KIDS' TV - love it or hate it, everyone has an opinion. We all have favourites, mainly based on our ages, and most of us would argue that the programmes we watched when we were little were the best.

Most of us 40-somethings won't hear a word said against Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Blue Peter or Watch with Mother. And who says the Clangers talk rubbish?

Today's toddlers will be huge fans of Lazy Town, Balamory and Mona the Vampire for the rest of their lives.

But how much notice do we take of what we watch?

For example, did you know the Cookie Monster in Sesame Street smoked a pipe? Apparently in one episode he even ate it before launching into a mountain of high-cholesterol, sugar-filled cookies and uttering the immortal words: "on nom nom nom".

Dougal, everyone's favourite dog in the Magic Roundabout, lived on a diet of pure sugar, and who knows what prompted Zebedee to bounce around shouting: "Time for bed?"

Bill and Ben never uttered a sensible word in their lives and Noddy and Big Ears have even been accused of having a slightly questionable relationship.

Compare them to Sportacus, the broccoli-eating fitness freak in Lazy Town and you can begin to see how children's television has changed over the years.

Today, it has been revealed that the earliest episodes of Sesame Street have been deemed suitable for adults only as they are released on DVD in the US.

It seems the Cookie Monster's antics and Oscar the Grouch's depression might be too much for the youth of today.

But is such action really necessary or are we taking political correctness too far?

Chris Jarvis, the host of CBeebies, who lives in Bournemouth, said he believes programme-makers have a huge responsibility to children.

"We would never have characters that smoke, for example, but that's because we were educated in the 2000s and it just wouldn't be allowed to happen," he said.

He said Lazy Town, probably the most popular children's TV show of the moment, was devised around five years ago, when childhood obesity first hit the headlines - a character like Sportacus was almost inevitable.

The show also has Robbie Rotten, a lazy villain who always comes off worst in the end, and a host of other characters such as Ziggy, Stingy, Pixel and Trixie who constantly strive to be good. Mr Jarvis said he does not believe children should be banned from watching children's programmes from a different generation.

"I believe children and their parents can tell the difference between a puppet misbehaving and a person misbehaving - it is pretty obvious that it is not real. A responsible parent would be happy to let their children watch the Cookie Monster," he said.

He added: "It is the same in adult television. There are people shooting each other every day but it is not real."

There has been a gradual process of change from pipe-smoking monsters to healthy-living, motivational characters in children's TV.

Between the generations lie a host of other favourites such as Thomas the Tank Engine, Postman Pat, Paddington, the Teletubbies, Bagpuss and Tiswas.

And there are also programmes giving the impression they are for children when they are clearly aimed at those of more advanced years.

Who laughs the hardest in your house when The Simpsons are on? And don't tell me kids know what Danger-mouse and Penfold are on about?

Whatever your favourite programme, the next children's stage show rolling into town is - you've guessed it - Lazy Town.

And if you want to take your little ones to see it you'd better be quick - tickets for the shows April 2 and 3 Bourne-mouth Pavilion shows are selling fast. Must be all that broccoli.