A
Man Of Our Times
REDIFFUSION 1968
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A
13 x 60 minute social drama series by Julian Bond, featuring
the few ups and many downs in the life and business of Max Osborne,
played by George Cole, with Jean Harvey as his separated wife
and Jennifer Wilson as his mistress. The company Max worked
for was run by a father and son played by Clive Morton and Charles
Tingwell. The series was produced by Richard Bates and Stella
Richman |
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Dad's
Army
BBC1 1968-77
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It
is absolutely mpossible to do justice to this classic comedy
in a few lines. 64 x 30 minute episodes and two Cristmas 'Specials'
were made of this inspired, brilliant, very British comedy series
written by the wonderful Jimmy Perry and David Croft ( who also
produced ). The setting: World War II and the home front, following
the antics of the geriatric Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard under
the command of the pompous Captain Mainwaring who spent more
time battling against the local verger and Air-raid warden than
they did fighting the enemy. Each and every character is instantly
recognisable and totally believable - simply brilliant! The
main characters were Captain Mainwaring ( Arthur Lowe ), Cpl
Jones ( Clive Dunn ), Sgt Wilson ( John Le Mesurier ), Air Raid
Warden Hodges ( Bill Pertwee ), Pte Pike ( Ian Lavender ), Pte
Godfrey ( Arnold Ridley ), Pte Walker ( James Beck ) and the
sinister, wide-eyed 'we're all doomed' Pte Frazer ( John Laurie
). Catch phrases are numerous but include the still-used 'stupid
boy!', 'they don't like it up 'em' and 'Don't panic Mr Mainwaring'.
A feature film was also made in 1971
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Father
Dear Father
THAMES 1968-73, 1978-79
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This
William G. Stewart-produced 45eps x 30 min sitcom starred Patrick
Cargill as Patrick Glover, a suave novelist whose potentially
quiet Hampstead lifestyle is constantly disrupted by the activities
of his two teenage daughters and his ex-wife. The daughters
were played by Natasha Pyne and Ann Holloway, his housekeeper
was Noel Dyson and his ex-wife was Ursula Howells. Other distracting
influences were mother Joyce Carey, ex-wife's new husband Tony
Britton, a large St Bernard dog and his sexy literary agent
and mistress played by Sally Bazely, later Dawn Addams. The
series was written by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke and led
to a feature film in 1972 and a spin-off series 'The Many Wives
Of Patrick' ( 21 episodes ) in 1978 |
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Frontier
THAMES 1968
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This
8 x 60 minute fictional drama series followed the fortunes and
activities of a British battalion during their actions in Northern
India during the 1880s. The external scenes were actually shot
in Snowdonia in North Wales, but it was still touted as the
most expensive series ever produced locally by an independent
television company. The main characters were played by Gary
Bond ( Lt Clive Russell ), Patrick O'Connell, James Maxwell,
John Phillips and Paul Eddington as a civilian war correspondent.
Series producer was Michael Chapman
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Joe
90
CENTURY 21 - ITC 1968-69
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The
BIG RAT ( Brain Impulse Galvanoscope Record And Transfer ) acted
on 9 year-old Joe90 to transfer the necessary adult brain patterns
and skills into his brain by way of special glasses in order
to enable him to carry out secret missions for various agencies.
Another superb Gerry Anderson puppet series, of which 30 x 30
minute episodes were made, produced by David Lane. Len Jones
supplied Joe's voice while his father was voiced by Rupert Davies
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Journey
To The Unknown
ITV 1968-69
Hammer Films / 20th Century Fox TV
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In
partnership with the American ABC TV network, Hammer produced
17 x 60 minute episodes of this sci-fi / fantasy / supernatural
anthology series. The storylines were taken from the works of
writers such as Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson, Robert Heverley
and Charles Beaumont from which Anthony Hinds produced for the
television adaptation. This was Hammer's second attempt to break
into the small screen, the first being a production called 'Tales
Of Frankenstein' made in partnership with Columbia Pictures
in 1957
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Late
Night Horror
BBC2 1968
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A
bit of a misnomer but this anthology series certainly put sinister
twists on apparently ordinary situations. Aired on a weekly
basis, each presentation had a different writer and director
with titles including 'No Such Thing As A Vampire', 'William
and Mary', 'The Triumph of Death', 'The Corpse Can't Play',
'The Bells of Hell' and 'The Kiss of Blood' which was an adaptation
of a Conan Doyle short story. Series producer was Harry Moore
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Magpie
THAMES 1968-80
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Originally
40 minutes on a Tuesday, later 30 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays
( then Fridays ), this was Thames TV's answer to the BBC's highly
succesful Blue Peter and featured in their first day of broadcasting.
