part of the show that was

from what i (vaguely) remember of the story they might have been best just playing that bit each week 😁

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Euphoric_Rough_5245@reddit

A Team, Knightrider and Airwolf are some that I remember. I don’t know which was first.

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FunnyVehicle7664@reddit

Champion the wonder horse, or 100 white horses.

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Successful_Banana901@reddit

Sesame Street

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ghotiboy77@reddit

The Banana Splits or Sesame Street

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Silent_Yesterday_671@reddit

Remember watching French tv series Belle and Sebastian early 1970s, but can't remember if it was badly dubbed or subtitles - any similar oldies on here know?

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G4HDU@reddit

White horses as a kids program but the favourite was the man from uncle.

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Unable-You-9902@reddit

Dubbed, probably The Flashing Blade. Non-UK, probably The Beachcombers. Or that Aussie one about shipwrecked kids on an undiscovered island.

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PaleOnion6177@reddit

Belle and Sebastian

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Did_OJ_Simpson_do_it@reddit

Cow & Chicken

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YragNitram1956@reddit

Belle and Sebastian is a 1965 French TV children's serial, based on the 1965 novel Belle et Sébastien by Cécile Aubry published the same year. It was 13 episodes long and starred Aubry's son Mehdi El Glaoui as Sebastien, whilst Aubry appeared as the episode host and co-directed episodes with Jean Guillaume.

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Jojo6167@reddit

A programme about white horses, that's all I can remember

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GeordieAl@reddit

Probably Jeux sans frontières

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Tomme599@reddit

Yeah, that was a knockout!

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First_Willingness846@reddit

Singing Ringing Tree?

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Queasy_Monitor7203@reddit

Beverly hill billies the original with Buddy ebsen

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Nice-Pomegranate2915@reddit

The first foreign language tv series I watched which wasn't badly dubbed into English but was spoken in it's original language with subtitles was the Japanese tv series ' The Water Margin ' . A Japanese tv adaptation of the Chinese saga of the same name that was made in 1973 and shown first as a dubbed version in 1976 and then as an undubbed version in 1978 on BBC2 in the UK . I enjoyed it as something completely different from the usual British/American or Australian drama that had previously been shown on TV .

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ManQu69@reddit

Tutti Frutti in Italy, About 1989, No idea what the show was about but from the picture, very nice indeed, they all were.

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cutluv@reddit

White Horses.
One of the best TV themes, ever (IMHO), but with some the worst dubbing you're ever likely to encounter.

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Every_Individual_25@reddit

Bonanza

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Able_Ask_4267@reddit

I know this will sound strange but do we consider American TV shows as foreign? Because I'd wager that the vast majority of Brits first TV shows were from the States. If we do include the States then my first foreign TV programme would have to be some of the cartoon shows like Tom and Jerry or roadrunner. Other than that it would have to be the moomins (Finnish ) or The Magic Roundabout (French)

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CBWeather@reddit (OP)

I did think of American shows as foreign but it's whatever you like. I notice some American, Australian, and Canadian (even though that's where I've lived the last 50 years) shows listed even though they would have been in English i would still see them as foreign but there's no wrong answer.

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ratscabs@reddit

I’m assuming ‘foreign’ refers to foreign language (dubbed) so excluding the numerous American shows we all watched:

White Horses Flashing Blade Robinson Crusoe Belle and Sebastian

… all the same Saturday morning TV era

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CBWeather@reddit (OP)

Anything you want. I really just meant from a foreign country but it's your memories. Theres no wrong answers. Mine was an American show.

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harrietmjones@reddit

I don’t know if this is the sort of thing you’re asking but:

• Moomins (Finnish)

• Pokémon (Japanese)

• Digimon (Japanese)

• Round the Twist (Australian)

• The Sleepover Club (Australian)

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CBWeather@reddit (OP)

Absolutely.

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Gildor12@reddit

The flashing blade, French series about the war with Spain, it’s better to fought and lost than never to have fought at all

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Middle_Banana_9617@reddit

The Littlest Hobo. The whole thing just made no sense to me.

