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video: BBC tribute

To successive generations of children Tony Hart provided a vital introduction to artistic appreciation and awareness. As the host of several longrunning television series devoted to painting and crafts he demonstrated his own considerable skills as a draughtsman to great effect. In turn he aimed to inspire those who might not otherwise have been inclined to mine their creative streaks to do so as well. But the scope of his influence went beyond the easel. Hart was a lateral thinker of the old school, and in order to engage restless minds he cannibalised every available material — from empty cereal packets and milk bottle tops to sea shells, glass, wire and metals — to make art an accessible medium whether you lived in a council flat or otherwise. Developing the imaginations of children was his goal. His motto, “Show them, don’t tell them”, is testament to this.

Tony Hart was born at Maidstone, Kent, in 1925. His father worked in local government and used his spare time to paint. His mother’s hobbies included singing. From a young age he attended All Saints Resident Choir School, Margaret Street, Westminster, which had Dickensian attitudes and where beatings were given on Sundays. The headmaster would ring out offenders’ names in Morse code. Art was Hart’s best subject at school and he grew up with a pencil in his hand — his mother used to save up all her used envelopes for him to draw “tick-tocks” or clock-like shapes when he was very young.

In 1944, at 17, having completed his education at Clayesmore in Dorset, Hart went to India to train for a commission with the 1st Gurkha Rifles. Here he learnt to decapitate a goat. He also took advantage of his base being near a Madras art school, and spent much of his free time honing his drawing skills there. The varied colours and sights of the country appealed to him enormously. When India was granted independence in 1948 he returned to London.

Hart decided to become a professional artist. After graduating from Maidstone College of Art, where he specialised in graphics, he worked briefly in the display department of the West End store Peter Robinson before becoming a freelance artist. Life was a struggle, and he sometimes had to resort to painting murals on restaurant walls in return for food. But luck was on his side one evening in 1952 when he attended a party at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He was introduced to a BBC television producer who agreed to audition him.

At their subsequent meeting Hart drew him, upon request, a picture of a fish standing on its tail with bubbles coming out of its mouth. He used a napkin as a canvas, rather than paper, because it was the only thing available. The producer was so struck by its quality and the speed of Hart’s hand that he was hired immediately to work on Saturday Special. As a result he contributed to several other children’s programmes, including Studio E and Titch & Quackers. Most notably, though, he designed the logo which was used on the Blue Peter badge. As payment he asked for a penny for each badge that was produced. He was advised against this deal on the ground that a flat fee would be more lucrative. In the event he accepted £100 and surrendered his right to future claim on the copyright.

In 1964 he was invited to appear on Vision On, a programme for deaf children. It was eventually screened all over the world, and was an excellent opportunity for Hart to develop his simple yet beguiling techniques. His “gigantics”, using football pitches and beaches as canvases, which were then shown with the aid of a camera crane, were particular favourites of his. The show ran for 13 years.

Hart was then given his own BBC series, Take Hart, in 1978. Initially he was the only person in it, but producers soon decided they wanted “something”, not “someone”, else to appear with him. David Sproxton and Peter Lord, two graduates who had already created several Plasticine characters, hit upon an idea which was accepted. Morph, an animated Plasticine character, was born. Later, Morph’s naughty friend Chas joined the show. Hart’s association with this pair was inextricable.

Take Hart, which finished in 1984, won many international awards. It also earned Hart a Bafta for the Best Children’s Educational Programme. It was succeeded by the similarly ingenious Hart Beat, which ran on the BBC until 1994. At their peaks, these programmes attracted 20,000 submissions each week from children who were keen to see their work exhibited in the Gallery, a wall of viewers’ paintings chosen by Hart.

Hart’s television career continued until 2001, with Tony Hart’s Artbox Bunch, On Your Marks, and two series of Smart Hart. He appeared in television series every year for 50 years. He also made regular appearances at fêtes, charity events and schools and enjoyed raising money for his favourite cause, the Gurkha Welfare Trust. He was proud to win a Bafta Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.

It was very much to his regret that so much modern television for children consists of cartoons. “They amuse, but do very little to stimulate,” he said in 2005.

Hart lived in Shamley Green, near Guildford, Surrey, with his wife Jean, whom he had met at the BBC while working together on Playbox. They were married in 1953. He worked often from his studio in the garden where many of the thoughts and inspirations that were needed for his annual 16-part series were born. He kept fit by taking daily Gurkha-pace jogs through the Surrey Hills. In 2003, after the death of his wife, he suffered a series of strokes which changed his life: he lost the use of his hands and was no longer able to draw or even write. He said: “Not being able to draw is the greatest cross that I have to bear, for it has been my lifetime passion.” However, he never lost the ability to inspire people with his love of art and his belief that, with a little bit of practice, anyone could draw.

He is survived by his daughter.

Tony Hart, artist and television presenter, was born on October 25, 1925. He died on January 18, 2009, aged 83