Hello again! This is part two of our chat with Richard Marson, former editor of Blue Peter, whose new book, The Blue...
PAUL COIA hosted this lunchtime quiz effort based on pointlessly elaborate mid-80s Beeb project to celebrate the 900th anniversary of The Domesday...
Hello! From ‘doable barkers’ to Liz Barker! Richard Marson – he of the ‘Totally Tasteless’ John Nathan-Turner biography – has a new book...
This week’s categories: Yer Poos, When They’re Sixty-Four, One Dafter 909, Beatle on board, The End
In the history of Saturday night television few programmes have dominated quite like The Generation Game during the 1970s. Even the departure of...
In which TVC lays out the ground rules for an entertaining and informative night of special programming, and why when all are...
Friday, 15th November 1985 PICK OF THE DAY 7pm WOGAN, BBC1 According to Radio Times, the most appropriate way to promote this...
This week’s categories: Bev v Jackie, Jimmy v Barry, Leanne v Jacqui, Billy v Barry, Marie v Sheila
While the acts breaking through to British television in 1980 were, in the main, well established live performers, their ascension to the...
Friday, 5th November 1976 PICK OF THE DAY 7pm LUCKY FELLER, ITV Sitcom antics in the form of this fondly-remembered yet little...
It’s the third and final part of our Halloween portmanteau, and this time one of the Simons from Simon and Simon is...
This week’s categories: Small Daniels Tragic Show?, Trick or Treacher, Innate creepiness, But it’s got Pipe in it, Best light ent ending ever!
Yorkshire Television did its own bit for new comic talent on Saturday nights with the creation, in June 1980 of Rock With Laughter....
Friday, 24th October 1980 PICK OF THE DAY 7.55pm ANGELS, BBC1 Perhaps one of the greatest BBC drama title sequences of all...
It’s the second commentary in our Halloween triple-bill, and this time our trio of horror fiends alight upon Amicus’ portmanteau masterpiece. It’s...
Creamguide (Films) is back for Halloween with a triple bill of films hand-picked by Craig and Chris to put the right shiters up...
This week’s categories: I will destroy, Pointless fucking around, Rude to guests, Production values, Eh? Ah! Eh?
Hughie Green is a troubling figure in British television history. Born on 2 February, 1920 in London, but raised in Canada, Green became...
Friday, 15th October 1993 PICK OF THE DAY 7.15pm THE LIVING SOAP, BBC2 Billed as following on Sylvania Waters, but really an...
This week’s categories: Soapy twist, On core!, Stiltoff, Gus Macdonald moonlighting, Foot click
The failure of Bruce Forsyth’s Big Night was a major blip for ITV, but not an outright disaster. On the plus side, Michael...
Man drives very fast into an underground car park.
Friday, 12th October 1979 PICK OF THE DAY 11.30pm FRIDAY NIGHT… SATURDAY MORNING, BBC2 For such a comparatively short-lived series, FN…SM has...
59 AND a half minutes too long, more like.
This week’s categories: The game’s fucked!, What’s the matter mate?, Get dirty, A master of his craft, Convenient sticks
Although a disaster for Forsyth, Bruce Forsyth’s Big Night eventually came up trumps for Cannon and Ball who, on the strength of their...
LONGEST-RUNNING AND most imperial of all the Beeb's home computer shows
Friday, 5th October 1973 PICK OF THE DAY 4.20pm ACE OF WANDS, ITV Although the theme music to Ace of Wands is...
This week’s categories: Mike Read Mike Read 275 and, Just great great music, Wot no Smiley Miley? Wot no Northern Ireland, The best...
A weekend television audience differs from a weekday one in both composition and expectation, so that the principles and practice of programming...
When Radio 1 decided to do a calendar picturing the DJs with their heroes, John Peel insisted on posing with a competition-winning...
“It’s time to get up and get on your way The breakfast show’s here to start your day Get your motor spinning,...
Friday, 27th September 1974 PICK OF THE DAY 7.05pm TOP OF THE POPS, BBC1 We all know this story – Top of...
This week’s categories: Imperial phase Doig ON, Star Chess???, Conviction presenting, Wilf Lunge, Beadle out of it
On the evening of Monday 5 September 1969, the available LWT unit heads – Doreen Stephens, Terry Hughes, Humphrey Burton, Derek Granger and...
Friday, 24th September 1993 PICK OF THE DAY 8pm BRUCE FORSYTH’S GENERATION GAME, BBC1 Everyone forgets it now, but the ultimate Saturday...
Yes! It’s a Chris and Ian episode, and they’re, like, the main ones! The ‘rhythm pals’ meet to look at two undisclosed...
This week’s categories: A stitch-up, I just shattered myself, Sophorrific, Near and Fear, Play for no Tomorrow
LWT’s output in those early days was as varied as any other ITV station, however the combination of, as David Docherty in...
Friday, 20th September 1991 PICK OF THE DAY 8pm THE RUSS ABBOT SHOW, BBC1 In the past there were small but obvious...
This week’s categories: Impersonator of not-real people, Joan Collins entertainer, Fact checker, Dad’s Army impersonator, Bonnie Langford detractor
In 1968, Frank Muir sat down at his desk to write a letter. Concentrating on work was not always easy in this office....
Friday, 8th September 1978 PICK OF THE DAY 7pm THE KRYPTON FACTOR, ITV Well, here’s a series that you probably didn’t expect...
This week’s categories: Green…bacon. A ladies-only supermarket?, Checkout O2 is here, Johnny Briggs’ sister alert, Cross-section of Presto Customer base
By the late 1960s, Bruce Forsyth had been a big star for a long time. Since coming to prominence in 1958 as compere...
Friday, 7th September 1984 PICK OF THE DAY 7pm BLANKETY BLANK, BBC1 “Please don’t fiddle with the controls on your set. Just...
Today is TV Cream’s 20th birthday. Twentieth! To mark the occasion, we’ve made a big video and we hope you will enjoy...
Today’s our birthday! 20 years of TV Cream, who’d have believed it? To get our celebrations underway (there’s more to come), here’s...
This week’s categories: Chalks Away!, Bring it back now we won’t take less, The golden age of idents, Shite Fever, I have created...
"DEAR BBC, I am quite frankly staggered. Yours, quite frankly staggered."
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