Christmas Television

Back to Christmas 1983 (30th December 1983)

archivetvmusings Christmas Television

We’re finishing off the fortnight with something of a whimper rather than a bang. But on the BBC there’s still a good afternoon film – Hitchcock’s Notorious and during the evening there’s Jasper Carrott’s review of the year in Carrott’s Lib.

Over on ITV we’re about midway through the first series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. Today’s episode – Private Lives – is a S1 highlight. Dennis and Dagmar are becoming an item – but he’s keen to keep it a secret from the lads. As you might expect this turns out to be impossible, even in a city as large as Hamburg.

Over on C4 there’s another chance for Max Boyce to meet the Dallas Cowboys.

And that’s it for my fortnight in 1983. Thanks to anyone who’s managed to stay the course with me. All being well, next year it’ll be December 1984 …

Back to Christmas 1983 (29th December 1983)

archivetvmusings Christmas Television

The Radio 1 DJ’s are still in a festive mood as they introduce some of this year’s best sellers in today’s TOTP. Highlights include JoBoxers with (what else?) Boxer Beat, The Cure (resisting the temptation to get into a party mood) who give us The Lovecats and a very smart-looking Belle Starrs performing Sign of the Times. Throughout the show – as you’d expect from a Michael Hurll production – balloons are in plentiful supply.

Over on ITV there’s Stingray – A Christmas to Remember which is worth it for the skating scene alone (it still impresses me nearly 50 years on).

Highlight of the day is The Sooty Story – The First Thirty Years. I adore the behind the scenes footage and it’s so lovely to see Harry and Sooty back together.

Later on ITV there’s Shelley. We’ve reached series six, which saw Shelley living apart from Fran. Although some regard the Fran years as the best, I’ve a lot of time for the post Fran era – not least because it allowed Shelley the chance to interact with a wider group of characters (a lot of series four felt like it just revolved around Shelley and Fran sitting at the kitchen table, eyeing ever-growing piles of bills).

Today’s episode finds a curmudgeonly Shelley reluctantly joining a party next door (Rebecca Saire, Richard Austin, Yolanda Palfrey and Marsha Fitzalan play some of the bright young things guaranteed to make Shelley feel his age). Along with the series closer, which posed the question as to whether Shelley and Fran would ever get back together (spoiler – they don’t) it’s the strongest episode from this run. The series would then take a break before returning in 1988.

Back to Christmas 1983 (28th December 1983)

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Ah, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without The Great Escape. Although this was its first festive outing on the BBC since 1971, The Great Escape would also return during Christmas 1985 and 1987, so you can see why it’s associated with tinsel and holly for so many people.

The film was adapted from the book of the same name by Paul Brickhill. Brickhill knew what he was talking about (he was an inmate of Stalag Luft III and assisted in the escape attempt, although his claustrophobia ensured he wasn’t able to take part in the Great Escape itself). The movie, as you’d expect, diverts somewhat from Brickhill’s book (and that didn’t tell the whole story anyway) but there’s no point in spending too much time in historical nit-picking. Whatever the truth is, it’s still a memorable movie.

You  get the feeling that BBC1 and BBC2 have already spent most of their original programming money, so today there’s only thin pickings. I would have watched The Case of the Frightened Lady, adapted by Victor Pemberton, but I can’t track it down (unless anyone knows differently?) so sadly it’s off the list.

I’ll be able to carry on with Chessgame on ITV and then an early night I think.

Back to Christmas 1983 (27th December 1983)

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Post Christmas things quieten down a little, but there’s still several programmes of interest. Pride of place on BBC1 is Last of the Summer Wine – Getting Sam Home.

This was the first in a series of extended all film, no laugh track Christmas sitcom specials (the likes of Only Fools and Horses and Just Good Friends would follow in LOTWS‘s footsteps). The humour is blacker than usual – the trio agree to take the ailing Sam (Peter Russell) on a final jaunt to his mistress, Lily Bless Her (Lynda Baron). The problem is that Sam enjoys himself just a little too much and dies. Which leaves Compo, Clegg and Foggy with a substantial problem – how to get Sam’s body back home to his wife in double quick time ….

Getting Sam Home was published as a novel in 1974. Clarke’s 1983 adaptation of his 1974 book seems to stick pretty close the original (apart from, obviously, replacing Blamire with Foggy). This helps to explain why tonally it has more in common with the bleaker early years of the series than the broader slapstick antics of the 1980’s and beyond. It won’t be to everyone’s taste (there are a couple of remarkably sniffy reviews on IMDb) but I’ve always loved it even though it’s sad to see an ailing John Comer (who, suffering from throat cancer, had to be dubbed by Tony Melody). Comer passed away, aged just 59, in early 1984.

Top top – the BBC4 broadcast on the 24th of December has been remastered, so that should be the version to watch.

Over on BBC2 there’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona. It’s hardly top tier Shakespeare, but this is an enjoyable production peopled with plenty of familiar faces.

ITV’s afternoon treat is The Wind in the Willows. Adapted by Rosemary Anne Sisson, this Cosgrove/Hall production features the vocal talents of David Jason, Ian Carmichael, Richard Pearson and Michael Hordern in the main roles.

The Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show (1982)

archivetvmusings Christmas Television, ITV Comedy - 1980's

For the seasoned M&W watcher, the 1982 Christmas special contains an awful lot of recycled material. Quite why Eric & Ernie revisited so many of their old routines during their last few years together is a little bit of a mystery. Several possibilities have been advanced – maybe Eddie Braben was running out of ideas or it might have been that Morecambe & Wise (especially following Eric’s second heart attack) were less confident with fresh material and so preferred to work with scripts that they knew should guarantee them laughs.

The show opens with a bombshell – Eric announces that they are retiring. Given that they were approaching the end of their career, there’s something slightly uncomfortable about this. Although at this point it does seem more like a gag rather than a coded statement – it was during 1983 that Eric began to have serious doubts about continuing and began to look forward to a peaceful retirement as a writer.

During the show, Eric phones up a number of potential guests – Denis Healey, Glenda Jackson, Andre Previn, Jimmy Young, Diana Dors – all of whom he manages to insult (causing them to slam down the phone and shake their heads). This was another old BBC favourite of course, although back in the BBC days they did manage to wangle some very big names (like Laurence Olivier). Today’s crop are perfectly fine, but (due to the fact that many already had an association with Eric & Ernie) their brief appearances don’t quite have the same impact.

Today’s sole musical guests are Wall Street Crash. They may be forgotten today (despite a lengthy career – albeit with numerous personnel changes – between 1980 and 2007) but their style of music chimed exactly with Eric and Ernie, who joins them in white top hats and tails for an entertaining musical item. This, like the rest of the show, features some familiar material (such as the reveal that Eric’s piano prowess is due to him having an impossible number of fingers on each hand).

A video shop sketch (with Valerie Minifie once again acting as a mostly silent stooge) is followed by a fairly lengthy piece (just over seven minutes) featuring Richard Vernon interviewing a pair of explorers – Eric & Ernie of course. Like Tommy Cooper, Eric seemed to adore props and gadgets and several are wheeled out here for a laugh. Vernon’s a good straight man, but possibly the problem is that he’s a little too straight, meaning that the sketch never really catches fire.

The best sketch of the evening takes place inside a lingerie store, where Little Ern (attempting to buy a bra for his sister) has to overcome his embarrassment with the lady behind the counter (played by Patricia Brake). Eric, of course, offers him his usual wholehearted support ….

A familiar sketch from the BBC era (show 4.3) it sticks very closely to the original. The one change is that Brake is made up to look dowdier than Ann Hamilton was, which means that Eric’s parting insult comes across as quite cruel.

The star guest power of today’s show doesn’t seem quite as great as, say, the 1981 special. Robert Hardy is wheeled on for another appearance – his front curtain banter with Eric & Ernie has all been road-tested before (the banana part with Sir John Mills, for example).

When you have every existing show to hand, this sort of thing can be a problem, but back in 1982 (when they were reusing gags from the previous decade that may not have been seen since their original broadcasts) it mattered less. After all, one of their most famous routines – with Andre Previn in 1971 – was a rehash of a sketch from their 1960’s days at ATV.

I enjoyed the Chattanooga Choo Choo skit, with M&W playing multiple characters. This leads into the play – set in the Yukon during the goldrush. The introductory text places us firmly in the early 1980’s (mentioning both British Leyland and Freddie Laker). Rula Lenska vamps it up very agreeably – a pity that she didn’t get a front curtain introduction before the play, but since this special only runs for fifty minutes (unlike some of the BBC specials which lasted over an hour) time was obviously a little tight.

So there we are. Taken in isolation, this is a perfectly enjoyable fifty minutes, although for me it’s impossible not to keep mentally referring to the original performances and comparing and contrasting. Mind you, if musicians can perform sets of their greatest hits, there should be no reason why comedians can’t do so as well …

Back to Christmas 1983 (26th December 1983)

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Things kick off today with that hardy Christmas perennial The Good Life (Silly But It’s Fun). Later there’s The Paul Daniels Magic Show in which Paul gets out his magic kettle (not the most thrilling of illusions it has to be said). Still, there’s some good specialty acts as well as the chance to see the largest Christmas Pudding ever (that should be worth the price of admission alone).

Kenny Everett is joined by The Police (as well as Frank Thornton, Sheila Steafel, Willie Rushton, Lennie Bennett, Lionel Blair, Billy Connolly and Fern Britton). Expect to see naughty bits.

There’s another chance to see The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, a Ghost Story for Christmas from 1974 starring Michael Bryant, Paul Lavers, Frank Mills and Sheila Dunn.

Give Us A Clue, Coronation Street and The Spy Who Loved Me on ITV are followed by Eric and Ernie’s Christmas Show. In retrospect, this is a melancholy watch as (apart from Night Train To Murder, broadcast after Eric’s death) this was their last hurrah.

I’ve gone through the whole card this December  – all their Xmas specials from 1969 to 1983. I haven’t changed my opinion about the likes of 1972 (a very disappointing effort) although these days I hold the Thames era in a little more esteem. Yes, the recycled material is never quite as good the second time around, but the magic’s still there (albeit flickering faintly at times).

I may catch Minder’s Christmas Bonus although it’s fairly disposable – new linking scenes in the Winchester which wrap around recycled clips from previous stories.

The Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show (1981)

archivetvmusings Christmas Television, ITV Comedy - 1980's

The opening credits introduces us to the guest stars. This is a nice touch and something that hasn’t been done since the early 1970’s BBC specials.

