Can say why I ended up watching the above TV show this afternoon and I had no idea what it was about but hey it was something to watch. It turned out to be some afternoon television show, presented by Brian Conley.
Brian Conley journeys through the fantastic world of television with celebrities as they choose the TV moments that have shaped their lives. Pam Ayres the funny poet was on I found her funny anyway during the 70’s early 80s she was on the tele a lot with her earthy poems. I decide I would also look back at my TV life, moments in time that meant something to me.
My first TV memory
That is easy “Watch with Mother” morning TV and it was about the only thing on the tele for young children who were not in school. In the afternoon after the news the next instalment of “Watch with Mother”.
In the morning, you got the Flowerpot Men and Andy Pandy then later Tales of the Riverbank with Hammy Hamster and his best mate Roderick the Water Rat they were real animals given human voices.
Family Favourite
The Generation Game with Bruce Forsyth was a highlight of early Saturday night, mum loved it, and the more the contestant squirmed the more she liked it. Four couples would fight it out with the goal of sitting in front of the conveyor belt and memorising toys and appliances and those they remember they take home.
They wickle down the four couples with games and tasks with Bruce bouncing around. The games/tasks like keeping plates turning or making sometime after watching the professional do it and they would vote on them. The last two couples do a sketch/play with Forsyth and TV stars of the day throwing in a helping hand and one couple winning.
Must see TV
Being a bit older and political there were two TV shows I would class as must see TV. They are GBH and Boys of the Black Stuff and in the end choosing the latter.
Boys from the Black Stuff is more than just a story. It is a snapshot of a special time in a special place. Liverpool in the 1980's could be a bleak and despairing place, with only the common threads of unemployment and humour keeping spirits alive. There were many other Cities around the country like Liverpool.
The story centres on the struggle of a ragged band of workers trying to make ends meet. On the way, we see scams, subterfuge, corruption and the ongoing battle between the workers and the 'sniffers' (welfare benefit fraud investigators). It also manages to focus on characters, with all the cast giving magnificent performances, especially Bernard Hill as the deeply troubled Yosser Hughes.
Telly Obsession
Not an easy one I have many options as I have been around a good few years but it must be “When the Boat Comes In” a BBC drama. I have seen it umpteen times too many to count made easier with the birth and the growth of the internet.
This gritty Northern drama set in Newcastle just after the end of the Great War. It follows the trials of Ex-Sergeant Jack Ford and the Seaton family as they struggle with the problems of that time: The aftermath of the war, the great depression of the 1920's, trade union activists and an uncaring society. We see Jack go from soldier to a wealthy businessman who dines with a Duke but always remembers his roots and is friends. James Bolam as Jack Ford is outstanding, as is the whole cast throughout.
TV Crush
I loved the American TV show Rhoda and my TV Crush was the star of the show Valerie Harper. To me she was the all-American cougar and at the time, mature woman interested me. She was very easy on the eye and at the time became a fashion icon.
The show was a spin-off of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” which featured her Rhoda character as Mary's best friend and upstairs neighbour who worked as a window dresser, which she continued in Rhoda before setting up a window dressing business.
Just Because
The most embarrassing TV moment involved the first showing of “The History Man” I cannot remember why it was on but it was. Sitting there with mum there must have been something I wanted to watch. One thing mum was very uncomfortable about was lovey-dovey scenes on TV with her children in the room.
Her tolerance levels were low so when the opening scene was full on TV sex with all the noises, I was going red, and mum without a word got up and left the room.
Favourite comedy
This is so hard! Where do I start! Luck had it I was watching something, the other day. I happen to be watching a “Ripping Yarns” written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones of Monty Python fame so here is a massive tick for a favourite.
I was watching “The Testing of Eric Olthwaite” where (Palin) played the hero who was interested in rain fall, shovels and black pudding (his mother makes pudding so black, that even the white bits are black). His mother, father and sister try their best to avoid him with his father pretending to be French to stop is son talking about shovels. He just bores everyone to death so much so he wakes up one morning to find himself alone with is family gone.
Eric tries for a job in the local bank but is told he was to boring as he is about to leave a man robs the bank called Arthur, who takes Eric with him. They run for it and manage to escape. Arthur is about to shoot Eric, when the two of them discover how much they have in common: they are both interested in rain, shovels, and black pudding. They decide to form a gang together and gain fame and notoriety.
