Freda Lingstrom

Who was Freda Lingstrom?

Freda Violet Lingstrom OBE was a BBC Television producer and executive, responsible for pioneering children's programmes in the early 1950s. She was born in Chelsea, London, the daughter of George Lingstrom, a copperplate engraver, and Alice Clarey Anniss. Her paternal grandparents were Swedish. She attended the Central School of Arts and Crafts and became an artist, and had a one-woman show in 1936. She also wrote two novels, and a book, This is Norway, about the culture and history of that country.

Her skills as an artist, illustrator and author led to her joining the editorial staff of a children's magazine, Junior, where she worked from 1945 until 1949. She joined the BBC in 1950 as Assistant Head of BBC Schools Broadcasting, in which role she created the lunchtime programme Listen with Mother. Soon afterwards she moved to television, and created Andy Pandy and she was appointed Head of BBC Children's Television in 1951, and the following year introduced Watch with Mother for pre-school children and eventually created a different programme for each weekday with The Flower Pot Men, Picture Book, The Woodentops, and Rag, Tag and Bobtail.