Inside Greenwich Cablevision News

Greenwich Cablevision was Britain's first cable television channel and launched in 1972, but it only ran as a full service until 1974. However, this was far from the end for Greenwich Cablevision. It continued as an intermittent, community production until the mid-1980s when it had morphed into Greenwich TV. Footage and information regarding this curious corner of British broadcasting is scant, if not non-existent.

Luckily, thanks to a kind donation to Curious British Telly, we can take a closer look at what was happening with Greenwich Cablevision in the early 1980s. This intriguing glimpse into the past comes in the form of 10 editions of Greenwich Cablevision News, a promotional magazine for the service, which date from late 1982 to early 1984.

Archive Tape Digging: April 2026

There's no need to rummage in the dirt on all fours to dig up the past. Instead, you can exhume dusty old videotapes from the comfort of your sofa. It's one of my favourite past times, but the constraints of time and life have meant it's been on the backburner for a while - hence this is the first Archive Tape Digging article in some time. Fortunately, I recently found time to go through some ancient Betamax tapes, so let's take a look at what I discovered.

Help Save Britain’s Forgotten TV!

Yes, it’s that time of year again: the annual plea for readers of Curious British Telly to donate their old video tapes. For those new here, the purpose of this is simple. I dig through these dusty tapes for fleeting glimpses of long-forgotten British television. I’m talking about programmes that haven’t seen the light of day since their original broadcast, in-vision continuity announcers introducing films, regional news reports and, of course, that true blast of nostalgia: the advert break. A fine example of what I can uncover is this Anglia closedown from 1985.

The Curious State of British Television

I’ve been busy on the Curious British Telly Substack this week. Normally, I don’t mess about with cross-promoting across my various platforms, but a couple of these pieces have turned out exactly as I hoped for. Here’s a quick guide to them. And please click through if you fancy a proper read:

1. We Need to Talk About the Decline of British TV

Television was once patient, calm and, most importantly, better. Or was it? Nostalgia can easily cloud our judgement, and this is never more evident than under YouTube clips of Little & Large. But the truth is that British TV isn't in decline. It's just a world away from what we grew up with.

2. What Modern British TV Is Missing

Yes, British television is now very different. The quality, however, remains. Nonetheless, there are certain elements that I miss. Each loss chips away at intimacy and delight. It's unlikely that they'll ever come back, but it's important we remember them and what they added to the viewing experience.

3. When Television Said Goodnight — And Meant It

Once, British television had a bedtime. Screens faded to black, announcers quietly sent us off to bed and programmes had breathing space to settle in your mind. Then we shifted to 24 hour broadcasting. The ritual of the closedown is no more, but we have much more convenience and choice. So, are we better off? Or did we need that full stop to the day?

The Books of Curious British Telly

Just a quick reminder, for those newly arrived at Curious British Telly, that there are two Curious British Telly books to be found on Amazon.

Both The Curiosities of British Children’s Television and More Curiosities of British Children’s Television rummage through the attic of children’s television. In particular, they focus on programmes that time has politely forgotten or that were barely written about in the first place.

This means, yes, there are chapters on not only Codename Icarus and Rowan’s Report but also that grand oddity which is Treasures of the Mindlord. Many sound so improbable you might assume they’re invented, yet every one of them genuinely flickered across British screens for the nation’s curious young eyes.

Best of all, I managed to track a surprising number of the people involved, so this means the books are peppered with first-hand insights from such luminaries as Derek Griffifths, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie and Joy Whitby. It lends the books a pleasing authority, and also demonstrates the strength of their memories for work they completed several decades ago.

I don’t plug the books very often these days, and it’s unlikely I’ll write any more, but do have a look and, if tempted, consider taking one home.

First Impressions: Monkey Business

The number of obscure, forgotten British television shows from the distant past still boggles my mind. I've been writing Curious British Telly for close to 15 years and I'm still being knocked sideways by the obscurities which suddenly present themselves. Monkey Business is yet another oddity which deserves to be held up and examined with modern eyes.

Reservations (1985)

The path to manhood is a troublesome one, particularly when the male ego weighs heavy on your shoulders. And there's no beating about the bush: sex is crucial in reaching true manhood. Social constructs mean that men simply have to have sex to be considered a man. Better yet, being highly skilled in the old art of the bedroom Olympics will only enhance your manliness.

Agree or roll your eyes as you please, but these expectations create a special brand of angst for young men. Exhibit A arrives in the form of young Gary in Reservations.

The Adventurers Handbook

For many children of the 1970s and 80s, Christopher Lillicrap is an instantly recognisable name. Starting off with Playboard in 1975, Lillicrap would go on to front other series such as We’ll Tell You a Story, Flicks and Busker, whilst also writing for Rainbow and Fimbles.

