Television series
The Herbs
- Fairy tale
- Light-hearted
- Dip in and out
A 1968 BBC stop-motion series about a herb garden's animated inhabitants, each episode a gentle 15-minute story. Created by Michael Bond with Ivor Wood's inventive puppet animation, it's charming and deliberately paced—the kind of thing children can actually watch without overstimulation. For anyone nostalgic about pre-digital children's television or curious about animation's handmade roots.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you love slow, handmade stop-motion worlds where small domestic doings feel like big events, and you don't mind a gentle story that takes its time to say very little.
Skip it if you want plot, stakes or anything grown-up to hang on to; at fifteen minutes an episode with little happening, it can feel thin past the nursery years.
What it asks of you: Patience with a slow, quiet rhythm: each short episode unfolds at the pace of a small child's afternoon, with sparing dialogue and the animation doing most of the talking.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Bagpuss1974
Stop-motion storytelling for children with genuine wit and warmth. Oliver Postgate's scripts have layers adults enjoy; the animation is handmade and tactile in ways that linger. Essential viewing for anyone discovering this era.
But Only 13 episodes exist. Once you've watched them all, the hunger for more doesn't quite fade, and few things scratch that itch.
The Wombles1973
Charming stop-motion series about creatures tidying Wimbledon Common. Like The Herbs, it's gentle, inventive, and made by FilmFair with Ivor Wood directing. The same sensibility, just slightly later and slightly cheekier.
But The episodic structure means plots are thin by design. If you need narrative momentum, you'll find it lacking.
Clangers1969
Another Postgate-Wood collaboration: alien creatures living on a planet, communicating in whistles. Surreal without being unsettling, imaginative without being loud. Pure visual storytelling for children who like oddness.
But The whistle language and minimal dialogue demand patience. Some find it too abstract or slow, even by gentle-television standards.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Herbs
More like this (3)
Ivor the Engine1975
A Welsh valley, a sentient engine, stories about work and friendship. Narrated with extraordinary care by Peter Hawkins. The animation is cruder than The Herbs, but the writing and voice work are immaculate.
But Very slow and deliberately repetitive—the point is ritual and comfort rather than novelty. That's a feature, not a bug, but it won't suit everyone.
Paddington2014
Michael Bond's creation finally captures what made the books work: gentle humor, kindness without sentimentality, and a protagonist learning the world. Gorgeously shot and genuinely funny for all ages.
But It's live-action family comedy, which can feel saccharine. The tone is calculated to please, which works against any real stakes or edge.
The Magic Roundabout1965
Animated stories in a whimsical, slightly surreal world. Broadcast in the same BBC children's slot during the same era. The humor works for adults, but it's aimed squarely at young children.
But The French original (Manège Enchanté) is vastly different from the British version. The British narration by Eric Thompson is beloved but not universal.
People
Writing
- Michael BondCreator