Do you remember Grange Hill from your childhood television-watching days? Because, on this side of the Irish Sea, not everyone does. Some of us grew up in two-channel land and thus were denied the delights of a programme recently voted the best kids' show of all time in a British poll on www.onepoll.com.

Regardless of how good Grange Hill may have been -- and let's face it, it probably wasn't -- no kids' show could possibly be considered better than The Muppet Show, because this is the greatest TV programme ever made, bar none.

So forget the onepoll.com results -- here is your definitive guide to the 10 best children's television shows in history:

1. The Muppet Show

With its deliberately ramshackle structuring, bizarre plot developments, high-octane energy and memorable characters, The Muppet Show was a wonderful example of how to make accessible, age-appropriate programmes without compromising on art, intelligence or a sense of the absurd. It had love -- will there ever be a screen couple as unforgettable (or poorly matched) as Kermit and Miss Piggy? It had an endless list of guest stars, among them Vincent Price, Bob Hope, Rudolf Nureyev and Hillary Clinton. It had that endearingly grumpy old twosome complaining up in the balcony, and it had that legendary theme song.

2. Sesame Street

"Sunny day, sweepin' the clouds away ... " Most kiddie shows are frantic barrages of music and light and epileptic images. Not Sesame Street, though, which gave kids a bit more credit. It was smart, funny, subtle, complex, surreal and hugely entertaining; so good, in fact, that I never really twigged that it was an educational programme until much later.

To top it all, one of the characters lived in a bin!

3. Looney Toons

Bugs Bunny is without doubt the coolest character, human or rabbit, to be conceived by the mind of man. And what a supporting cast for these classic cartoons, which included Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, the Tasmanian Devil and -- our favourite -- the gun-totin', hollerin' Wild West maniac, Yosemite Sam.

4. Batman -- the Animated Series

A cracking good cartoon show from the early nineties. For anyone who grew up reading the Batman comics and always felt vaguely let down by the movies, this encapsulated the Gothic glam and dark motivations of the Caped Crusader, rendered in wonderful art-deco drawings. There were even some truly moving moments; at least one grown male of our acquaintance was reduced to tears by the story of Mr Freeze and his beloved wife, trapped forever in a frozen prison.

5. Wanderly Wagon

This is probably the all-time favourite kids' show for nostalgic Irish adults. Running from 1968 to 1982, the magical caravan and its quirky inhabitants -- O'Brien, Godmother, Mr Crow, Foxy and, of course, Judge -- are instantly familiar to anyone aged between 30 and 50. The show's enduring hold on that generation's memories was proven one year in a New Year's Eve TV special, when the middle-aged audience sang along happily to Judge's legendary Safe Cross Code song.

6. Inspector Gadget

Limbs that could stretch to infinity (almost). Hands that turned into cutting tools. Hydraulic lifts in his shoes. A stylish, almost retro-chic trench coat and air of world-weariness. A tendency for everything to go totally haywire without warning. The only cartoon super-spy one could conceivably imagine defeating DangerMouse in hand-to-gadget combat. It could only be Inspector Gadget.

7. The Monkees

Classic comedy from the 1960s, starring the cheeky little, well, monkeys as they got up to various musical and other adventures. Kitsch, corny and full of energy. Worth watching if only for the hilarity of Peter Tork's hair and Micky Dolenz's squashed face. Oh, and the tunes were pretty good too.

8. Tom and Jerry

Well, you can't really leave this out, can you? There's something nicely traditional, almost comforting, about Tom and Jerry: the classical style of animation, the iconic characters playing out that age-old struggle of cat and mouse, and not forgetting the irritated cries of 'Thomas!' from the lady of the house.

9. The Brady Bunch

"This is the story, of a man named Brady ... " And his three sons, and the woman he fell in love with, and her three daughters, and their wise-cracking housemaid, and that groovy house they all lived in, full of Formica and carpets with patterns so vivid they could make your eyes bleed. Just like The Monkees, this was kitsch, corny and a whole lot of fun.

10. Degrassi

Junior High

Bit of a left-of-centre choice, admittedly, but you'll have to indulge us. Canada is more usually associated with ice hockey and people who put 'eh?' at the end of every sentence, but America's neighbour came up trumps with this fine drama serial about the kids attending the titular school. Like Grange Hill, it addressed a lot of 'real' issues, but thankfully without the grating Cockney accents.

- Darragh McManus