POSTPONED FROM WEDNESDAY 8TH FEBRUARY.
17:35 – Sheepy’s opening music.
17:38 – Thames TV morning start-up music.
17:43 – Only When I Laugh – S02E04 – The Cosmic Influence – A sitcom made by Yorkshire Television for ITV, written by Eric Chappell (Rising Damp, Home to Roost). It stars Christopher Strauli as Norman, a rather naive middle-class man who is admitted to a hospital ward and finds that he is sharing it with a working-class layabout called Figgis (James Bolam) and an upper-class hypochondriac called Archie (Peter Bowles). All three of them cause headaches for the hospital staff, led by Richard Wilson with Derrick Branche. This week, when Figgis becomes obsessed with horoscopes in magazines and believes their predictions the others are sceptical – until Norman continually beats Glover at cards. However, Figgis becomes so preoccupied with astrological predictions he is convinced he is going to die – forcing Dr Thorpe to beat him at his own game to cure him of his obsession. First broadcast on Tue 20th May 1980 by ITV.
18:08 – Michael Bentine’s Potty Time S01E22 – The Scarlet Pimpernel – 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 visit the French Revolution. First broadcast on Mon 8th Apr 1974 by ITV.
18:20 – Ace of Wands S03E07/20 – The Power of Atep: Part 4/4 – a British fantasy children’s television show broadcast on ITV between 1970 and 1972. It was created by Trevor Preston and Pamela Lonsdale and produced by Thames Television. It ran for two seasons of thirteen episodes each, and a third season of twenty, which is the only series that still exists. Telepathic stage magician, Tarot, and his two assistants solve mysteries and crimes of a bizarre or magical nature, and battle against villains with various powers. This week, a strange dream about Egypt, shared by Tarot and Mikki, and a powerful voice at a séance, continues to lead Tarot and friends to the tomb of Atep in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. There Tarot confronts his former stage partner and double, Quabal. First broadcast on Wed 30th Aug 1972 by ITV.
18:42 – Clangers S02E09 – Pride – 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, Small Clanger finds a mirror, and vanity almost costs him his supper. First broadcast on Sun 13th June 1971 at 5.30pm by BBC1.
18:52 – BONUS ITEM: An Unearthly Dalek – An amusing, and very well done, YouTube video by someone called Joe Vevers (posted on you-know-where by Alberon), where the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan find themselves in Skaro’s finest restaurant.
18:55 – Star Trek (The Original Series) – S02E07 – Catspaw – This week, very alien visitors to our galaxy attempt to connect with human consciousness but miss, winding up tapping into the regions of human nightmares instead. First broadcast in the USA on Fri 27th Oct 1967 by NBC. Written by Robert Bloch, who also wrote Hitchcock’s “Psycho”, it was the first second-series episode to be filmed, and thus the first filmed to include series regular Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), although it was broadcast after several other episodes with the character had already been aired; the airing was delayed to coincide with Halloween.
19:46 – Spaced S01E05 – Chaos – the famous British sitcom created, written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright, about the (comedic and sometimes farcical and action-packed) misadventures of Daisy Steiner and Tim Bisley, two twenty-something Londoners who, despite only having just met, decide to move in together after she gives up on squatting and he is kicked out by his ex-girlfriend. Supporting roles include Nick Frost as Tim’s best friend Mike, Katy Carmichael as Daisy’s best friend Twist, Mark Heap as lodger Brian who lives downstairs and Julia Deakin as landlady Marsha. This week, after an all day marathon of Star Wars movies, it’s Tim’s turn to take Colin out for a walk. While he isn’t paying attention, the dog is stolen. Daisy thinks Tim got rid of Colin on purpose because she knows he doesn’t like Colin. All suspicions are dropped after they receive an anonymous letter revealing where Colin is. So Tim, Daisy, Brian, Mike, and Twist all develop a covert plan to retrieve him. First broadcast on Fri 22nd Oct 1999 by Channel 4.
