Christmas, as tends to always happen around this time of the year, is fast approaching. I’ve already begun to rummage around in my archive for some suitably festive programming to enjoy. The three surviving Christmas Night With The Stars from its original run (1958, 1964, 1972) have all received an airing earlier in the week. Surely it’s about time BBC4 rebroadcast 1958? An upgrade from my timecoded copy would be very welcome ….

YouTube is currently offering a selection of festive treats – such as Basil Brush’s Christmas Fantasy Pop Goes Christmas and this quite unforgettable mid 1970’s Crackerjack-esque version of Robinson Crusoe. It’s not for the faint hearted (Ed ‘Stewpot’ Stewart as Man Friday, for example) but it’s nice to see the likes of Windsor Davies, Don Estelle and John Inman.

Later this month, I’ll be spending the Christmas fortnight back in 1982. By a fortunate coincidence, the 1982 double issues of the Radio and TV Times run from 24/12 – 7/1, just like 2022, so I’ll be in some sort of sync with real life. Already I’ve begun to peruse the mags and started to tick off what I want to see (there looks to be plenty to keep me amused).