New Print Article: The Birth of Teletext

A year on from my last published article, I’m back in the pages of Best of British with The Birth of Teletext.

Ever since I first laid eyes on Pages from Ceefax back in the mid-1980s, I’ve been a little obsessed with teletext. We didn’t actually get a teletext television set until 1997, so it always felt like an exciting world of information which was just out of reach. Sure, I used to see it at friends’ houses, as we caught up on the football news and played Bamboozle, but I couldn’t get my teeth stuck into it.

All the Slices of Archive TV Christmas Footage I've Found

Christmas television has always been a landmark event. Or, at least, it always was. These days, scanning through the Christmas issue of the Radio Times with a highlighter is more a novelty than a necessity. Times change, and so do our viewing habits. But, luckily, old video tapes full of home recordings offer up a fossilised view of the way it once was. And, as I've been scanning through old video tapes for seven years now, I've found more than my fair share of Christmas TV footage.

Now, I could show you the various repeats of the 1977 Christmas edition of The Morecambe and Wise Show alongside Blackadder's Christmas Carol and The Snowman, but they're currently all being shown 24/7 on some digital channel somewhere. So, instead, I've decided to gather together all the ephemeral slices of archive TV Christmas I've found over the years. Some are fascinating, all of them are intriguing, and it's unlikely you would have seen any of them since they were originally broadcast.

Philip Schofield's Final Day on Children's BBC

2023 was a disastrous year for Philip Schofield's television career and private life, and it remains to be seen whether he'll ever return to our screens again. However, back in 1987, life for Schofield was very different. Following two years presenting the Broom Cupboard sections for Children's BBC, he had quickly risen from an unknown into the hot future of British television. Going Live! was just around the corner and, by the 1990s, Philip would be cemented as part of the lineup of British television's primetime schedules. But what happened on his final stint in the Broom Cupboard?

Navigating Career Transitions: A Guide to Embracing Change and Finding Success

Career transitions are an inevitable part of professional life, and in today's dynamic job market, individuals often find themselves navigating through various changes in their career paths. Whether prompted by personal growth, economic shifts, or a desire for new challenges, successfully managing these transitions is crucial for long-term career satisfaction and success. This article explores key strategies and insights to help individuals navigate career transitions effectively.

A Mirror Into Society: The Good Life 1975 Series

On this date: 1975 - The first episode of The Good Life was shown on BBC1. pic.twitter.com/Ze4a4q5Spf

— 🇬🇧📺 Classic British TV 📺🇬🇧 (@Classicbritcom) April 4, 2022

Mentioning this archetypal film, The Good Life, brings smiles to many British Sitcom fans of the 1970s. The movie was developed by expert comedy writers Bob Larbey and John Esmonde, who wrote other series, including Ever Decreasing Circles and Please Sir. The Good Life featured characters like Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith, Richard Biers and Paul Eddington.

Betamax Find: In Front of the Children (1983)

 

There’s not a person in the country who didn’t love at least one children’s programme on the BBC whilst growing up. It’s an impossible proposition, the quality of the output was simply too high. And, no doubt, it’s equally as high now but it’s been a few years since I last tuned in. My daughter, you seen, has since transitioned over to YouTube for her entertainment needs, so I have no idea what the Twirlywoos are up to these days. Or Sarah and Duck. But Curious British Telly isn’t, thank god, about the present. It’s about the past.



That’s why I was delighted to unearth this 1983 documentary on the first 60 years of children’s programmes on the BBC. Found on a Betamax tape, In Front of the Children is presented by the dependable John Craven, in a fetching jumper and tie combination, as he traces the origins of children’s programmes on BBC radio up to contemporary hits such as Postman Pat. Featuring interviews with those who were there in the early days, and have long since departed this mortal coil, it’s a treasure trove of insights and history.

The Book of Beasts - Out Now!

Beasts is one of the calling cards of 1970s British folk horror, and this is an unarguable fact. Unless, of course, you haven't watched it. And, in that case, you need to rectify this immediately. Each episode of Nigel Kneale's much lauded anthology series, which aired in 1976, is a chilling blend of intricate plotting, rich characters, social commentary and, of course, an atmosphere which causes the hairs on the back of your neck to spring to attention. It's a series which has been much discussed and pored over since it first aired, but there has never been a definitive tome on the series. Until now.

Betamax Find: Claire Rayner's Casebook (Homosexuality)

Every now and then, I come across something on an old video tape which strikes a chord with people. At the weekend, I dug up a 1983 edition of Claire Rayner's Casebook, a series which looked at the various problems and hardships people faced in their everyday lives. Episodes ranged from divorced parents through to alcoholics and couples who couldn't have children. Rayner, of course, is well remembered as a beacon of hope and advice, so I was delighted to unearth, on a Betamax tape, the 10th March 1983 episode of Claire Rayner's Casebook, which focused on homosexuality.

A King Rollo Comic Strip from July 1983

Digging deep into my collections of Buttons comics, most of which I picked up in a job lot off Ebay in 2021, I found this charming King Rollo adventure which I just had to share. It's from the 23rd July 1983 edition of Buttons and, as you can see, features King Rollo learning a lesson in gluttony.

