No Brass this week, by design. It will be back next week. Full details at the end of this post.
17:58 – Opening music.
18:01 – Sky S01E05 – Evalake – More HTV children’s science fantasy weirdness, written by Bob Baker and Dave Martin. This week, with the help of a simple-minded patient, Sky escapes and they all travel to Glastonbury Tor. A hippy couple believe Sky to be the last of three mythical messiahs until Goodchild, and the planet’s forces (the animus), attack again. First broadcast on Mon 5th May 1975 by ITV.
18:25 – The Tomorrow People – S01E05 – The Slaves of Jedekiah (Part 5/5) – 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, John and Stephen jaunt up to Cyclops’ spaceship in an attempt to rescue Kenny, Ginge and Lefty. There they finally meet the cyclops and discover the real reason why he wants telepaths. First broadcast Mon 4th June 1973 by ITV.
18:50 – Star Trek (The Original Series) – S01E04 – The Naked Time – Skipping over S01E03 (“Where No Man Has Gone Before”), as I already showed it from when it was the series’ second pilot, we move onto the famous Sulu-goes-fencing episode. This week, the crew is infected with a mysterious disease that removes people’s emotional inhibitions to a dangerous degree. First broadcast in the USA by NBC on Thu 29th Sept 1966.
19:40 – …And Mother Makes Three – S01E05 – School for Love – 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, Sally falls for Simon’s teacher when she confronts him about his report, being invited to an art happening allows her to show her natural talent, and a date at a cocktail bar sees her get far too familiar with Tom Collins. First broadcast Tue 25th May 1971 by ITV.
20:05 – Van der Valk – S01E05 – Thicker Than Water – More Thames-made Amsterdam-based crime drama, starring Barry Foster. This week, a young English aristocrat turns up dead in an Amsterdam canal, but his mother shows little interest in finding the killer. Van der Valk and Kroon begin to piece together the man’s history, which leads them on a tour of the city’s transvestite clubs and bars. Gl1nn3r explodes. First broadcast on Wed 11th Oct 1972 by ITV.
20:54 – Sheepy’s Unwatched FILM Project #4: The Prestige (2006) – a mystery thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan, based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Christopher Priest. It follows Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, rival stage magicians in London at the end of the 19th century. Obsessed with creating the best stage illusion, they engage in competitive one-upmanship, with fatal results.
22:59 – Snub TV S01E03 – Radio Times listing: “Bringing you the best from the independent music scene. This week featuring the Pixies shot live in Boston, Massachusetts, the Lunachicks from Brooklyn, the Shamen plus lots more.” According to the listing that came with the file, there’s no Lunachicks, but we do also get The Trojans, Hippie Torrales, We Are Going To Eat You, and The Butthole Surfers. The Pixies bit looks excellent at first glance. First broadcast on Mon 23rd Jan 1989 at 7pm by BBC2.
23:29 – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Original Radio Series) – Fit the Fifth – Original Radio Times listing: “An epic adventure in time and space, including some helpful advice on how to see the Universe for less than 30 Altairian dollars a day. Sent to find the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe and Everything, Arthur Dent and his companion have been cornered by two humane cops who, nevertheless, have left them in a certain death situation. Starring Peter Jones as The Book, with Anthony Sharp as Garkbit and Zarquon, and Roy Hudd as ‘Compere’ at the Restaurant at the end of the Universe.” First broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on Wed 5th Apr 1978 at 10.30pm.
23:58 – Closedown music.
00:03 – Closedown.
SCHEDULING NOTE: After the rather lacklustre opening two episodes of Brass, two weeks ago I moved it – with the impatience of a bad BBC3 scheduler – to the opening slot at around 5.30pm. However, the two episodes that followed were instantly back to the fantastic broad satire that I remember from my youth, however only Phil and I saw episode 3 that week, and only I got to see episode 4 last week. So, after the first The Tomorrow People story finishes today, next week I will shuffle Star Trek and …And Mother Makes Three forward again, putting Brass back into its original slot, restarting from episode 3 (with apologies to Phil!).
Once Sky finishes, the next Tomorrow People story will commence in its 6pm slot in three weeks’ time.