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A Mystery from 1981: Where is Smithy's Kaff?
I've never focussed on adverts when it comes to looking at the weird and wonderful corners of British television. Sure, I've highlighted a few ad breaks I've found whilst sifting through old VHS tapes,...
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The Launch of The Children's Channel in 1984
British children's television in the mid-1980s may have been fantastic, but the amount of children's programming was limited. Across the BBC and ITV, there were roughly six/seven hour's worth of...
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7 British TV Channels You Probably Never Saw in the Pre-Sky Era
There was a time, before the emergence of satellite television, that Britain's televisual landscape was a much simpler, uncluttered place. Turn on your television today and call up the EPG and, well,...
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New Article in Best of British (March 2022)
I'm delighted to reveal that my first ever published article features in the March issue of Best of British. The subject of the article, titled Anarchy Over the Airwave, is one which is a particular...
View ArticleBagpuss Plays Come On Eileen
Here's a very short mashup I created and posted on Twitter back in 2020. It features the characters of Bagpuss playing and dancing along to Dexys Midnight Runners global megahit Come On Eileen. For 23...
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Curious British Telly Fanzine Issue 6 - Out Now!
It may be a little later than planned - thanks to a combination of other projects and a nasty bout of sinusitis - but the good news is that the sixth issue of the Curious British Telly fanzine is...
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Book Review: Bagpuss on a Rainy Day
Unbelievably, there were only 13 episodes of Bagpuss produced, and yet it remains one of the most popular and endearing children's television programmes broadcast in these fair isles. With its...
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What's on Tim's VHS Tape?
Investigating the contents of VHS tapes can often be a frustrating, unrewarding and absolute waste of time. Several years ago, when I was eager to accept any old donation of tapes, I received close to...
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Lost Morecambe and Wise Episodes From First Ever Series On BBC Are Restored
A series of previously lost episodes of The Morecambe and Wise Show are to be released on DVD for the very first time by BBC Studios.The episodes, from The Morecambe and Wise Show's first series for...
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Thameside TV: The Broadcasts of London's First Pirate TV Station
In the last year or so, I've written fairly extensively about Pirate TV in the UK. First, there was my interview with one of the founders of NeTWork 21, next up was my article on the history of Pirate...
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I Took My VHS Tapes for a Walk in the Woods
I was a little bored today, so decided to do something absurd: I took my VHS tapes out for a walk in the woods. It was as much a treat for them as it was for me, as the poor old videos have spent the...
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The Memory… Kinda Lingers
G Neil Martin celebrates one of TV comedy’s finest double albumsIt ended, in a way that didn’t really befit it at all, in a dusky power station, full of sinuous pipes, and shadows and angry gas and...
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What's On These Scotch VHS Tapes?
It's not often I buy VHS tapes off Ebay, or indeed anywhere, as more often than not you're on a hiding to nothing. However, I couldn't resist these four Scotch tapes which recently popped up on Ebay....
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Good Morning: Breakfast Television is Served
Ever since TV-am’s Good Morning Britain and the BBC’s Breakfast Time went head-to-head in 1983 for the nation’s attention, breakfast television has had a ubiquitous presence on our airwaves. Moving on...
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A Trip Back to the BFI Mediatheque
Back in December 2019, I took my first trip down to the BFI Mediatheque on the South Bank, London. It was an important visit, as I was in the process of completing my final bits of research for a book...
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Watching The Young Ones as a Young One
A guest post by Tim CookBy the time the first episode of The Young Ones aired on BBC2, I was only 10 years old but already a devotee of TV comedy. I watched every sitcom possible, be they good or bad;...
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Mann's Best Friends
Outsiders and outcasts have long provided fertile ground for comedy. With their peculiar takes on the world, these square pegs desperately try to force themselves into society’s round holes with all...
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Bedtime Stories: Jack and the Beanstalk by Nigel Kneale
A guest post by Jon DearThe oldest hath borne most: we that are young shall never see so much or live so long. - King Lear, Act V, Scene 32022 sees the centenary of Manx screenwriter Nigel Kneale,...
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Board Game Review: The Bertha Game
The Bertha Game will confound you, frustrate you and confuse you, but stick with it and, providing that your idea of fun is flexing your memory muscles, there’s a half-decent game in there.Bertha only...
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Whizz
It’s easy to name iconic British sci-fi shows from 1980s; almost instantly, your average TV fan can pluck titles such as Doctor Who, The Day of the Triffids and The Tripods from the air. Readers of...
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