20:10 – Special Branch – S02E10 – Sorry Is Just a Word – 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, when a Czech au-pair goes missing in London and her father is one of the most powerful men in the country, Inman and Jordan must find out what’s happened to her. But their enquiries lead to a dead end. First broadcast on Tue 14th Oct 1970 by ITV. With James Cossins, Gabrielle “UFO Moonbase purple wig” Drake, Sarah Thomas (Glenda from Last of the Summer Wine, Enid from Worzel Gummidge, the mousy work-colleague-that-wasn’t-a-girlfriend lady in Together), and a final appearance by Keith Washington as Det. Const. Morrissey.
21:01 – Eurotrash S03E02 – Last week, in a Sheepy first, I managed to show the wrong episode of something: S03E03 by mistake, instead of S03E02. So here’s the actual S03E02. Next week, S03E04!! The legendary late-night magazine show starring Antoine de Caunes and Jean-Paul Gaultier, exploring unusual and bizarre topics from Europe and around the world. This week we really DO have Natascha Alexandrovna: Russian Madonna, Munich’s Potty Museum, Football Nun, Bigas Luna, Oktoberfest, Tantric Sex. First broadcast on Fri 21st Oct 1994 by Channel 4.
21:24 – Another Bouquet E02/07 – Tensions – the sequel to A Bouquet of Barbed Wire, the latter based on the novel by Andrea Newman published in 1969. Starring Frank Finlay and Sheila Allen, it was produced by London Weekend Television for ITV. There are no synopses readily available on the internet, but a review I skimmed says that despite the loss of Susan Penhaligon, it still holds up quite well. First broadcast on Fri 14th Jan 1977 by ITV.
22:13 – Alfresco S01E02 – a sketch comedy series starring Robbie Coltrane, Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Siobhan Redmond and Emma Thompson, produced by Granada Television and broadcast by ITV from May 1983 to June 1984. Running for two series, it totalled 13 episodes and was named Alfresco (from the Italian al fresco, meaning “in the fresh air”) because, unusually for a comedy sketch show of the time, it was shot on location rather than in a studio. Like its pilot/predecessor, There’s Nothing to Worry About (from which several sketches were taken and repeated in this), the show was designed by ITV as an answer to the popular BBC series Not the Nine O’Clock News. This week, Emma Thompson and Robbie Coltrane shine in these sketches (apparently). First broadcast on Sun 8th May 1983 by ITV.
22:38 – Rock Follies of ’77 S01E01 a.k.a. Rock Follies S02E01 – The Band Who Wouldn’t Die – a musical drama shown on ITV in the 1970s. The storyline followed the ups and downs of a fictional female rock band called the Little Ladies, as they struggled for recognition and success. The series starred Rula Lenska, Charlotte Cornwell and Julie Covington as the Little Ladies, with support from Emlyn Price, Beth Porter, Sue Jones-Davies, Bob Hoskins, Stephen Moore, Derek Thompson, Denis Lawson and Little Nell among others. The series was made on a small low budget for Thames Television, with a style inspired by fringe theatre. It was based on an original idea by Annabel Leventon, Diane Langton and Gaye Brown. The series was a success and won three BAFTA Awards, and the soundtrack album reached No. 1 in the UK chart. This week, in the first of the second series, a pretentious rock star (Tim Curry) hires ‘The Little Ladies’ as a support act, but they are a little bit too good for his taste… First broadcast on Wed 4th May 1977 by ITV.
23:30 – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (TV Series) E01/06 – RERUN WITH PRODUCTION SUBTITLES – The infamous TV adaptation of Douglas Adams’ award-winning radio series, largely ruined by Alan J. W. Bell’s production, although Rod Lord’s brilliant Book animations save it. This week, Arthur Dent is not convinced when his best friend, Ford Prefect, tells him that the world is about to end in 12 minutes. Should he remain lying in front of the bulldozers intent on demolishing his house to make way for a bypass? Or should he accept the offer of rescue from Ford, who reveals that he is an alien from the planet of Betelgeuse (pronounced Bee-tle-jooce), and not from Guildford after all? First broadcast on Mon 5th Jan 1981 at 9pm by BBC2.
00:03 – REPEAT of BONUS ITEM: An Unearthly Dalek – An amusing, and very well done, YouTube video by someone called Joe Vevers (posted on you-know-where by Alberon), where the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan find themselves in Skaro’s finest restaurant. Repeated from earlier for those who might have missed it.
00:07 – Closedown music.
00:12 – Closedown.