Andy Pandy and Ben', all having a similar format-filmed marionettes, there was also an animated drawn character called 'Busy Lizzy' incorporated into the "Picture book" series. All the filmed black and white 1950s original transmissions were narrated by Maria Bird, who was to become a co-producer, with Freda Lingstrom, who worked for the BBC. Bird was a prolific writer of books for the very young, notably Andy Pandy, but it was for her distinct BBC English" enunciation that she is best remembered. A marionette who lived in a picnic basket, Andy was later joined by Teddy, a teddy bear, and Looby Loo,
History of British animation time for its explicitly political content and more adult-oriented tone. Future animation production in the UK would likewise maintain a generally darker tone than U.S.-based productions. The popularisation of television broadcasting in the UK during the 1950s would bring with it both new avenues for animation production as well as a shift in the demographic orientation of animation to the realms of children's programming. 1950 itself would see the premier of the long-running children's TV series "Watch with Mother" (1950–74) which would not include animation per se, but would feature several puppet-based segments (such as "Andy Pandy" and "Flower Pot