TV Nostalgia - Record Breakers

"What is the tallest building in the world?" or "Who holds the record for putting the most number of underpants on in a minute?" Questions, questions... All vital and sometimes amusing, though from a simple idea of putting the Guiness Book of Records on television came Record Breakers. 


The host Roy Castle would muck in himself, literally. The phrase jack of all trades is understated for Roy, an song and dance man, he transformed himself into a superman by setting three world records himself including wingwalking on a aeroplane across the channel! 


The weird and wonderful nature of the show allowed people to set record by balancing milk crates on their head, making it certainly a very unique way of delivering milk. The set piece record attempts, such as the biggest dance troupe in the world, which was so iconic that it was voted one of the most favourite TV moments of all time, when perfomed  it was so big that it filled the whole courtyard of BBC TV Centre full of tapping feet leaving Castle the only place to perform was a platform on the fountain in the middle, almost literally singing in the rain!


As always though the end theme tune said it all, dedication's all you need. The dedication of the viewers was enough to make sure that Record Breakers was a hit even after Roy Castle's death in 1994. As Roy would have surely said himself "How's about that for blowing your own trumpet, eh?"

For the children... From local transmitters

As a kid I remember watching children's shows from both BBC and ITV and being from the south there was much to look at especially from TVS, but as well as it might be it may have looked professional but it still seemed a bit distant to me. In the BBC's Hey Look That's Me there was no no fancy budget, hell, there was a studio just small enough to squeeze a camera in. But it was this homeliness which appealed to me, even so much as writing to the programme and getting some badges in return for do so.

Though what I have seen and read, each region has tried to champion its own output, in Scotland The Untied Shoelaces Show entertained Scottish children through the school holidays and the South West, TSW served up Freeze Frame as a Saturday morning alternative to their children. But having this showed that their commitment to local programming was strong and it didn't have to always to appeal to the widest possible group. By having programmes like this for children, the regions felt that this was a link to their youngest viewers, hook them early and they'll stay loyal to your company.

Anglia was an example of a franchise, which would plug away to the network and supplying children's programmes with regularity, the same as Southern/TVS to supplement the bigger companies offerings. But they also had to remember that their viewers were important, so they both created programmes which appealed to their viewers embracing the local flavour. Even through birthday spots for most smaller companies that Gus Honeybun, BC, Oscar Puffin and even Ivor Honeypot became recognisable unofficial mascots for the stations they appeared on. Though Gus Honeybun came to optimise both Westward and TSW as well, becoming as big as the announcers who helped him.

Those days have long gone now with Channel gamely battle on with Oscar Puffin in new decade, not even a friendly puffin can suffice in the world of television now. Though I find it interesting that CBBC when for characters similar to this back up their presenters in the relaunch of the channel, so perhaps they are still there, maybe in spirit but you'll always need a dog or cactus to draw the viewers in.

All characters small, furry and funny...

Children's television has always been the domain of weekdays filling in the bit between afternoon programmes and the news, the regulars like Blue Peter, varying children's dramas and also comedy are contained within these confines or were in ITV's case. But they ruled the roost for many years, though apart from Saturday mornings where Noel Edmonds, Mike Read, Chris Tarrant or even Tommy Boyd were to be found, there was one spot on a weekend which would see the programmes for younger people become a key part of the schedule.

After an afternoon of sport and viewers have been updated on the day's even from the newsroom, a slot was available for these shows at the start of the evening's viewing. Maybe later on with the showpiece light entertainment programme forming part of the evening's viewing for both BBC and ITV, there was a need to bring young people to the schedule but also to provide enough entertainment for adult viewers to keep with which ever channel they were watching at that point. Children's programme were as important as anything even at the weekend, so the usual children's hour would be shown on a Saturday. The BBC would be offering programmes such as 'Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School' and Jimmy Edwards in 'Whack-o!' which did later was revived in colour during 1971 and put the Saturday teatime slot, references to Top of the Pops couldn't help the revival and the programme took its place in history and allowed 'Headmaster Professor' James Edward to take off his mortar board for the final time in a series.

"Hello, my name is Michael Cane..."

