Sixties City - Bringing on back the good times

Animal Magic BBC ( West ) 1962-		Childrens wildlife programme presented from Bristol Zoo by the wonderful Johnny Morris. Later specials were made at places like the Miami Seaquarium and Frankfurt Zoo. Probably the most memorable feature of the programme was Johnny's ability to give the animals personalities by using funny voices to make it appear as if the animals were talking. Early assistants included Tony Soper, famous in his own right for nature films and naturalist Gerald Durrell who owned his own zoo in Jersey. Main producer was Winwood Reade
Compact BBC 1962 - 65		In 1962, soap operas on ITV were forced off the air by an Equity strike, which gave this BBC offering virtually free reign over the British viewing public. Shown on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it was set in the editorial offices of Compact, a women's magazine, with the usual mix of personal and business triumph and tragedy. It was created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling ( who also created Crossroads ) and was scheduled originally for a 3 month run. 373 x 30 minute episodes were eventually made starring main character Editor Joanne Minster ( Jean Harvey ), other parts being played by Nicholas Selby, Gareth Davies, Moray Watson and Leo McGuire. There was a 50 minute omnibus edition shown from April 1964. Later in the series Ronald Allen joined the show as the second Editor. He was also later to star in Adair and Ling's Crossroads series
Dial Rix BBC 1962 - 63		Stage farce genius Brian Rix made a series of 50 minute shows, beginning with 'Between The Balance Sheets', specially for television which were shown at monthly intervals during the winter of 1962 - 63. These were followed by 'Laughter From Whitehall' in 1964 and 'Laughter From The Whitehall' in 1965. Main writers for the shows were Ray Cooney, John Chapman, Tony Hilton and Kenneth Horne
Dr. Finlay's Casebook BBC 1962 - 71		Thirteen series were made of this long- running medical drama series set in the town of Tannochbrae, Scotland, during the 1920s. 200 x 50 minute shows featured Andrew Cruickshank as Dr Cameron, Bill Simpson as Dr Alan Finlay and Barbara Mullen as the legendary housekeeper Janet. The eternal battle of youth and enthusiasm versus age and experience most often ended in a compromise to the benefit of both the townspeople and the situation at hand
Fireball XL5 ATV 1962 - 63 AP Films / ITC		Another great series from Gerry Anderson, this time apparently aimed at a slightly older audience. The sets, stories and production techniques were improving greatly. Characters Steve Zodiac, Dr Venus, Matt Matic and Robert 'On Our Way 'Ome' the Robot were the primary crew of interplanetary patrol vessel Fireball XL5, hindered by their 'pet', Zoonie the Lazoon. 39 x 30 minute episodes were made, filmed in 'Supermarionation' with special effects by Derek Meddings.'I wish I was a spaceman, the fastest guy alive - I'd fly you round the universe in Fireball XL5....'
Hugh And I BBC 1962 - 67		Sitcom which saw the first wonderful pairing of Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd, produced by David Croft. As a lodger in Scott's mum's house in suburbia, Lloyd became involved in his many crackpot and fabulous 'get rich quick' schemes' which were the creation of writer John Chapman. The pair were later reunited in 'Hugh and I Spy' ( 1968 ) and the hilarious 'Gnomes of Dulwich' ( 1969 )
Man of The World ATV 1962 - 63		20 x 60 minute episodes were made of this action drama, starring Craig Stevens as trouble-seeking globetrotting photo-journalist Mike Strait assisted by Maggie, played by Tracy Reed. Some episodes were re-edited into telefeatures - 'Double Exposure', 'Dangerous Hideaway','Love Me - Love Me Not' and 'Flashpoint'. The series was produced by Harry Fine with music from Henry Mancini
Oliver Twist BBC 1962		This Charles Dickens novel adaptation lasted for 13 x 25 minute episodes, starring Bruce Prochnik as Oliver, Max Adrian as Fagin, Melvyn Hayes as The Artful Dodger, Peter Vaughan as Bill Sykes and Carmel McSharry as Nancy. The murder in the final episode was the subject of huge protest from TV monitoring organisations and shocked viewers. The series was produced by Eric Tayler from a dramatisation by Constance Cox with period design by Stephen Bundy
On The Braden Beat ATV 1962 - 67		Popular consumer affairs programme presented by Canadian Bernard Braden championed the cause of the British consumer for five years. Jock Watson and, later, Francis Coleman produced this Saturday late-night watchdog which also examined current political issues affecting the British public
Out Of This World ABC 1962		Horror king Boris Karloff hosted 13 x 60 minute programmes of this science fiction drama anthology presentation which featured the works of many famous writers such as John Wyndham, Isaac Asimov, Terry Nation and Philip K.Dick. This series, produced by Leonard White, was effectively the forerunner to BBC2's more well-known 'Out Of The Unknown' series which story editor Irene Shubik went on to produce
Police Five ATV 1962 - 69 LWT 1970 - 90		An extremely popular and long-running crime prevention and information gathering programme which was introduced by Shaw Taylor. Originally a five minute interlude between main programmes it was later extended into a programme in its own right. Stephen Wade originally produced this series on behalf of ATV in conjunction with New Scotland Yard. The LWT programme 'Junior Police Five' was not introduced until 1972
