Are you sitting comfortably? You will be, if you head down to the National Media Museum tomorrow afternoon.

The museum's TV Heaven section is taking a nostalgic journey into children's television of the 1950s, the decade which launched children's TV and defined it for generations to come.

A talk will be followed by screenings of childhood favourites such as Watch with Mother, Muffin the Mule, Sooty and Crackerjack.

Television aimed at children started to take off when the BBC went on air again after the Second World War.

In the late 1940s, television had been available to a handful of children whose families could afford a TV set, and the limited output for youngsters included Muffin the Mule - often referred to as the destroyer of radio.' But in the 1950s children's television expanded to include magazine programmes and dramas.

"Children's television in the 1950s is indicative of what was happening in broadcasting at that time," says Claire Thomas, assistant curator of television. "After the war there was no regular slot or budget for children's programmes, there were just things like the Mickey Mouse cartoon which had been on before the war.

"Things started to develop after Mary Adams, a TV producer and the BBC's head of talks, adapted Children's Hour from radio to television."

The Fifties was the decade that brought TV into ordinary homes. Many people bought sets especially for the Queen's Coronation in 1953, which attracted worldwide viewing figures of more than 82 million.

"It was thought that good quality children's television would attract people to buy sets," says Claire. "The BBC's aim to entertain, inform and educate' seemed to get the balance right for children's TV."

The launch of ITV in 1955 brought competition for the BBC, changing the face of children's TV.

"The BBC had to raise its game," says Claire. "The output started including factual programmes such as Studio E, a forerunner to Blue Peter, and live dramas, mainly adaptations of classic children's books.

There were mini versions of adult programmes, such as children's soap The Appleyards and news programmes which were early versions of shows like Newsround.

There are many programmes on now that had their roots in the Fifties. It was a key decade for trying out different approaches and aiming for new audiences.

"This was the era that led to British TV being envied around the world."

With increasingly varied demands on leisure time from games consoles and the internet, as well as all the digital TV channels, viewing figures for children's TV aren't as huge as they were 20 or 30 years ago but children's programmes remain an important part of the TV schedule.

"It is testament to the children's TV of the 1950s that children, particularly younger ones, still enjoy programmes like Andy Pandy, the Flowerpot Men and Captain Pugwash, which have all made comebacks, albeit with animation rather than puppets.

"We had a party of children in TV Heaven who loved the old black and white Sooty show. They found it hilarious because it relied more on slapstick than the later shows.

"We have a good collection of children's TV programmes in TV Heaven; they're always popular with visitors."

Tomorrow's TV Heaven talk looks at how children's TV started and developed. There will be clips from Muffin the Mule (1946); The Appleyards (1956); Captain Pugwash (1957); Adventures of Robin Hood 1955); William Tell (1957); Watch With Mother - Andy Pandy (1953), The Flower Pot Men (1952) Rag, Tag and Bobtail (1953) and The Woodentops (1955); Mr Pastry (1952); Silver Sword (1958); Crackerjack (1958); Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School (1956); and Sooty (1955).

  • Are You Sitting Comfortably? Children's Television in the 1950s is at the National Media Museum tomorrow at 2pm. For details ring 0870 7010200 or visit www.nationalmediaorganisation.org.uk/television /tvheaven