The format was essentially the same but with an effort to make
it more trendy. Original presenters were Tony Bastable, ex-pirate
DJ Pete Brady and the gorgeous Susan Stranks, also of pop television
fame from Juke Box Jury. Later presentation teams consisted
of Mick Robertson, Tommy Boyd, Douglas Rae and Hammer glamour
girl Jenny Hanley. Also contained in the programme was the Captain
Fantastic character which originally appeared in the 'Do Not
Adjust Your Set' series. Producers of the show included Sue
Turner, David Hodgson, Tim Jones and Randall Beattie. I'm sure
I've still got a Magpie
badge somewhere........one for sorrow, two for joy.....
and yes, the Magpie WAS called Murgatroyd! |
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Marty
BBC2 1968-69
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If
ever a man was built for comedy it was Marty Feldman and those
wonderful eyes. He had appeared in earlier comedy programmes
as part of a team and was also a brilliant comedy author in
his own right. This was his first starring series, ably supported
by the talents of Tim Brooke-Taylor and John Junkin, which featured
a disconnected collection of screwy sketches and slapstick comedy.
The main writing was undertaken by Feldman in partnership with
Barry Took, additional material being supplied by the likes
of Philip Jenkinson, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Donald Webster,
Graham Chapman and John Cleese. The series was produced by Denis
Main Wilson
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Nearest
and Dearest
GRANADA 1968-72
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Pledge's
Pickles, an old-fashioned North of England pickle factory run
by brother and sister Eli and Nellie Pledge was the setting
for this classic 'groan a minute' sitcom. Hylda Baker and Jimmy
Jewel starred as the odd couple but were frequently upstaged
by the even screwier characterisations brought to the series
by Madge Hindle, Edward Malin and Joe Gladwin. The series, which
spawned a spin-off film in 1972, was written by Vince Powell
and Harry Driver |
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Please
Sir!
LWT 1968-72
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The
school we all wished we had gone to was brought to our screens
by the comedy-writing duo John Esmonde and Bob Larbey. John
Alderton starred as new-boy teacher Bernard Hedges, put in charge
of the rough but golden-hearted scoundrels of class 5C at Fenn
Street Secondary Modern. His Fellow sufferers in the staff room
were Price ( Richard Davies ) and Smith ( Eric Chitty ) with
Noel Howlett as the gutless and gormless headmaster, Joan Sanderson
as the overbearing deputy head and school janitor, Norman Potter,
played by Deryck Guyler. 'The enemy', incumbents of 5C, were
Duffy ( Peter Cleall ), Craven ( Malcolm McFee ), Maureen (
Liz Gebhardt ), Sharon ( played by the gorgeous Penny Spencer
and later by the equally lovely Carol Hawkins ), Frankie Abbott
( David Barry ) and the wonderful Dennis Dunstable played by
Peter Denyer. 40 x 25 minute episodes were made produced and
directed by Mark Stuart, followed by a feature film in 1971
and a spin-off series, 'The Fenn Street Gang' which ran for
46 episodes between 1971 and 1973, featuring the characters
after leaving school
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Rogues'
Gallery
GRANADA 1968-69
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London's
Newgate Prison of the 1750s was the atmospheric setting for
this bawdy and boisterous series of 60-minute tales, the first
four of which were run as part of Rediffusion's 'Playhouse'
series. The stories featured historic antihero inmates such
as Jonathan Wild ( Ronald Fraser ), highwaywoman Jane Rawley
( Jane Bond ), Lady Sarah Bellasize ( Diane Cilento ) and Jack
Sheppard ( Paul Shelley ). The series was written and produced
by Peter Wildeblood
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Spindoe
GRANADA 1968
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Not
pulling any punches, Granada TV brought the London underworld
gang warfare scene back to the screen in this 6 x 60minute episode
serial which was a follow-on from 'The Fellows ( Late of Room
17 )'. Former South London gang boss Ray McAnally finishes his
seven years at Her Majesty's pleasure and promptly embarks on
a campaign to regain his previous top spot in the criminal rankings.
