Beware of imposters

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, or so they say. I’m sure we’ve all done things to try and impersonate our favourite celebrities.

But is it possible to impersonate an entire TV channel? Nay, an entire industry?? Turns out the answer is…kind of.

Presenting “Kids Stars”. You could politely describe this as a lighthearted tribute to children’s TV presentation in the UK, or you could bluntly describe this as a cheap “Milkshake!” ripoff.

This guy (I can’t tell if he’s from Northern Ireland or Scotland) has churned out well over 20,000 of these videos since 2017. Filmed in what I’m guessing is his spare room with laminated decorations stuck hastily on the strange yellow coloured wall.

It’s just the usual stuff you’d get on “Milkshake!” although there’s no actual channel or programmes being broadcast. Apparently there’s other presenters but these seem to be unsuspecting family members.

Now I’m not hating on this guy or doubting his presentation skills or the effort it must take to produce all of this stuff (although it does come across as just a little bit weird at times), but I don’t think he realises the extent of the industry in which he’s trying to crack.

There’s never been more content available for children to watch as there is now. The quality of said content is absolutely debatable, but the simple fact is that this is a highly saturated market.

Videos filmed in your bedroom probably aren’t enough to make the cut in the current climate. It beats AI slop any day of the week, but blatantly imitating already established broadcasters and using their IP without consent isn’t exactly a good look either.

It just reminds us of what I’ve been saying all along, parents need to pay careful attention to what their children are seeing online. Make sure it’s the real deal from a reputable source. Because sometimes it’s the seemingly innocent stuff that hides bad intentions. Again, I’m not suggesting that this guy is up to something, but it’s still best to keep your wits about you.