Look and Read

Did You Know?

• The programme was devised from 1964 by radio producer Claire Chovil, educated at Roedean, and assistant Joyce Morris.
• By 1982, Clare was head of BBC radio schools broadcasting, and awarded the OBE in the 1988 Birthday Honours.
• Claire Chovil died on January 14 2008 aged 78.

Programme format

The first Look and Read story, "Bob and Carol Look for Treasure", was broadcast in the spring of 1967, originally produced for the series Merry-Go-Round. This serial established the format that the programme would follow for many years: each episode's story was divided into two instalments with an educational section in the middle to teach children relevant material. Teachers received story books, or "pupil pamphlets", for each serial, containing the story along with exercises and games for pupils. The plots were written to appeal to children, initially inspired by adventure serials, and often featured puzzles that characters solved using reading skills, a feature mirrored in the pupil materials. Each serial used a limited vocabulary, with keywords paced through the piece a certain number of times to give them particular relevance. Alphakids were mostly used when words appeared. During the 1970s, the programme introduced new elements for a new generation, including popular educational songs that remained into the 1990s and the character Wordy. In the 1980s and early 1990s, plots began to incorporate contemporary issues such as pollution. Towards the late 1990s, the programme moved away from some past elements, in some cases removing songs and combining teaching elements with the story segment. Producers also began using the internet as a teaching aid through a dedicated website, though the BBC later removed these sites due to dwindling use, to the dismay of some teachers.