New Website: Ephemeral 80s

Since running Curious British Telly, I've developed somewhat of an obsession (in the best possible way) with the 1980s. In particular, I'm intrigued by exactly what life was like as we all know it wasn't all pastel pinks, leg warmers and oversized mobile phones. Now, I was alive for 8/10ths of the decade, but I was really too young to truly take in society and culture for most of it. However, it is possible to go back in time and revisit it, so that's what I've been doing for the last few years.

A Tale of Digging Through Old Video Tapes

There they were in my hands, two video tapes packed full of video recordings of children’s programmes from the mid-1980s. I was going to be reunited with Mop & Smiff, Bric-a-Brac and Hokey Cokey. It was a fantastic moment in the history of Curious British Telly, and all it required was a five-hour round trip. Yes, utter madness, but it had to be done.

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03/12/1984 - Let's Pretend: The Broom and the Vacuum Cleaner

To my utter delight, another couple of Let's Pretend episodes have recently popped on YouTube, so it's time to dissect one of these in a way that most people would consider utter madness. This particular episode of the long-running series hails from December 1984, a period of British life most famous for Do They Know It's Christmas? and Last Christmas battling it out for the number one spot. Oh sure, there were probably other more noteworthy news stories unfolding, but Curious British Telly has only ever been interested in pop culture.

Anyway, back to Let's Pretend. Broadcast on the 3rd December 1984, this edition of Let's Pretend is entitled The Broom and the Vacuum Cleaner - a truly no nonsense title which ties in nicely with the simplistic nature at the beating heart of the series. The pretenders for this episode are John Telfer - a man perhaps best known for his time on Bergerac - alongside Michael McNally, clad in a curiously short jumper which appears to have run out of thread before it was finished, and Lesia Melnyk, a dependable pair of hands when it comes to Let's Pretend.

Get Set Go

The very first programme featured on Curious British Telly was Sebastian the Incredible Drawing Dog, which had a young Michael Barrymore at the heart and centre of it. It aired a few months before the first series of Strike it Lucky turned Barrymore into a household name, but Strike it Lucky wasn't his first game show. Two years before, in 1984, Barrymore had presented Get Set Go on BBC1.

02/11/1987 - Let's Pretend: Fred Midas

I've scribbled, more than once, about the cataclysmic jolt that Let's Pretend gave my infant imagination, and this is precisely why I refuse to let those memories slink quietly into the distant past. Tragically, surviving specimens of the series - which galloped past the 200-episode post - are depressingly scarce.

Naturally, this angers me. But it also fuels a fire deep within my belly to shine the spotlight on those episodes which emerge from the analogue past and onto YouTube's digital memory extension. One such artifact - Fred Midas - has been lurking online for several years, and somehow I've failed to dissect it. That travesty ends today.

Regional Oddity: Think Tank (1981)

Think Tank starts much like an early 80’s sci-fi show, with a backdrop of twinkling stars accompanied by a pulsating bassline as the Think Tank title spins through space and into view. These titles dissolve into the studio and, whilst Tony Wilson in a suit is far from sci-fi, the set is. With its uncomfortable looking furniture, made entirely out of right angles, and its minimalist colour scheme of silver and black, it could easily be a discarded set from Doctor Who or Blake’s 7.

Sadly, this is where the sci-fi atmosphere ends, although there is plenty of Viewdata to push the technological boundaries, but more about that later. So, Think Tank, what is it and how does it plan to entertain us? Well, it’s an ITV teatime quiz show featuring sixth formers competing to be crowned champions. But it’s not Blockbusters. In fact, it pre-dates the iconic Bob Holness programme by a cool two years. Think Tank, which aired only in the Granada region, is much, much, MUCH obscurer. So, without further ado, let’s dive into Think Tank.

Kaleidoscope Streaming Event - 13th July

For the benefit of those who don't know about Kaleidoscope, they're a specialist archive set up to track down and save missing British television from, well, being missing forever. Launched in the late 1980s, they've uncovered all manner of fantastic content which was considered junked by the broadcasters. They regularly run events where long forgotten, obscure, or previously missing is showcased, but many people struggle to get to these. Luckily, in the last few years, they've began streaming the occasional event - one of these is coming up this Sunday.

Greg Bakun, who will be one of the hosts on the evening, discusses the upcoming event thusly:

Our dearly missed friend Rory Clark once had a brilliant idea for a Kaleidoscope presentation: a showcase of the strange, the weird, the wonderful, the rare, and the truly unique gems from our archive. He called it Pot Pourri! In Rory’s spirit, and to honor his lasting impact on Kaleidoscope, we invite you to join us for a special livestream event on Sunday evening, 13th July at 7pm. Let’s celebrate Rory the best way we know how—through the magic of unforgettable television.

I'll certainly be dropping into the event, and I implore you to as well as something interesting always pops up. Best of all, it's free! Just head over to https://streamyard.com/watch/BFh6ZrKk2SXg to register.

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