Little Ern is told by Eric that he’s been made the next Lord Mayor of Peterborough. And to prove it he’s given an impressive chain of office (“Fidelity, Integrity, Diligence, Obedience”). Hmm, I wonder what the initials of those words spell out?

This is another example of a very familiar Eric and Ernie trope – Eric conning the gullible Ern into believing that he’s about to receive an honour. It works because (as always) their interaction is spot on (the business with the top hat, for example). The reveal of the statue is also a nice touch.

Throughout the show we frequently cut to a snooker match between Steve Davis and Eric (Ernie has a passive role as the referee). Steve can’t pot a ball and Eric can’t miss (thanks to slick editing). Having won his first World title earlier in the year, Steve was a good sport to play along and it looks like he brought the actual World Championship trophy for Eric to briefly handle.

Next we cross to the flat, where Ernie is preparing to meet not only Robert Hardy but also Sir Ralph Richardson. In story terms, Hardy’s presence seems superfluous (Sir Ralph is the one that Ern wants to nab for his latest and greatest play) but maybe there  were concerns that Sir Ralph wouldn’t be able to handle all the byplay, so possibly Hardy was brought in to help shoulder the load.

And it’s true that Richardson does seem to be a little disconnected (although that seemed to be his public persona at the best of times). He warms up as time goes on though and genuinely seems to enjoying interacting with Eric and Ernie. In years gone by, this sort of preamble with a guest would occur before they appeared in the play but that’s pretty much your lot today for Sir Ralph (other stars later pop up in a totally different play).

Suzanne Danielle arrives to provide a touch of glam for the big song and dance number which is followed by a Health Food shop sketch that’s fairly inconsequential (although it does later provide the tag for the play).

Alvin Stardust has to withstand a fair bit of front curtain banter from Eric (which he takes in good heart) and then has to perform a song with the boys doing their best to upstage him. This is another very familiar M&W trope – although it’s interesting that in earlier days the musical guest would then be given the chance to sing another song without interference (poor Alvin doesn’t get this opportunity though).

Tonight’s play is another Shakespeare remake – Julius Caesar. Ian Ogilvy and Susannah York are dragged out in front of the curtain for some pre-play banter. Susannah seems a little nervous – she begins by calling Ernie the wrong name (Eric being Eric, of course, can’t let a slip of the tongue like that pass without comment).

Given the period, it’s not surprising that the play rehashes some moments from the earlier Cleopatra (with Glenda Jackson). What interests me more is just how basic the set is – an intentional choice or evidence that Thames couldn’t afford the same budgets that the BBC did?

We conclude the show with the whole guest ensemble (including Sir Ralph) dressed in overcoats, scarfs and flat caps – exiting the stage in the time honoured fashion. A joyous way to end a strong festive special.

Back to Christmas 1983 (25th December 1983)

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Merry Christmas Everybody!

It’s 2.00 pm on Christmas Day so that means it’s time for the Top of the Pops Christmas Special. Mike Smith is one of those on presenting duties so I wouldn’t expect to see this one turn up on BBC4 anytime soon.

It’s a fair so-so sort of show, although Bucks Fizz did catch my eye (both Cheryl and Jay both looking rather fine) plus there’s also Heaven 17 with Temptation.

It’s the end of an era for Blankety Blank as Terry Wogan presents his final show. Appearing today – Roy Kinnear, Beryl Reid, Patrick Moore, Sabina Franklyn, Freddie Starr and Ruth Madoc. It’s slightly less elaborate than some of the previous Xmas shows (which featured two separate panels of celebs – not to mention various japes and special guests). In retrospect though, this show is a memorable once since it featured the appearance of Tom Moore (later to raise over 30 million for the NHS).

BBC1’s afternoon film is the Disney version of Treasure Island. Featuring Robert Newton as Long John Silver (impossible now to watch his performance and not think of Tony Hancock) who is backed up by an impressive roster of British character actors (the likes of John Laurie, Geoffrey Keen and Patrick Troughton). This means that the very American Bobby Driscoll (as Jim Lad) sticks out like a sore thumb, but that apart it’s very agreeable. Alas, there was no happy ending for Driscoll, who died of drug abuse aged just 31. Sorry to bring the mood down a little.

BBC1 wins the evening with The Two Ronnies and a feature length All Creatures Great & Small. Shot on film, All Creatures picks up the story post WW2 with a demobbed James returning home. Another one-off would surface a few years later before the series proper returned in 1988.

Only Fools & Horses has yet to assume pride of place on Christmas Day (today’s episode only runs for the normal 30 minutes and doesn’t air until 9.35). But it’s worth waiting for – as Del and Rodney’s estranged father Reg Trotter (Peter Woodthorpe) returns to detonate some bombshells …

Thicker Than Water has a very small cast (apart from the regulars, only Woodthorpe and Michèle Winstanley as Karen the barmaid are credited). Woodthorpe is typically solid and it’s the last chance to see Lennard Pearce as Grandad (Pearce would die very early on during production of the next series – which meant that the character of Grandad was swiftly replaced with that of Uncle Albert).

Once again, time is limited for ITV and C4 picks (plus there’s not much that I can source) but I’ll be tuning in for The Revenge of the Pink Panther.

Back to Christmas 1983 (24th December 1983)

archivetvmusings Christmas Television

BBC1 offers us another opportunity to see the final episode of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em (originally broadcast five years earlier on Christmas Day). Dick Bentley (his last television credit), Frederick Jaeger, Tenniel Evans and Christopher Biggins are amongst those guesting.

