A wide world of sport and a whole new world for me...

In the past couple of weeks I have decided to spread my wings somewhat by trying to write for the local Portsmouth News, by doing a piece for their Saturday TV Nostalgia column. It may not be an in-depth piece, that it is not the style of the column at all, but its a start a I suppose... Here it is..

In today's world of multiple sports channels, its hard to forget there was a time when two shows dominated Saturday afternoons, the BBC had Grandstand whilst ITV's version was World of Sport. Though the two could not have been more different at all, if Grandstand was like  a luxury sofa, then World of Sport was like a beanbag.

It was presented by Dickie Davies for all of its life, a man who looked like a cross between a badger and a used car salesman whilst all the time helming a mixed bag of sports from the sublime to the ridiculous titled including the World Clown Diving Championship. Which was basically men in fuzzy rainbow coloured wigs diving into a paddling pool for entertainment.

On Christmas Eve 1977, Eric Morecambe brought his brand of comedy to help Dickie Davies present the programme. Even leading to Morecambe commenting on Davies' trademark moustache whilst Dickie was introducing the next with the line "The last time I saw anything like that they kill a whole herd of buffalo to make it!" With Davies trying to keep a straight face throughout this chaos happening around him!

In the end with ITV wanting to head in a new direction with its sports coverage, World of Sport was axed in 1985. But for a programme which was going to be called 'Wide World of Sports' originally, it did pretty good by covering events more close to home.

2012 (c) Rob Williams

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.

Carlton - Television for Government...

What is political conviction and where does it come from? Most people would say it is the way people are brought up and what they see as they are growing up to make their country a better place to live. Which is true to a point, as that shapes a person's view on life. Over time though a person's political feelings can change. But what about if you get the top job? Where exactly do you get your style of how to run your government?

Some may say, it comes from what has gone before and learning from other's mistakes or that does seem what it used to be, as in for the greater good. It can be said that Saatchi and Saatchi had a major influence on the style and presentation of Margaret Thatcher's election campaign in 1979, though even before when she became leader of the Tory Party in 1975, that influence was slowly moving into place.

That maybe all well and good, but its since 1997 and the election of Tony Blair as Prime Minister that we have seen some taking a business style to politics and using their experiences in their previous experiences, in his case of being a lawyer, that he took into government. In law making, the legal case was used, but not always that was the case. I am speaking more of the style that a lawyer uses in court and in serving a client by using legalese in what ever policy was put forward. In some cases, that worked and in others this spectacularly went wrong. Meaning a mish-mash of policy decisions and the government of that time right upto the 2010 General Election.

Because of the result of that election which left no party in overall control and the need for government, that the coaltion government which is now in power. David Cameron, who is the Prime Minister was the Head of PR at Carlton Television, though it seems that some of the coaltion's ideas and style have come from his days working there. 

For example, the Big Society was launched with the government looking for people to give up their time to help projects by volunteering. Though this does seem similar to ITV's year 200 project 'The Day of Promise' where people were encouraged to give up their time to volunteer for community projects. It can be said that with the policies which have been put forward are like Carlton Television itself in their franchise form, lots of show but no substance. This has never been more the case during the past week when the row over VAT on hot food and also the comments made by Francis Maude to store petrol have seen to be attention grabbing statements without nothing behind it, making sure farce has become real and better then anything Anthony Jay and Jonathan Lynn could have written for Jim Hacker himself. Seemingly it is ironic that Gold has commissioned a new version of Yes, Prime Minister in the same week that this has all happened. So maybe life has become art after all as the business way becomes the normal way of dealing in politics.

Switch on... Tune In... Cop out...

The 21st of March 2012 marks the day when analogue television finally said goodbye in Southern England after 58 years of service. Every television is set to the digital standard, meaning the biggest change since colour first came to the region. With this the Ceefax service and analogue only exists in the London area, but not for much longer as they are they last region to go fully digital. 


