GRANGE Hill has topped a poll of 5,000 adults to find the best children's TV programme ever.

Set in a North London comprehensive and famous for its 5.10pm slot and post-watershed storylines, the programme first aired in 1978 and has now been running for a massive 30 years.

The show is, however, to be axed at the end of the year as the BBC feels it is no longer relevant or reflective of the lives of children today.

Anne Gilchrist, controller of CBBC, spoke about how much the lives of children have changed since Grange Hill first began.

"We owe it to our audience to reflect this," she said.

Phil Redmond, creator of the programme, said: "Thirty years is a nice time for it to hang up its mortar board."

His concerns are that the original point of the show has been slightly lost since the programme started to focus on children of a much younger age.

However, playground names such as Zammo Mcquire (famous for his heroin overdose in the school toilets) and Tucker Jenkins (played by Todd Carty, now 44, who went on to play Mark Fowler in Eastenders) are still remembered fondly.

Suicide, homosexuality, teenage pregnancy and drugs were among a few of the storylines that made controversial children's TV over the years.

Second place in the poll went to The Muppet Show, which brought us Miss Piggy and Kermit.

In third place came the classic American cartoon Tom and Jerry.

US cartoons seemed to dominate the poll with programmes such as Scooby Doo and The Flintstones coming way above classic British programmes like Blue Peter and The Wombles.

Industry experts showed concern that dramas like Grange Hill are dying out and being taken over by American imports.

They fear that unless ministers start making it cheaper to make the programmes, children's television is at risk of falling into terminal decline.

The Daily Echo spoke to Bournemouth-based CBeebies presenter Chris Jarvis who was also a big fan of Grange Hill as a child.

Among his favourites were traditional programmes like Rainbow, Rentaghost and Worzel Gummidge.

"Everyone thinks the golden age of children's TV has passed... but there is a lot more being made so it is harder to find," he said.

"Right now children's TV is great and really well made but it is definitely a lot more responsible than it used to be."

Top 20

1. Grange Hill

2. The Muppet Show

3. Tom & Jerry

4. Bagpuss

5. The Magic Roundabout

6. Dangermouse

7. Scooby Doo

8. Inspector Gadget

9. The Flintstones

10. Wacky Races

11. Top Cat

12. Jackanory

13. Mr Benn

14. Rainbow

15. Take Hart

16. Doctor Who

17. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

18. The Wombles

19. Blue Peter

20. Record Breakers