The Curious State of British Television

I’ve been busy on the Curious British Telly Substack this week. Normally, I don’t mess about with cross-promoting across my various platforms, but a couple of these pieces have turned out exactly as I hoped for. Here’s a quick guide to them. And please click through if you fancy a proper read:

1. We Need to Talk About the Decline of British TV

Television was once patient, calm and, most importantly, better. Or was it? Nostalgia can easily cloud our judgement, and this is never more evident than under YouTube clips of Little & Large. But the truth is that British TV isn't in decline. It's just a world away from what we grew up with.

2. What Modern British TV Is Missing

Yes, British television is now very different. The quality, however, remains. Nonetheless, there are certain elements that I miss. Each loss chips away at intimacy and delight. It's unlikely that they'll ever come back, but it's important we remember them and what they added to the viewing experience.

3. When Television Said Goodnight — And Meant It

Once, British television had a bedtime. Screens faded to black, announcers quietly sent us off to bed and programmes had breathing space to settle in your mind. Then we shifted to 24 hour broadcasting. The ritual of the closedown is no more, but we have much more convenience and choice. So, are we better off? Or did we need that full stop to the day?

The Books of Curious British Telly

Just a quick reminder, for those newly arrived at Curious British Telly, that there are two Curious British Telly books to be found on Amazon.

Both The Curiosities of British Children’s Television and More Curiosities of British Children’s Television rummage through the attic of children’s television. In particular, they focus on programmes that time has politely forgotten or that were barely written about in the first place.

This means, yes, there are chapters on not only Codename Icarus and Rowan’s Report but also that grand oddity which is Treasures of the Mindlord. Many sound so improbable you might assume they’re invented, yet every one of them genuinely flickered across British screens for the nation’s curious young eyes.

Best of all, I managed to track a surprising number of the people involved, so this means the books are peppered with first-hand insights from such luminaries as Derek Griffifths, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie and Joy Whitby. It lends the books a pleasing authority, and also demonstrates the strength of their memories for work they completed several decades ago.

I don’t plug the books very often these days, and it’s unlikely I’ll write any more, but do have a look and, if tempted, consider taking one home.

First Impressions: Monkey Business

The number of obscure, forgotten British television shows from the distant past still boggles my mind. I've been writing Curious British Telly for close to 15 years and I'm still being knocked sideways by the obscurities which suddenly present themselves. Monkey Business is yet another oddity which deserves to be held up and examined with modern eyes.

Reservations (1985)

The path to manhood is a troublesome one, particularly when the male ego weighs heavy on your shoulders. And there's no beating about the bush: sex is crucial in reaching true manhood. Social constructs mean that men simply have to have sex to be considered a man. Better yet, being highly skilled in the old art of the bedroom Olympics will only enhance your manliness.

Agree or roll your eyes as you please, but these expectations create a special brand of angst for young men. Exhibit A arrives in the form of young Gary in Reservations.

The Adventurers Handbook

For many children of the 1970s and 80s, Christopher Lillicrap is an instantly recognisable name. Starting off with Playboard in 1975, Lillicrap would go on to front other series such as We’ll Tell You a Story, Flicks and Busker, whilst also writing for Rainbow and Fimbles.

So surely I, of all people, should have been aware of him. But I wasn’t. Somehow, as a child devotee of all things television, he completely passed me by. It was only when I started delving deeper into British television that I discovered who he was.

Camberwick Green's Forgotten Adventures

Camberwick Green ran for a single series of 13 episodes in 1966, but did you know that this wasn't the end of life in Camberwick Green? This extended universe was contained within the pages of the Pippin in Playland comic and remained forgotten by almost everyone. Until today.

How to Win More Games on a Pinoy Tongits App: Strategy Guide

Look! Hear!

Ah, the regional oddity of British television! Is there a more obscure area of programming to delve into and feast upon its barely remembered content? I doubt it, and Curious British Telly has always delighted in sniffing out such peculiarities. These programmes are often so obscure, in fact, that even finding a title for the show and a brief description is a miracle in itself. Fortunately, I recently stumbled across a gleaming treasure chest packed full of Look! Hear!, a BBC Midlands arts programme.

I Like Competitions Because...

Competitions don't quite seduce as they once did. The age of fiendish tiebreakers, solving riddles worthy of the finest pub bore and stockpiling empty crisp packets to win a Teasmade or a damp weekend on the Isle of Wight has vanished. Instead, the internet has demanded a need for instant gratification. Hence, competitions are now reduced to little more than scanning QR codes.

Luckily, I Like Competitions Because... is a fond, nostalgic love letter to the lost art of obsessively entering competitions, back when winning required much more than Wi-Fi.