Bod recreated for a new generation of fans

Bod, the book character that became one of the most popular shows on children's television in the Seventies, has been brought back to life by its creator's children in a tribute to their parents.

Michael Cole, who devised the series and accompanying books, was commissioned to resurrect Bod 25 years after the character last appeared. But Mr Cole, who was also responsible for the Fingerbobs children's TV programmes, was diagnosed with liver cancer and died only two months after receiving the commission last year.

Now, two of his grown-up children – Alison and her brother Lo – have written and illustrated the new Bod book, which is published this week. And they are in negotiations to put the character back on to television screens. In a recent survey on children's TV, conducted with Independent readers and viewers of Channel 4, Bod was cited as one of the all-time favourite characters.

The TV series, which still sells well on video and DVD, was narrated by John Le Mesurier and combined a simple charm with surreal elements. Typically, Bod would fall down a hole and discover a giant bowl of strawberries and cream, or throw an apple in the air that, mysteriously, didn't come straight down again.

Bod started life in a series of 1960s books written by Michael Cole and illustrated by his wife, Joanne, who died 16 years ago. The pocket-sized books, about "the bald kid in a yellow dress" as a fans' website refers to him, were written and illustrated for Alison and Lo, the couple's first two children. The BBC's animated series of 13 episodes followed in 1975, with more Bod books.

Alison Cole is an executive with the National Art Collections Fund and was one of the organisers of the campaign for free admission to museums. She has written the new book Bod's Way – The Meaning of Life. Her brother Lo, who has illustrated it, is a graphic artist.

Their book continues to show Bod as a Taoist – the basis of their parents' beliefs. In the new book, Bod wrestles with the meaning of life and postulates maxims or "Bods and Sods" as he terms them, such as: "Never let your footprints get ahead of you."

Taoism is a Chinese philosophy teaching action in conformity with nature. Alison Cole described it as "going with the flow". One page says: "Once he dreamt he was a butterfly, hovering from flower to flower. When he awoke, he wasn't sure whether he was a Bod dreaming he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was a Bod. Was he a bodderfly, or a flutterbod?"

Alison Cole said yesterday: "My brother and I had never worked together before. But, for us and our siblings, the book became a personal labour of love." The book carries the dedication: "For mum and dad, who showed us the way."