Cosmo and Dibs

Cosmo and Dibs were puppet characters on You and Me, a pre-school programme made by the BBC Schools Department from 1981 to 1992. The programmes consisted of various segments intended to educate and entertain young children and included elements for early literacy and numeracy. It was based originally on a market stall where Cosmo and Dibs helped various human presenters in their daily tasks.

Cosmo and Dibs were played by Frances Kay and Francis Wright who puppeteered and VOICED the characters throughout the series. The puppets were made by Muppet-maker and performer Tim Rose, and the scripts were written by members of the production team and cast.

Presenters

The presenters who appeared were cast from a diverse range of age-groups and social and ethnic backgrounds. They included Jeni Barnett, Charubala Chokshi, Harry Towb, Michael Balfour, Larrington Walker, Liz Smith, Gary Wilmot, Annette Badland, Sheila Chitnis, Mike Grady, Isabelle Lucas, Michael Snelders, Maggie Ollerenshaw, Bharti Patel, Indira Joshi, Yasmin Pettigrew and Bill Owen. Clive Mason also joined the cast for programmes relevant to the deaf community.

Structure

The series was influenced by the American series Sesame Street and the research done by The Childrens' Television Workshop. It also took guidance from the analysis of children's needs in The Warnock Report, 1978. It aimed therefore, in the jargon of the time, to be very much a "child-centred series" with an emphasis on a child's independence, enjoyment, and understanding. Emotional and social education were held to be as important as more traditional school skills. Relationships with the presenters, who were surrogate parents and carers, were seen as central. There was an assumption that most children watching would be in the company of an adult.

Each programme featured a four-minute sketch with Cosmo and Dibs on an area of child interest: sharing, eating, arguing, bullying, sleeping, bereavement, dressing up, being silly, having a row, make-believe, making poetry – there were no limits, as long as the sketch was considered relevant and useful to the target audience. The scripts aimed to inform, educate and entertain and see the world from a child’s point of view. Explicitly the aim was not to patronise. A successful group of sketches dealing with ‘Safety’ included the subject of child abuse, unusual in a series for this age group. It was welcomed by the charity, Kidscape, and featured on the national news.

Songs and stories were always included, with an emphasis on cultural diversity – You and Me was one of the few programmes at the time to do this.

Short documentary films covered a wealth of subjects from farming to the Notting Hill Carnival. Henry the Kangaroo – with his catchphrase ‘I’m looking for the words in my book again’ - introduced simple social sight words (Stop, Go, Bus, Train, Station, etc.) to Ellie and her Dad and the audience.

This version of You and Me took over from an earlier series which featured Crow and Alice as the central puppets. Duncan the Dragon and Herbert the Handyman, Mr Bits-and-Pieces also had central roles. The series with Cosmo and Dibs retained little except the title, and the words of the title song:

You and me, me and you,

Lots and lots for you to do,

Lots and lots for you to see,

Me and you, you and me …

The tune for the opening music was similar but was re-recorded by reggae/ska group UB40. The old images of swivelling building blocks were replaced by an animated line of children dancing.

Production team

The first producer in the format with Cosmo and Dibs was Richard Callanan who remained with the show for three series, leaving to join schools' television at Thames TV. His place was taken by Nicci Crowther, who later developed a career as an independent producer and film maker, until her early death in 2008. Sue Aron, Adrian Mills, Diane Morgan, Pat Farrington, Julie Callanan and Cas Lester were among the regular producers and directors. Jill Wilson, Noreen Hunter and Hilary Hardaker were the regular production assistants.

The set, based on a street market in London’s Shepherd’s Bush, evolved steadily over the years under different designers: Mark Savant, Rosemary Hester, David Bevin and Rory Mitchell were among those who brought the market stalls to life.

Robert Checksfield was the studio Floor Manager who most frequently worked on the show. Assistant Floor Managers included Wendy Pedley, Garry Boon, Simone Dawson, Terry Pettigrew, Sally Bates, Christine Crow and Donna Rolfe.

The first series of twenty programmes was begun at the BBC’s Lime Grove Studios, part of which overlooked Shepherd’s Bush Market. It was completed at BBC Television Centre in Wood Lane, which became the show’s regular home for all but the last series.

Additional puppet characters joined Cosmo and Dibs for the final two seasons, and the street market disappeared in favour of a brightly-coloured domestic setting.

In 1992, an independent production company, SFTV, took over and the final series of You and Me was produced by Sheila Fraser.