If you were watching television in the 1970s and 80s, you might find a strange type of film cutting across your regular programming. This was a public information film produced by a government department called the Central Office of Information. The aim was to educate the public, especially children, about the modern world’s dangers. These informative films would be released in schools and played during afternoon children’s television slots. What they did achieve was create some mind-numbingly scary shorts and longer films that have stuck in the mind of a generation of people who saw them.
The department seems to have taken the view that children need to be shown the full extent of what could happen if they climbed Pylons, played on farms (the infamous Apaches), went with strangers (the Charley says series) or with fireworks. These longer films were then shown in primary schools with the 2-to-3-minute short broadcast between children’s schools and television programs. In each case, a solemn BBC announcer would say, “That was a public information film, produced on behalf of the Government”. Presumably, this was done so that people would know who to complain to after they’d consoled their traumatised child. The BBC certainly didn’t want to get the letters.
Other areas of Government were so impressed that they too decided to make information films. This created some of the most disturbing and unusual films. One about drills and eye protection was withdrawn because it was so graphic it made people faint. Another famous example regularly shown to under 9s in school was “The Finishing line”. This follows the imagination of a small boy as he wonders what it would be like to have a school sports day literally on the local railway track.
Some of the most effective were based on water and getting children and people to swim in local pools. It’s why you should look to use Mansfield Children’s swimming Lessons, swim.co.uk/baby/venues/mansfield, to get them a good start. The films focused on the dangers of swimming in open water rather than in a registered pool or sports centre. A mysterious hooded figure watches the children play near the water. To make matters worse, it’s even voiced by the celebrated horror character actor Donald Pleasance.
As televisions changed, there was less film space, and the Central Office for Information was closed in 2011. Its impact is still felt today in art and culture.