17:35 – Sheepy’s opening caption and music.
17:40 – Thames TV morning start-up music.
17:45 – Only When I Laugh – S04E05 – Escape – This week, Glover is charmed by new admission Harry Bridgewater – until it transpires that he is a prisoner who has come in for an operation with a guard in attendance. Having tried to pass himself off as a hardened criminal Bridgewater has to admit he is but a getaway driver but asks the patients to cover for him whilst he escapes – for a night – to have sex with his wife. They agree and persuade Dr Thorpe to assist them but will the convict return next day? First broadcast on Thu 2nd Dec 1982 by ITV. With Neil McCarthy (Zulu, Where Eagles Dare, Catweazle S1, DW: The Mind of Evil, DW: The Power of Kroll, Clash of the Titans, Time Bandits, and many more) as the criminal, in what proved to be his last-ever role. Previously shown on CABTV on Sheepy’s Show #55 – Mon 2023/06/05 AND #56 – Mon 2023/06/12.
18:10 – You Must Be Joking! S02E06 – Yet more dodgy mid-70s japery from the kids. Looks particularly racist this week, with some bondage thrown in to keep R0g3r Pr1c3 happy. First broadcast on Fri 28th May 1976 by ITV.
18:35– The Doombolt Chase E05/06 – The Devil’s Jaws – a naval-themed British science fiction/action television series aimed at a teenage audience, written by Don Houghton, whose writing credits include DW: Inferno, DW: The Mind of Evil, Dracula A.D. 1972, and half of Sapphire & Steel Assignment Five (“Doctor McDee Must Die”). It stars Peter Vaughan, Frederick Jaeger, Donald Burton and Ewen Solon, with appearances by John Woodnutt and Simon MacCorkindale. This week, as Richard, Lucy and Peter try to escape from Vallance in the wilds of the Welsh mountains, Bayard prepares to fire his experimental Doombolt. He is confident that the Navy will not be able to stop him… First broadcast on Sun 9th Apr 1978 by ITV.
18:59 – Clangers (New) S01E46 – The Golden Planet – This week, Major Clanger invents a new two-seater rocket for special trips. When he and Small look through the telescope, they see a golden planet. First broadcast on Wed 15th June 2016 at 6pm by CBeebies.
19:10 – UFO S01E03(P04) – Survival – a 1970 British science fiction television series about the covert efforts of an international defence organisation (under the auspices of the United Nations) to prevent an alien invasion of Earth. It was created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grade’s Century 21 for Grade’s ITC Entertainment company. It stars Ed Bishop as Commander Ed Straker, with George Sewell as his second-in-command Colonel Alec Freeman (later replaced by Wanda Ventham as Colonel Virginia Lake, although she appears in this first episode in an entirely different role). Also appearing in the series are Michael Billington as Colonel Paul Foster, Gabrielle Drake as Lieutenant Gay Ellis, and even Steven Berkoff in four episodes as an Interceptor pilot! The series is presented here in a fresh new HD Blu-Ray rip.
This week, Colonel Foster is stranded on the Moon and another astronaut is killed following an attack by aliens under cover of a meteor shower. Foster has lost contact with the Moonbase and is assumed to be dead so there is no search party. Then he meets an alien, also stranded, and the two have to work in a bizarre alliance in order to survive. First broadcast on Wed 6th Jan 1971 at 8pm by ITV in the ATV region.
19:59 – Tales of the Unexpected S04E03 – The Boy Who Talked With Animals – A boy who can communicate with animals soothes a huge beached turtle who’s been captured. First broadcast on Sun 19th Apr 1981 by ITV. With Tony Osoba as a police officer.
20:25 – NEW! – The Sweeney S01E01 – Ringer – Jack Regan and George Carter are hard-edged detectives in the Flying Squad of London’s Metropolitan Police. They pursue villains by methods which are underhanded and often illegal, frequently violent and – more often than not – successful. This week, after Regan’s car is stolen with invaluable surveillance photos from a stakeout, the thief gives a heads-up to the Sweeney’s target. First broadcast on Thu 2nd Jan 1975 by ITV. Aside from the usual trio of John Thaw, Dennis Waterman and Garfield Morgan, this episode also features Ian Hendry, BRIAN BLESSED, Jill Townsend and June Brown. Written – as many of them were, it seems – by Trevor “Ace of Wands” Preston.