A devoted Limahl fan has ensured that today’s edition of Pop Quiz is available to view. The former lead singer of Kajagoogoo (he was unceremoniously fired in mid 1983) teams up with Midge Ure and Roger Taylor (of Queen) to take on Mari Wilson, Leee John and Dave Edmunds.

At one point, Mike Read gets his guitar out, but thankfully the professionals do most of the singing …

Over on BBC2, the Bardathon continues with The Comedy of Errors. Plenty of familiar faces – Charles Gray, Cyril Cusack, Michael Kitchen, Frank Williams, Ingrid Pitt, Noel Johnson, Wendy Hillier – appear, most notably Roger Daltrey who gives us his Dromio (and very good he is too).

Val Doonican welcomes Howard Keel and The Nolans to his Christmas Eve show. It would have been nice to see this one on BBC4 rather than the oft-repeated example they’ve dug out again this year.

After Val’s faded away, there’s Bergerac and The Ice Maiden, which features the debut of Liza Goddard as Phillipa Vale (someone who would haunt Jim for a number of years to come).

Next it’s off to the City Varieties, Leeds and your own, your very own, Leonard Sachs with a festive Good Old Days. It was nearly the end of the road for the series, but there was still time for the likes of Bernard Cribbins, Barry Cryer and Danny La Rue to entertain us (not to mention, of course, a chorus of Down at the Old Bull and Bush).

That’s a pretty packed BBC schedule, so I won’t have too much time to spend with ITV and C4 today. But I might just have time to squeeze in the Christmas Eve special of Punchlines.

The Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show (1980)

archivetvmusings Christmas Television, ITV Comedy - 1980's

This December I’ve been tackling all of the Morecambe & Wise Christmas Shows (from 1969 to 1983).  My thoughts on the 1969 – 1979 shows can already been found elsewhere on the blog (having revisited the words what I’ve previously wrote, my opinions haven’t changed that much – I still find the 1972 and 1975 specials to be something of a slog, for example).

Following the low-key 1979 special, 1980 saw the boys back in harness. After a decent opening crosstalk (notable for the way Ern exits locked inside a life-sized wallet) we jump straight into a park-bench sketch with Eric, Ernie and Peter Vaughan. Vaughan plays to type as a menacing individual who intimidates the unfortunate Eric (Ern’s on hand to spur Eric on – which only serves to inflame Peter Vaughan all the more). Whether intentionally or not, this reminds me of a Hancock/Sid James scene. The sketch ends with the appearance of Mick McManus (a celeb who you have to be a certain age to recognise). I’m sure most of the readers of this blog will know exactly who he is ….

Next, Eric and Ernie invite Jill Gascoine round for Christmas dinner. This was a virtual word for word remake of an old BBC sketch with Ann Hamilton. It doesn’t work quite as well this time round (at one point Eric fluffs a line about the number of bottles of ginger wine Ern drinks at Christmas). The gag about Ann buying Eric an identical tie every Christmas worked because of her long association with the boys, so it’s a pity they repeated this with Jill as she didn’t have the same history (meaning that the moment doesn’t make any sense).

There then follows a musical number with Eric, Ernie and Jill dressed (of course) in police uniforms.

If you’ve got the original Network DVD of series one of the Thames M&W shows (with the second disc containing the first four specials) then it’s worth holding onto, as the more recent release (Morecambe & Wise at Thames) snipped out a four minute chunk which featured Eric dressed as Rolf Harris. On the one hand I can see why they did this, but it’s still an irritation. As someone who watches 1970’s/1980’s television on a regular basis, I frequently encounter people who are now persona non grata (I’d prefer to be the one to decide whether I watch them or forward on).

Glenda Jackson pops by for a quick sketch and Peter Cushing (more about him anon) is another familiar face who enlivens proceedings. Today’s biggest star guest though, is undoubtedly Alec Guinness. It’s a pity he doesn’t have more to do (although his sketch is still a good one). He does turn up at the end, but we’re cruelly denied the opportunity to see him sing Bring Me Sunshine with Eric and Ernie.

Hannah Gordon and Peter Barkworth are today’s front curtain banter guests. Hannah Gordon had previously crossed swords with M&W on the BBC but it was all new to Barkworth – and it’s a joy to witness his nervous apprehension as he desperately trys to wriggle out of his commitments. Off hand, I don’t think Peter Barkworth tackled comedy that often, which makes his appearance here more noteworthy.

The play (little Ern’s rewrite of Hamlet) is typical enough fare and (thankfully) unlike some of the later BBC Christmas show plays doesn’t outstay its welcome – it’s around the ten minute mark.

Throughout the show, there are numerous quickie sketches featuring Eric & Ernie as a pair of carol singers attempting to extract a few pennies from Number 10. The payoff – after the credits have rolled – is that (through sheer force of will) the unseen person inside Number 10 who has forced the boys to put their own money in the collection box is none other than Peter Cushing! After all these years he’s finally been paid ….

Back to Christmas 1983 (23rd December 1983)

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BBC2 offers more treats than BBC1 today – first there’s M*A*S*H (The Birthday Girls) which is followed by The Everly Brothers Reunion Concert and rounded off with The Marx Brothers in Monkey Business.

