Shows that people forget or get lost in time

Looking at the write-up on the archived BBC Comedy Guide (?) here, Chris Cross appears to have been an international production between Central and Cinar (who had fingers in some other 90s Nickelodeon shows and later apparently got caught up in terminal business scandals) and the Showtime network. Apparently it was a sitcom in a boarding school.

It lasted two series and had two different dubs and scripts for the British and American markets. I don't remember the show myself but the guide says it was popular in America which may be why it had a second series at all. But yes some CITV promos in the 1990s were better than the programmes, with the exception probably being for those established programmes that were on the air prior to 1993.

Going by the cast list, Simon Fenton and Nicola Stewart also starred in this Look and Read series:

I'm sure quite a few of us of a certain age remember LWT's sci-fi sitcom Kinvig, starring Tony Haygarth and Prunella Gee. It only ran for one series in 1981.

The end credits featured a custom LWT endcap (unfortunately not present in this video) and a "hidden" message about somebody loving somebody else (allegedly).



I loved the series as a 9-year old - though watching the episodes again a few years ago when they were available on YouTube left me somewhat underwhelmed.

Evening Call on STV, which was the successor to Late Call. In pre 24 hour tv days, Late call was like other epilogues, broadcast before closedown. But, as it got later and later, evening call replaced it. There was also the am version, Morning call. Both had different 10 second introduction tunes. I preferred the tune on evening call.

Granada had The Afternoon Show with Eamon O'Neil around 2000. Yorkshire & Tyne Tees had a regional slot in the early afternoon, whilst Border had Shortland Street but before the Afternoon Show, previously Granada often had nothing and would maybe show the previous night's Coronation Street or an old episode of Minder or something like that.

Another late Granada regional show was Made In The North West, which showcased up and coming talent such as bands and comedey acts. It was into the deregionalised ITV1 era (2003, I think) and came from the Pan American bar on the Albert Dock, which I think was the old This Morning Studio.

Tony Currie would remember this series, on STV in 1986/7. Live at One Thirty. It was broadcast on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Lasted just one series, but was a good format. One edition, on youtube, included a recorded link up to Granada's Liverpool studios, where they did an interview with a now discredited weatherman, with regards to recent weather patterns of the time.

Live at One Thirty was a live lifestyle show, with music, celebrity interviews, cooking, and sometimes consumer items, and one edition had a live link up with a town in Stirlingshire, where there were calls for road improvements in that area.

I believe that we're all the lifestyle features from the 84-86 Scotland Today went, before it was switched back to harder news and the sofas were moved out.

Border Television had "Cock of the Border" which was screened in peak time in the early to mid 60s. It was described as an "inter-town talent competition"....there were dancers, singers, ventriloquists etc from places like Cockermouth and Jedburgh.

"Beat in the Border" was a pop music show....one "special" edition was devoted to Johnny Kidd and the Pirates IIRC.

Border also had, in the 60s, a schools quiz series called "Topple" in which oddly shaped bricks were awarded for each correct answer. The person who built the highest tower without it falling over won the round. Such simple pleasures!

In the early 70s there was "Brain of the Border", a general knowledge quiz. And, later still, "Happy Families", with a similar format to "Mr and Mrs" but with parents and children. These local programmes were often screened around 7 p.m.

I think that came about once Granada Tonight was cut to 30 minutes having initially aired from 5.30-6.30 when the Evening News launched in 1999.

You just reminded me that they brought back We are the Champions presented by Paddy McGuinness, according to the BBC website they did 5 episodes for Sport Relief 2010 on CBBC.

Yeah, wasn't especially good, though. The one show that would have been improved by a bunch of screaming kids.

This popped into my YouTube "list of videos you may want to watch next" and it was a good fit for this thread.

From 1996 and a 13 episode show that was the best part of 10-15 years ahead of its time:


Aired on CBBC off and on between 1998 and 2002. And probably endlessly on Nickelodeon as well.