In 1972, the makers of the long-running children's television series "Jackanory" started to develop new story-telling format. Whereas "Jackanory" had been a simple 15-minute reading of a story, designed to encourage children themselves to read, the new "Jackanory Playhouse" would be a full-cast anthology series dramatizing traditional folk tales. The producers of "Playhouse", however, quickly made an exception for noted British children's author, Helen Cresswell. She was commissioned to write a wholly original play, and delivered "Lizzie Dripping and the Orphans". It is unclear whether this was originally meant to be a pilot, but following the success of the December 1972 broadcast, a full series of "Lizzie Dripping" was ordered by the BBC.