Throughout the 60's this was the common practice but by the end of the decade this changed with the launch of the new ITV franchises. Supermarionation was called for in the shape of Joe 90 and his BIGRAT, though this wasn't the first time a rat was called upon on in this slot. With the emergence of Dr. Who on the BBC, ITV decided to first counter with adventures of Tarzan starring Ron Ely as the vine-swinging king of the jungle. Though by 1968 the BBC called on a character who had made appearances on other shows but had never had one of his own, laughing onto the slot came Basil Brush. Basil had started out as part of the Three Scampies which Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin gave life to Basil, but the notoriously publicity-shy Ivor Owen gave the distinctive voice to Brush. The character appeared with magician David Nixon in 'The Nixon Line' helping or maybe hindering Nixon during tricks, but these slots gave Bill Cotton an idea, why not give Basil his own show, but just like working with Nixon, give him a helper or a straight man to bounce off with his jokes and puns.

The first of which was Rodney Bewes who came from 'The Likely Lads' to assist Basil with the usual mix of guests and stories but when he left after a year Mr Derek came along. Derek Fowlds later of Yes, Minister and Heartbeat filled the role ably until 1973 when he gave up the role allowing someone else to enter Basil's world of puns and being the stooge for them. That man was Roy North, North before that had been appearing on the West End stage in a production of Joseph and his Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat when he was asked to work with Basil. Of all Basil's Misters, Roy North was the one people remember the most. Not to say that Bewes, Fowlds or latterly either Howard Williams or Billy Boyle were no less as good. But North seemed at home in the role and loving it, though a person can only take enough puns, gags and stories for a lifetime and he left Basil in 1976 after three years good service. Basil himself occupied in that Saturday teatime slot for another four years after North had left the show. It had come to the end and Basil moved onto new projects.

"Oh Basil!"

On ITV to counteract the doctor, they called up another time traveller but this time rather then a police box he found himself in a new time looking to get back to his own time. That time-traveller was Catweazle, who was a wizard from the 11th century. First premiering on Sunday 15th February 1970, saw the out of his time wizard arrive and is befriended by 'Carrot' or otherwise know as Edward Bennet, a farmer's son who found Catweazle and through the first series he tried to get back to the 11th century through magic and wizardry. Leading to many slapstick situations as the confusion of this new age, to what some people would say today as 'New Age' person provided the humour, but it was not without good plots including an episode where Catweazle a fraud of a fortune teller who would give odds on tips to the punters at her husband's betting shop. Though creator Richard Carpenter thought that the programme should be able to reflect feelings as well with the time traveller whistfully saying "I belong nowhere." By grabbing the younger viewers making Catweazle a more rounded character like The Doctor, allowed the programme to have good writing and was rewarded as such in 1971 with a Writer's Guild award for best Children's drama script.

Geoffrey Bayldon was not the original choice to play the wizard, the heads of the London Weekend children's department when Carpenter first took his script to them, they wanted Jon Pertwee to play the part. But for them Pertwee had become The Doctor on BBC1, so Carpenter suggested Bayldon who himself had been turned down for the part of the first doctor in favour of William Hartnell. Though many years later they would come together for another show where both Pertwee and Bayldon share key parts together.

After a second series where Catweazle looked for the signs of the magic zodiac, hoping to get back to home to his home time the series' last episode was broadcast at 5.35pm on April 4th 1971 and Catweazle went into the pantheon of these shows.

"If thou can turneth thine electrickery heater on please, thou would be most pleased thanketh you!"

As the 70's turned into the 80's, amongst all the heroes plying their trade on Saturday night, there was a hero of sort who was very British in his make-up. Well his head was grown in Britain anyway! Southern Television was a prolific producer of children's drama throughout its history, though most of it such as Noah's Castle, The Flockton Flyer and Brendan Chase were to be found on a weekday. For a while they experimented with 'Dick Barton - Special Agent', running at fifteen minutes an episode taking on the format of the radio serial. It touched base, but wasn't a huge hit although around the same time there was another series which caught the public's imagination as well. By using the same technique of looking back at children's serials they found a character who he not appeared on the television in a drama since 1953. When the author of the Worzel Gummage books Barbara Euphan Todd died in 1976, screenwriters Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall acquired the rights to Worzel looking to make a film with Jon Pertwee as the lead.

