Over to You

I may have written rather extensively on long forgotten children's television programmes, but it's impossible for me to know everything. And, when it comes to schools programmes, I'm barely even knowledgable. Despite my love of television from a young age I can hardly remember the programmes I watched at school. Sure, I recall gathering around the caged TV and VHS player to watch Look and Read, but that's about it. All my other memories are just of the teacher fast forwarding through the spinning ITV Schools on Channel 4 ident. A modern tragedy this may be, but at least it gives me plenty to explore on here. And today I'm going to look at Over to You.

Come Back Mrs Noah

Space is the final frontier and it’s one that has fascinated humans since they first crawled out of the primordial soup and cocked their eyes towards the Milky Way. This obsession has led to a pop culture littered with galactic adventures that form fantastical narratives out of the great unknown. And this popularity is seemingly endless. No one ever rolls their eyes at the prospect of yet another space-based narrative. Instead, we consume these interstellar stories with a ravenous passion. But a space setting alone doesn’t guarantee success. There needs to be a hook, an original hook. So, what about a housewife being accidental jettisoned into space? It sounds original but will it leave us shouting Come Back Mrs Noah?

A Small Problem

A short stature is not one that tends to be celebrated in our society. There’s a tendency to ridicule those who don’t conform to specific measurements and an unfair labelling of them as weak and ineffective. It’s all part of humanity’s kneejerk reaction to anything that’s slightly different. An approach to thinking which has been responsible for all manner of prejudices since humans took their first breath and started to eye their neighbour suspiciously. And a lack of inches is far from an endorsement of weakness, Mahatma Gandhi, for example, was only 5ft 4in. But prejudice takes no prisoners and it’s more than possible that height could cause A Small Problem.

Men of the World

Men, as we all know, have a tendency to strut, pontificate and make silly tits of themselves. It’s a misguided attempt to keep the embers of patriarchy flickering when all it really does is fan the flames of equality. But, deep down, men are aware of this. Because they do have feelings. And, as such, they need strong friendships and they need love. Nonetheless, these desires are insulated by thick coats of arrogance and delusion which make them perfect for comedy. Want a quick demonstration of these social dynamics in action? Just look at the Men of the World.

Lame Ducks

Some people take to life like a duck to water. Their lives are full of social and professional successes and the only way, for them, is up. But not everyone’s life is an effortless triumph. The world may be full of round holes, but there are just as many square pegs out there, forever banging their heads against the periphery of normality. These are the lame ducks of life. They don’t mean any harm and, like everyone, they just want to be happy. But they’re not designed for the rewards of normal life. What happens, though, when they gather together into a flock of Lame Ducks?

Arena: Masters of the Canvas

Back in late 1991, I experienced my first taste of live wrestling. However, rather than the WWF being in town, it was British Wrestling (yes, I'm capitalising that). A world away from the glitz and glamour of Vince McMahon's US enterprise, British Wrestling had, by 1991, been shunted off of television for a few years. Nonetheless, as it travelled around a succession of decaying venues, British Wrestling could still pull in adequate crowds. And one of its crown jewels was the presence of the masked and mysterious Kendo Nagasaki. Truth be told, he almost flattened me that evening in 1991 as he angrily sent a section of empty chairs flying in my direction. But this enigmatic man of intense fury was instantly fascinating. A few months later I would see him again, but this time he was the subject of the Arena episode Masters of the Canvas.

Archive Tape Digging: December 2020

It's been well over two years since my last edition of Archive Tape Digging, but it's not been for a lack of trying. Unfortunately, I simply haven't had many video tapes come my way since 2018 - naturally, this year's pandemic hasn't helped - so there hasn't been much to report. I have, however, pushed back the 'oldest footage found' date a couple of times since the last ATD, but I'm frustratingly still a few months off that big milestone of a find from the 1970s. Well, I did actually find an October 1979 recording of Doctor Who, but aside from 1/3 of a second of a BBC1 ident there was nothing outside of that serial on the tape. Oh and, only today, I found a recording from December 1978. Yes, 1978. But it was just a transmission of the film High Noon - no continuity or anything else around it.

Nonetheless, I have found a few bits and pieces along the way, so thought I may as well collate the most interesting finds here.

The Strange World of Gurney Slade on Blu-ray

The Strange World of Gurney Slade is, quite simply, mind-bogglingly ahead of its time. It's so modern, clever, funny and meta that it's difficult to imagine what audiences in 1960 made of it. But that's when this ATV comedy, starring Anthony Newley and written by Sid Green and Dick Hills, aired. In a world of black and white, the boundary threshing ambitions of Gurney Slade brought a new dimension to television. Audiences weren't necessarily ready for this new world, but, for the 1960s to evolve into the creative decade it was to become, it needed Gurney Slade hammering on the door early on. And now, 60 years later, Network have released it on an amazing Blu-ray set.

The Curious British Telly Fanzine is Here!

As the title suggests, the Curious British Telly fanzine is here! A nod to the world of old school fanzines and a physical extension of this very blog, the Curious British Telly fanzine contains reviews, interviews, features, a big quiz and even a bit of art. All the content is exclusive to the fanzine and will remain a print-only experience. The full contents are as per below: