Who remembers Tricky Business - a long forgotten BBC kids' comedy

In the past few years, many British kids' TV series from the 1970s and 1980s have gained "cult" status, such as Bagpuss, Jamie and The Magic Torch, Button Moon and The Flumps. Another programme that has gained the same "Retro" and "Cult" status is the long-running BBC kids' comedy Rentaghost, which ran for nearly 9 years - quite an achievement, even though the later episodes were childish kids' pantomimes full of immature slapstick!

However, anything from the mid-80s onwards, despite how good the programmes of the later 80s and early 90s might have been, is never remembered in the same way or with the same kind of nostalgia. This is a real pity, as some excellent kids' series were produced by both the BBC and ITV during this time.

One series that was one of my favourites was Tricky Business, which was shown on BBC 1 with the first series in 1989. The series featured a magic shop ran by a Mr and Mrs Breeze and also featured a pupet Rabbit called Crabtree who was able to make himself disappear. A number of child actors appeared in the series, one was a then unknown Patsy (EastEnders' Bianca Jackson) Palmer, another character was a bad magician called Wally Cadwalader who could never perfect his tricks. I consider Tricky Business to be a much superior series than Rentaghost, the humour was much more grown-up than the pantomime-style of later Rentaghost episodes.

I was excited when Tricky Business returned in the Spring of 1990. But to my surprise Mr and Mrs Breeze and Wally had left and a new group of kids were now at the shop, which was now run by Woody and Tricky Mickie. But Crabtree Rabbit was still there and despite the cast changes, the series was still very funny, one episode featured a scene where one of the kids had accidentally left a Whoopee Cushion on a chair on which Mr Sadd, the miserable undertaker from next door happened to sit on!

After Series 2 had finished, I guessed Tricky Business would be back the following year and I was right. I can clearly remember the afternoon in the Spring of 1991 when I had not long come home from Primary School, looking forward to seeing more fun from the magic shop with Crabtree Rabbit, Woody and Trcky Mickie. As Children's BBC presenter Andi Peters announced the start of a new series of Tricky Business, I stared at the screen in anticipation. But...what the hell...an unfamiliar theme song began with scenes of Ostrich-riding comedian Bernie Clifton trying to perform magic!!!??? What had they done to one of my favourite shows? It was like another programme with the Tricky Business name. I was so disappointed and another series wasn't made. It really WAS a totally different programme, why change the format to such a great extent that it no longer resembles the original???

I wonder how many people can remember Tricky Business and other classic shows of this era, such as Round The Bend (with Doc Croc and his sewer rats), Uncle Jack and Operation Green (and its sequels) and Dizzy Heights? British Kids TV from this era should be remembered with as much nostalgia as the series from the period of the "cult" shows.

The website for Hands Up Puppets, www.handsuppuppets.com, features images from Series 2 of Tricky Business and some really good photos of Crabtree the Magic Rabbit as well as information from Crabtree's pupetteer and voice, Marcus Clarke.