The show was made by Cosgrove Hall Films and first shown on ITV during its weekday lunchtime or afternoon children's programming. 161 episodes were made which were broadcast between 1981 and 1992. Later, VHS and DVD releases edited the 5-part stories together as single episodes, to total 89 episodes. The episode order is controversial because stories were often initially transmitted some years after the rest of the season to which they theoretically belonged, often forming part of a 'repeats season'. The US Region 1 DVD releases present the episodes in the UK broadcast order.