There’s another chance to see Pop Goes Christmas on ITV. Originally broadcast in 1982, it features some very 1982ish acts (Musical Youth, Toto Coleo) as well as others who have stood the test of time (Dexys Midnight Runners, David Essex). It seems to have disappeared from YouTube which is a shame as it’s great (if occasionally perplexing) fun. Many acts get to perform two songs – one of their own as well as a classic Christmas tune (Dexys’ interpretation of Merry Christmas Everybody is certainly different). Worth tracking down if you can do so.

“And you have won a prize!” It’s the Max Bygraves era of Family Fortunes. At the time, and especially following Bob’s effortless command of the show, Max’s presentation seemed a lot more slapdash. But I’ve grown to find it appealing over the years (possibly as I nudge closer to Max’s age). Today there’s two teams of celebs battling it out – Agony Aunts vs TV-AM Presenters.

That’s My Boy is calling me, but I think I’ll be strong enough to resist. More intriguing is Pride of our Alley, a Gracie Frields biopic written by Alan Plater and directed by Michael Ferguson. Polly Hemmingway plays Gracie, with the likes of Barry Jackson, George Pravda and Michael Angelis also appearing.

If I had time I’d watch The Party (Peter Sellers) but I’m pretty booked up today, so I’ll put that on the virtual VHS and maybe dig it out on a quieter day. I will catch An Audience With Kenneth Williams though.

Back to Christmas 1983 (22nd December 1983)

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After yesterday’s disappointing offerings, there’s richer pickings available today. We begin with the final episode of Angels – Vicky Smith (Pauline Quirke) is just one of the regulars facing difficult decisions. Is this the end of an era at Heath Green? As the series didn’t return, I’d say yes ….

The always phlegmatic John Peel and David (“Kid”) Jensen are your Top of the Pops hosts today. We kick off with Slade and (what else?) Merry Christmas Everybody (“It’s Christmas!”). Other treats include George Cole and Dennis Waterman performing What Are We Gonna Get ’Er Indoors? Most of it is spoken word, which is probably just as well as Cole’s brief attempts at solo singing are memorable for all the wrong reasons. The Flying Pickets close the show with the Christmas No 1 – Only You.

Originally broadcast on the 11th of December, there’s another chance to see this year’s Sports Review of the Year. Most of it is available on YT (the same channel has other editions of a similar vintage in addition to oodles of other interesting material). This is the imperial era of the programme, with a besuited Des Lynam effortlessly in charge. As everybody knows, it was never the same after they changed the name to Sports Personality of the Year.

Just prior to the Christmas Day episode, today’s offering of Only Fools and Horses (3.7 – Who’s A Pretty Boy?) sees the debut of both Denzil (Paul Barber) and Mike (Kenneth MacDonald). Also appearing is Eva Mottley as Denzil’s wife Corinne (sadly Eva Mottley would die shortly afterwards, with the character not recast but now just existing off-screen). A bearded David Jackson is on good form as the intimidating
Brendan O’Shaughnessy.

It’s just as well that the BBC have come up trumps today as ITV and C4 aren’t offering me too much …

 

Back to Christmas 1983 (21st December 1983)

archivetvmusings Christmas Television

Apart from Jackanory (Peter Pan), it’s a very thin day on BBC1 and BBC2. Even if I had access to everything, there’s little that’s catching my eye (maybe the Championship Darts on BBC2 might have appealed).

Thankfully there’s Coronation Street on ITV (with furore promised at the pigeon race).

That apart there’s only Chessgame with Terence Stamp to enjoy. It’s a slow-moving spy story (this one adapted by John Brason from the novel by Anthony Price). Good stuff if you’re in the right mood (like all the Network titles, the prices are slowly creeping up as the stock decreases, so if you fancy watching it then it’s probably best to pick it up sooner rather than later).

Back To Christmas 1983 (20th December 1983)

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We’re nearly at the end of Angels (today’s episode is the penultimate one). I’ve waxed lyrical elsewhere on the blog about my love for the original incarnation of Angels, but I’ve found the series’ restructure (into the twice-weekly half hour “soap” format) harder to get into. Still, I think I’ll dip into these final two episodes and maybe 2024 will be the year I begin tackle the whole run (all 220 episodes) in earnest.

I’ll follow that with the second episode of No Place Like Home. It’s a very trad sitcom, but the cast are so good – headed by William Gaunt as the long-suffering Arthur Crabtree – that I find it slips by very easily.

One of the best of Network’s (RIP) final DVD releases was the Michael Aspel era of Give Us A Clue. That’ll certainly be pressed into service today as Angela Rippon, Sylvia Sims and Victoria Wood join Una and Leslie Crowther, Stu (“I could crush a grape”) Francis and Gerald Harper pitch up to assist Lionel.

Unfortunately, I can’t source the complete Des O’Connor Show, but the interview with Ken Dodd is available.

Back to Christmas 1983 (19th December 1983)

archivetvmusings Christmas Television

“All children, except one, grow up”.  I’ll be enjoying Jackanory for the next five days – Jan Francis’ delightful reading of Peter Pan. It’s one of only a handful of Jackanory stories commercially available, so surely it’s about time that some of the series’ back catalogue (I know that, sadly, many editions were wiped) turned up on the iPlayer? If the money can be found to plonk every episode (apart from four) of Doctor Who on the iPlayer, surely a bit of cash can be spared for Jackanory too.