So surely I, of all people, should have been aware of him. But I wasn’t. Somehow, as a child devotee of all things television, he completely passed me by. It was only when I started delving deeper into British television that I discovered who he was.

Camberwick Green's Forgotten Adventures

Camberwick Green ran for a single series of 13 episodes in 1966, but did you know that this wasn't the end of life in Camberwick Green? This extended universe was contained within the pages of the Pippin in Playland comic and remained forgotten by almost everyone. Until today.

How to Win More Games on a Pinoy Tongits App: Strategy Guide

Look! Hear!

Ah, the regional oddity of British television! Is there a more obscure area of programming to delve into and feast upon its barely remembered content? I doubt it, and Curious British Telly has always delighted in sniffing out such peculiarities. These programmes are often so obscure, in fact, that even finding a title for the show and a brief description is a miracle in itself. Fortunately, I recently stumbled across a gleaming treasure chest packed full of Look! Hear!, a BBC Midlands arts programme.

I Like Competitions Because...

Competitions don't quite seduce as they once did. The age of fiendish tiebreakers, solving riddles worthy of the finest pub bore and stockpiling empty crisp packets to win a Teasmade or a damp weekend on the Isle of Wight has vanished. Instead, the internet has demanded a need for instant gratification. Hence, competitions are now reduced to little more than scanning QR codes.

Luckily, I Like Competitions Because... is a fond, nostalgic love letter to the lost art of obsessively entering competitions, back when winning required much more than Wi-Fi.

Opening The Box of Delights - 2025 Edition

If it's Christmas time, it's surely time to dust down The Box of Delights for another watch. First airing in 1984, the BBC's adaptation of John Masefield's fantasy classic has delighted viewers for over forty years. And, if you want to take a really deep dive into The Box of Delights, Philip W. Errington's extraordinary compendium Opening The Box of Delights is the perfect ally.

Inside: Noggin and the Dragon

Due to when I was born, I was never in the perfect position to enjoy Noggin the Nog as a child. The final series aired a few months before I was born, and, along with the original 1959 - 65 run, wasn’t repeated on British television again until the early 1990s. Nonetheless, it entered my sphere of interest a few years ago for one simple reason: the dream team of Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin.

Two of the cornerstones of classic British children’s television, and indeed British television as a whole, Postgate and Firmin are responsible for some of the most magical memories ingrained in the national consciousness. And, being the marvels that they were, Postgate and Firmin never stopped their universes once their run on television had finished. Instead, they ensured there were expanded universes on offer to continue their gentle magic.

A little while back, I covered one of these ancilliary adventures in the form of Bagpuss on a Rainy Day, and it’s a story which didn’t disappoint, delivering everything a fan of the saggy, old cloth cat could ever want. Naturally, I wanted more of Postgate and Firmin’s output in front of me, and a chance encounter with a ‘community library in a bus stop’ left me the proud owner of Noggin and the Dragon, a story first published in 1966. And now it’s time to turn the pages and look inside.

Tongits Go GCash Guide: How to Cash Out Your Winnings

Film is Fabulous!

I'm sure many readers of Curious British Telly are aware of Film is Fabulous but, if this particular marvel has slipped past your peripheral vision, let me tap you on the shoulder and point you in their direction.

Founded in 2023, Film is Fabulous is a charitable trust set up by film and television enthusiasts in league with De Montfort University's resident film experts. Their aim is simple: celebrate British television and film while rescuing it from the dusty yawn of oblivion.

Checkpoint Chiswick (1987)

One of London's more affluent corridors, Chiswick is a leafy, picturesque area boasting beautiful, historic buildings, green spaces which conjure up Ray Davies compositions and a wealth of coffee shops. It’s the last place you’d expect a full-scale riot to break out. But architect Brian Stebbings (Hywel Bennett), with his diet of television news, knows better.

New Website: Ephemeral 80s

Since running Curious British Telly, I've developed somewhat of an obsession (in the best possible way) with the 1980s. In particular, I'm intrigued by exactly what life was like as we all know it wasn't all pastel pinks, leg warmers and oversized mobile phones. Now, I was alive for 8/10ths of the decade, but I was really too young to truly take in society and culture for most of it. However, it is possible to go back in time and revisit it, so that's what I've been doing for the last few years.

A Tale of Digging Through Old Video Tapes

There they were in my hands, two video tapes packed full of video recordings of children’s programmes from the mid-1980s. I was going to be reunited with Mop & Smiff, Bric-a-Brac and Hokey Cokey. It was a fantastic moment in the history of Curious British Telly, and all it required was a five-hour round trip. Yes, utter madness, but it had to be done.

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