17:35 – Sheepy’s opening music.
17:39 – Thames TV morning start-up music.
17:44 – Only When I Laugh – S02E06 – The Lost Sheep – 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 the hospital vicar comes to discuss Norman’s wedding, agnostic Figgis gets into a religious argument but ultimately fears for his soul, because he has not been christened and so he agrees to go ahead with the ceremony. This turns him into a zealous religious missionary – until he hears a confession from Glover, which drastically alters his charitable outlook. First broadcast on Tue 3rd June 1980 by ITV.
18:09 – Michael Bentine’s Potty Time S01E24 – Army Cookery Corps – 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 discover the joy of exploding Christmas puddings. First broadcast on Mon 22nd Apr 1974 by ITV.
18:21 – Ace of Wands S03E09/20 – Peacock Pie: Part 2/3 – 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, Tarot continues to investigate Mr Peacock, a man with the with the power of suggestion. In Peacock’s hands, torn strips of newspaper become bank notes; people book holidays to places they don’t want to visit – and Tarot’s stage act becomes a shambles. First broadcast on Wed 13th Sep 1972 by ITV. Written by P. J. “Sapphire & Steel” Hammond, and featuring Brian “Foggy” Wilde as Mr. Peacock. Apparently the best regarded of the surviving stories… and I definitely remember seeing this one as a seven-year-old boy, the cliffhanger really freaked me out!
18:45 – Clangers S02E11 – The Blow-Fruit – 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 and the Baby Soup Dragon cause trouble playing with jet-propelled fruit. First broadcast on Fri 27th Oct 1972 at 4.00pm by BBC1.
18:55 – Star Trek (The Original Series) – S02E09 – Metamorphosis – This week, while returning to the Enterprise aboard the shuttlecraft, Kirk, Spock, McCoy and a seriously ill Federation diplomat find themselves kidnapped by an energized cloud. First broadcast in the USA on Fri 10th Nov 1967 by NBC. It is the franchise’s first mention, and first appearance, of Zefram Cochrane, inventor of the warp drive. A number of scenes had to be reshot after flaws were discovered in the film stock during post-production. The reshoots involved calling back actors and rebuilding sets which had been struck. This episode was the first time in the original series that Kirk does not appear on board the Enterprise at any point.
19:45 – Spaced S01E07 – Ends – 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, in the last of the first series, Tim gets a phone call from his ex-girlfriend, Sarah, asking to meet him for a drink. Tim is convinced that she’ll want to get back together with him and have him move back in. Daisy thinks this is a bad idea, causing much tension around the flat. Mike has an interview at the Territorial Army to determine whether he should be allowed back in following the ‘Eurodisney Incident’. And Brian summons the courage to ask Twist out on a date which, against all expectations, actually goes quite well. First broadcast on Fri 5th Nov 1999 by Channel 4.
20:10 – Special Branch – S02E12 – Reported Missing – 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, an attractive Russian ballerina from a visiting ballet company goes missing. Jordan has doubts about the report’s authenticity, but Inman goes out on a limb to champion the girl’s cause – with disastrous results. First broadcast on Tue 28th Oct 1970 by ITV. With Brian “Foggy” Wilde for the second time this evening, Nicola Pagett (who played Margot in S01E06, the one about the copper’s son who joined a radical group, also the lead in the 1977 BBC serial Anna Karenina, and Elizabeth in the wonderful Frankenstein: The True Story (1973)), and Rachel Herbert (No. 58 in The Prisoner – Free for All, and the NATO interpreter lady in Callan – God Help Your Friends, which was filmed the same year as this.)
21:00 – Eurotrash S03E05 – 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 have Gnomes, Jessica Rizzo Vibrator Tester, Ghibli’s Seduction School, Paco Rabanne, David Hasselhoff, Russ Meyer Pop Video. First broadcast on Fri 11th Nov 1994 by Channel 4.
21:24 – Another Bouquet E04/07 – Reprisals – 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 28th Jan 1977 by ITV.
22:14 – Alfresco S01E04 – 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, the Alfresco cast takes on The Cold War. First broadcast on Sun 22nd May 1983 by ITV.
22:38 – Rock Follies of ’77 S01E03 a.k.a. Rock Follies S02E03 – The Hype – 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, backed by Kitty Schreiber’s high-profile marketing campaign, the group promotes their new single, OK?, with a nationwide tour. It’s a tough ride and it gets tougher when they clash with a punk group. First broadcast on Wed 18th May 1977 by ITV.
23:31 – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (TV Series) E03/06 – 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, Zaphod Beeblebrox is certain he’s located the fabled planet of Magrathea, the richest planet of all time. Here customers could place an order to have their own dream planets constructed. Soon the ‘dead planet’ fires two missiles at the Starship Heart of Gold, leading Beeblebrox to deduce there must be something very valuable and hoopy worth protecting down there. Will they avoid the pursuing nuclear missiles? Will they pull the ship out of its perilous downward spiral? Will Arthur Dent find any tea on board? First broadcast on Mon 19th Jan 1981 at 9.00pm by BBC2.
00:02 – Closedown music.
00:07 – Closedown.