17:59 – Sheepy’s opening music.
18:03 – Thames TV morning start-up music.
18:08 – Michael Bentine’s Potty Time S01E04 – Movie Monsters – a British children’s TV show, written by and starring Michael Bentine, and directed and produced by Leon Thau for Thames Television. This week, Mr. Bentine and the Potties investigate a spooky old castle. First broadcast on Mon 3rd Dec 1973 by ITV. This episode has a nice VTR clock…
18:19 – Shadows S02E02 – Time Out of Mind – a British supernatural television anthology series produced by Thames Television for ITV between 1975 and 1978. This week, teenager Liz, unhappy at home, finds herself living in the past when she is magically transformed into a doll in an old Victorian doll house. First broadcast on Wed 4th Aug 1976 by ITV.
18:45 – Clangers S01E04 – Music – the famous Oliver Postgate / Peter Firmin stop-motion children’s television series about a family of mouse-like creatures who live on, and inside, a small moon-like planet. This week, Tiny Clanger discovers music. Music hath charms… and it grows well too, which is fortunate because the soup-dragon ate most of it. First broadcast on Sun 7th Dec 1969 at 5.55pm by BBC1.
18:55 – Star Trek (The Original Series) – S01E18 – Arena – This week, while pursuing a Gorn vessel for an apparently unprovoked attack on a Federation outpost, Captain Kirk is forced by powerful entities to battle the opposing captain. First broadcast in the USA on Thu 19th Jan 1967 by NBC.
19:45 – …And Mother Makes Three – S03E06 – Two Hearts That Beat as Two – More gentle middle-class Thames sitcom, starring Wendy Craig as the newly-widowed Sally Harrison, doing her best to bring up her two boisterous sons, Simon and Peter. This week, in the last of the third series, Sally’s not happy when her mother tries to take over her wedding plans, a jewellers turns into a war zone when a young couple start arguing, and David’s reluctance to get married in church leads to very serious doubts. First broadcast on Thu 19th Oct 1972 by ITV.
20:10 – Special Branch – S01E06 – A New Face – Groundbreaking British police drama series following the exploits of the Special Branch of the Metropolitan Police: an elite group of officers tasked with protecting London from spies, terrorists, and subversives. This week, the son of a trusted officer of the special branch has become radicalised while away at university, trying to join a gang of riot-minded militant socialist students. This threatens to break up his family, and his father’s position. First broadcast on Wed 22nd Oct 1969 by ITV. Some familiar faces in this one: Tom Chadbon, John Levene and a young Frances Tomelty all appear, and Morris Perry makes a welcome return as Charles Moxon.
20:58 – A Very Peculiar Practice S01E05 – Contact Tracer – a surreal black-comedy drama set in the health centre of a British university, produced by the BBC. It was written by Andrew Davies and was inspired by his experiences as a lecturer at the University of Warwick, and it has been interpreted as a commentary on contemporary trends in education. This week, Stephen and his colleagues have a crisis on their hands when an epidemic of nongonococcal urethritis hits the campus. But trying to trace the source proves as difficult as keeping the news from the vice-chancellor. First broadcast on Wed 18th Jun 1986 at 9.25pm by BBC2.
21:50 – The Beiderbecke Affair E05/06 – That Was a Very Funny Evening – A six-part drama by Alan Plater. Trevor Chaplin (James Bolam) teaches woodwork and likes to listen to jazz. Jill Swinburne (Barbara Flynn) teaches English and wants to help save the planet. A tale of “Black Economies”, council corruption and many strange characters all set to a background of Bix Beiderbecke. This week, the reasons begin to come clear. The planner is a jazz fan. Trevor goes to dinner but doesn’t eat. Clandestine meetings are arranged. First broadcast on Sun 3rd Feb 1985 by ITV.
22:42 – Snub TV S03E03 – This week the alternative music show features:
• Throwing Muses: “Counting Backwards” (video)
• Drive: “Greasegun” (live)
• Creation Records feature on the label’s interest in dance music on the release of the “Keeping the Faith” compliation album, Ed Ball interview, Bobby Gillespie interview, Primal Scream: “Loaded” (video extract), Tony Martin aka Hypnotone interview, Hypnotone: “Dream Beam” (video extract), Kevin Shields & Belinda Butcher interview, My Bloody Valentine: “To Here Knows When” (video)
• Shut Up and Dance: “Derek Went Mad” (video)
• The Cure: Robert Smith interview, “The Big Hand” (live), “Away”
• Spacemen 3: “Big City” (video extract)
From 1st generation off-air VHS > Panasonic HD recorder > DVD-R > MPEG Streamclip > MPEG4
Video compression: H.264, 352 x 288, deinterlaced
Audio compression: AAC, Stereo (L R), 48.000 kHz, 192 kbps
First broadcast on Mon 4th Feb 1991 at 6.55pm by BBC2. It skipped a week due to the World Skiing Championships.
23:11 – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Original Radio Series) – The Quandary Phase 1/4, Fit the Nineteenth – With Ford’s original Earth entry in the Guide reinstated, he and Arthur make their ways back. First broadcast on Tue 3rd May 2005 at 6.30pm by BBC Radio 4.
23:38 – COMMENTARY TRACK VERSION of The Tomorrow People S01E13 – The Vanishing Earth (Part 4/4) – More interesting, amusing, sometimes scandalous, and as of late downright offensive DVD commentary featuring Nicholas Young (John), Peter Vaughan-Clarke (Stephen) and Philip Gilbert (TIM), moderated by Nicholas Briggs. To recap: this is the classic 1970s ITV children’s series about a group of teens with paranormal abilities, who use their special gifts to battle evil. This week, the Tomorrow People and Steen must find a way to save the workers trapped in Spidron’s collapsing mine workings. Then they must track down Spidron and Sandor and stop them escaping or the entire Earth will be destroyed. First broadcast on Mon 30th July 1973 by ITV. DVD Commentary recorded c. 2002, and listen carefully right at the start. This will be the last one for a while, until I start showing the next serial proper in a few months’ time…
00:03 – Closedown music.
00:08– Closedown.