Race on to be children's favourite

Theakston runs through the top 100 with the Rainbow trio

Rainbow characters George, Bungle and Zippy are to do battle with a host of other TV favourites in a contest to decide the best children's TV show.

Channel 4 is to list the results of a public poll to find the 100 greatest children's TV shows on Bank Holiday Monday.

Former Live and Kicking presenter Jamie Theakston will present the show, aided by the Rainbow trio.

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Channel 4 has said the top 100 includes both classic and contemporary programmes - although it is not revealing the placings until the night.

Seventies sci-fi drama The Tomorrow People has made it in to the top 100, as has cartoon caper Hong Kong Phooey and present -day hit SM:TV Live.

Secrets

Viewers will be taken back down memory lane with clips from the children's TV shows.

But they will also hear some behind-the-scenes secrets.

Jamie Theakston meets Pipkins star Hartley Hare

Rick Jones, who presented and operated the puppets on Fingerbobs, comes clean about having "drowned" the mouse.

"We'd done the last shot of the second series and I didn't want there to be a third series believe me - two years under that table was enough," says Jones.

"I conspired with the cameraman to keep the camera rolling. I took the mouse and dumped him in my cold cup of coffee - and drowned him."

Bob the Builder narrator Neil Morrissey has his own story.

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He says: "It tends to freak kids out when their parents go, 'Look, there's Bob the Builder'.

"You can see some four-year old looking at me just going, 'No way is that Bob the Builder!'"

The 100 Greatest Kids TV Shows goes out at 2000 on Channel 4 on 27 August.