It features a cowardly dog with an insatiable appetite for snacks and giant sandwiches. And yet, Scooby Doo is officially the healthiest of all children's television programmes, according to a government survey.
Department of Health "consultants" spent 200 hours watching children's TV in an attempt to assess which characters were most active. Scooby Doo topped the chart, beating shows such as Shaun the Sheep, Bob the Builder, and Tom and Jerry. Characters were awarded extra marks for good behaviour such as walking short journeys and playing sport.
"Because most of the action in the cartoon shows Scooby and his gang running away from monsters, they topped the list," explained the Daily Telegraph. But it seems health officials might be somewhat embarrassed by the result.
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