Tony Hart: Vision On, Morph, Hartbeat and more

Born in 1925, Hart trained at Maidstone College of Art and then worked as an artist. He got his break in television in 1952 after impressing a BBC producer with his drawings, and he was given a contract to appear as an illustrator on Saturday Special. It was the start of a long and fruitful relationship: he appeared in up to three TV series every year for the next 50 years Photograph: Mike Alsford/Rex Features

Vision On launched in 1964, and was unique as the show was designed for both hearing and deaf children. During the show Hart would make pictures of varying sizes and media and encouraged children to submit their own paintings to the gallery. Successful contributions were displayed to the instantly recognisable theme, Left Bank Two by the Lance Gambit Trio. Hart is pictured here with Pat Keysell in 1969 Photograph: BBC

Hart pictured in 1972 with Keysell and Ben Benison, as inventor Will Lunn (right) demonstrates one of his latest creations. Lunn made weekly appearances on the show, while Benison and Sylvester McCoy (who later played Doctor Who) specialised in mime. The Vision On logo sits on top of Lunn's invention; the creature was called 'Grog' because the team were not sure if it more resembled a grasshopper or a frog Photograph: BBC

The show featured an imaginative blend of serious items and silly sketches by the team. It was a hit with children and the industry alike: it won the Bafta award for specialised programmes and international Prix Jeunesse Photograph: BBC

Producer Patrick Dowling found it increasingly difficult to find new ideas for Vision On and decided to close it in 1976 while it was still successful. However, the pair soon launched a new series, Take Hart, which retained dome features of Vision On such as the gallery Photograph: BBC/PA

Take Hart featured small-scale, try-at-home ideas but also saw Hart creating large-scale artworks on the studio floor. The show won Hart a Bafta in 1984 Photograph: BBC

Animated plasticine character Morph soon became a star of Take Hart. Produced by Aardman Animations, later famous for Wallace and Gromit, Morph appeared in one-minute 'shorts' throughout the show. He lived in a wooden pencil box, and was joined by the cream-coloured Chas in later shows Photograph: BBC

In 1982, Morph was given a Blue Peter badge - a highly appropriate move since Hart had designed the show's logo. Morph is pictured here with Blue Peter's Sarah Greene and Peter Lord, who animated, scripted and directed the Morph clips with David Sproxton. Two years later, Take Hart came to an end, to be replaced by the equally popular Hartbeat from 1985 to 1994 Photograph: BBC/BBC

Hart and Morph remained fixtures on BBC children's TV throughout the 1990s with shows such as Tony Hart's Artbox Bunch, Morph TV with Tony Hart and On Your Marks, and he won a Bafta lifetime achievement award in 1998. Here he is pictured with Kirsten O'Brien on Smart Hart in 2000 Photograph: Barry Boxall/BBC

In his later years, Hart wrote of his frustration at becoming unable to draw due to bad health, but said he found consolation in letters from his fans. He wrote: 'My aged heart is warmed by the lovely letters and emails I receive, especially when they tell me that my work on television inspired the writers to become artists, sometimes very successful ones.' Photograph: Jonathan Banks/Rex Features