WO
Johnson and Friends:
Ratkan II from the Children's Channel (more continuity, I remember as a kid I was always annoyed he kept putting the same colour ball down the shoot every time - now I see why, the clip of the ball going down the hole was tagged onto the first clip!)
Ratkan II from the Children's Channel (more continuity, I remember as a kid I was always annoyed he kept putting the same colour ball down the shoot every time - now I see why, the clip of the ball going down the hole was tagged onto the first clip!)
Last edited by Worzel on 13 July 2017 7:18pm - 4 times in total
DE
Here's the first episode of dire Michelle Collins sitcom Up Rising from 2000:
Lasted five episodes - all of which aired on Sunday night, immediately before the South Bank Show (talk about apples and oranges).
This is what the Guardian's Rupert Smith had to say about it:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2000/jun/26/tvandradio.television2
Evidently, said touching moment *wasn't* enough - after the first episode got 5.71 million viewers (and beat Tonight with Trevor McDonald), the second attracted a mere 5.59m, the third only 5.08m, and the last two missed ITV's weekly top 30 altogether.
Nowadays, hardly anyone remembers this show (besides Michelle and all the others who worked on it, of course). And that's probably a good thing.
Lasted five episodes - all of which aired on Sunday night, immediately before the South Bank Show (talk about apples and oranges).
This is what the Guardian's Rupert Smith had to say about it:
Quote:
This was England in microcosm, with all social types cosying up around the village green. Anton Rodgers played old fart Ronald Kegworthy, a man filling the void of early retirement by setting up pointless committees. Kevin McNally and Michelle Collins were likeable nouveaux-riches, who would have been more at home in an 80s Mike Leigh film.
The niceties of village life have produced some of the best comedy in the English language, viz EF Benson's Lucia novels, but Up Rising was dogged by a fatal uncertainty of tone. One minute it was The Archers, with an irritating young woman banging on about her pig; the next it was lurching into League Of Gentlemen territory ("It's a village pub! For the village!" said the fat, stinking drunk). There were some funny lines, mostly for Michelle Collins, and some awful ones, mostly for Anton Rodgers. Let's face it, any comedy that relies on jokes about a barrister's briefs is in trouble. There was a touching moment at the end when said barrister fell for the animal charms of topless handyman Dominic Matham, who was fixing her Aga, but whether that's enough to keep Up Rising going for the next four weeks remains to be seen.
The niceties of village life have produced some of the best comedy in the English language, viz EF Benson's Lucia novels, but Up Rising was dogged by a fatal uncertainty of tone. One minute it was The Archers, with an irritating young woman banging on about her pig; the next it was lurching into League Of Gentlemen territory ("It's a village pub! For the village!" said the fat, stinking drunk). There were some funny lines, mostly for Michelle Collins, and some awful ones, mostly for Anton Rodgers. Let's face it, any comedy that relies on jokes about a barrister's briefs is in trouble. There was a touching moment at the end when said barrister fell for the animal charms of topless handyman Dominic Matham, who was fixing her Aga, but whether that's enough to keep Up Rising going for the next four weeks remains to be seen.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2000/jun/26/tvandradio.television2
Evidently, said touching moment *wasn't* enough - after the first episode got 5.71 million viewers (and beat Tonight with Trevor McDonald), the second attracted a mere 5.59m, the third only 5.08m, and the last two missed ITV's weekly top 30 altogether.
Nowadays, hardly anyone remembers this show (besides Michelle and all the others who worked on it, of course). And that's probably a good thing.
SW
Sunburn! That was quite an interesting series at the time because it was a very conscious effort by the Beeb to create some more popular drama - it was the same time they launched Holby City, both the work of Mal Young who had just joined to sort out their previously appalling record in that genre - and I remember reading that the whole concept was created in-house at the Beeb (it was basically sold as a fictional version of the docusoap Holiday Reps) and they'd actually approached a writer to write it, which is not the way these things usually work.
Great stuff. Speaking of whole afternoons of Broom Cupboard links with top theme tunes, he's an afternoon from 1989 with a trailer for Ipso Facto with its fantastic theme...
Now, you'll have to believe me that those titles and that theme tune felt the absolute height of sophistication in 1989, I love them all staring moodily into the middle distance, it all felt terribly aspirational. One of the reasons I used to like that series so much. Bloody boring choice of clip to illustrate it, mind, a proper "Websters' Dictionary defines wedding as the removal of weeds from one's garden" affair.
After Sir Neil Miles put that up a few months ago I did some digging and found the Ipso Facto theme tune in full...
The bit they used in the end credits comes 54 seconds in. Great tune, that.
What was the Saturday night drama she had on BBC One for a bit?
Sunburn! That was quite an interesting series at the time because it was a very conscious effort by the Beeb to create some more popular drama - it was the same time they launched Holby City, both the work of Mal Young who had just joined to sort out their previously appalling record in that genre - and I remember reading that the whole concept was created in-house at the Beeb (it was basically sold as a fictional version of the docusoap Holiday Reps) and they'd actually approached a writer to write it, which is not the way these things usually work.
