After watching the new rebooted Generation Game, I wondered about the first ever showing on the BBC back in 1971. It was aired on 2 October presented by the man himself Bruce Forsyth the show was called “Bruce Forsyth and The Generation Game” it was more or less an immediate hit has Bruce was a popular entertainer.
While routing around the Radio Times archive I was interested in the schedule for that Saturday night. It was the one night I was allowed to stay up that is if I could stay awake. It was Match of the Day I was waiting to see which meant I was up past the watershed really big back then for 11-year-old Peter. Dad would come home from the club sometimes with a bag of chips to share as we sat back and watch the football.
Saturday October 2 1971
The Partridge Family, which I have fond memories of particularly it produced my first TV crush and no it was not David Cassidy it was the girl playing his sister Susan Dey. She was hot if I knew what hot meant at 11 years old but for sure, I liked her. Later has I grew older her mother in the show Shirley Jones was setting me all a flutter. I was developing an eye for the older woman.
Next was the Bruce Forsyth and The Generation Game well we all know about that it was simply the best early Saturday night TV ever. A close first over Noel's House Party a BBC hit from the 90’s. The format as changed little even with new presenters the BBC knew not to mess with the hit show which belonged to only one, Bruce Forsyth.
Back then, we had a Saturday film to look forward to and after mentioning the Carry On films yesterday the film that Saturday was “Carry on Jack” a small world sometimes. This was one of the better ones starring Bernard Cribbins Kenneth Williams Juliet Mills with Charles Hawtrey Donald Houston Cecil Parker. This large helping of naughty nautical nonsense is set, loosely speaking, in the heroic days of Horatio Nelson and crewed by only a few of the popular Carry On team.
At 8pm, time for the Welsh warbler Harry Secombe and his entertainment show not really for me and you can see why! One of the guests was Nana Mouskouri. However, being an ex-goon the sketches on the show were good from memory and YouTube.
A Man Called Ironside was next up an American television crime drama with a difference the lead detective was in a wheelchair. It was something you didn’t see on TV anyone playing a disabled person although the star Raymond Burr was not disabled in real life. I forgot that guy in Crossroads and to accommodate his disability and in order not to lose the character from the series, a plotline was developed where he became paralysed and in a wheel chair through an accident.
Again, I am coming across all pervy but I had a crush on Ironsides female assistant Barbara Anderson, which developed, as I grew older that older woman again.
Sorry again but that pervy side of me is about to spring out again with the help of two little words “Up Pompeii” of the right age you understand the pervy remark. Mum would hate me watching this ‘filth’ with all the sexual innuendo and boobs lucky we only had three channels and no remote control or the tele would have gone straight over. I can honestly say watching it was where my love of big boobs came from.
Is that dad staggering through the door it must be time for Match of the Day mum would have hit the sack knowing Dad was on his way home this was dad and son time for the football fans of the house at least. Noshing on some chips watching football with dad going off on one about football, learning more about family it was a fun hour.
I still may watch it today but I am not a fan of the Premier League I miss the old First Division with the game back then about football not money like today. Although with my team growing closer to promotion, I might have to have a temporary change of heart.
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