Tom & Jerry – The Mouse Before Christmas. I don’t why I shouldn’t slip this into today’s schedule as it turns up on my rota most Christmases (and indeed, often during different parts of the year as well).

Next up is a repeat of Christmas with Terry and June. The Radio Times listing isn’t too helpful, but after a little research I’ve worked out that it’s the 1981 Special. If I end up posting a clip on Twitter/X, I wonder how long it will be before someone pipes up to tell me that Terry Scott was a terrible man? Presumably they think that I’ve either not heard the rumours and/or am interested in their opinions …

Over on BBC2 there’s A Talent for Murder with Angela Lansbury and Laurence Olivier. Lansbury chews the scenery and Olivier affects a long-suffering air (odd to hear his character say “pain in the ass” rather than “pain in the arse” but that’s presumably a concession for the American market). Overall it’s a curio, but something that’s nice to see at least once.

Here’s the Radio Times feature (an interview with Lansbury).

ITV and C4 isn’t offering a great deal today, but I’ll tune in for Coronation Street and In Loving Memory. Richard Davies is guesting in today’s episode of In Loving Memory, so that’s one good reason for tuning in.

Christmas on BBC4 (25th December – 31st December 2023)

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25th December

Originally broadcast 37 years ago today, The Murder at the Vicarage was the first of the Joan Hickson Marple Christmas Day treats. Two more would follow in 1987 and 1989 – although the final two adaptations (in 1991 and 1992) had slightly less prominent late December slots.

The Murder at the Vicarage is my favourite Miss Marple novel and T.R. Bowen’s adaptation more than does it justice (we’re back in an era when Christie adapters were content to treat the original novels with respect). Paul Eddington, as the somewhat bewildered Reverend Leonard Clement, heads the guest cast.

26th December

The Two Ronnies – The Studio Recordings has done the rounds multiple times since its original broadcast in 2010, but it’s something that I’ll always be happy to recommend. Pluses – the whole programme is devoted to the studio footage (allowing previously unseen sketches to run in full – rather than interrupt them every ten seconds with celebrity talking heads). Minuses – the footage is cropped to widescreen (something that regularly happened to 4:3 footage a decade or so ago – thankfully this isn’t the case now).

A pity that it didn’t lead to further dips into the archive, as I’ve no doubt there’s a fair few programmes which also have existing studio recording sessions. Maybe one day ….

Two Noël Coward plays – Playhouse – A Song at Midnight (1982 with Deborah Kerr and Paul Schofield) and The Wednesday Play – The Vortex (1969 with Margaret Leighton) also feature this evening. Both are available on the Noël Coward Collection DVD boxset, but I don’t think they’ve been on television since their original airings, so they’ll be new to many.

A Horizon documentary from 1967 with Isaac Asimov also looks to be worth setting the VCR for.

27th December

Today we’ve got the 1998 Goodness Gracious Me Christmas Special and the first four episodes of The Singing Detective. In my idle moments, I sometimes wonder why BBC4 has started to strip programmes like this across several days. It’s hard to imagine anyone having the stamina to actually watch four episodes in a row – so presumably it’s expected that people will PVR them or watch on the iPlayer. That’s reasonable enough, but I do appreciate the way Talking Pictures TV tends to broadcast their archive television programmes – once a week and in the same timeslot. Radical I know, but it worked for a fair few decades.

28th December

Bob Monkhouse – The Last Stand is another very familiar offering, but if by some miracle you’ve never seen it (or not for a while) then it’s well worth tuning in. What turned out to be his last stand up gig was set up in order to record material for a short series called Behind the Laughter (as it turned out, none of the footage filmed made the final cut)

Broadcast in October 2003 (just a few months before his death) Behind the Laughter saw a remarkably candid Monkhouse discuss and analyse  his comedy contemporaries. The likes of Morecambe & Wise, Tommy Cooper, Frankie Howerd and Benny Hill were some of those put under the microscope (and it’s fair to say that Bob didn’t pull his punches). As an aside, Behind the Laughter is well overdue a repeat.

The Last Stand does suffer from having too many contemporary talking heads – yes it’s nice to hear how much Bob was loved by his colleagues, but it’s a shame that we have to keep cutting away from Bob in order to hear them. Still, even in this form there’s a lot of interest here – not least when Bob introduces his surprise guest (Mike Yarwood) and has a surprisingly candid conversation.

That’s followed by another familiar, but still worthwhile, programme – Talking Comedy – Bob Monkhouse.

29th December

Top of the Pops – Christmas 1983. By a spooky coincidence, this is one I already had on my playlist (since I’m spending the Christmas fortnight in 1983).

The rest of the evening is spent in the company of The Chairman of the Board. The programme that’s caught my interest is a 1979 Arena documentary about My Way (which doesn’t look to have been repeated since 2008).

30th December 

I get the feeling BBC4 are having a day off – there’s three movies (The Sound of Music, the Finney Murder on the Orient Express and the Ustinov Evil Under The Sun) as well as another chance to see Yes Minister – Party Games. They could at least have swapped Evil Under the Sun for the Ustinov Death on the Nile (far superior) or maybe dug out the 1982 BBC Christie adaptation of Spider’s Web with Penelope Keith. Hey ho.

