I still remember the first BBC Video I got: Pyramids of Mars, the classic 1975 Doctor Who serial featuring Tom Baker. This was in 1987, and it meant a lot to a five-year-old who had only been on the planet long enough to catch the end of Colin Baker’s tenure in the role. But BBC Video was about more than just Doctor Who. Suddenly, the BBC’s archive could be opened up to a country rapidly installing VCRs in their homes. However, it was an enterprise hampered by a slow start. A slow, slow start. Ignoring earlier forays into the home video market, such as the Sony CV2000 (1965) and the Philips ..read more

If, in 1987, you had been watching television very late at night, we’re talking post-closedown late, you could have stumbled across something very interesting on BBC2. To be precise, you would have encountered an encrypted engineering test. These tests would have made little sense to the average man on the street. But, for the BBC, they represented tentative steps into their first subscription service. And it failed spectacularly. Very little is known about the encrypted engineering tests from 1987, with barely any recordings being captured and no references in the press. What we do know, t ..read more

I’ve been digging through some Betamax tapes this weekend and, as luck would have it, the first one I pulled out of the box had an absolute gem on it. And it came in the form of a rare clip of Children’s ITV continuity. Starting in January 1983, after the demise of the Watch It! slot, Children’s ITV would become a long running brand which only went off the air in September 2023. The first month of continuity, from a rocketship set, was helmed by Matthew Kelly before he handed over to Isla St Clair, who covered February 1983 before Derek Griffiths took over in March. This particular clip ..read more

I wrote a couple of books on children’s television a few years back (both available on Amazon) and, luckily for you, I’ve made the e-book version of The Curiosities of British Children’s TV free for one day only. Just head over here to pick a copy up, and let me know what you think of it ..read more

Christmas television has always been a landmark event. Or, at least, it always was. These days, scanning through the Christmas issue of the Radio Times with a highlighter is more a novelty than a necessity. Times change, and so do our viewing habits. But, luckily, old video tapes full of home recordings offer up a fossilised view of the way it once was. And, as I've been scanning through old video tapes for seven years now, I've found more than my fair share of Christmas TV footage. Now, I could show you the various repeats of the 1977 Christmas edition of The Morecambe and Wise Show alongs ..read more

2023 was a disastrous year for Philip Schofield's television career and private life, and it remains to be seen whether he'll ever return to our screens again. However, back in 1987, life for Schofield was very different. Following two years presenting the Broom Cupboard sections for Children's BBC, he had quickly risen from an unknown into the hot future of British television. Going Live! was just around the corner and, by the 1990s, Philip would be cemented as part of the lineup of British television's primetime schedules. But what happened on his final stint in the Broom Cupboard? Person ..read more

Career transitions are an inevitable part of professional life, and in today's dynamic job market, individuals often find themselves navigating through various changes in their career paths. Whether prompted by personal growth, economic shifts, or a desire for new challenges, successfully managing these transitions is crucial for long-term career satisfaction and success. This article explores key strategies and insights to help individuals navigate career transitions effectively. Understanding the Motivation: Before embarking on a career transition, it's essential to understand the underlyin ..read more

On this date: 1975 - The first episode of The Good Life was shown on BBC1. pic.twitter.com/Ze4a4q5Spf — ??? Classic British TV ??? (@Classicbritcom) April 4, 2022 Mentioning this archetypal film, The Good Life, brings smiles to many British Sitcom fans of the 1970s. The movie was developed by expert comedy writers Bob Larbey and John Esmonde, who wrote other series, including Ever Decreasing Circles and Please Sir. The Good Life featured characters like Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith, Richard Biers and Paul Eddington. The sitcom consisted of 30-minute episodes, including two ..read more

  There’s not a person in the country who didn’t love at least one children’s programme on the BBC whilst growing up. It’s an impossible proposition, the quality of the output was simply too high. And, no doubt, it’s equally as high now but it’s been a few years since I last tuned in. My daughter, you seen, has since transitioned over to YouTube for her entertainment needs, so I have no idea what the Twirlywoos are up to these days. Or Sarah and Duck. But Curious British Telly isn’t, thank god, about the present. It’s about the past. That’s why I was delighted to unearth this 1983 doc ..read more

Beasts is one of the calling cards of 1970s British folk horror, and this is an unarguable fact. Unless, of course, you haven't watched it. And, in that case, you need to rectify this immediately. Each episode of Nigel Kneale's much lauded anthology series, which aired in 1976, is a chilling blend of intricate plotting, rich characters, social commentary and, of course, an atmosphere which causes the hairs on the back of your neck to spring to attention. It's a series which has been much discussed and pored over since it first aired, but there has never been a definitive tome on the series ..read more