httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYPVw_j_IPg
FOR ALL kids’ TV continuity obsessives, here’s SUE ROBBIE (a lot posher than we remember her, actually) introducing a montage of Children’s ITV presenters from 1985, during an edition of Granada’s never-popular Saturday morning compendium TX (warning: contains mild TONY SLATTERY).
The roll-call of celebrities that manned ‘Network Control’ (yes, Children’s ITV is now so important it has its own building) in 1985 is an eclectic one, featuring the likes of ROLAND RAT and Harry and Dawn off of Number 73, as well as one or two left-field choices (cue the worried face of KEN JONES), and the dumper-bound STU FRANCIS and ROD HULL.
Indeed, in the autumn of 1985, as the BBC relaunched its afternoon sequence with the fresh-faced PHILLIP SCHOFIELD in the chair, ITV had one-joke Irish caricature JIMMY CRICKET, and GARY WILMOT doing his Johnny Mathis impressions between Bellamy’s Bugle and Storybook International.
Nice to hear some XTC on Childrens ITV. Even if it involved Timmy Mallett.
There’s a brilliant claim on wikipedia right now that Wilmot is in the new Eastwood/Freeman/Damon film Invictus as a rugby player. I’d imagine the casting department just didn’t have the foresight of some internet users. (Of course, it’s that completely involuntary whatever-happened-to-Gary-Wilmot-after-You-and-Me thing that overcomes me from time to time that caused me to look this up)
I often recall the guest presenters on Children’s ITV once being the Terrahawks. Anybody seen any videos of this? Just looked and couldn’t find anything but I did find this semi-unrelated but nonetheless utterly distracting clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoWv9AZExCE One month late but worth a watch (I didnt’ miss this here at any point did I?). I love how they advertise the TV Times then spend ten minutes doing that publications job. Of course, it’s impossible to imagine ITV having a line up like this today. I mean I’m actually sitting here waiting for “gripping” drama “The Finding” to come on. Never seen it and it looks great. I’ll can’t wait for 4:15 on Wednesday afternoon.! Also interesting to see The “Real” Ghostbusters being advertised. I remember before it was originally shown (I imagine it must have been early ’88 given the clip) being absolutely convinced that the series was going to be a serialised animated adaptation of the film (not that I’d have used words like “serialised”, “animated” or “adaptation” back then). I also remember drawing my own Ghostbusters comic and being amazed when a real one appeared on the shelves soon afterwards (presumably about the time the cartoon arrived). Anyway, I’m a bit off topic now.
I’m quite surprised at how many people I recognise from this clip given that I was only four at the time. There’s only a couple I don’t remember (when did ‘Orrible Ives have a kids show?!?) from something or other. Did they just recycle the same people over and over throughout the period or is my memory better than I think?
Right….from the top…
Roland Rat & Kevin The Gerbil
Cheryl Baker
Uncle Travelling Matt (Fraggle Rock) (& was that Steve Blacknell & his dog,plus Grotbags?)
Ken Jones (for AM above,he was in the Cast of “Behind The Bikesheds” on CITV at the time)
Gudrun Ure (Supergran)
Timmy Mallett
Martin Daniels (at 1.59 in)
Andrea Arnold & Nick Staverson (aka Dawn & Harry from No.73)
Jimmy Cricket
Stu Francis
Gary Wilmott
Rod Hull
Ah… When ITV had Children’s programmes, mind you could you even get the standard of celebrity to do a week each nowadays? Lest we forget other who plied there trade from Children’s ITV….
Pat Coombs
Derek Griffiths
Now who would you get? Same Difference and a box of cheese, maybe its the same thing though….
(warning: contains mild TONY SLATTERY).
That’s a new laptop you owe me. :-D
Yep doesn’t Sue Robbie sound haughty? Isn’t Stu Francis now married to Tess Daly and hosting Family Fortunes?
Deviation- I’m struck how the Game For a Laugh theme here (which sounds slightly rejigged in its final years) is not entirely dissimilar to Blind Date. We thank Laurie Holloway for both