31st December

Larry Grayson’s Generation Game takes pride of place today. It’s the New Years Eve special from 1979 and it promises surprise guests. Should I do a bit of Googling to find out who’s on or resist the temptation? I’ll resist, for now …

Those hardy souls who have stayed up to hear the chimes of Big Ben will be able to wind down with And Now For Something Completely Different. The first Monty Python film (albeit one that few seem to remember) is certainly packed with quality sketches, the only problem is that they’ve already been done (and done better) on the television show. It’s turned up a fair few times on various BBC channels over the last decade (which surprises me a little). Maybe this is the year I’ll finally watch it.

Back to Christmas 1983 (18th December 1983)

archivetvmusings Christmas Television

We begin on BBC1 with the final episode of Jane Eyre. A typical Classic Serial of the period (Barry Letts producing, Terrance Dicks script-editing) it features Timothy Dalton in maximum brood mode as Mr Rochester. Zelah Clarke played Jane – period drama clearly suited her as she also appeared in the likes of How Green Was My Valley, The Duchess of Duke Street, A Christmas Carol, Dombey & Son and Lady Jane.

Next is Hi-De-Hi! (The Marriage Settlement). We’re coming towards the end of the Jeffrey Fairbrother era I’m afraid. Surprisingly, there’s no Christmas special for the series – the next episode airs in early January.

S1 of By The Sword Divided concludes. I’ve a lot of time for this series (created by John Hawkesworth, which explains why it has an Upstairs Downstairs feel at times). The programme’s budget limitations were obvious (characters would go marching off to war but we tended not to see the battles onscreen as they would have been too costly) but then the character interactions were always the thing. I think this is one I’ll have to revisit in full soon.

ITV offers Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime (The Unbreakable Alibi). The source material for the series is pretty thin stuff, but the adaptations were always sympathetic – which meant that the end result always bore some resemblance to the original Christie story (something you can’t always take for granted these days). And even if the stories don’t always sparkle, Francesca Annis and James Warwick always do.

I’ll be rounding off the evening with The World at War on Channel 4.

Back to Christmas 1983 (17th December 1983)

archivetvmusings Christmas Television

For the next fortnight, I’ll be sampling the delights of Christmas television from forty years ago. As before, I will restrict myself to picking programmes that I have in my collection – so tempting treats I don’t have access to will have to, regretfully, be ignored …

BBC1 offers a solid early evening line-up with The Two Ronnies and Bergerac. Some parts of today’s Two Ronnies have dated better than others – for example, it’s doubtful that Ronnie B’s turn as Al Vermont (The Chocolate Coloured Cough Drop) will ever be a highlight of future clipshows.

We’re on firmer ground with the closing drama though – Barker is on fine form as Hercule Poirot in Murder is Served. Patricia Routledge offers support, while it also features one of my favourite Ronnie C. moments (his encounter with the fountain) that I’ve previously Twittered about here.

Holiday Snaps by Nick McCarty is today’s Bergerac offering. It’s the first of three episodes to feature Lee Montague as Inspector Maurice Dupont. Michael Angelis and Jean Boht also appear in this strong early S3 episode.

Over to ITV for the always baffling 3-2-1. Francis Howerd (not to mention Madeline Smith and Caroline Munro) are guesting today, so that’s enough of an incentive to tune in.

That’s followed by Cannon and Ball. Shakin’ Stevens, Jockey Wilson and Sarah Brightman – now that’s a diverse line-up of guests. Unsurprisingly, Jockey take part in a darts sketch (and it’s one that doesn’t require him to learn many lines – he’s simply called upon to react to Bobby’s antics). A brief appearance by a leggy Suzanne Dando, a dance-off between Bobby and Shakey and a nautical skit featuring Michael Knowles are a few of the other highlights.

Christmas on BBC4 (18th December – 24th December 2023)

archivetvmusings Christmas Television

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, I wonder what programmes are lurking inside BBC4’s hat?

BBC4 continues to mine the archives over the Festive period. Some programmes will be old favourites that always seem to resurface at this time of year, but they’ve also dug a few rarities out (which gladdens the heart of an old grump like me). So let’s take a look at what’s on offer between the 18th and 24th of December.

18th December

The 1986 Christmas Day edition of Top of the Pops lurches from the sublime (Billy Ocean, A-ha, Pet Shop Boys) to the less than sublime (Nick Berry). I wouldn’t have said that 1986 was a classic year for music, but the track listing is pretty decent so it’s well worth a look.

Keeping Up Appearances (The Father Christmas Suit) and To The Manor Born (The First Noel) both received December 2022 BBC4 airings, so they should be familiar to most. ‘Allo! ‘Allo! (The Gateau from the Chateau) last surfaced in October 2022 (prior to that it hadn’t been aired since 2012 on BBC1). It’s my pick of the three, not least for its affectionate Danny Kaye homage ….

19th December

Last seen in 2013, the 1977 Top of the Pops Christmas show makes a comeback. I’ve written about it here – fair to say that the punk revelation has yet to breach the TOTP studio, but it’s a show that has its moments.

Also on today, Steptoe & Son – A Perfect Christmas.

20th December

Top of the Pops Christmas 1991, dinnerladies – Christmas and Les Dawson on Christmas all make a rapid return to the schedules (TOTP last aired in 2021, the other two in 2022).

More interesting to me is a new programme – Mike Yarwood at the BBC, hosted by Rory Bremner. Yarwood is a character who seems to be loved and slightly despised in almost equal measures (I no longer bother posting clips of him on Twitter/X as it becomes tiresome reading comments about what a bad impressionist he was).

