Creator of children’s favourite Rainbow
Pamela Lonsdale TV producer BORN MAY 3, 1924 - DIED OCTOBER 16, 2018 AGED 94
PRODUCER Pamela Lonsdale created one of Britain’s most-loved children’s television shows, Rainbow, which ran for 20 years.
Aimed at preschool children, Rainbow was the British rival to American series Sesame Street and more than 1,000 episodes were aired before it was axed in 1992.
Born in Pinner, Middlesex, Lonsdale was the daughter of Nathan, an insurance clerk, and Stella, a milliner. Her father passed away when she was just 11 years old and Lonsdale moved with her mother to Wallasey, Wirral.
During the Second World War, Lonsdale served with the Women’s Royal Naval Service. However, her passion for acting was ignited when she became involved in their productions.
From there she moved into repertory theatre, working as an assistant stage manager.
After doing a few acting jobs, Lonsdale eventually moved to London and worked as a stage manager in West End theatre.
It was there that she met producer Reginald Collin in 1955. The pair married five years later.
Lonsdale moved into television, working as a production assistant for the ITV company ABC. She was soon promoted to director and in 1963 began making episodes for the arts programme Tempo, which was produced by her husband.
In 1972 Lonsdale created Rainbow and went on to produce the show’s first nine series.
It was an immediate hit with children, loved for its flamboyant and sometimes unruly characters Zippy, George and Bungle the bear, as well as its presenters, David Cook and Geoffrey Hayes.
In 1975 Lonsdale’s contribution to television was recognised when she won the Society of Film and Television Arts Television award for best children’s programme.
When the show lost its franchise after a change in management, several attempts were made to revive it, but it failed to attract the high ratings it had before.
Lonsdale worked on numerous other children’s television series including The Boy Merlin in 1979 and The Latchkey Children in 1980.
Before retiring in 1991, she made several pictures for the Children’s Film Unit.
She died after a short illness. Her husband predeceased her in 2011.