NOTE: SLIGHTLY EARLIER START TIME!
THIS IS A RERUN OF WEDNESDAY’S SHOW.
This is due to the fact that a couple of our regulars couldn’t make it or had to leave earlier than usual.
Given the nature of this stream, I obviously won’t be offended if hardly anybody turns up; indeed, I may not be present for some of the evening myself. I also reserve the right to closedown early if everyone’s seen what they need to, although this is unlikely.
The next Sheepy Show (#43) will be on Monday 13th March, with the show returning to its original Monday slot going forward, as Wednesdays are now increasingly difficult for both me to stream and Phil to watch.
17:28 – Sheepy’s opening music.
17:32 – Thames TV morning start-up music.
17:37 – Only When I Laugh – S03E01 – A Day in the Life of – 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, a documentary television crew come to the hospital to shadow Dr Thorpe for a day. He has primed Norman to give him a glowing report but Norman keeps fluffing his lines so Glover is only too keen to take over. However he plays to the gallery so outrageously that finally Figgis speaks to camera – using the opportunity to criticize everything about the hospital and leading to a shut-down. First broadcast on Wed 2nd Sept 1981 by ITV. Including two blocks of adverts that were shown on this very day in the Southern TV region!
18:09 – Michael Bentine’s Potty Time S01E26 – Potty Magic – 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 Stonehenge. First broadcast on Mon 6th May 1974 by ITV.
18:20 – Ace of Wands S03E11/20 – Mama Doc: Part 1/3 – 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, when one of Mr Sweet’s university colleagues, Professor Dorian, disappears, Tarot and his companions follow a trail which leads to a bizarre doll’s hospital run by the eccentric Mama Doc. With her accomplice Bobby, the woman turns real people into dolls.. First broadcast on Wed 27th Sep 1972 by ITV.
18:45 – Clangers S02E13 – The Music of the Spheres – 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, in the last of the classic Clangers episodes, Tiny Clanger is accidentally hoisted away into space by the Hoot planet. First broadcast on Fri 10th Nov 1972 at 4.00pm by BBC1.
18:55 – Star Trek (The Original Series) – S02E11 – Friday’s Child – This week, the crew of the Enterprise become entangled in a planet’s tribal power struggle. Adding to their difficulty is the presence of the Klingons, and a woman (Julie Newmar) who does not want her unborn child. First broadcast in the USA on Fri 1st Dec 1967 by NBC. Writer D.C. Fontana said she wanted a story about a strong woman who did not necessarily want children. Her original idea was used largely unchanged, with the major exception being the addition of the Klingons. I have no memory of this episode at all, not even from pictures, not even the title rings a bell. But it wasn’t one of the banned four…
19:45 – Spaced S01 – Trailers, Outtakes & Raw Footage – This week, I’m showing the rest of the Series 1 DVD extras: 3m of Trailers, 14m of Out-takes (including the “More Out-takes” that weren’t on the original DVD), and 7m of Raw Footage. Any subtitles you might encounter are deliberate, and look out for all the alternative show titles on the clapperboards!
20:12 – Van der Valk – S03E01 – Enemy – After a four-year break (1973-1977) on original transmission, the Amsterdam-based crime drama returns for a 12-episode run, now made by Euston Films for Thames TV . It still stars Barry Foster in the title role, but his wife has mysteriously changed actress, from Susan Travers to Joanna Dunham, who played Patrick Allen’s lover in S02E01 “A Death by the Sea”. This week, when Van der Valk and his wife Arlette receive death threats, the detective finds himself looking for a mysterious hidden enemy who could strike at any second. First broadcast on Mon 5th Sept 1977 by ITV. This strikes me as a slightly strange, atypical, episode to start the new run, but after this it soon settles down into the usual style.
21:03 – Eurotrash S04E01 – 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 Leander Hirsch, Jean-Luc Hennig’s Bottoms, Michael Winner visits a Drag Queen Restaurant (and presumably defends them), Insect Restaurant, DIY Porn Film School, Italian Gesticulations. First broadcast on Fri 12th May 1995 by Channel 4.
21:28 – Another Bouquet E06/07 – Emergencies – 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. This week, more synopsis-less shagging shenanigans. First broadcast on Fri 11th Feb 1977 by ITV.
22:13 – Alfresco S01E06 – 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, 13th century wassailers travel around town, wreaking havoc. First broadcast on Sun 5th June 1983 by ITV.
22:37 – Rock Follies of ’77 S01E05 a.k.a. Rock Follies S02E05 – The Divorce – 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, with new singer Rox, the mirage of success finally becomes a reality as the girls score a hit single and pack in the fans at the Electric Empire. But success also creates tensions, and Kitty has her hands full trying to paper over the cracks. First broadcast on Tue 29th Nov 1977 by ITV.
23:30 – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (TV Series) E05/06 – 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, having been blown to smithereens when a computer exploded on the planet of Magrathea, Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Trillian and Zaphod Beeblebrox are somewhat mystified when they find themselves in some sort of restaurant – apparently at the end of the Universe. First broadcast on Mon 2nd Feb 1981 at 9.00pm by BBC2.
00:03 – Closedown music.
00:08 – Closedown.