Television artist Tony Hart, who inspired generations of children to draw during a 50-year career, died on today after a long illness, his agent said. He was 83.

Some of British television's best-loved children's programmes were created by Oliver Postgate, who has died at the age of 83 at a nursing home near his home in Broadstairs, Kent.

Oliver Postgate, the creator of Bagpuss, The Clangers and a series of other classic children's television programmes, has died at the age of 83, his partner said today.

Entertainment Rights, the children's television group which owns the rights to Rupert Bear and Postman Pat, is to cut a third of its workforce as part of a rescue plan that also includes an emergency loan to see it through Christmas.

One of the highlights of the BBC's Christmas TV schedule will be A Matter of Loaf and Death, a new Wallace & Gromit film. This will mark the duo's return to the small screen after what turned out to be a fairly mixed Hollywood career for their creator, Nick Park.

When a group of actresses spotted an advert looking for fresh blood for a Little Britain-style comedy series, they jumped at the chance to audition. Little did the performers know they would find themselves in a casting session for pornographic films.

Via the music site Idolator comes a compilation video someone has made consisting of "bizarre indie cameos" on an old American kids tv show, The Adventures of Pete & Pete. See how many you can spot (they're not all music related mind you).

“What next? Polly puts the jackboots on?” the Daily Mail’s Richard Littlejohn baits the Guardian’s Polly Toynbee for sympathising with Max Mosley over media intrusion.

Former Play School presenter Floella Benjamin has criticised the state of children's television - and said TVs should be banned from their bedrooms.

ITV could be allowed to slash regional programming, including news, under proposals from Ofcom published today.

Gay rights supporters have been urged to boycott Heinz products, after the company dropped a mayonnaise advertisement that showed two men kissing.

Take one openly gay former Blue Peter presenter, dress him up in drag, add sexually explicit content and light lampooning of his former employers' obsession with their squeaky clean image, and you have a show that is definitely one for after the watershed.