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.

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/

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.