Also starring were Colette O'Neil as Spindoe's wife, George
Sewell as a private eye and Richard Hurndall as gang boss of
the North London territory. |
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The
Basil Brush Show
BBC1 1968-80
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From
the 1964 children's series 'The Three Scampis' ( A-R ) was resurrected
a cheeky, furry-faced glove puppet with a posh voice called
Basil Brush. Originally a foil for David Nixon on some of his
series, the foxy character now starred in his own 30 minute
show with various 'assistants' including Rodney Bewes, Derek
Fowlds, Roy North, Howard Williams and Billy Boyle. His catchphrase
'boom boom' was, and still is in common use. The original A-R
show featured Wally Whyton, Howard Williams and Ivan Owen who
operated the puppet and provided the voice
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The
Borderers
BBC2 1968-70
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26
x 50 minute episodes were made of this historical adventure
series set in the 16th century Scottish border country. Iain
Cuthbertson, Michael Gambon, Edith MacArthur and Joseph Brady
played some of the wild, lawless characters. The series was
produced by Peter Graham Scott and Anthony Coburn and was created
by Bill Craig |
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The
Caesars
GRANADA 1968
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Still
considered a classic, the programme consisted of six 55 minute
plays examining and dramatising the different characters of
some of Rome's more infamous emperors. The series was written
by Philip Mackie and featured the following actors in the various
roles of Caesar: Roland Culver ( Augustus ), Eric Flynn ( Germanicus
), Andre Morrell ( Tiberius ), Barrie Ingham ( Sejanus ), Ralph
Bates ( Caligula ) and Freddie Jones as Claudius |
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The
Expert
BBC2 1968-69, 1971, 1976
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62
x 45 and 50 minute episodes were made of this police forensic
series set in the West Midlands and Warwickshire. Marius Goring
played Dr John Hardy, a kind of modern-day Sherlock Holmes dealing
with all aspects of crime. Also starring were Ann Morrish as
Hardy's wife and Victor Winding as Inspector Fleming. The series,
created by N.J.Crisp and Gerard Glaister ( who also produced
) was the first BBC2 drama series to be made in colour
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The
First Lady
BBC1 1968-69
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30
x 50 minute episodes in two series saw Thora Hird riding rough-shod
over her local political opponents as Sarah Danby, a newly-elected
independent member of Furness Borough Council in this Alan Plater-written
drama. Her son Tom, a local schoolmaster, was played by Henry
Knowles and political allies/opponents included Robert Keegan
as Will Tarrant, Deputy Leader of the Labour faction and James
Grout as George Kingston, Leader of the Conservatives. The first
series was produced by David Rose and the second by Terence
Dudley
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The
Railway Children
BBC1 1968
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7
x 25 minute episode adaptation of the 1905 children's book by
Edith Nesbit. This is a superb classic, the third, and probably
best TV version of the book. The storyline centres around an
Edwardian family who come upon hard times and have to move to
the country. The three children, Phyllis ( Gillian Bailey ),
Peter ( Neil McDermott ) and Bobbie, played by Jenny Agutter
( who played the same part in the 1970 feature film) manage
to find adventure when they discover an old country railway
line. The series, adapted by Denis Constanduros, was directed
by Julia Smith and produced by Campbell Logan
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The
Sooty Show
THAMES
1968-
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What
can I tell you about this show that you don't already know.