Steptoe & Son BBC 1962 - 65 ( 70,72,74 )		This all-time classic sitcom starring Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett as Rag and Bone men Albert and Harold Steptoe started life as a half hour play called 'The Offer' in the Comedy Playhouse series. 26 x 30 minute episodes were made during the Sixties with a further 20 episodes made in three series in the Seventies. The self-imagined upwardly mobile Harold was perpetually being dragged back to his Oildrum Lane roots by dad Albert in a constant feud of selfishness and hypocrisy brilliantly written by Galton and Simpson. Their horse was Hercules and my own favourite episode was where Harold divided the house into two halves with turnstiles at the front door. Two Cristmas shows and two feature films were made in the Seventies and copycat versions were produced by U.S. and Dutch television
Take A Letter GRANADA 1962 - 64		A crossword-based game show produced by John Hamp and hosted during its 130 editions by Bob Holness and Jenny Hull. The original maximum prize was about £34, obtained by turning up letters to try and get the word before the opposition with the help of verbal clues supplied by Bob
That Was The Week That Was BBC 1962 - 63		Or, more commonly known as 'TW3', produced by Ned Sherrin, was a 30 minute Saturday evening current events satire show hosted by David Frost, ably assisted by Lance Percival, Willie Rushton, Roy Kinnear, Kenneth Cope, Bernard Levin, David Kernan and Al Mancini. Resident singer was Millicent Martin whose contribution of 'near the knuckle' songs each week was one of the highlights. The show was superseded in 1964 by 'Not So Much A Programme, More A Way Of Life', also featuring the dry wit of Frost and Rushton
The Cheaters ITV 1962 - 63 Danziger Productions		Drama series produced by Edward and Harry Danziger starring John Ireland as Eastern Insurance Company investigator John Hunter. This insurance version of Columbo was responsible for tracking down any fraudulent claims which covered virtually the entire gamut of possible insurance situations from arson to double indemnity to sport
The Flintstones US Tx 1960 - Hanna-Barbera		Never planned as a children's cartoon, 166 x 30 minute episodes were made of this domestic sitcom largely based on a programme called 'The Honeymooners'. The scene of the prehistoric action was Cobblestone Lane, Bedrock, involving the various schemes, arguments and generally dubious activities of headstrong Fred Flintstone, gullible neighbour Barney Rubble and their long-suffering wives Wilma and Betty. A dinosaur 'dog' was Fred's pet, but the sabre-tooth cat he put out at night ( or the other way around ) was rarely if ever seen apart from the closing credits. Later episodes saw the birth of Pebbles Flintstone and the adoption of super-strong Bam-Bam Rubble
The Odd Man GRANADA 1962 - 63		Created by Eddie Boyd, 24 x 60 minute episodes were made of this suspense serial starring Edwin Richfield, Sarah Lawson, Keith Barron, Moultrie Kelsall and Christopher Guinee. Stuart Latham produced. The second series also starred William Mervyn as C.I. Rose. Essentially a crime series, the storyline also took in many other human interest elements in the 'soap' mould. Two of the characters in the series, Barron's 'D.S.Swift' and Davies' 'C.I.Rose' later featured in their own separate series
The Saint ATV 1962 - 69 New World / Bamore Productions / ITC		Do I love this series? The incomparable modern buccaneer created by novelist Leslie Charteris in the 20s was brought right up to date by producers Monty Berman and Robert S. Baker and brilliantly cast Roger Moore as starring hero Simon Templar. 185 x 60 minute episodes, 9 of which were directed by Roger Moore, tracked his adventures on either side of the law and featured Ivor Dean as his gum-chewing Scotland Yard nemesis, Inspector Claude Eustace Teal. Two telefeatures were also made from two-part episodes:- 'The Fiction Makers' (67) and 'Vendetta For The Saint' (68). Edwin Astley composed the brilliantly haunting signature tune
University Challenge GRANADA 1962 - 87		A team quiz show held on a 'knockout' basis each season which featured quizmaster and host Bamber Gascoigne presiding over four-person teams from various universities. 'Your starter for ten' was on the buzzer while bonuses allowedteams to confer with the captain being responsible for giving the correct answer. You used to feel really smug if you could answer more than four or five questions per programme, but it was still immensely popular. The first ever show featured teams from Reading and Leeds Universities
William BBC 1962		Based on the stories by Richmal Crompton, this 25 minute episode Leonard Chase-produced children's series was adapted for television by C.E.Webber and famously starred Dennis Waterman in the title role. His gang, 'The Outlaws', consisted of Douglas ( Carlo Cura ), Henry ( Kaplan Kaye ) and Ginger ( Christopher Witty ) with Gillian Gosling as the awful Violet Elizabeth Bott
Z Cars BBC 1962 - 78		Possibly one of the most famous and realistic police drama series of all time, not least because of its distinctive theme tune, 'Johnny Todd', played by the Liverpool Flutes and Drums. The episodes varied between 25 and 50 minutes in length depending on whether they were being shown once or twice weekly and over 667 shows were made. The original cast included James Ellis ( P.C.Bert Lynch ), Jeremy Kemp ( P.C.Steele ), Brian Blessed ( P.C.'Fancy' Smith ), Joseph Brady ( P.C.Jock Weir ) and Terence Edmond (P.C.Sweet ) based in the fictional Northern area of Newtown. More famous names such as Stratford Johns, Frank Windsor and Colin Welland joined soon after. The storylines were supplied from the casebooks of the Lancashire Police and two spin-off series ( 'Softly Softly' and 'Barlow At Large' ) werte also made. The show started in episodic form, moving to a more serialised format in 1967
Zero One BBC 1962 - 65 MGM TV		A sort of detective / investigator series of 39 x 25 minute episodes based at London Airport. 'Zero One' was the call sign for the International Air Security Board starring Nigel Patrick as their chief investigator with seemingly all-embracing powers. The series also featured Bill Smith and Katya Douglas as his regular assistants. Series producer was Lawrence P.Bachmann

