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Yes, before they started broadcasting in widescreen, Sky would often show 16:9 programmes in 4:3 centre cut-out, not even 14:9, unfortunately. Take a look at this from Harry Enfield's Sky sketch show - the first sketch was obviously framed for widescreen so looks really off in 4:3.



For comparison (from the compilation DVD)

The only footage I've ever seen of Time Gentleman, Please is 4:3 though, including the DVD and Al Murray's recent YouTube uploads, so I'm presuming that was made that way even though it postdates both Blockbusters and Harry Enfield.

Another thing I remember about Harry Enfield's Brand Spanking New Show, when we went to Spain in 2001, one of the things they showed on the plane was a compilation of sketches from the show- but strangely without the laugh track. Which just helped highlight how poor the show was.

Strange thing a couple of the shots over the end credits of that episode posted show the audience. Presumably some sketches were made with one, and some without one and the latter are the only ones they used in that compilation.

I can’t remember where it was reported, but Harry Enfield by his own admission said that his Sky show was very rushed, largely due to the time spent filming and putting together Kevin and Perry Go Large, which was released in the same year. Originally his show and Time Gentleman Please were originally commissioned for Sky Premier before they chose to put them on Sky One instead, I’m not sure why they did that.

I seem to remember reading they were going to make it into a HBO-style premium channel with a mix of movies and original shows. Then for whatever reason changed their minds late on. Maybe they decided it wouldn't really work over here. I certainly can't see Harry Enfield and Al Murray making people rush to subscribe, it's not exactly The Sopranos or Sex And The City, is it?

David Baddiel had an awful sitcom on Sky One around the same time too, I wonder if that was intended from Premiere too? No wonder they gave up on the idea if a substandard Harry Enfield sketch show and a dire David Baddiel sitcom is the best they could come up with.

Oh yes, Baddiel’s Syndrome, the less said the better.

Alastair Yates closes down BBC1 Midlands - this isn't the one that's been on TV Ark and elsewhere for many years

Uncomfortably for ITV ISTR they had to include King's name in the closing credits in the years when he was in prison

it looks like reversed social distancing!

This is something I've not seen before, it's a
BBC 1 East closedown

Various takes of the TVS jingle recorded in 1981, notice the evolution of the jingle between each variant, (the sixth one in particular sounds especially close to the final aired version in 1982):

That's absolutely right, Sky Premier circa the launch of Sky Digital was planned very much to be a HBO-style channel with premium drama and comedy alongside the films, hence why they also signed up Barry Norman around that time with his show initially on Sky Premier. I think they commissioned a few dramas for it as well. But yes, I'm pretty sure Enfield, Baddiel's Syndrome and Time Gentlemen Please were all commissioned for Sky Premier.

But a few months before that they seemingly got cold feet over the idea, perhaps realised the shows weren't srong enough to convince people to pay extra for them, or decided it would confuse the propositions of Sky One and Sky Premier, so moved them all over to Sky One instead and Premier was films and nothing but.

A few years previously they'd shown the first series of Murder One on Sky Movies, rather than Sky One, for a similar reason I think. I think they showed it unencrypted on Sky Movies, but kept quiet quiet about that.