Brian Conley journeys through the fantastic world of television with celebrities as they choose the TV moments that have shaped their lives. Pam Ayres the funny poet was on I found her funny anyway during the 70’s early 80s she was on the tele a lot with her earthy poems. I decide I would also look back at my TV life, moments in time that meant something to me.
That is easy “Watch with Mother” morning TV and it was about the only thing on the tele for young children who were not in school. In the afternoon after the news the next instalment of “Watch with Mother”.
In the morning, you got the Flowerpot Men and Andy Pandy then later Tales of the Riverbank with Hammy Hamster and his best mate Roderick the Water Rat they were real animals given human voices.
The Generation Game with Bruce Forsyth was a highlight of early Saturday night, mum loved it, and the more the contestant squirmed the more she liked it. Four couples would fight it out with the goal of sitting in front of the conveyor belt and memorising toys and appliances and those they remember they take home.
They wickle down the four couples with games and tasks with Bruce bouncing around. The games/tasks like keeping plates turning or making sometime after watching the professional do it and they would vote on them. The last two couples do a sketch/play with Forsyth and TV stars of the day throwing in a helping hand and one couple winning.
Being a bit older and political there were two TV shows I would class as must see TV. They are GBH and Boys of the Black Stuff and in the end choosing the latter.
Boys from the Black Stuff is more than just a story. It is a snapshot of a special time in a special place. Liverpool in the 1980's could be a bleak and despairing place, with only the common threads of unemployment and humour keeping spirits alive. There were many other Cities around the country like Liverpool.
The story centres on the struggle of a ragged band of workers trying to make ends meet. On the way, we see scams, subterfuge, corruption and the ongoing battle between the workers and the 'sniffers' (welfare benefit fraud investigators). It also manages to focus on characters, with all the cast giving magnificent performances, especially Bernard Hill as the deeply troubled Yosser Hughes.
Not an easy one I have many options as I have been around a good few years but it must be “When the Boat Comes In” a BBC drama. I have seen it umpteen times too many to count made easier with the birth and the growth of the internet.
This gritty Northern drama set in Newcastle just after the end of the Great War. It follows the trials of Ex-Sergeant Jack Ford and the Seaton family as they struggle with the problems of that time: The aftermath of the war, the great depression of the 1920's, trade union activists and an uncaring society. We see Jack go from soldier to a wealthy businessman who dines with a Duke but always remembers his roots and is friends. James Bolam as Jack Ford is outstanding, as is the whole cast throughout.
I loved the American TV show Rhoda and my TV Crush was the star of the show Valerie Harper. To me she was the all-American cougar and at the time, mature woman interested me. She was very easy on the eye and at the time became a fashion icon.
The show was a spin-off of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” which featured her Rhoda character as Mary's best friend and upstairs neighbour who worked as a window dresser, which she continued in Rhoda before setting up a window dressing business.
Just Because
The most embarrassing TV moment involved the first showing of “The History Man” I cannot remember why it was on but it was. Sitting there with mum there must have been something I wanted to watch. One thing mum was very uncomfortable about was lovey-dovey scenes on TV with her children in the room.
Her tolerance levels were low so when the opening scene was full on TV sex with all the noises, I was going red, and mum without a word got up and left the room.
This is so hard! Where do I start! Luck had it I was watching something, the other day. I happen to be watching a “Ripping Yarns” written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones of Monty Python fame so here is a massive tick for a favourite.
I was watching “The Testing of Eric Olthwaite” where (Palin) played the hero who was interested in rain fall, shovels and black pudding (his mother makes pudding so black, that even the white bits are black). His mother, father and sister try their best to avoid him with his father pretending to be French to stop is son talking about shovels. He just bores everyone to death so much so he wakes up one morning to find himself alone with is family gone.
Eric tries for a job in the local bank but is told he was to boring as he is about to leave a man robs the bank called Arthur, who takes Eric with him. They run for it and manage to escape. Arthur is about to shoot Eric, when the two of them discover how much they have in common: they are both interested in rain, shovels, and black pudding. They decide to form a gang together and gain fame and notoriety.
No comments:
Post a Comment