Some Other 1962 Television Shows Which You May Have Forgotten....

Brothers In Law - BBC -Comedy drama set in law chambers - 13 x 30mins

Electra - AR - Dramatised version of a Sophocles play - 60mins

The Largest Theatre In The World - BBC ( 62,65,67,70,71 ) - Series of EBU plays - 75mins

The Monsters - BBC - Scifi/Spy drama set in Lakeland - 4 x 45/50mins

Studio 4 - BBC - Series of adaptations of modern novels - 50mins

The Virginian - NBC - Western series starring James Drury - 225 x 90mins

Ask Me Another - BBC - Quiz show presented by Franklin Engelmann

Pit Your Wits - BBC - Quiz show hosted by Kenneth Kendall and Gwynneth Tighe

Play Your Hunch - BBC - Novelty quiz hosted by D.J. Alan Freeman

City Beneath The Sea - ABC - SciFi serial - 7 x 30mins

The Andromeda Breakthrough - BBC - SciFi serial - 6 x 45mins

Whicker On Top Of The World - BBC - Travel series

Pops And Lenny - BBC 1962/63 - Variety show starring Lenny the Lion

Six More Faces Of Jim - BBC - Comedy series starring Jimmy Edwards - 6 x 30mins

A Climate Of Fear - BBC - Second part of a drama trilogy

Foreign Affairs - Granada - Comedy spin-off from The Army Game

The Craddocks - A-R - Fanny and Johnny Craddock cookery programme

Benny Hill - BBC 1962-63- A series of comedy plays

Mr. Pastry's Pet Shop - BBC - Children's programme starring Richard Hearne

Mess Mates - Shipboard sitcom starring Sam Kydd, Dermot Kelly and Archie Duncan

The Crazy Gang - Sunday May 20th at 8:25p.m. - The famous comedy team's last show

Bulldog Breed - Granada - Comedy series starring Donald Churchill

Saki - Granada - Series of plays adapted from short stories by H.H.Munro

Time, Gentlemen, Please! - A-R - 60 minute documentary on pubs presented by Daniel Farson

Silent Evidence - BBC - Police pathology series starring Basil Sydney

1962 Television Ratings ( millions of homes )

1	Royal Variety Show	BBC	9.25
2	Coronation Street	ITV	8.86
3	Miss World 1962	BBC	7.55
4	Sunday Night at The London Palladium	ITV	7.43
5	European Cup Football Spurs v Benfica	ITV	7.30
6	Armchair Theatre	ITV	7.28
7	Val Parnell	ITV	7.21
8	The Crazy Gang's Last Night	ITV	7.16
9	No Hiding Place	ITV	7.14
10	Bernard Delfont's Show	ITV	7.14
11	Drama '62	ITV	7.08
12	Take Your Pick	ITV	6.96
13	Double Your Money	ITV	6.95
14	Maigret	BBC	6.94
15	One Step Beyond	ITV	6.75
16	Emergency Ward 10	ITV	6.75
17	Play Of The Week	ITV	6.75
18	Rawhide	ITV	6.67
19	Top Secret	ITV	6.59
20	The Bruce Forsyth Show	ITV	6.59