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Petcai@reddit

The Magic Roundabout.

A French children's show that was dubbed into English, by someone who didn't speak any French. They literally just sat there and made stuff up based on the visuals and the entire thing was like an acid trip.

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CBWeather@reddit (OP)

I remember that. It was first on when I was 9 or 10. Strange show.

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asymmetricears@reddit

Bananas in Pyjamas

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Illustrious-Divide95@reddit

The A team

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hyperspacevoyager@reddit

Barney & Friends

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MCDCFC@reddit

Top Cat

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Pizzagoessplat@reddit

Neighbours

Back in the 80's

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Active_Definition_57@reddit

It would be one of The Banana Splits, Wacky Races or Tom & Jerry.

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Diddleymaz@reddit

In the 60s the BBC showed a lot of foreign language children’s programmes. I remember Robinson Crusoe, (with the tune everyone remembers) White Horses. Belle and Sebastian and my favourite The Singing Ringing Tree. They had a narrator or dubbing.

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CBWeather@reddit (OP)

I forgot about those.

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Professional-Test239@reddit

The Littlest Hobo

I also loved the dubbed European cartoons Dogtanian, Willy Fogg and others.

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CBWeather@reddit (OP)

So there were Canadian shows.

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JimmyHaggis@reddit

Monkey!

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Think-Committee-4394@reddit

Closely followed by The Water Margin

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Salt-Evidence-6834@reddit

In the world's before Monkey, primal chaos reigned.

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panthervk415@reddit

The power of Monkey was irrepressible

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Intelligent-Bee-839@reddit

Came here to say that as well, young Tripitaka.

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Klutzy_Brilliant6780@reddit

Loved Monkey and came to the comments to post it!

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OK_LK@reddit

I'm not sure if it was Monkey or Bonanza for me but I know which one I preferred

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Go1gotha@reddit

The Water Margin.

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Euphoric-Plenty-1603@reddit

Me too, I loved the cinematography

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TheLibrarian75@reddit

Battle of the Planets (G-Force)

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stinkyswife@reddit

If American counts, then God knows, but if you mean from a non-English speaking country, it'd be some weird european folk tales. The theme tune was a cartoon bloke with long hair sitting under a tree with a guitar-like instrument singing about being John in England, Johann in Germany etc.

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GarfieldUK@reddit

https://youtu.be/IfHJgZptH-w

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stinkyswife@reddit

That's the fella!

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Greatgrowler@reddit

Heidi

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arealfancyliquor@reddit

The flashing blade

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Time-Mode-9@reddit

Tom and jerry

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notspringsomnia@reddit

Pokémon

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PandaPop81@reddit

Tutti Fruitti 👀

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JohnLennonsNotDead@reddit

Eurotrash

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stevetheboy@reddit

Mary, Mungo, and Midge.

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LupercalLupercal@reddit

Sesame St.

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Feeling-Bluebird8413@reddit

Moomins

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JimmyHaggis@reddit

If I remember correctly some of those were a little dark.

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Feeling-Bluebird8413@reddit

It popped up on Amazon prime recently and I watched a couple of episodes for nostalgia’s sake. Seriously, wtf.

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JimmyHaggis@reddit

We didn't need to be coddled back then. There was quite a lot of stuff on telly that was pretty fucked up. No one of a certain age will ever forget Mr. Noseybonk, no matter how much therapy they had.

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mr_iwi@reddit

Pingu

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EVRider81@reddit

I can remember the Anime " Gigantor" on TV as a kid..

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eldunenorap@reddit

"Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" from 1960s. Austrian I think. Dubbed into English. With, even now, the most evocative theme tune from my childhood.

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el_duderino_316@reddit

He-Man, for a guess. Maybe Tom & Jerry.

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Maleficent_Flan_2706@reddit

Monkey (Magic)

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CourtneyLush@reddit

The Spanish film 'La Cabina'. Turned on to watch the snooker and instead gave myself a phobia of phone boxes. Which was a bit inconvenient because you still had to use them regularly back then.