Yes, hand on heart some of his impressions weren’t terribly accurate (although I tend to have more issues with the scripts, which often only offered predictable and corny gags). But any 1970’s LE show will always appeal to me – and you have to be impressed with the way The Mike Yarwood Show pushed against the technical limitations of the era. Some of the split screen work, for example, still stands up today.

21st December

Today’s TOTP treat is Christmas 1984, which gets bonus points for the Do They Know It’s Christmas? singalong in the studio at the end.

That’s followed by Sykes (which I’ve written about here). This last aired in 2022 – prior to that it had received two repeats in 1997 and 1999. I find it interesting that its original tx (12th December 1975) was so early in the month. Like his pal, Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes often railed at the decisions of the BBC management – so no doubt this piece of scheduling wouldn’t have appealed to him ….

Three cheers for The Good Life Christmas special (Silly But It’s Fun). This has bestrode the schedules like a colossus since 1998 (repeated every year from then on) although it’s surprising that prior to that, repeats were more sporadic (1981, 1983, 1990,  1992). It’s no hardship to watch again (my thoughts on it can be found here) but it still niggles me that Margo waited until the 24th of December to have all her Christmas goodies delivered. This has to be, in order to make the story work, but it’s still something that’s hard to swallow.

22nd December

BBC4 seem to have given up on the annual TOTP Christmas shows (the surviving 1971 – 1973 programmes, with a little judicious editing, would have gone down very nicely). Instead they give us a Top of the Pops – Christmas Hits compilation from 2016. It has some Xmas classics (Slade and Mud) but it also features the likes of Coldplay, so a finger on the fast forward button is recommended.

23rd December

A real rarity today – Parkinson takes a Christmas Look at Morecambe & Wise from 1974 (unseen since its original Christmas Day broadcast and never issued on DVD). Morecambe & Wise didn’t make a Christmas show in 1974 so this Parky fronted clipshow had to suffice. No doubt it’ll be packed with all the moments we’ve seen a million times before, but maybe there will be some new material (if only interviews). We shall see.

Cilla in Scandinavia makes a swift return to the schedules. How much you get out of this depends on your tolerance to our Cilla – but she was able to corral an impressive guest roster (Marvin, Welch & Farrar, Basil Brush, Ringo Starr).

24th December

I don’t think Last of the Summer Wine – Getting Sam Home has had a terrestrial repeat since 1984 (please let me know if I’ve missed any dates) which seems slightly amazing. A ninety minute special shot on film and with no laugh track, it was one of the jewels of the 1983 Christmas schedule (I’ll be spending the Xmas fortnight in 1983, so I’m sure this will be one to revisit).

Also on tonight are Yes Minister (Party Games) which I’ve written about here and One Foot in the Algarve.

After that is another rarity, Bruce Forsyth and Ronnie Corbett’s Christmas Special (albeit broadcast on Boxing Day) from 1988. Although it’s occasionally surfaced on YouTube it’ll be nice to have a better quality version. Little from the show has stuck in the mind, but maybe time has been kind to it (fingers crossed).

Rounding off the evening is The Two Ronnies’ Old Fashioned Christmas Mystery. It’s their Christmas show which tends not to be repeated that often (2008, 2017) so it’s a good decision to dig it out again. My old blog post about it can be read here.

Next week I’ll cast my eyes over the BBC4 schedule for the 25th – 31st December.

Christmas is coming

archivetvmusings BBC Comedy - 1960's, Christmas Television

Somehow we’ve nearly got through another year, so that means it’s time to start riffling through my collection of Christmas programmes and begin to decide which ones will get another airing this December.

Some old favourites (the Porridge Christmas specials, The Box of Delights) are pretty much shoe-ins, as are the Morecambe & Wise Christmas shows. Indeed, I’ve kicked off this Xmas season with the first of their BBC Christmas shows from 1969 (as their links for the 1968 Christmas Night With The Stars no longer exist).

It’s noticeably not a very festive programme (apart from Eric & Ernie briefly messing about with a very large Christmas tree and Nina – together with a collection of cute children – singing Do You Know How Christmas Trees are Grown?). The reason becomes obvious when you do a little digging – Eric was taken ill (with flu) during the recording on the 21st of December, which meant that most of the show had to be assembled from material taped for their next series.

What I find interesting is that the recording was done so close to Christmas. In years to come, you’d often hear about festive programmes being taped in the summer, possibly Eric & Ernie preferred not to do this. Which, of course, was fine provided nothing went wrong.

The Radio Times listing, published before the aborted recording, tells us what we should have enjoyed – with Susan Hampshire and Frank Thornton due to appear (they were replaced in the broadcast programme by Fenella Fielding). There was no problem with the musical guests, so their spots were recorded as planned (although when you know about the cobbled together nature of the programme, the fact there’s no interaction between them and Eric and Ernie does become obvious).

Also appearing, but not billed in the Radio Times, was Sacha Distel. His performance was dropped in from Show 3.3 (broadcast on the 11th of February 1970). Indeed, this edition was plundered for most of the Christmas programme material (such as the opening with a hip-looking Ernie and a be-wigged Diane Keen, Ernie in the bath, the window cleaner sketch and Fenella Fielding).

So it must have been strange for the first time viewer in February 1970, settling down to watch a “new” episode of Morecambe & Wise, to suddenly realise that most of it was very familiar ….