221 On The Move

First  watched  : Autumn  1975

Although  I  didn't  need  any  help  with  literacy, I  remember  the  theme  tune  ( which  I  recently   learned  was  by  The  Dooleys )  so  I  must  have  seen  some  of  it. Mind  you,  it  was  difficult  to  avoid; the  ten  minute  programmes  popped  up  all  over  the  schedules  like  a  virus. It  was  part  of  the   Labour  government's  adult  literacy  drive  and  was  credited  with  some  effect. It's  most  remembered  as  giving   a  breakthrough  role  to  the  young  and  still  relatively  hirsute  Bob  Hoskins  as   Alf   the  van  driving  Everyman  learning  to  read  and  write.  Martin  Shaw, Patricia  Hayes  and  a  number  of  other  actors  also  took  part. Some  of  it  inevitably  brought  to  mind  Sesame  Street   but  you  couldn't  really  knock  it. It  was  written  by  Barry  Took  and  lasted  for  about  a  year.