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Sad-Wrap6555@reddit

that the one with the big cave or warehouse?

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CourtneyLush@reddit

Warehouse.

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Sad-Wrap6555@reddit

aye loved that movie never did know what it was called till now

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CourtneyLush@reddit

Yeah. It's a cracking film, terrifying for a 9 year old though.

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Independent-Ad5275@reddit

The Raccoons

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whizzdome@reddit

Singing Ringing Tree or Robinson Crusoe, can't remember which.

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SuperExstatic@reddit

Jordskott

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Foreign_Mouse6636@reddit

The Singing Ringing Tree

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OnPointTip1@reddit

Trauma inducing

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Sad-Wrap6555@reddit

to scare the kids about what we'd be landed with after a cold war invasion by East Germany

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OnPointTip1@reddit

Never considered that. Mmm fair

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Automatic_Union8147@reddit

Skippy

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white1984@reddit

Sharky & George, which although it was in English was created by France Télévision's Antenne 2.

Very catchy theme tune.

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mcwibs@reddit

Probably The Flashing Blade. I can still remember the theme song.

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Wobblybob52@reddit

Lassie

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AuroraDF@reddit

Sesame Street, the Flintstones, or, most likely Tom and Jerry, from the US. The Sullivans (an Australian soap). Battle of the Planets (Japanese/American kids show)

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SdanoG@reddit

My old grandad used to come in from his workshop for his lunch, the sullivans and emmerdale farm 1970’s

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SdanoG@reddit

Alain Delon films were first I can remember way back when late at night when we only had 3 or 4 channels

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Zxxzzzzx@reddit

Round the twist

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Vast_Accountant_2807@reddit

Now I have the theme in my head.

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DoIKnowYouHuman@reddit

Have you ever, ever felt like this?

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Consistent-Dance5461@reddit

When strange things happen

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Jixxie87@reddit

God that's brought back memories, completely forgot about that show

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DrKnackerator@reddit

the bbc used to put on loads of weird eastern european animations

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Slight-Brush@reddit

I hadn't realised how many of my BBC favourites were French-Japanese joint projects.

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DrKnackerator@reddit

thats a weird combo lol.

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Slight-Brush@reddit

Belle and Sebastian, Mysterious Cities of Gold, Dogtanian, Ulysses 31, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors.

I was as surprised as you when I found out.

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Dic_Penderyn@reddit

Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny, Wil E. Coyote, Donald Duck etc

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BlackJackKetchum@reddit

The Flashing Blade, the Aeronauts (?) and Belle & Sebastian all spring to mind. Plus all the MGM, Warner and Hanna Barbera cartoons.

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tykeoldboy@reddit

I remember watching Batman in the 1960's

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ketamineandkebabs@reddit

Monkey or a weird German one that used to be on the BBC back in the day Timm Thaler the boy who lost his laugh

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AppearanceAwkward364@reddit

Probably the Singing Ringing Tree.

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GalwayGirlOnTheRun23@reddit

Sesame Street.

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Specialist_You346@reddit

Champion the Wonder Horse

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DoctorWhofan789eywim@reddit

It was probably The Wiggles. Big Red Car is still a bop.

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I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS@reddit

I thought it would be Thunderbirds since most of the characters have American accents, but apparently it's still a British show. I remember there was an Australian show, don't know the name, but the theme song went something like 'Genie, genie, from down under...' so probably that.

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OnPointTip1@reddit

Storybook International

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user-74656@reddit

Flipper

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CBWeather@reddit (OP)

Now you've reminded me of Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and the abysmal Lassie.

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AesirOmega@reddit

Probably the Pokemon anime. Had no idea it was Japanese at the time of course.

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Puzzled-Horse279@reddit

Probably the X-Men or Spiderman cartoon (American)

If counting live action only then maybe when I used to see Home and Away on TV (Australian)