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ARCHIVE TV ADVENT CALENDAR DAY FOURTEEN: 14 December 1990
Terry Wogan welcomes Paul McCartney to the Shepherd’s Bush set, with Fabwack also performing track All My Trials.
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ARCHIVE TV ADVENT CALENDAR DAY THIRTEEN: 13 December 1993/A Tribute to Victor Lewis-Smith
Well, this is timely. Going out on this very day 29 years ago, the final episode of pseudo-sitcom/sketch show Inside Victor-Lewis Smith (BBC2) starring Victor Lewis-Smith, who died today*. (*On Saturday**.) (**It’s a reference to a regular joke of his in his C4 series TV Offal, in case you’re unaware. And if you think that’s…
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ARCHIVE TV ADVENT CALENDAR DAY TWELVE: 12 December 1986
Telebugs – Lifo to the Rescue (TVS). More antics for the character count inconveniencing C.H.I.P, B.U.G. and S.A.M.A.N.T.H.A. as they embark on a rescue mission. A programme that really should have been right in my wheelhouse (a cartoon about robots with televisions built into them? All boxes ticked), but it simply wasn’t very good. Wonder…
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ARCHIVE TV ADVENT CALENDAR DAY ELEVEN: 11 December 1988
It’s Sunday, so it must be The South Bank Show (ITV). Here’s a look at “secondmost-trusted face in America” John Houseman: film producer, actor, writer & director. The other person behind the War of the Worlds radio broadcast & Citizen Kane.
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ARCHIVE TV ADVENT CALENDAR DAY TEN: 10 Dec 1969
And, given what’s happening later today, let’s look at International Football – England v Portugal. The first meeting between the two sides since the famous 1966 World Cup semi-final. Despite being a friendly, 100,000 fans packed into the ‘Empire Stadium’ (i.e. Wembley) to see a Jackie Charlton goal separate the sides.
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ARCHIVE TV ADVENT CALENDAR DAY NINE: 9 December 1985
Here’s a find: The Gong Show (C4). Second attempt at a Frankie Howerd-hosted British version of the USTV mainstay (after an unaired pilot for Southern in 1978). This second pilot at least made it to air, Channel 4 putting it out following a mid-afternoon run of the US original, the judging panel comprised Babs Windsor,…
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ARCHIVE TV ADVENT CALENDAR DAY EIGHT: 8 December 1988
Gilbert’s Fridge (Tyne-Tees). An episode of Phil Cornwell’s mighty semi-improvised alien/snotmonster sketch series, featuring Gilbert’s attempting to prove himself as Kim Wilde’s tour manager. WHY I DIDN’T WANT TO BE DADDY’S GIRL, by Kim Wilde It’s taken Kim Wilde eight years to realise what she should have known all along: that she’s a big talent…
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ARCHIVE TV ADVENT CALENDAR DAY SEVEN: 7 December 1969
Monty Python’s Flying Circus (BBC-1), specifically the episode Full Frontal Nudity. Includes Army Protection Racket, Buying a Bed, Hell’s Grannies and… that pet shop sketch. Here it is dubbed into German. BONUS CONTENT: What was the first thing written about Flying Circus in various newspapers? Daily Telegraph, Monday, 25 Aug 1969: A piece on the zany…
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“The Curse of ITV”: A Deeper Dive
With England set to take on reigning world champions France in the Quarter-Finals of the 2022 World Cup in The Place Where Human Rights Go To Die, there’s been a lot of attention paid to the channel set to broadcast the match in the UK. Word is, it’s a channel that – whenever it broadcasts…
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ARCHIVE TV ADVENT CALENDAR DAY SIX: 6 December 1968
First regular episode of The Old Campaigner (BBC-1). Terry-Thomas stars as high-powered salesman/scoundrel F.J., who insists that his advancing years are no barrier to cross-continental caddery. (Video is the Comedy Playhouse pilot, but still. In this episode Derek Fowlds plays F.J.’s youthful charge.) FULL BROADCAST HISTORY Fri 30th Jun 1967, 19:30 (BBC-1)Comedy Playhouse: The Old…
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