Retro TV

[steelclaw]

Raven from NetworkDVD Disc 3 Looks good the other 2 Discs most of the programmes have been shown recently on ITV4.



Disc 1.
The Persuaders!: Chain of Events
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased): When Did You Start to Stop Seeing Things?
Department S: A Small War of Nerves
The Champions: The Invisible Man
Strange Report: Report 2493: Kidnap - ‘Whose Pretty Girl Are You?’

Disc 2
The Saint: The Queen’s Ransom
Danger Man: No Marks for Servility
The Prisoner: Arrival
Gideon’s Way: The Tin God
Man in a Suitcase: Somebody Loses, Somebody… Wins?

Disc 3

The Adventures of Robin Hood: The Sheriff’s Boots
Shirley’s World: The Rally
The Invisible Man: Secret Experiment
The Baron: Something For A Rainy Day
Return of the Saint: One Black September
The Zoo Gang: Revenge: Post Dated
Danger Man: View From the Villa

[Raven]

Raven from NetworkDVD Disc 3 Looks good the other 2 Discs most of the programmes have been shown recently on ITV4.

Did you notice that these are blu-ray discs, though, rather than DVDs? I'm not a fan of the ITC shows myself, with one or two exceptions (about half of UFO and THE PRISONER).

I liked TOM GRATTAN'S WAR. It's a reminder of when ITV really reflected the regions, making the most of the open spaces and countryside of Yorkshire, like THE FLAXTON BOYS. But while a bit of narration at the start and end is fine, I don't think it needed a narrator all the way through.

I'm tempted to get THE CLIFTON HOUSE MYSTERY, which I remember from Sunday afternoons on its first showing, at some point. I'm sure there's one scene in a later one where they're all dining and blood starts dripping through the ceiling. All quite creepy for a family show. That music box tune really sticks in the mind.

THE INTRUDER: even weirder when the bloke tries to drown his host within minutes of meeting him, and the guy still puts him up! I'd like to see how this continues.

[Lew Stringer]

I must admit that as I was entering my teen years at the time there's very little of seventies childrens' tv that interested me apart from Timeslip and Ace of Wands. (UFO as well, but that was pitched as an adult show of course, screened in the evening.) I still enjoy Timeslip but I bought Ace of Wands recently and found it hard to watch now, and gave up after the first story.

I liked the sixties ITC adult shows, even as a kid, as well as ABC's Avengers. Favourites were The Saint and The Prisoner.

[Raven]

I must admit that as I was entering my teen years at the time there's very little of seventies childrens' tv that interested me apart from Timeslip and Ace of Wands. (UFO as well, but that was pitched as an adult show of course, screened in the evening.) I still enjoy Timeslip but I bought Ace of Wands recently and found it hard to watch now, and gave up after the first story.

And 'The Meddlers' - the story you'll mean - is the one that probably stands up the best of the lot by quite some way. Timeslip and what survives of Ace of Wands seem to stand up much worse than a lot of the series that followed.

I think circa 1973 to the early 80s was the time that ITV's children's/family output really came into its own, with a dedicated daily schedule at last, obviously lots of money to spend, good writers, directors and producers, and some very strong series, often with quite an adult, unpatronising feel. Lots of good horror-fantasy type things - especially from HTV - but also a lot of real life stuff, often with a bleak, downbeat and gritty atmosphere. Also some very good magazine material, like the high quality film series Clapperboard, which makes today's Film 2010 look like a children's programme.

It's depressing how all this was sold down the river, and ITV completely dropped its commitment to making children's TV because it wasn't profitable enough. That's post-Thatcher Britain for you!

When you were younger did you ever watch the late Sixties children's series The Queen Street Gang, Lew? Just a series that sounds quite interesting so I'm interested in any memories - all wiped now so unlikely there'll ever be a chance to see it.

[Raven]

Steelclaw, there's a Southern TV release out on DVD from Simply I think you'd like. NOAH'S CASTLE, a very bleak story of the near future when society breaks down as prices rocket through the roof. It's very surprising that this was shown in a children's slot:

http://www.cult.tv/index.php?view=artic ... castle-dvd

This one is a great bargain for £3.79 from Play.com at the moment. Look up the bleak synthy theme music on YouTube!


They've also put out MIDNIGHT IS A PLACE; a Gothic 13 part 1977 historical serial based on the Joan Aiken book:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0164269/


Southern TV did some very good children's/family series.

[steelclaw]

I must admit that as I was entering my teen years at the time there's very little of seventies childrens' tv that interested me apart from Timeslip and Ace of Wands. (UFO as well, but that was pitched as an adult show of course, screened in the evening.) I still enjoy Timeslip but I bought Ace of Wands recently and found it hard to watch now, and gave up after the first story.

I liked the sixties ITC adult shows, even as a kid, as well as ABC's Avengers. Favourites were The Saint and The Prisoner.

Yes that's what happened to me looking back, I recognize the titles and thought I must have seen them but didn't, the same thing happened with comics around 1974/75 I just stopped buying them I was growing up and discovering new things.