When this idea didn't happen they took it Southern Television who like the idea and decided to produce the series, by using the south's landscape it seemed like a perfect fit for the series with the countyside, small market towns and the seaside provided a background for the stories to placed around.

On 25th February 1979 was the first time when people learned to speak Worzelese in an episode called "Worzel's Washing Day". Supported by Geoffrey Bayldon who's previous experience playing Catweazle came in handy as The Crowman allowed Pertwee and Bayldon to play off each other, backed up with Una Stubbs as Aunt Sally, a very young Charlotte Coleman and Mike Berry later to play Mr Spooner in 'Are You Being Served?' as well. Throughout its run with guest stars such as Barbara Windsor, Joan Sims, Bernard Cribbins and Mike Reid to to name but a few kept the pace up. Its zenith has to be the Christmas episode called 'A Cup o' Tea and a Slice o' Cake' broadcast on 27th December 1980 at 5.20pm including the obligatory appearance for Santa Claus but also Billy Connolly appearing as a Scottish scarecrow. Though in most newspaper at that time decided just to call the episode 'Worzel's Christmas Special' which doesn't quite as the same ring as the episode's name.

"Aunt Sally, have you got a Cup o' Tea and a Slice o' Cake for old Worzel?"

Through Worzel's hi-jinks, scrapes and slapstick over two years and four series. The series finished on the 12th December in the LWT region and on the 31st July in the Southern region, with TVS not renewing the show after taking over the franchise and also when a deal with HTV fell through to keep the programme on air despite a campaign by the Daily Star to do so. Alike most of the other series in this blog, Worzel went his own way. There was revival in the late 80's taking the series to New Zealand and a move onto Channel 4, this time on Sunday mornings. By then time had moved on and from the rudimentary of Worzel, there came another character who had started on Southern as well about the same time but he was now to be found in the big city lights with LWT after assisting Bill Oddie on his Saturday Banana.

Metal Mickey started off as the creation of musician and pirate DJ Johnny Edward who changed his name from John Flux when he joined Radio London in 1965 and staying there for a year. Later on he brought Renee and Renato together for their 1982 number one "Save Your Love". But Metal Mickey was a huge part of his life and Mickey was brought to The Saturday Banana and had made an appearance on a technology based edition of Runaround. It was Mickey's appearance on 'Jim'll Fix' It' talking to children in a marketplace for the programme alerted LWT producer Humphrey Barclay that there might be an idea in using Metal Mickey for something. A pilot was recorded within the month and thus was the start of an early 80's cult.

"I don't know about R2-D2, more like WD-40.."

Set within a family, Mickey had been 'invented' to help out around the home. Very like Worzel and Catweazle there was a fair amount of slapstick to the show, but also with Mickey's misunderstandings and willingness to help plus also adventures as well as pop star in one episode. It was a pop star who helped Metal Mickey as well as Johnny Edward and that was Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees who had found way over to the UK and now was producing the show for LWT with Nic Phillips and David Crossman directing the shows.

Dolenz gave the show what it needed, having been part of the Monkees during the sixties, he knew that there needed to be a zaniness to the show and kept it barrelling along apace. For those three years he was top of the pile, but eventually he was banished to the garage of television history. Though for a price you can still hire him for corporate and special appearances.

In the end the BBC brought Roland Rat across to be in the Basil Brush slot, there was nothing wrong with Roland but time has seemingly moved on. Programmes like The Dukes of Hazard, The A-Team and MacGuyer had become the norm by the mid to late 80's and that slot got swallowed up. There have been rumbling about all sorts of characters coming back to that slot, but even the revived Basil Brush stuck to during the week, not even the idea of Monkey from the PG Tips and ITV Digital ads could persuade bosses that it was worth a punt.

All creatures, small, furry and funny ruled the waves for a fair while but much like most of television of that time, it has moved or just dissapeared. From Basil boom-booming with Mr Derek to Roland calling out to his Rat Fans, they came saw and entertained. But here's something interesting, a mechanical hare was seen on Saturday night not so long ago. Maybe the time of creature is coming again?

