The saddest thing for me about what seems to be happening to kids’ programming on ITV is that it’s become about all about money and not about the most important percentage of our population - children.
I play Sophie in Granada Kids’ 8-year running, multi award-winning My Parents Are Aliens. I come into contact every day with people who watch the show and who love it. Not just children but adults too - singles and couples who don’t have kids and young adults who’ve grown up watching it. The comment I hear most from all age-groups is that it’s what real families are like. The programme has a great premise - parents don’t understand their kids and kids don’t understand their parents, so they might as well be from different planets. This programme that I’m so proud to have been a part of has such a wide appeal. A comedy drama which is watched by families. Often at the same time. That’s a rare thing for a show which isn’t a reality show. A shared drama television-watching experience.I honestly believe that it shouldn’t just be left to the BBC to produce home-grown, culturally recognisable character and story dramas and comedies specifically created for younger audiences. Granada Kids have produced a show which is entertaining for both children and adults. All ages find it sophisticated, funny and, although it’s never proselytising, educational and enlightening in many ways. Unfortunately it seems the broadcasters can’t make enough money from advertising revenue during kids’ programmes’ commercial breaks. I understand that TV companies have to make money but I truly believe that the way things are going, our future adult audiences will have no interest in creativity, in using their imaginations, in understanding characters and stories or have any interest whatsoever in their own artistic culture. If all they are brought up on is reality TV, where will the next generation of storytellers and artists come from?The advertising ban on junk-food is being cited as a reason for lost revenue by the broadcaster. Whilst I agree that junk-food is a bad thing, and it seems we live in a society which needs no encouragement to consume it, I feel it is also the responsibility of adults to feed their kids good food. Take the junk-food advertising away if you have to but don’t take away quality programming along with it. If we feed children and adults nothing but junk TV, how can we expect them to have healthy and creative hearts and minds
Carla Mendonca has a long list of television and radio comedy shows in her credits but her most recent roles are Sophie Johnson in My Parents Are Aliens for the last 6 years. She has also played the wife of the PM in the BBC1 sitcom My Dad’s The Prime Minister
