17:35 – Sheepy’s opening caption & music.
17:39 – Thames TV morning start-up music.
17:44 – Only When I Laugh – S04E03 – All in the Mind – 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, having got a book on psychology from the library Figgis takes it upon himself to analyze his fellow patients, alleging that Glover has a persecution complex and Norman is sexually repressed. First broadcast on Thu 18th Nov 1982 by ITV.
18:09 – Michael Bentine’s Potty Time S02E10 – Craftsmen / 55 Days Peking – a British children’s TV show, written by and starring Michael Bentine, and directed and produced by Leon Thau for Thames Television. This week, ever wondered how to give furniture that 200-year-old look? All the tricks of the trade revealed by skilled Potty craftsmen. Professor Potsworthy then reveals the nature of the secret weapon that really crushed the Boxer Rebellion… First broadcast on Wed 12th Mar 1975 by ITV. Probably full of dodgy racial stereotyping again, I’m afraid…
18:31 – Ace of Wands: A Story with No End – Part 1/3 – a brand new, exclusive documentary looking at the making of Ace of Wands featuring Michael Mackenzie, Judy Loe, Tony Selby, Roy Holder, Petra Markham, Pamela Lonsdale, Trevor Preston, Ali Bongo and Darrol Blake. A Kindred production for Network DVD, made in 2007. Included as an extra on the Ace of Wands DVD box set. Parts 2 and 3 will be shown next week.
18:47 – Trailers for next week’s Bank Holiday afternoon films: The Mind Benders (1963) and The Medusa Touch (1978). Warning: the latter is quite spoilery!
18:54 – Clangers (New CBeebies Version) S01E10 – The Curious Tunnel – the 2010s reboot of the famous early-1970s 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 and Small Clanger discover a strange tunnel that appears to suck things upwards. First broadcast on Fri 26th Jun 2015 at 5.30pm by CBeebies.
19:05 – Star Trek (The Original Series) – S02E22 – By Any Other Name – This week, beings from another galaxy commandeer the Enterprise in an attempt to return home. First broadcast in the USA on Fri 23rd Feb 1968 by NBC.
19:55 – Tales of the Unexpected S01E03 – William and Mary – a British television series that aired between 1979 and 1988. Each episode told a story, often with sinister and wryly comedic undertones, with an unexpected twist ending. Every episode of series one, eight episodes of series two, and one episode of series three were based on short stories by Roald Dahl, who provided introductions for the first two series. This week, when her husband William dies, Mary Pearl is shocked that his will stipulates that his brain should be kept alive and observing her from the lounge sideboard. She determines that, even though he is dead, she will continue to annoy him. First broadcast on Sat 7th Apr 1979 by ITV. Starring Elaine Stritch and Marius Goring.
20:20 – Van der Valk – S03E12 – Diane – After a four-year break (1973-1977) on original transmission, the Amsterdam-based crime drama returned for this 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, in the last of the 1970s Van der Valks, when a woman tries to bury her past, but it overtakes her in Amsterdam, Van der Valk finds himself being drawn into strange – and dangerous – incidents that neither he not the girl find beneficial to their health. First broadcast on Mon 21st Nov 1977 by ITV. Next week, we return to Special Branch (1973-4), now the Euston Films rebooted version starring George Sewell. A very different show to its 1969-70 incarnation, it’s often cited as the precursor to The Sweeney, which will be shown after that. The seven early-90s feature-length Van der Valks will be shown when an appropriate gap opens up in the schedule.
21:12 – Eurotrash S05E06 a.k.a. Eurotrash Goes Down Under (2/2) – 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 Abigail – Australia’s First Soap Sex Symbol, Mary Schneider – Queen of Yodelling, Young Talent Time, Nude Australia, The Wizard of New Zealand. First broadcast on Fri 22nd Dec 1995 by Channel 4.
21:35 – Lytton’s Diary S02E03 – The Ancien Régime – A drama series made by Thames Television for the ITV network, about the life of a newspaper gossip columnist, played by Peter Bowles, who also co-created the show with Philip Broadley. Scripts were by Ray Connolly, the journalist, interviewer, author, Beatles enthusiast, and screenplay writer of That’ll Be The Day and Stardust. Whether consorting with banking tycoons and ex-dictators or investigating a gang of skinheads, Lytton strives to expose the high and mighty, the corrupt and the crooked – and to make sure “God” (his editor at the Daily News) is happy with his work. All the while, Lytton struggles to keep his love life in order, write the one novel he feels he has in him, and fend off constant machinations and maneuvers of an old rival at the Daily Post. This week, the owner of the Daily News makes Lytton an offer he can’t refuse – or can he? While Lytton deliberates, he continues to pursue his hottest story: the link between a notorious French actress and a murderous Central American dictator. First broadcast on Wed 22nd Jan 1986 by ITV. With Richardson Morgan (the Bargee in Van der Valk S02E02 and Rogin in Doctor Who: The Ark in Space) in a minor role as a film director. WARNING: the opening title sequence contains flashing images.
22:26 – Girls on Top S01E04 – Cancel Toast – a British sitcom, broadcast on ITV in 1985 & 1986, made by Allan McKeown’s Witzend Productions for Central Independent Television. It starred Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Ruby Wax and Tracey Ullman with Joan Greenwood. It was written by French, Saunders and Wax, with additional material for two episodes written by Ullman. It was produced & directed by Paul Jackson (S1) and Ed Bye (S2). Both theme and incidental music were written and perforned by Chris Difford & Glenn Tillbrook. This week, Shelley auditions for drama school, with the help of Jennifer. It doesn’t go well and the flatmates pull together to help restore her confidence. First broadcast on Wed 13th Nov 1985 at 8.30pm by ITV. This week guest-starring Roland Rivron, Simon Brint, and the voice of Alan Rickman. This show will be broadcast at 75% volume. 🙂
22:51 – Agony S02E04 – Television Can Damage Your Health – An ITV sitcom that aired from 1979 to 1981. Made by London Weekend Television, it stars Maureen Lipman as Jane Lucas who has a successful career as an agony aunt but whose own personal life is a shambles. It was created by Len Richmond and real-life agony aunt Anna Raeburn, both of whom wrote all of the first series. The second and third series were written by Stan Hey and Andrew Nickolds. This week, Jane pursues a career on TV and lands a job as the presenter of a talk show. First broadcast on Sun 4th May 1980 by ITV.
23:17 – MUSIC: Cocteau Twins Live at the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, Fri 7th Nov 1986 – an audio-only bootleg of a gig I was actually at (and better than my own slightly distorted bootleg I made at the time!), accompanied by some suitably ambient video. Setlist: Intro / Lazy Calm / Hitherto (False Start – Tuning Problems) / Hitherto / Sigh’s Smell of Farewell / My Love Paramour / Sea Swallow Me / Plain Tiger / Love’s Easy Tears / My Hue & Cry / Sugar Hiccup / Pearly-Dewdrops’ Drops / Pink Orange Red / Lazy Calm.
00:15 – Closedown music.
00:20 – Closedown.