Steelclaw, there's a Southern TV release out on DVD from Simply I think you'd like. NOAH'S CASTLE, a very bleak story of the near future when society breaks down as prices rocket through the roof. It's very surprising that this was shown in a children's slot:

http://www.cult.tv/index.php?view=artic ... castle-dvd

This one is a great bargain for £3.79 from Play.com at the moment. Look up the bleak synthy theme music on YouTube!


They've also put out MIDNIGHT IS A PLACE; a Gothic 13 part 1977 historical serial based on the Joan Aiken book:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0164269/


Southern TV did some very good children's/family series.

Raven Southern TV was our region channel down in West Sussex, we could watch up to 4 different programmes sometimes with all the other channels. £3.79 sounds like a bargain, I'm hopefully gonnna buy loads of DVDs in the new year, with all this snow I doubt if they would turn up this year if I ordered them.
I will probably buy a Blu Ray player the price is comining down fairly quickly.

What I like about these 70s progammes is the soical history and fashion, did you see the size of the collars of the lad with the leather jacket riding the motorbike in 'Sky'

[Raven]

Raven Southern TV was our region channel down in West Sussex, we could watch up to 4 different programmes sometimes with all the other channels. £3.79 sounds like a bargain, I'm hopefully gonnna buy loads of DVDs in the new year, with all this snow I doubt if they would turn up this year if I ordered them.

Alas, since 1am last night, Noah's Castle is already back up to £8.99 at Play!

Did you find Southern a good station overall? Their kids' drama was often high quality, though Bill Oddie's Saturday morning series Saturday Banana was quite cheap and bad.

Was there lots of farmy/countryside stuff on: Out of Town and Farming Progress, etc.? They also did a lot of ITV's highbrow stuff, like opera.

[steelclaw]

Raven Southern TV was our region channel down in West Sussex, we could watch up to 4 different programmes sometimes with all the other channels. £3.79 sounds like a bargain, I'm hopefully gonnna buy loads of DVDs in the new year, with all this snow I doubt if they would turn up this year if I ordered them.

Alas, since 1am last night, Noah's Castle is already back up to £8.99 at Play!

Did you find Southern a good station overall? Their kids' drama was often high quality, though Bill Oddie's Saturday morning series Saturday Banana was quite cheap and bad.

Was there lots of farmy/countryside stuff on: Out of Town and Farming Progress, etc.? They also did a lot of ITV's highbrow stuff, like opera.

I should point out the reason we could watch 4 channels was we had 'ITV Thames' 'Southern TV', BBC1 & BB2.

'Out of town' I loved that I'm sure it used to be on early friday evenings.
'Worzel Gummidge' was another good one made by Southern, yes overall Southern TV was very good.

[Raven]

I should point out the reason we could watch 4 channels was we had 'ITV Thames' 'Southern TV', BBC1 & BB2.

I got six! Granada, HTV Wales, ATV, BBC1, BBC2 and BBC Wales!

[steelclaw]

I should point out the reason we could watch 4 channels was we had Thames' 'Southern TV', BBC1 & BB2.

I got six! Granada, HTV Wales, ATV, BBC1, BBC2 and BBC Wales!

You got six now, or in the 70s?

[Lew Stringer]

When you were younger did you ever watch the late Sixties children's series The Queen Street Gang, Lew? Just a series that sounds quite interesting so I'm interested in any memories - all wiped now so unlikely there'll ever be a chance to see it.

I've never heard of it but if it featured kids as stars I'd be unlikely to watch it. I preferred adult heroes to aspire to. Exception was Timeslip, but when I was 11 I had a crush on Cheryl Burfield. (And still have, after meeting her a few years ago. )

[Digifiend]

Wasn't Cheryl a few years older than her character?

It's amazing what you can find on the web sometimes. The Queen Street Gang was made by Thames, and shown on ITV starting 1st August 1968 at 5.20pm for half an hour (I didn't expect to find the exact timeslot!). That was on the BFI website. That's only a couple of days after Thames started broadcasting, so it may well be their first production, other than local news.
http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/5665 ... ansmission

[Raven]

You got six now, or in the 70s?

In the 70s, via a dial tuner TV.

[Raven]

I've never heard of it but if it featured kids as stars I'd be unlikely to watch it. I preferred adult heroes to aspire to. Exception was Timeslip, but when I was 11 I had a crush on Cheryl Burfield. (And still have, after meeting her a few years ago. )

Lew: It featured kids but they did wear natty mod threads. I think it was a kind of juvenile take on Man From Uncle and Batman type TV shows, with bizarre crimes involving top secret research, and weird, comic strip-type villains - so maybe reflected a few Leo Baxendale-type themes in some of the Odhams comics you liked as a kid.

Digi: I often use the BFI Database myself. It's very useful, though it does have some errors. The series was based on a 1966 book: 'The Case of the Silver Egg' by Desmond Skirrow.

[steelclaw]

I've never heard of the series either, I can only find this picture from it.
What a shame it's been wiped.



Len Jones was the voice of Joe 90 who featured in it.