21:16 – Keep It In The Family S05E01 – Too Many Cooks – This week, in the first episode of the final series, Muriel is visiting her mother in Australia, leaving Susan to look after Dudley. Unfortunately Susan has had enough of Dudley’s behaviour and decides to hire a housekeeper. First broadcast on Wed 7th Sept 1983 by ITV.
21:40 – NEW! – The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder S01E01 – The Treasure Hunt – a British television series which was originally broadcast on ITV in two series from 1969 to 1971. It is based on a series of novels and short stories written by Edgar Wallace featuring the character of J.G. Reeder, who had appeared in several film adaptations in the late 1930s. Sixteen episodes were made, all but two in black-and-white. Reeder is a mild-mannered civil servant at the Department of Public Prosecutions with an extraordinary gift for solving complex crimes, due to being able to think exactly like a criminal. He is played by Hugh Burden (Channing in DW: Spearhead from Space, which would’ve been filmed between the two series of this!), working under the overbearing Sir Jason Toovey (Willoughby Goddard, who popped up a few times in NTNOCN). It features amusing confrontations with his long-suffering housekeeper, Mrs Houchen (Mona Bruce, who played Mrs Armitage in Within These Walls), and a succession of prospective ladyfriends. Windsor Davies also pops up in some episodes as a police inspector. It is set in the 1920s, when the stories were originally written, and the graphics of the opening credits reflect this Jazz Age setting. Not so sure about the banjo music, though…
This week, Mr Reeder becomes involved when Sir Jason receives an anonymous poison pen letter regarding Sir James Tithermite and the mysterious disappearance of his wife. Meanwhile, a gentleman currently residing at His Majesty’s Pleasure plots Reeder’s downfall. First broadcast on Wed 23rd April 1969 by ITV. NOTE: Although most episodes of this series no longer exist in colour, if they ever did (only S2 was to be made in colour but then fell victim to the colour strike), this episode in particular is so dark and wobbly that Talking Pictures wouldn’t even show it (so I’ve not seen this one before). As the Network DVD box set says: “Note that this episode no longer exists in the archive and the version included on this set is taken from an archive dub recorded in an archaic format. Its quality is not as good as the remaining episodes in this set.” To be honest, looks like all it needed was a run through a decent time-base and brightness corrector, but I guess it was too niche for Network to afford that. And no, I don’t know what the “archaic format” was… probably that Sony reel-to-reel thing at a guess.
22:33 – Eurotrash S10E07 – The legendary late-night magazine show starring Antoine de Caunes, exploring unusual and bizarre topics from Europe and around the world. This week, we have The New Gipsies, Victoria Silvstedt Meets Sweden’s Casanova, Arnie “Skiffle” Joe, The Mannheim Uroband, Eat On Me, Miss Asparagus 1998, Lothar Potzl: Breast Collector, Mr Gay Europe. First broadcast on Fri 6th Nov 1998 by Channel 4.
22:56 – Thriller S01E08 – File It Under Fear – a British television anthology series, made by ATV for the ITV network and originally broadcast in the UK from 1973 to 1976. As the title suggests, each story is a thriller of some variety, from tales of the supernatural to down-to-earth whodunits. The series was created by Brian Clemens (of The Avengers, The Professionals, and many others fame), who also scripted the majority of the episodes and story-lined every installment.
This week, a strangler is on the loose, killing young women, and there are several suspects. Liz Morris, the local librarian, is the only person who can provide clues. First broadcast on Sat 2nd June 1973 by ITV. This episode stars Maureen Lipman and Richard O’Callaghan, with John Le Mesurier, Jan Francis (Just Good Friends), James Grout (DCS Strange in Inspector Morse) and Jenny Quayle (who played Jacqui Rush in Keep It In The Family for the first two series).
00:05 – Thriller S01E08 – Alternate USA titles – When “Thriller” was exported to the USA, the Americans completely redid the opening and closing titles in a rather trippy manner, sometimes inserting their own newly-shot teasers (using actors shot from a distance or from the neck down!). Here are the ones for this episode.
00:12 – Closedown music.
00:17 – Closedown.