There is a rich tapestry of kids’ TV shows (Crocs, Clangers and custard-eating aliens: the 50 greatest ever children’s TV shows, 31 July), but as a support foster carer of two preschool children, I was surprised that Patchwork Pals did not make your shortlist. This German classic (Meine Schmusedecke) tells the stories of animal friends living on a patchwork blanket. Watching the pals work together to solve life’s little problems with kindness and humour, paired with a drink and a snack, is the perfect way to end the day. Just watch out for the hungry fox!
Stephen Hancock
Sheffield
• A double spread of amazing programmes for all the family, and yet no mention of Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin’s Ivor the Engine, with its hand-painted sets and cardboard models. The green engine who lived in “the top left-hand corner of Wales” chugged into our lives in 1959 and remains there.
Angus MacIntosh
Burley in Wharfedale, West Yorkshire
• Your description of The Clangers as being for 0 to fives is wrong. My friends and I were in the sixth form in 1969 and we watched it avidly.
Terry Maunder
Leeds
• You’ve missed one of the greats: Mr Benn, who taught us that even the most unassuming among us could lead fabulous, fantastical lives.
Liz Leek
Nottingham
• In France, Dougal in The Magic Roundabout is called Pollux and when we lived there in the 1970s our toddler son loved the programme and his little toy skye terrier (Letters, 31 July). Imagine the look on people’s faces, after we returned to England, when they asked what his cuddly friend was called.
Marilyn Rowley
Manchester
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