In the lost world when ownership of a “video recorder” was a status symbol, children on half term/summer holiday/faked illness quickly realised that ITV’s daytime television was often an excuse […]
This October marked thirteen years since the passing of Nigel Kneale, one of post-war Britain’s most clairvoyant screenwriters. Like fitness enthusiast Jack Lalanne, who dominated American TV around the same […]
When Gunfight at the O.K. Laundrette aired at nine o’clock on Monday the 29th of October 1979, many Britons were unaware as to what precisely constituted a “Minder”’. However, the […]
Looking for an original scare this Halloween? Skip the horror recommendations, and dive into the world of vintage children’s television. To adults of a certain age, the words “Chocky” or […]
In the 70s and 80s, late-night television often aired a cinematic gem before the latest public information film about a badly driven Vauxhall. There might be Nicky Henson and his […]
“I am aiming for a universal comedy that will transcend class and state barriers.” “Cut out the slang.” That was the advice the by-then-retired Stan Laurel gave to Tony Hancock […]
There are two early scenes in The Rebel that make the viewer realise they are viewing one of the finest comedies of its generation. The first is of Tony Hancock […]
“Baleful” is the mot juste (appropriate word) for the various chars, housekeepers and landladies embodied by Irene Handl, whether dealing with a “bohemian” lodger or confronting incomprehensible government paperwork. Beneath […]
In the 1960s, no other TV company did crime drama like ITC. In fact, few British series of the time boasted the Hollywood-like gleam and ambition of Man In A […]