Have a good week, until next week...

Over 500 channels and in the beginning it was a dummy's head in 20 line vision, we've come a long way with television in 75 years from 4:3 to 16:9 and HD. But what's the part that anyone matters, its whether their show will be on at the same time every week, nay every day in some cases. The schedules have been a key pat of the growth of television if that be cooking with Fanny Craddock, A boxing match from the Empire Baths, Wembley or Jools Holland and Paula Yates giving a kick up the anals of television with The Tube. Looking through the television pages say for a Thursday, taking today (13/10/2011) as an example, ask anyone what's on BBC1 at 7.30pm tonight and they'll say Eastenders, that's no matter if they like the programme or not. Its like an in-built sat-nav really that we can tell without looking at television listings when our favourite programmes are on generally.

"Give it the works... *click*"

Scheduling follows a pattern in which the viewer has the familiarity of knowing, as Michael Grade once put it "The smell of a Sunday Night hit..." Sunday's are the night of the costume drama and the detective, the way of putting the feet up and immersing in a book only in pictures and being acted out in front of you. Something like The Onedin Line or Poldark is like a world of fiction spread out, as such for the ladies a strapping but rough hero who battles the rights and wrongs of his world as his mistresses go about supporting him but with enough pep to hold their own in this world. Even something as Bergerac or Shoestring can be seen in the same vain, action and also nice scenery to look at, the men make the programmes as such to be recognisable through the winter months, such was John Nettles' effect that he was able to spread himself from the programme guaranteeing work in panto, personal appearances and also guest star spots with the likes of Les Dawson on his show. The roaring fire and the warmth plus the knot in the stomach of every youngster of that they have to go to school in the morning, this sets the scene perfectly for the post cake and sandwich tea.

A schedule is like a variety bill and of course most the early protagonists for Independent Television coming from that variety background its little surprise they do read like a variety bill in that sense. The acts underneath such as comedians and speciality acts keeping the audience amused ready for the big star to come on and do their thing at the top of the bill. For instance with Saturday nights, entertainers or comedians have always warmed the audience ready for the big show. But in the past few weeks, the new BBC One controller has changed this by putting an edition of Celebrity Masterchef early on a Saturday night where normally Total Wipeout would be to bring in the punters for Strictly Come Dancing, seemingly it has changed the landscape of what a Saturday schedule should be. But that's nothing new, even back in 1970's Lew Grade thought ITV could better be served by putting entertainment in the World of Sport slot cutting down on its hours that they were broadcasting live sport each and every Saturday. That didn't happen totally until 1985 when the programme was seemingly out of date and eventually along with Wrestling, Darts and other sports that programmes like Mind Your Language, Please Sir! and also The Cuckoo Waltz were repeated saying that they were comedy classics. To the young viewer, this was pleasing to see something I had never seen before such as the same would be said also of Windmill on BBC2 at Sunday lunchtimes.

Stand aside The Bionic Woman... It's the Pneumatic Woman!

People plead for structure in their viewing still, know that something will at the same time each day. BBC1 always starts The One Show after a trip around the regions, how much to some people it might be as mind-numbing but it bring a viewer into the evening. They might not stay with a channel for a whole night now, we are offered the choice of viewing so during in a evening I could watch The Sweeney on ITV4, Inspector Morse on ITV3, Mighty Ships on Quest and Catchphrase on Challenge. We are given free reign on being the scheduler nowadays, but when it comes down to it, we just want to know that a programme will on the same time every week or that a certain type of programme will be on at a time.

Choice? The more we want, the more we are confused... Be thankful to scheduler, at least they've made a decision for you or if that's not your bag. Look out, go for a walk, read a book or perhaps we should go back to the potter's wheel... Then at least we know what the programme would be about then...

Television Presenting? Child's Play!

"I could do that! How hard is it to present a television programme?" The regular call of viewers throughout the land as they see many numbers of faces on their screens day in and day out, as Sue Peacock would testament quite hard on your debut. Sue was picked by Esther Ranzen and her Big Time team to be give the chance to co-present Nationwide along with Frank Bough, the pro's pro. But thinking about presenting especially in children's television, there has been so many presenters over the years since Phillip Schofield took on in-vision continuity in the afternoons replacing the BBC1 robot. Which itself seems alright as Phillip had a radio and television career in New Zealand before coming home and to bigger and better things.

