About this season
Let's Pretend was a 1980s children's television series aimed at preschool ages. It was shown across the ITV Network at 12.10 on Tuesdays, then later Mondays, replacing the popular Pipkins which had been cancelled at the end of 1981. Like its predecessor, each edition was fifteen minutes long, and the programme was produced using many of Pipkins' personnel such as puppeteer Nigel Plaskitt and producer Michael Jeans. Each week the presenters would find a number of ordinary household items and contrive to produce a short story featuring them all. The first programme, "The Story Of The Broken Puppet", was shown on Tuesday 5 January 1982 by Central Television. The show aired weekly until 1988. The show's original opening titles featured items moving along a conveyor belt into the mouth of a large plastic whale, and later a puppet caterpillar moving along the screen.
Episodes (34)
1. A Dog's Life
Aired 6 October 1986
2. The Magic Bucket
Aired 13 October 1986
3. The Man Who Had a Round Day
Aired 20 October 1986
4. The Car Who Couldn't Keep Warm
Aired 27 October 1986
5. The Man Who Needed New Clothes
Aired 3 November 1986
6. The Huffing Puffing Wind
Aired 10 November 1986
7. The Everything Box
Aired 17 November 1986
8. The Sensitive Robot
Aired 24 November 1986
9. The Brothers Who Missed their Bus Every Day
Aired 1 December 1986
10. The Animal Doctor
Aired 8 December 1986
11. Spot the Ladybird
Aired 15 December 1986
12. The Duck Who Thought He Couldn't Swim
Aired 5 January 1987
13. The Sandwich Maker and the Baker
Aired 12 January 1987
14. Madame Salami
Aired 19 January 1987
15. The Bridge That was Too Rickety to Cross
Aired 26 January 1987
16. The Ball that Lost its Bounce
Aired 2 February 1987
17. The Lighthouse with Wet Feet
Aired 9 February 1987
18. The Budgie
Aired 16 February 1987
19. The Singer Who Tried to Disguise Himself
Aired 23 February 1987
20. The Bus Who Wanted to Go Her Own Way
Aired 2 March 1987
21. Robin Hood
Aired 9 March 1987
22. The Scaredy Cat
Aired 16 March 1987
23. The Man Who Tried to Hide... and Couldn't
Aired 23 March 1987
24. The Thirsty Sponge
Aired 30 March 1987
25. The Repeat Box
Aired 6 April 1987
26. The Unfriendly Friend
Aired 13 April 1987
27. Broomhilda
Aired 27 April 1987
28. The Elephant Who Couldn't Remember
Aired 11 May 1987
29. You Never Know What You Like till You've Tried It
Aired 18 May 1987
30. The Treasure Hunt
Aired 1 June 1987
31. The New Shop Window
Aired 8 June 1987
32. Is Bigger Better?
Aired 15 June 1987
33. The Bear Who Loved Honey
Aired 22 June 1987
34. Monty the Magnet
Aired 29 June 1987