But in doing this, it has caused problems not only for viewers by not getting a full service that teletext could provide and some features have disappeared. In Germany, a teletext service was kept after their switchover. The short-sightedness seems to have been apparent by the BBC, meaning that services especially involving transport have been left out such as plane arrivals, train engineering works etc. This mean that people have to find the information out via websites, which may not be as accurate. 


Britain has been using the Freeview system now for what will be ten years in October for its free digital television services, in that time it has been a success especially in take up of digital services following the collapse of ITV Digital. Though now it faces a crossroads, with extra capacity being created in the system to allow for new channels to allowed to be broadcast. Where as the main base was the five main terrestrial channels at first, there are a whole plethora of channels on offer catering to a range of tastes. But this has allowed seemingly the service to be brought downmarket with adult chat channels being broadcast, so as such it has become like satellite television in a way with more and more obscure channels arriving. 


It maybe time for Ofcom to show their teeth in this matter to allow some channels, but also to regulate as them as well because before time, things can get out of control. Purpose needs to be used, but similar to the launch of Sky and BSB at the end of the 80's which dealt with more choice for the viewer, soon enough more channels were needed to be able to build the company up, though will Freeview end up having to sell itself to survive? Hopefully not, maybe the five main broadcasters will be its saviour after all.

Talk is cheap or is it?

In the coming weeks BBC Four is having a Chat show season looking at all aspects of the interview genre. For a long time the chat show was the king especially during the 60's, 70's and 80's with giants such as Frost and Parkinson fighting it out for supremacy as well other such as Russell Harty and Eamonn Andrews working the scene, in America Johnny Carson was the well trenched host of The Tonight Show with most of America going to bed with Johnny each weeknight. 


With Michael Parkinson's shows especially in the earlier years, he would mix up the guests he had on his show, on one side would be someone like Kenneth Williams holding court and on the other a union leader of the day talking about politics but this allowed for debate between the guests with Parkinson as the man in the middle.


The moments of all chatshows are burned into the brains of people such as Parkinson's meeting with Rod Hull and Emu plus Russell Harty's with Grace Jones. But also through conflict people are held to account, David Frost's meeting with Emil Savundra may have felt as 'Trial by Television' but it was this confrontation which lead to the Americans believing that Frost could cut it as tough, vigorous interviewer and lead to Richard Nixon underestimating Frost in their interview. Frost made it with that interview and his reputation for asking those questions that other dare not ask had been made.


Meanwhile by the early 80's, Michael Parkinson had been the BBC's top interviewer for nearly ten years and as such BBC executives wanted more from him. The then controller of BBC1, Bill Cotton had though about Parkinson being later in the evening and maybe stripping his programme across weeknights, but eventually the plan was limited and lead to the spare space  to filled by the creation of Question Time, it seemed like Parkinson was looking for a new challenge and that came in the shape of Breakfast television in joining fellow talkshow host David Frost as two of the faces on the fledgling TV-AM. But with his absence, a position was up for grabs to become the BBC's number one talkshow host.


At that time in 1982, Terry Wogan had been presenting the Radio Two breakfast show and also Blankety Blank as well when he was chosen to fill the space that Michael Parkinson had left by his leaving to go to TV-AM. As smoothly as he carried on that Saturday night spot, that when Michael Grade came back from America in 1984 with revamping BBC1's schedule, he had ideas of using Terry Wogan to help him with this.


Filled as such, all the 7pm slots on weeknights were to be filled in a familiar pattern. Terry Wogan's chatshow taking Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the new Eastenders taking Tuesday and Thursday. So the plan for Parkinson, had been used for Wogan but in a different timeslot and leading viewers nicely into the evenings viewing. It was so successful that it took seven years for BBC1 to have another revamp to freshen up its early evening schedule. Though Eldorado did for Wogan, it did for itself with a year of starting.


