The dark side of Rainbow: How the squeaky clean kids’ show was plagued with backstage drama – including heavy-drinking, innuendo, sexism and jealousy over puppets

Beloved kids’ show Rainbow appeared squeaky clean on the surface.

After hitting screens as a British equivalent of Sesame Street in 1972, the programme won the hearts of fans with the antics of the Rainbow House puppets, helmed by Zippy, Bungle and George.

Zippy’s puppeteer Ronnie Le Drew, who passed away on Monday aged 78, unmasked the explosive secrets of the show in his 2019 autobiography Zippy and Me: My Life Inside Britain’s Most Infamous Puppet.

The former debt collector revealed sexism, the culture of heavy drinking, host Geoffrey Hayes’s jealousy and the wild antics of the show’s star singer, Jane Tucker – who married both her co-stars Rod Burton and later Freddy Marks.

Ronnie claimed Jane had the nickname ‘Miss Whiplash’ because she would open her coat to show a ‘leather S&M outfit’ and would ask Zippy to ‘play with her maracas’.

Beloved kids’ show Rainbow appeared squeaky clean on the surface but was plagued with behind the scenes drama (Pictured: Rod Burton, Jane Tucker, George, Bungle, Zippy, Geoffrey Hayes and Freddy Marks)

Rod, Jane and Freddy were an eponymous singing trio and Jane married both her co-stars – tying the knot with Rod in 1976 before divorcing in 1979 and then marrying Freddy in 2016 before his death just five weeks later.

Further saucy antics behind the scenes saw an archbishop being given a tour of Thames Television’s studios and stumbling across the team laughing with ‘Zippy mounted upon George, going at it hammer and tongs’.

Ronnie said that Sid, the props man, would often make lewd suggestions about the show’s director Pamela Lonsdale, saying she had a ‘nice pair of Bristols’ or referring to her as ‘T*tsalina’.

Such were the antics on-set Ronnie said: ‘Our exasperated directors could often be heard shouting, ‘make them stop!’ from the control room.’

The cast would also regularly alter the positions of the zoo and farm animals so they were in sexual positions.

He revealed: ‘Several times during rehearsals Zippy smuggled a large carrot under the covers that poked up at opportune moments, and he also became very prone to masturbating.

‘George would be reprimanded by Bungle for wetting the bed or leaving skid marks on the sheets, and when Geoffrey spoke straight to the camera, George and Zippy would often start humping in the background.’

Zippy’s puppeteer Ronnie Le Drew, who passed away on Monday aged 78, unmasked the explosive secrets of the show in his 2019 autobiography Zippy and Me: My Life Inside Britain’s Most Infamous Puppet

There were also tensions in the cast, as the host Geoffrey (pictured) could at times be jealous of his puppet co-stars. He wrote: ‘Geoffrey was afraid of being upstaged by Zippy and George’

He revealed there was also a strong culture of heavy drinking within the group who would often ‘get lashed’ and turn up drunk to rehearsals.

There were also tensions in the cast, as the host Geoffrey could at times be jealous of his puppet co-stars. He wrote: ‘Geoffrey was afraid of being upstaged by Zippy and George.’

He was also annoyed the trio of puppets received more fan mail than he did.

Once the show ended, he was forced to leave his career in showbiz behind and went on to work as a supermarket shelf stacker and later as a taxi driver. In 2002, he told the BBC that starring in Rainbow had been, ‘the 20 happiest years of my life’.

He passed away in 2018 following a battle with pneumonia.

In 2015, the show hit headlines after a pastor accused the programme of ‘containing hidden messages to homosexualise all children’.

Pastor Daniel Erickson-Hull said the opening credits featured hidden messages – including one of homosexuality infiltrating the bible.

Beyond just scandals, injuries were also rife, with Ronnie joining the show in 1974 in the wake of puppeteer Violet Philpott’s departure.

Violet created Zippy, however her involvement ended after the first season because of a back injury sustained through having to adopt an awkward position every time Zippy appeared through a window.

Rainbow was cancelled in 1992, and Ronnie delved into other aspects of his personal life in the memoir, including the death of his father when he was just 16.

Jane Tucker married both her co-stars Rod Burton and later Freddy Marks

Jane and Freddy tied the knot in 2016, just five years before his death

Comedians Jim Davidson and Bobby Davro were ‘absolutely obsessed’ with the puppets and ‘paralysed with fear’ about appearing with them, he said.

And as the show was watched by millions they met the Queen and Prince Philip at a children’s party in Hyde Park in 1979.

Ronnie said there was a kids’ art competition where the winner had drawn a portrait of the Queen ‘painted with an almost entirely black face,’ he said.

Her Majesty smiled politely and congratulated the little boy but the Duke of Edinburgh apparently burst out laughing before turning to his wife saying: ‘Oh dear, I think you’re going to have to change your make-up.’