Sooty first saw the light of day, attached to Harry Corbett's
right hand, in 1952 on a BBC TV show called 'Talent Night'.
His hapless squeaky sidekick, Sweep, joined the show in 1957
and, just when he was looking like a confirmed bachelor, Sooty
discovered girls in 1964 when posh Panda girlfriend Soo arrived.
Sooty moved to ITV in 1968 in this Daphne Shadwell-produced
half-hour show which appealed as much to adults as kids - could
hardly wait to see whether Harry was going to get hit by the
eggs, the flour, the water or the blunt instrument. Izzy Wizzy,
let's get busy.......
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The
Stanley Baxter Show
BBC1 1968
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A
half-hour comedy sketch show, the first of many series featuring
the comic talents of Stanley Baxter, a Scottish comedian and
comedy writer whose skill in characterisation still remains
largely unchallenged. This particular series was produced for
the BBC by David Bell, although all Baxter's subsequent shows
were made by LWT
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The
Time Tunnel
BBC
US ABC television |
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Another
of Irwin Allen's fabulous science fiction action adventure series.
James Darren and Robert Colbert star as scientists Tony Newman
and Doug Phillips who build a top secret government machine
that can send humans to any point in the past or future. Tony
and Doug were forced to enter the Time Tunnel before it was
fully tested, and they soon found themselves being helplessly
transported from one era to another, moving backwards and forwards
through space and time but unable to return to the present.Observing
their adventures from the Time Tunnel’s underground lab in the
present day were project controller General Heywood Kirk ( Whit
Bissell ) and scientists Dr. Ann MacGregor ( Lee Meriwether
) and Dr. Raymond Swain ( John Zaremba ). The show was very
expensive to produce and lower than expected ratings caused
ABC to axe it after only one season, comprising 30 x 60 minute
episodes, the ending of each week's episode leading into the
start of the following week's adventure |
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The
World of Beachcomber
BBC2 1968-69
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Spike
Milligan starred as both link-man and participant in this surreal
comedy show which featured real life comedy actors such as Clive
Dunn, Patricia Hayes, george Benson, Julian Orchard, Frank Thornton,
Leon Thau and Sheila Steafel alongside cartoon-strip projections
based on the off-beat creations of J.B.Morton as featured in
his Daily Express column. 19 x 30 and 35 minute episodes were
produced by Duncan Wood |
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Tom
Grattan's War
YORKSHIRE 1968, 1970
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Michael
Howe portrayed Tom, a young lad evacuated to a Yorkshire farm
during the First World War after his father was enlisted and
his mother went to work in an armaments factory. Tony Selby
also featured in the show. 24 x 30 minute episodes catalogued
his adventures, courtesy of David C. Rea who wrote and produced
the first series. Audley Southcott produced the second series
in 1970 |
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Ukridge
BBC1 1968
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In
much the same vein as 'Blanding's Castle', the BBC followed
up with another of P.G.Wodehouse's eccentric characters under
the 'World of Wodehouse' genre title. Still set in the 1920's,
7 x 30 minute episodes tracked the misadventures of con man
Stanley Feathersonehaugh Ukridge, played by the brilliant Anton
Rodgers. Joan Kemp-Welch directed |
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Virgin
of The Secret Service
ATV 1968
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This
larger-than-life, comic-book style hero created by Ted Willis
swashbuckled his way across early 1900s India in 13 x 60 minute
mystery-shrouded episodes. Dragoon Captain Robert Virgin, played
wonderfully campy and tongue-in-cheek by Clinton Greyn, was
a mixture of spy, soldier and adventurer fighting all manner
of enemies and dangers to the existence of the British Empire.
Also starring were Veronica Strong as Virginia Cortez, Noel
Coleman as Virgin's superior officer, Colonel Shaw-Cumberley,
Alexander Dore as German masterspy Karl von Brauner and John
Cater as batman Doublett. Series was produced by Josephine Douglas
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