But eventually we have come full circle, much to people's chargrin that The One Show has finally made it happen that a talkshow appears every night at 7pm. It might no be everyone's cup of tea as such all other chatshows their have been, but it has given solidity to the BBC1 schedule as such, people know what is going to be on at that time each weeknight leading to ITV taking Emmerdale and stripping that five nights a week against it. Though as such with many things before it, it can seem a settled schedule but all of a sudden it can change. Within time, the number maybe up for The One Show, down the line like everything, it will be moved to Salford. Though a controller has their own ideas, so expect maybe BBC1 to try new things this Summer in the early evening, with gaps to fill between both sporting and other events, there will be a testing ground for new programmes and maybe a move towards less stripping but new ideas to refresh a channel.


Either way, talk can be cheap but when most shows are turning into chatshows, it can seem like a load of waffle. Hence, any show can have a chat element to it. But with so much chat about, will people run out of things to say?

Please release me... No, because Enge will show you how to have fun at Eurovision...

Hello and welcome back to the blog after a short rest to regain my Light Entertainment mojo, but something today has stirred me again and its the choice of singer for this year's Eurovision and its Englebert Humperdinck... Ah, I can hear some of you moaning why him and also we won't win it now. But do we have to win it? I mean, its an entertainment show rather then the be all and end all of everything ever, ever, ever. 


To some younger viewers they would want to see an Cowell reject singing or maybe a load of reformed pop stars like Blue last year, but to me Englebert is the right choice as he is an entertainer first and foremost. A star for many years, having his own television show much like his contemporary Tom Jones back in the late sixties. Why should we be pressing to fight the good fight rather then having fun with this? To some its jingoism, the pride of the nation and I find that a load of sloblocks, it is a television programme not a warzone. Leave that stuff to Question Time and alike, there maybe questions asked if this an easy way out for the BBC of not wanting to do Eurovision. 


But they put up technical support to the host broadcaster along with the Germans, Italians, Spanish and French, plus the argument of 'Why not get the host broadcaster pay for it all?' Well, for the fact it creates money, such as a programme like Top Gear does for the BBC. Not all people may like Top Gear, but its sales pay for other programmes like Call the Midwife, the BBC's sports coverage and other entertainment shows. Money is such, that some will create itself. 


So there's nothing wrong with Enge doing this, he bring class to an already classy show. And the business we call show, there's wrong with a bit of a class act...

The man who never grew up...

Are we ashamed of what we are? In adulthood, we all seemingly have to be serious. But there is seemingly something in the air at the moment, with the release of The Muppets at the cinema there is a grabbing of people's younger lives. For most people, they are reminded of the original television series shown in the UK between 1976 and 1981. As a very young child one of my first televisual memories is of watching The Muppets, everything else is hazy, but clearly I can see Miss Piggy doing a karate chop to some unfortunate person.

Though by the looks of it with the release of the new Muppet movie, people are going along to interested to see if that it is the same as they remember. False impressions are a difficult thing to take sometimes, but just the memories are so strong. 

I will admit I am the first to watch if there's a movie which is say a Disney movie or family movie on the television. Everyone finds different meaning in these movies and that they look at them from a adult perspective. The sense of make believe isn't suspended, now you may ask why I don't do this. I would ask some people the same about watching the news, but when living a such a life we shouldn't forget about that inner child at all. 

During half-term week the schedulers make room for family movies or something to keep the children amused. Some would say that is impossible with so many things for them to do nowadays, though it is surprising that they are still watched. Remarkable to think this, but they have a hold when they appear. One such is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, either the Gene Wilder version or Tim Burton version. Now you can say the Tim Burton version is darker, meaning to appeal to the adult audience as well, but its the genre itself which reveals a lot.

They make big money, now that isn't only the smart thing. Competing against the whizz-bang action blockbusters, they hold their own offering an alternative to the cinema going audience. In the past few years, a new Tron movie has been released and with the major studios looking at these types of movies. Its little wonder that more of titles of yesteryear would be remade, the Disney back catalogue is huge. Such is which, that movies have been remade twice. I was flicking through the channels and saw a 90's remake of That Darn Cat on Channel 5 and in a couple of days the original will be on BBC2. 

So wither Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World and Condorman... As they might be coming back to a cinema near you soon...