Is it Time to Revive the British Superhero Classic Misfits?

British television writers are famous for offering their unique takes on classic themes, and the way that Misfits subverted superhero themes was a prime example of that. The black comedy from Howard Overman ran for five series between 2009 and 2013 but was ultimately cancelled due to falling ratings.

New 'Old' Episode of Bric-a-Brac Emerges onto YouTube

In what can only be described as excellent news, Neil Miles (tape archaeologist extraordinaire) has captured a complete episode of Bric-a-Brac and uploaded it to YouTube. Starring the inimitable and highly charming Brian Cant, Bric-a-Brac focused on the wonder of phonetics and ran for two series in 1980 and 1982.

Don't Forget About the Curious British Telly Substack

 

Just a quick reminder that the Curious British Telly Substack is alive and well. If you're not familiar with Substack, then read on. Substack is, in fact, many things: a newsletter, a blog, a website and, indeed, whatever you want it to be in terms of a publication. It can be read either online or you can sign up for all updates to sent to you via email. I've been fairly active on there recently, so there's all sorts of extra Curious British Telly bits on there. If you want to take a closer look then head over to curiousbritishtelly.substack.com/

Remembering Paul O’Grady’s Cheeky Forgotten Sitcom “Eyes Down

Welcome to The Rio bingo hall in Liverpool. It’s where short-tempered manager Ray Temple (Paul O’Grady) tries to corral his lackadaisical staff and impress the elderly collection of customers who frequent his establishment. To top it off, this curmudgeon hates them all. All the while he’s dealing with self-loathing that produces outbursts that’d make Lily Savage smile from ear to ear. The Rio isn’t Ray’s Ritz and he’s quite disappointed about it.

Random Episode: Thinkabout (25/11/1985)

Over the many years that Curious British Telly has been running, I've covered plenty of children's programmes which have become obscured by the mists of time. However, barely any of these have fallen under the sub-genre of educational programming. You know the type, the programmes which you watched at school when the teacher would wheel out the TV in a caged fortress. So, today, we're going to take a look at a fine example of these in the form of Thinkabout.

Four Fantastic Minutes Straight from 1979

My ongoing quest to salvage ephemeral goodness from British television's distant past continues, and, once again, I've been able to dig all the way back into the 1970s. And it's all courtesy of the mammoth haul of Betamax tapes which I picked up back in June. These intriguing tapes all date from the early 1980s, but the owner had previously owned a Philips VCR and had copied several of these tapes over to Betamax. Previously, I had found some very brief BBC continuity for Top of the Pops, but I've now uncovered four minutes of footage which contain nearly everything you could want.

YouTube Pick of the Day: Tees Street Isn't Working (1985)

The Thames channel on YouTube is packed full of fantastic gems from the archive, and that's exactly where today's YouTube Pick of the Day comes from. The video itself is part of an edition of current affairs programme TV Eye, which aired between 1978 - 1986, and focuses on the socioeconomic problems blighting the lives of those living on Tees Street, Birkenhead.

A Bertha Comic Strip From September 1986

Digging through my pile of Buttons comics, which I picked up on Ebay a few years back, I spotted this exclusive Bertha comic strip and thought it would make a fine addition to Curious British Telly. It hails from September 1986 and features a quick story about fireworks which didn't feature in the television series. So, yes, being an official piece, this is part of the Bertha canon, an intriguing body of work which, no doubt, Disney will be snapping up in no time to milk dry.

A Peek Into the Secretive Realm of Farewell Ceremonies

Death is an inevitable part of life, and every culture has unique customs and rituals surrounding funerals and farewell ceremonies.

In the United Kingdom, funeral directors play a crucial role in orchestrating these solemn events. However, beyond the sombre facade lies a world of intriguing customs and traditions that add depth and significance to how the British bid farewell to their departed loved ones.

I've Dug Up the 1976 Christmas BBC1 Ident

I wasn't aware, until the last 24 hours, that the 1976 Christmas BBC1 ident had only been preserved in a particularly poor picture quality. However, after I stumbled across some Christmas 1976 recordings... well... I was informed the version of the ident I'd found was a significant upgrade.

So, if you cast your eyes upwards, there it is. All the way from 1976, it's a clearer view - although faaaaaar from HD - of this 47 year old ident. In my opinion, it's far from knocking the daddy of the BBC Christmas idents off the top spot, with that position obviously taken by the 1977 rotating Christmas pudding. Nonetheless, it's a nice find and hopefully it'll tickle your fancy.

Archive Tape Digging: June 2023 (Betamax Special)

It's been a long old time since I last did an edition of Archive Tape Digging, a situation enforced on me by a lack of tapes in the last few years. Sure, I've picked up a few in the last year, but in such small quantities there's been little to get excited by. Thankfully, following the purchase of my Betamax player, I've had not one, but two pickups of Betamax tapes.

As a result, I've now got close to 400 Betamax tapes to plough through. Progress, so far, has been relatively slow. But this is actually a good thing. You see, the reason that I've barely made a dent in this mountain of tapes is that they keep throwing up interesting finds. And these all need digitising in real time, so it's time consuming affair. The amazing payoff, of course, is that I've got a veritable bounty of finds to share with you.