Chock-A-Block

BBC Preschool Rhymes at a Giant Yellow Machine

Forgotten TV & Film · 1981

Published 15 October 2026

Chock-A-Block used a giant yellow machine and picture blocks to bring words and rhymes to BBC preschool viewers. First scheduled in 1981 as part of See-Saw, the series put Fred Harris and Carol Leader beside physical controls, screens and blocks. Pictures led into rhyming words, songs, poems and short visual sequences, with the miniature Chockatruck adding to the workshop-like setting. The first listing introduced seven programmes with Fred Harris. Later listings confirm Carol Leader’s appearances and repeats into 1986; the title sequence is preserved in Ravensbourne’s BBC Motion Graphics Archive.

History

First scheduled in 1981 as part of See-Saw, the series put Fred Harris and Carol Leader beside physical controls, screens and blocks. Pictures led into rhyming words, songs, poems and short visual sequences, with the miniature Chockatruck adding to the workshop-like setting.

History

The first listing introduced seven programmes with Fred Harris. Later listings confirm Carol Leader’s appearances and repeats into 1986; the title sequence is preserved in Ravensbourne’s BBC Motion Graphics Archive.

Significance

The machine made a sequence of words and pictures feel physical. A presenter could choose a block, operate a control and respond to what appeared, turning learning into a visible activity rather than an abstract computer process.

That gives the programme a distinctive place in early-1980s television imagery. It borrowed the appeal of a large, approachable machine for preschool play; it was not a programming lesson or part of the BBC Computer Literacy Project.

Format and First Edition

- Scheduled on BBC One London at 13:45 on 21/05/1981, in the See-Saw strand.
- The first listing says the blocks held pictures for rhyming words.
- Peter Gosling, Mina Martinez, Mary Penley-Edwards, Nick Wilson, Michael Cole and Cynthia Felgate were credited.

People and Repeat Evidence

- Michael Cole was credited as producer, Nick Wilson as director and Cynthia Felgate as executive producer on the first documented edition.
- A 05/09/1983 repeat, “Shoe”, confirms Carol Leader appeared in the series.
- A BBC listing confirms a further repeat on 01/04/1986.

Surviving Record and Boundaries

- Ravensbourne’s BBC Motion Graphics Archive preserves the title sequence.
- Retrospective sources corroborate the giant yellow computer set, the attendants and the miniature Chockatruck.

Key facts

**Region:** United Kingdom
**Associated With:** BBC - broadcaster; Michael Cole - producer; Nick Wilson - director
**Defining Feature:** A tactile picture-block machine combining rhymes, songs, poems and short visual material
**Status:** Preserved - repeats documented through 1986; title sequence archived

Region

United Kingdom

Associated With

BBC - broadcaster; Michael Cole - producer; Nick Wilson - director

Defining Feature

A tactile picture-block machine combining rhymes, songs, poems and short visual material

Status

Preserved - repeats documented through 1986; title sequence archived

Primary Records

- **BBC Programme Index: Chock-a-Block, 21/05/1981**
- **BBC Programme Index: Chock-a-Block, 05/09/1983**
- **BBC Programme Index: Chock-a-Block, 01/04/1986**
- **Chock A Block (1981) — Ravensbourne University London, BBC Motion Graphics Archive**

Image Sources

- **Image 1**
- **Image 2**
- **Image 3**
- **Image 4**

Rights Notice

Images are included for historical and archival reference.

Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.

Gallery

A person in a white outfit and yellow hard hat drives a small yellow vehicle in front of a large yellow-and-green control machine with a screen, buttons, lights and two reel-like wheels. — Source
Credit
The Anorak Zone
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The little Chockatruck made arriving at a giant machine feel like part of the fun. Chock-A-Block turned a studio of controls and picture blocks into a preschool workshop.

Source
Credit
Ravensbourne University London
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
The title sequence gave the programme its own electronic-looking wordplay. Inside the show, words and pictures became things the presenters could choose and handle.

Source
Credit
The Anorak Zone
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
Fred Harris worked beside a machine built for visible actions: choosing blocks and operating controls led into rhymes, songs and pictures.

Source
Credit
IMDb
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
Carol Leader shared the same playful machinery. The physical blocks and controls made each new word or picture feel like something the presenter had set in motion.