Pink Windmill Kids reunite and recreate meme

Original:


Recreation:


I have to say I was very excited about this! Perhaps moreseo than I should have been. The Pink Windmill Show is one of my earliest TV memories and it's been nice to watch them again on YouTube. It was an attempt to create a British Mickey Mouse Club around Emu. Many of the dance routines were brilliantly choreographed and energetically performed by members of the Corona Stage Schoo.

The original video comes from the VideotapeFTW channel which is building a creation of lots of kids TV from that era, in particular those featuring Rod Hull & Emu.

Definately ticks the box of something those younger than you haven't got a clue what you're talking about.

Seems I'm younger than I thought!

Waay too young for this, but knew of it through where else...Buzzfeed:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/bradesposito/hi-my-names-catrina

Lets hope there get rod sons in on this.

The video went viral towards the end of last year, which is the catalyst for the recreation.

Good grief. The shot of the teacher getting on down and throwing some shapes had me spitting out my drink! Was the All Live Pink Windmill Show actually live..? I do recall it was one of the few Children's ITV shows I actually used to watch from time to time.

The VideotapeFTW channel is my current favourite channel due to its content.

I have a sneaky suspicion this channel may be being primarily fed by the writers of T-Bag and Mike & Angelo. Early episodes of the former were released on DVD but the latter wasn't at all AFAIK. So the solution of today seems to be to shove them on YouTube. Brilliant.

I'm not sure what their relationship is with regards to the Pink Windmill club - T-Bag was pushed through Thames as was Mike & Angelo in the Thames years and independently after, while Rod Hull and Emu lived at Central in the 1980s.

Or maybe they're just all lumped together on the same channel as its all the same era. Yeah I'll run with that.



In the early years (84 and 85 I think) yes. In the later years (86 to 88 or 89) it was pre-recorded.

I believe the first two series were live but it was changed for later years.

Yes, the All Live Pink Windmill Show was live and featured a competition where Rod would telephone a viewer, which occasionally went wrong. Fairly impressive performance from the young dance troupe considering it was absolutely live and a relatively tight studio space.

After two series it became The Pink Windmill Show and was pre-recorded, presumably to spare the nerves of everyone involved.

Watching the full show available on YouTube, you do have to admire the ability of the dancers and Rod Hull (and of course directors, floor managers etc) for doing that show live. Mainly because the music for that song kicks in quite a bit before the dancers start, so Rod Hull had to do some business with the audience, then introduce the dancers, and the dancers start, all in time with the track that's already playing. Then cut to VTs with prerecorded segments of the song, also in time with the track.

Yes I was thinking that watching it recently too. I'm guessing the music is on the video and they cut back and forth.

This clip is particularly impressive I think when it comes to the dancers (although Rod fudges the timing at the beginning)

If you look at 0:45 you can see as soon as the camera cuts away, in the background Anthony (boy with blonde curly hair) legs it across the studio to be at the other side to dance on the platform.

I think people are sometimes surprised to learn that running as-live inserts at the same time as properly live stuff and cutting to and fro was a core part of television production for many years. The skill of the director and crew was to realise it well enough to make it appear seamless. Used well it made light entertaining far better.

A few examples from YouTube:



Both very much of their time but demonstrate well the concept