Me three! Full Activ8 theme from around 14:00 mins in this clip:
Great stuff. Speaking of whole afternoons of Broom Cupboard links with top theme tunes, he's an afternoon from 1989 with a trailer for Ipso Facto with its fantastic theme...
Now, you'll have to believe me that those titles and that theme tune felt the absolute height of sophistication in 1989, I love them all staring moodily into the middle distance, it all felt terribly aspirational. One of the reasons I used to like that series so much. Bloody boring choice of clip to illustrate it, mind, a proper "Websters' Dictionary defines wedding as the removal of weeds from one's garden" affair.
After Sir Neil Miles put that up a few months ago I did some digging and found the Ipso Facto theme tune in full...
The bit they used in the end credits comes 54 seconds in. Great tune, that.
SW
Was on BBC2, actually, because it was very sexually explicit. They actually referenced the cast change in the show, because the first episode with the second one involved a scene where they were watching Roseanne and saying how stupid they were to change an actor without even mentioning it.
It got a bit of publicity at the time because it was co-written by the very famous drama writer Andrew Davies, but I never liked it, it was all pretty charmless and the characters were pretty repellent. Where I Find My Heaven is a brilliant song, though, and I have fond memories of it, not least as it was the last record played on Radio 1 by my favourite ever DJ, the wonderful Kevin Greening.
Game On, originally a BBC One series but was repeated on UK Gold.
Note there were 2 different Matthew's, a very young Samantha Janus and another song (Gigolo Aunts - Where I Find My Heaven) used as a TV theme, how very 90s.
Note there were 2 different Matthew's, a very young Samantha Janus and another song (Gigolo Aunts - Where I Find My Heaven) used as a TV theme, how very 90s.
Was on BBC2, actually, because it was very sexually explicit. They actually referenced the cast change in the show, because the first episode with the second one involved a scene where they were watching Roseanne and saying how stupid they were to change an actor without even mentioning it.
It got a bit of publicity at the time because it was co-written by the very famous drama writer Andrew Davies, but I never liked it, it was all pretty charmless and the characters were pretty repellent. Where I Find My Heaven is a brilliant song, though, and I have fond memories of it, not least as it was the last record played on Radio 1 by my favourite ever DJ, the wonderful Kevin Greening.
RO
Think north west England, think markets, think 1980s, think of a harmonica based theme tune, think Granada television, think even a bold prediction of a show that, according to Granada, would be around in 2010. I give you, Albion Market, which only lasted 100 episodes. Love the theme tune, called "Fair deal".
JA
Got a 1999 copyright date too, which means it must have sat on the shelf for a while before being shown, though ITV did that a lot in the late 90s and early-mid 00s.
Here's the first episode of dire Michelle Collins sitcom Up Rising from 2000:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T82jhANFBo0
Lasted five episodes - all of which aired on Sunday night, immediately before the South Bank Show (talk about apples and oranges).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T82jhANFBo0
Lasted five episodes - all of which aired on Sunday night, immediately before the South Bank Show (talk about apples and oranges).
Got a 1999 copyright date too, which means it must have sat on the shelf for a while before being shown, though ITV did that a lot in the late 90s and early-mid 00s.
RI
Was on BBC2, actually, because it was very sexually explicit. They actually referenced the cast change in the show, because the first episode with the second one involved a scene where they were watching Roseanne and saying how stupid they were to change an actor without even mentioning it.
It got a bit of publicity at the time because it was co-written by the very famous drama writer Andrew Davies, but I never liked it, it was all pretty charmless and the characters were pretty repellent. Where I Find My Heaven is a brilliant song, though, and I have fond memories of it, not least as it was the last record played on Radio 1 by my favourite ever DJ, the wonderful Kevin Greening.
I liked Game On but I'm with you on Kevin Greening.
Game On, originally a BBC One series but was repeated on UK Gold.
Note there were 2 different Matthew's, a very young Samantha Janus and another song (Gigolo Aunts - Where I Find My Heaven) used as a TV theme, how very 90s.
Note there were 2 different Matthew's, a very young Samantha Janus and another song (Gigolo Aunts - Where I Find My Heaven) used as a TV theme, how very 90s.
Was on BBC2, actually, because it was very sexually explicit. They actually referenced the cast change in the show, because the first episode with the second one involved a scene where they were watching Roseanne and saying how stupid they were to change an actor without even mentioning it.
It got a bit of publicity at the time because it was co-written by the very famous drama writer Andrew Davies, but I never liked it, it was all pretty charmless and the characters were pretty repellent. Where I Find My Heaven is a brilliant song, though, and I have fond memories of it, not least as it was the last record played on Radio 1 by my favourite ever DJ, the wonderful Kevin Greening.
I liked Game On but I'm with you on Kevin Greening.