My parents got a TV circa 1956, after my uncle had got one for all the family to watch the royal wedding. Our TV could get BBC and ITV. Nanna's got only BBC.
There was Watch with Mother that I watched with my mother and smaller siblings. It varied every day, sometimes being Andy Pandy, sometimes Bill & Ben the flower pot men. I liked the Wooden Tops. Picture book was a bit boring - I think the reader talked down a bit to us.
We were allowed to watch children's television, which was before six o'clock, so I'd be sure not to dawdle back from school (then I was a big girl and didn't need collecting and an escort, and Mum had three smaller siblings to mind so wouldn't have come to fetch me). The offerings I remember were Ivanhoe, or The Lone Ranger, or Robin Hood, or Lassie. And Crackerjack. Crackerjack had a presenter with a name I'd not come across before - Eamonn - and he had a lovely velvety voice. When I was older, Blue Peter was fun.
Getting into teenage years, I heard at school what my friends were watching and came home to ask to watch them. Dr Who was on after six o'clock so that required a bit of discussion to persuade Mum we be allowed to watch it. It had William Hartnell as the Doctor and an unmemorable female minion - the culture of the time. And then the Daleks were so scary! I pretended not to be scared but smallest brother would hide behind the sofa and peek out.
When we got nearer taking GCEs, Mum cut TV watching down, particularly worriying about its propensity to distract my brother as he also approached his exams. We couldn't watch on weekdays. I never watched regularly again.