Go-pher broke...

Beyond Phillip the rota of stars who have taken the route of children's television is amazing, but one thing stands out if you were to consider what most of them had done before they wouldn't it even get on the screen today! It maybe said that times were different, with most presenters coming through the media studies route and having been trained in what they should say and to a template. Not that's there anything wrong with that if they are good. 

For example with Play School, most of the protagonists came from a dramatic background such as Gordon Rollings and also Brian Cant as well, Rollings later playing parts in two of the Superman movies with Cant still working occasionally with an appearance earlier this year in BBC 1's 'Doctors'. Their communication skills such as also Toni Arthur and Carol Chell would qualify for them to be good presenters, but then the waters get muddied. Some of the people who joined in the 1970's were to re-write the script literally. Don Spencer was a folk singer but with experience of Play School in Australia, bringing musical experience to the mixture which was already there with the vast experience of singing the theme to 'Fireball XL5'. Added with Julie Spencer, Floella Benjamin, Stuart McGugan, Ben Bazell, Eric Thompson and so many more as well.

"Let's make it a date!"

Then we come to three men who came from left field, who looking at their combined CV's they would not have struck the average person as children's television material. Johnny Ball, now know as a leading light on promoting science through his television programmes and later on his stage shows. But back when he was give the job of entertaining the under 5's that Johnny had already been a stand-up comedian and a Redcoat at Butlin's as well. Hardly, a glowing CV you might say but number two was even more from left field!

On the ball!

Derek Griffths, what can you say about him? Legend is a word which bandied about so easy, but Derek could fit in anywhere. There was time where you could just turn on the television there he would be starring in a drama, singing a song, doing a bit of light entertainment with the best of the day even appearing with Terry Scott and June Whitfield for a touch of sitcom. In 1997, Griffiths originated the role of Lumière in the original West End production of Beauty and the Beast  and played the role of The Child Catcher in the West End run of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 

Ice, ice baby...

Finally comes Fred Harris, a one time teacher who decided he needed a change of career so one wet and dull afternoon coming back from teaching he was passing a television rental shop and saw Play School on the bank of televisions. So with a thought of "I could give that a go!" and waited until the end to see the name of Cynthia Felgate and decided to write off to ask if they need anyone else to present and put himself forward as a presenter. From this, Fred was launched onto a new path of comedy taking in 'The Burkiss Way' and its television counterpart 'End of Part One'. Which lead to in one episode, threatening to squash a hamster if the show didn't get a better time slot and was taken out of the children's programmes on a Sunday afternoon. Dramatic you might say, but this helped Fred cement his relationship with the viewing public as such for being a steady hand when needed but also with the freedom to be as surreal as a 'Python' member. 

A right One Show!

The worst case? Oh no, that goes to a young lady who had been an actress and had make a career out of being attractive in a number of films both horror and also some which were a bit saucy. She was Jenny Hanley, Jenny had the unenviable task of replacing Susan Stranks on Magpie in 1972. But with the able hands of Mick Robertson, Douglas Rae and later Tommy Boyd, she became action girl for a whole generation of young girls and boys and even maybe crush material as well! Well, she had learned from the best though as she had been a Bond Girl in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. No better qualified then learning from 007 himself... She etched herself on the memories who saw her and stayed with the programme until its end in 1980, thus proving a movie career maybe the best option for being a Children's presenter.

Jumper-ing to conclusions...

There have been people who've gone the other way such as Jake Humphrey, the BBC's F1 anchor who had previous experience working for IMG's television sport division learning from Anglia's Gerry Harrison. He's proven that you can make the leap, as for Ortis Deeley... Well, everyone knows you can't run before you can walk... Though if you've got rubber legs as well, its twice as worse..

It shouldn't happen to a Kids TV presenter? Maybe it might, maybe it should... But always remember, Television Presenting, it can be Child's Play where ever you enter it from...