SCHEDULING NOTE: The Tomorrow People will be back next week, taking over Sky‘s slot after it finishes today… but see the bonus item at the end of the schedule.

17:57 – Sheepy’s opening music.

18:00 – Thames TV morning start-up music.

18:05 – Sky S01E07 – Chariot of Fire – More HTV children’s science fantasy weirdness, written by Bob Baker and Dave Martin. In this final episode, Sky finally finds the Juganet and prepares to travel to his appointed time to assist the future humans who have rejected technology. Arby follows him, only to find his own life in jeopardy. First broadcast on Sat 17th May 1975 by ITV.

18:30 – Star Trek (The Original Series) – S01E06 – Mudd’s Women – This week, the Enterprise picks up untrustworthy entrepreneur Harry Mudd accompanied by three beautiful women who immediately put a spell on all the male crew members. This is the first of several episodes to feature Harry Mudd; he also appears in the later TOS episode “I, Mudd”, the animated series (TAS) episode “Mudd’s Passion”, and in Star Trek: Discovery as a recurring character. The story was one of three submitted for production as the second pilot of Star Trek, the others being “The Omega Glory” (S02E23) and the selected episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. It was filmed as the second episode of the first season, after “The Corbomite Maneuver” (S01E10). First broadcast in the USA by NBC on Thu 13th Oct 1966. WARNING: Probably full of rampant sexism.

19:20 – …And Mother Makes Three – S01E07 – Mr. Mum – 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, in the last episode of the first series, Sally panics when she wakes to the sound of strange voices in the house, Simon and Peter are told to find hobbies when television is banned, and Auntie gets a nasty shock when she tries to spy on a very secret project. First broadcast Tue 8th June 1971 by ITV.

19:45 – Brass – S01E04 – More Granada-made northern-drama-satirising comedy, starring Timothy West. This week, Lady Patience tells Bradley that his daughter is carrying on with a miner. Agnes tells George that the person Isobel is carrying on with is their son Jack. Bradley agrees to talk to the strikers and offers them a silent hooter – the strike is ended. George tests Bradley’s anti-tank boot which explodes, and Bradley manages a pit disaster, in which he knows Jack is involved. First broadcast on Mon 14th March 1983 by ITV.

20:10 – Van der Valk – S02E01 – A Death by the Sea – More Thames-made Amsterdam-based crime drama, starring Barry Foster. Tonight we start the second series, with a new title sequence, an exciting new font, and possibly the best run of stories in my opinion (it’s between S02 and the upcoming S03). This week, a romantic midnight swim leaves a man unconscious and his wife missing, presumed drowned. Van der Valk suspects that more than amorous intentions were at play that night, and he sets out to prove it. If you’ve ever had the unlikely urge to see Patrick “Mine is the last voice you will ever hear” Allen stark-bollock-naked, now’s your chance. First broadcast on Wed 29th Aug 1973 by ITV.

21:01 – Sheepy’s Unwatched FILM Project #7: Mariposa (2015) a.k.a. Butterfly (2015) – An Argentinean drama film starring Ailín Salas and Javier De Pietro. It was screened in the Panorama section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. In Spanish, with (oddly, burnt-in) English subtitles. I picked this up super-cheap in a Network sale, and know no more about it than what it says on the DVD case, which indicates (possibly too spoilerifically) that it’s a cross betweenSliding DoorsandThe Butterfly Effect(which I also haven’t seen and will be coming up in a few weeks): ” THE FLAPPING OF A BUTTERFLY CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING. YOUR FAMILY. YOUR FUTURE. BUT NOTHING CAN ALTER YOUR DESIRE. An exquisitely playful film exploring the shifting boundaries of friendship and the inevitability of love, Mariposa (Butterfly) is the seventh feature by acclaimed Argentinean director Marco Berger, whose award-winning credits include Plan B and Absent. A butterfly flaps its wings, and Romina’s universe is divided into two parallel realities: Flap. Abandoned as a newborn baby, at age sixteen she and her adoptive brother German, despite powerful feelings for each other, know their relationship cannot become a physical one. Flap. Romina and German are drawn to each other as friends, their awkward, adolescent relationship threatening to turn towards something more emotionally fulfilling. Their story alternates between realities, building up an awkward tapestry of endless possibilities…”

22:37 – Snub TV S01E05 – This week featuring Nitzer Ebb, Duncan Dhu, Fini Tribe [sic], Mute Drivers, Dissidenten, and Spaceman 3. First broadcast on Mon 6th Feb 1989 at 7pm by BBC2.

23:06 – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Original Radio Series) – Fit the Seventh a.k.a. The Christmas Special – Original Radio Times listing: “A new epic adventure in time and space, including some helpful advice on how to avoid certain death. The show that began with the end of the world continues with Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect stranded on prehistoric earth, and Zaphod Beeblebrox and Marvin thoroughly devoured by a carbon-copy of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal. Starring Peter Jones as The Book, with Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox, Stephen Moore as Marvin, Simon Jones as Arthur Dent, Geoffrey McGivern as Ford Prefect/Frogstar Robot, Bill Paterson as Assistant Arcturan Pilot, David Tate as The Captain/Receptionist/The Lift, and Alan Ford as Roosta. Radiophonic sound and music by PADDY KINGSLAND. Written by DOUGLAS ADAMS. Producer GEOFFREY PERKINS. (Stephen Moore is a National Theatre player.)” First broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on Sun 24th Dec 1978 at 10.15pm.

23:36 – COMMENTARY TRACK VERSION of The Tomorrow People S01E01 – The Slaves of Jedekiah (Part 1/5) – Trying this as an experiment. I’d long heard that the DVD commentaries for The Tomorrow People were fascinating, hilarious, at times scathing (so much so that I believe there was a row over the certification being incorrect, as they hadn’t been submitted to the BBFC), and basically a must-watch. I did the first 3 or 4 eps’ worth the other night, and although maybe not quite living up to that description over these early episodes, they were certainly interesting and amusing. So I’m giving them a go as late-night filler, and we’ll see if people enjoy them. The commentary features Nicholas Young (John), Peter Vaughan-Clarke (Stephen) and Philip Gilbert (TIM), moderated by Nicholas Briggs. WARNING: some of their views seem a bit dodgy in places. You can take the lads out of the 70s, but it seems in some cases you can’t take the 70s out of the lads… To recap: this is the classic 1970s ITV children’s series about a group of teens with paranormal abilities, who use their special gifts to battle evil. Wikipedia: “Stephen, up until now an ordinary schoolboy, suddenly collapses on a London street as the mental ordeal of “breaking out” begins. The three existing Tomorrow People (John, Carol and Kenny), aware of his ordeal, manage to make contact with him and guide him through the process, but are unable to keep him from being kidnapped by Ginge and Lefty, two Cockney thugs working for the mysterious Jedikiah, who wants the Tomorrow People for their psychic powers…”  Original programme first shown on Mon 30th April 1973. Not sure when the DVD commentary was recorded, but the discs are copyrighted 2002 (as well as 1991, confusingly; I suspect the latter is when Thames slapped their crappy new-style end-logo on).

23:59 – Closedown music.

00:04 – Closedown.